Choker #1 (Well, that was damned odd. Beautiful to look at and certainly intriguing, but odd. Recommended for the Fell crowd, definitely.)
Tails of the Pet Avengers (A fun one-shot throughout, but the Colleen Coover penned and drawn Ms. Lion short is the best thing I read this week. So much fun.)
BPRD King of Fear #2 (Damn, Liz is getting scary. And I'm loving Bruno, and hope Kate comes around to his charms. Also, ghosts and monsters.)
Batman & Robin #8 (I'm starting to think I'll like this a lot better in a collected format, the bite-size story chunks just aren't satisfying enough to me.)
S.W.O.R.D. #4 (I'll be sad to see this one go. This issue was a bit down from the rest, but it's key to moving everything into place for the end of the story.)
Daytripper #3 (Gorgeous, great reading as always)
Unwritten #10 (Love to see Tommy Taylor taking a bit more control, love some more hints of what's going on with the meta-fiction, love the ghost of Nazi Germany and... wow. That ending. What is going to happen next? One of my absolute favorite books at the moment.)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Weekly Comics for February 3, 2010
Criminal The Sinners #4 (Another dark, twisted, gorgeous looking issue of the best crime book this decade... and maybe the previous one, unless you measure it against other Brubaker/Phillips stuff)
Demo Vol 2 #1 (Wow. Every bit as good as I remembered it being, and that's based not on distant fond memories but a recent re-reading of the Demo trade. Sure to be one of my favorite series of 2010)
GI Joe Origins #12 (A darker-than-usual take on the origin of the Baroness, courtesy of Andreyko and Templesmith. How long have they been doing this series as one-shots focusing on different characters with different creative teams? Because that interests me quite a bit)
Sweet Tooth #6 (Second story arc starts off well, as we get a little more background on the mysterious Mr. Jepperd and see that he's had his own share of tragedy)
Milestone Forever #1 (Damn, this made me want to drag all my old Milestone books out and re-read them. I'd clearly forgotten where the status quo left off, but minor details aside, it was good to see all these characters again)
Also bought: Wizard's Tale HC, Crogan's March
Demo Vol 2 #1 (Wow. Every bit as good as I remembered it being, and that's based not on distant fond memories but a recent re-reading of the Demo trade. Sure to be one of my favorite series of 2010)
GI Joe Origins #12 (A darker-than-usual take on the origin of the Baroness, courtesy of Andreyko and Templesmith. How long have they been doing this series as one-shots focusing on different characters with different creative teams? Because that interests me quite a bit)
Sweet Tooth #6 (Second story arc starts off well, as we get a little more background on the mysterious Mr. Jepperd and see that he's had his own share of tragedy)
Milestone Forever #1 (Damn, this made me want to drag all my old Milestone books out and re-read them. I'd clearly forgotten where the status quo left off, but minor details aside, it was good to see all these characters again)
Also bought: Wizard's Tale HC, Crogan's March
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Weekly Comics for January 20-27, 2010
Joe the Barbarian #1 (Slow paced opener, but fantastic art, and I'm certainly interested in seeing where it goes)
Irredeemable #10 (I'm completely hooked on this now, can't wait to find out more of the secrets that lead up to this point)
Incredible Hercules #140 (The Assault on New Olympus story has been fantastic thus far, maybe not quite as good as the Thorcules story, but pretty close)
RASL #6 (Jeff Smith writes and draws a primer on the life and history of Nikola Tesla? Yes, please.)
GI Joe Cobra II #1 (Dark as hell, but also the best of the new IDW GI Joe comics. It's not the regular tone I'd like for GI Joe, but I love it as a Cobra book. Only problem is, a lot of the folks who'd enjoy it for it's gritty undercover vibe will never read it because it says GI Joe on the cover)
Robocop #1 (I always lose interest in these licensed comics, but Rob Williams, Fabiano Neves and Dynamite offer up a slick Robocop sequel here that dodges the suckiness of the other two movies, adds the economic meltdown of the '00s to the '80s political parody of the original movie and has plenty of cool action to boot. Surprisingly, one of my favorite reads in a really good week of comics)
Detective Comics #861 (Goddamn but Jock is a fantastic artist)
Guardians of the Galaxy #22 (I've lost interest in Nova until the Sphinx story is over, and I'm kind of bored with the other Realm of Kings tie-ins, but this one, with it's space megachurch of evil zealots and great superteam banter/action, continues to be one of my favorite Marvel comics)
Batman & Robin #7 (After the long wait, this was a little disappointing. Morrison's storytelling is choppy (where the hell did Batwoman come from?), not helped by the balloon placement fuck-up, leading to sort of a good-but-not-great vibe from me. Beautiful Cameron Stewart artwork, though)
Daredevil #504 (I love that Diggle has maintained the dark, Murdock is up against horrible odds and has to make terrible choices vibe while making Daredevil more of an active protagonist than a victim. And I'm digging the art by De La Torre/Hollingsworth. Daredevil continues to be one of Marvel's best books)
Chew #8 (Wondering how much of this story was a result of Layman wanting to put "King of Cocks" on the cover, because that cracked me up. Anyway, fantastic as usual, best new book of 2009 and in the running for best series of 2010 already)
Also bought in the last two weeks: Pluto Vol 7, Afrodisiac HC, Return of King Doug HC
Irredeemable #10 (I'm completely hooked on this now, can't wait to find out more of the secrets that lead up to this point)
Incredible Hercules #140 (The Assault on New Olympus story has been fantastic thus far, maybe not quite as good as the Thorcules story, but pretty close)
RASL #6 (Jeff Smith writes and draws a primer on the life and history of Nikola Tesla? Yes, please.)
GI Joe Cobra II #1 (Dark as hell, but also the best of the new IDW GI Joe comics. It's not the regular tone I'd like for GI Joe, but I love it as a Cobra book. Only problem is, a lot of the folks who'd enjoy it for it's gritty undercover vibe will never read it because it says GI Joe on the cover)
Robocop #1 (I always lose interest in these licensed comics, but Rob Williams, Fabiano Neves and Dynamite offer up a slick Robocop sequel here that dodges the suckiness of the other two movies, adds the economic meltdown of the '00s to the '80s political parody of the original movie and has plenty of cool action to boot. Surprisingly, one of my favorite reads in a really good week of comics)
Detective Comics #861 (Goddamn but Jock is a fantastic artist)
Guardians of the Galaxy #22 (I've lost interest in Nova until the Sphinx story is over, and I'm kind of bored with the other Realm of Kings tie-ins, but this one, with it's space megachurch of evil zealots and great superteam banter/action, continues to be one of my favorite Marvel comics)
Batman & Robin #7 (After the long wait, this was a little disappointing. Morrison's storytelling is choppy (where the hell did Batwoman come from?), not helped by the balloon placement fuck-up, leading to sort of a good-but-not-great vibe from me. Beautiful Cameron Stewart artwork, though)
Daredevil #504 (I love that Diggle has maintained the dark, Murdock is up against horrible odds and has to make terrible choices vibe while making Daredevil more of an active protagonist than a victim. And I'm digging the art by De La Torre/Hollingsworth. Daredevil continues to be one of Marvel's best books)
Chew #8 (Wondering how much of this story was a result of Layman wanting to put "King of Cocks" on the cover, because that cracked me up. Anyway, fantastic as usual, best new book of 2009 and in the running for best series of 2010 already)
Also bought in the last two weeks: Pluto Vol 7, Afrodisiac HC, Return of King Doug HC
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Weekly Comics for January 13, 2009
Daytripper #2 (Slice-of-life tales with a touch of magic from Brazil by Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon. Beautiful to look at, mesmerizing to read, as good as their work on De:Tales and other projects they've done together)
Orc Stain #1 (Spectacularly beautiful to look at, and fun take on fantasy with orcs as protagonists)
S.W.O.R.D. #3 (This is a fantastic book about aliens in the Marvel Universe that far too few people are reading. Love the artwork, love the characters, love the dialogue. Kieron Gillen is going to be a name people are tossing around with Warren Ellis in a year or two, and this may wind up a forgotten gem. Read it now so you'll look smart then.)
The Unwritten #9 (Wow. After last issue, I thought they might, but I'm still surprised they went there. Dark issue, but really interesting and compelling as well)
Orc Stain #1 (Spectacularly beautiful to look at, and fun take on fantasy with orcs as protagonists)
S.W.O.R.D. #3 (This is a fantastic book about aliens in the Marvel Universe that far too few people are reading. Love the artwork, love the characters, love the dialogue. Kieron Gillen is going to be a name people are tossing around with Warren Ellis in a year or two, and this may wind up a forgotten gem. Read it now so you'll look smart then.)
The Unwritten #9 (Wow. After last issue, I thought they might, but I'm still surprised they went there. Dark issue, but really interesting and compelling as well)
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Weekly Comics for January 6, 2010
BPRD King of Fear #1 (Spectacular artwork as always, fun to see Bruno again and I love the bureaucratic/political interference from the government.)
Mass Effect: Redemption #1 (Interesting enough, but a little hard to follow. Then again, I haven't finished the first game, or indeed played it in a long while, so maybe I'm just not remembering enough about the world. Not real friendly to those who don't already know the world and its characters, though.)
Stumptown #2 (Really liked it, but the outside factors of a two month wait for the issue (with no explanation) and seeing it turned from an ongoing to a four-issue mini have me disappointed more than anything. I thought this was going to be a favorite new series in 2010, something to stand with Criminal, but that's clearly not going to be the case.)
Sweet Tooth #5 (Wow. Brutal ending to the first arc, and Lemire's artwork continues to impress, especially the unconventional staging of the big climactic fight scene with Jefferd and the militia.)
Also bought today: Young Avengers HC, Thor Ages of Thunder HC, Missile Mouse Volume 1, Kazu Kibuishi's Copper, The Unwritten Vol 1 TP
Mass Effect: Redemption #1 (Interesting enough, but a little hard to follow. Then again, I haven't finished the first game, or indeed played it in a long while, so maybe I'm just not remembering enough about the world. Not real friendly to those who don't already know the world and its characters, though.)
Stumptown #2 (Really liked it, but the outside factors of a two month wait for the issue (with no explanation) and seeing it turned from an ongoing to a four-issue mini have me disappointed more than anything. I thought this was going to be a favorite new series in 2010, something to stand with Criminal, but that's clearly not going to be the case.)
Sweet Tooth #5 (Wow. Brutal ending to the first arc, and Lemire's artwork continues to impress, especially the unconventional staging of the big climactic fight scene with Jefferd and the militia.)
Also bought today: Young Avengers HC, Thor Ages of Thunder HC, Missile Mouse Volume 1, Kazu Kibuishi's Copper, The Unwritten Vol 1 TP
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Best of 2009: Books
I had set a goal to read at least one book a month this year, and I managed it. Barely. Next year I want to read at least that many, hopefully more.
Favorite Book: The Kid by Dan Savage
1. The Kid by Dan Savage (Plume)
2. The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family (Dan Savage)
3. The Road (Vintage Books)
4. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life (Scribner)
5. The Great Derangement (Matt Taibbi)
6. A Feast For Crows (George R.R. Martin)
7. The Switch (HarperTorch)
8. Savage Season (Black Lizard)
9. Inside Straight HC (George R.R. Martin)
10. Dreams of My Father (Barack Obama)
11. Patriot Acts (Bantam)
12. Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me (Grand Central)
13. I Am America: And So Can You! (Warner Books)
Favorite Book: The Kid by Dan Savage
1. The Kid by Dan Savage (Plume)
2. The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family (Dan Savage)
3. The Road (Vintage Books)
4. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life (Scribner)
5. The Great Derangement (Matt Taibbi)
6. A Feast For Crows (George R.R. Martin)
7. The Switch (HarperTorch)
8. Savage Season (Black Lizard)
9. Inside Straight HC (George R.R. Martin)
10. Dreams of My Father (Barack Obama)
11. Patriot Acts (Bantam)
12. Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me (Grand Central)
13. I Am America: And So Can You! (Warner Books)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Best of 2009: Movies
Top 10 Movies of 2009
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Up
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Zombieland
5. Where The Wild Things Are
6. District 9
7. The Hangover
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. Avatar
10. Watchmen
I saw only a dozen new movies in the theater this year: Up, Inglourious Basterds, District 9, Where The Wild Things Are, Public Enemies, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Watchmen, Star Trek, Zombieland, Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. I thought two of them were terrible (although I suspected one of them was going to be going in), I was disappointed by one of them (Star Trek... I know, I know! Shut up!) and I was reasonably happy with the rest. I even liked Watchmen (I know, I know! Shut up!) I took a pass on G.I. Joe and Transformers 2, and I think my new "If you know it's going to be a shitty blockbuster, even if it's based on something you have nostalgic love for, take a pass" philosophy will serve me well going forward.
As far as favorite movie of the year, though, it's easy to get down to the top two. District 9 and Where The Wild Things Are were both very good, but each had its issues that keep it from being "Best Of" material. Zombieland was great, but in the end, it's really not much more than an American Shaun of the Dead. The top two, though? That's a really tough choice. It's between Up, another masterpiece by Pixar, and Inglourious Basterds, another fun, violent, self-indulgent flick from Tarantino. I know that the unanimous choice there would be Up, as some folks outright disliked Basterds or hate Tarantino, but the only one I saw twice in the theater was Inglourious Basterds, so I think I've gotta give that one the nod.
I also saw a bunch of older movies for the first time this year. I really enjoyed The Scottish werewolves vs. soldiers movie Dog Soldiers, the Oscar-bait tale of life in Indian slums Slumdog Millionaire, the dumb comedy Tropic Thunder, the Beatles tribute Across The Universe, the Spanish zombie flick [REC] (and it's American remake, Quarantine), the suspense thriller Zodiac (best Fincher movie since Fight Club) the strange con man movie The Brothers Bloom and the "magicians are bastards" The Prestige.
I loved Big Lebowksi, which I finally saw, and I'm glad I held out for the big screen. Saw it at the Paramount here in Austin, and it has gone from "I really need to see that" to "one of my favorite movies" with just one viewing. Other movies I saw that had their moments but weren't quite all there were Choke and The Bank Job. Oh, and I saw Gran Torino and found it vastly overrated.
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Up
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Zombieland
5. Where The Wild Things Are
6. District 9
7. The Hangover
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. Avatar
10. Watchmen
I saw only a dozen new movies in the theater this year: Up, Inglourious Basterds, District 9, Where The Wild Things Are, Public Enemies, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Watchmen, Star Trek, Zombieland, Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. I thought two of them were terrible (although I suspected one of them was going to be going in), I was disappointed by one of them (Star Trek... I know, I know! Shut up!) and I was reasonably happy with the rest. I even liked Watchmen (I know, I know! Shut up!) I took a pass on G.I. Joe and Transformers 2, and I think my new "If you know it's going to be a shitty blockbuster, even if it's based on something you have nostalgic love for, take a pass" philosophy will serve me well going forward.
As far as favorite movie of the year, though, it's easy to get down to the top two. District 9 and Where The Wild Things Are were both very good, but each had its issues that keep it from being "Best Of" material. Zombieland was great, but in the end, it's really not much more than an American Shaun of the Dead. The top two, though? That's a really tough choice. It's between Up, another masterpiece by Pixar, and Inglourious Basterds, another fun, violent, self-indulgent flick from Tarantino. I know that the unanimous choice there would be Up, as some folks outright disliked Basterds or hate Tarantino, but the only one I saw twice in the theater was Inglourious Basterds, so I think I've gotta give that one the nod.
I also saw a bunch of older movies for the first time this year. I really enjoyed The Scottish werewolves vs. soldiers movie Dog Soldiers, the Oscar-bait tale of life in Indian slums Slumdog Millionaire, the dumb comedy Tropic Thunder, the Beatles tribute Across The Universe, the Spanish zombie flick [REC] (and it's American remake, Quarantine), the suspense thriller Zodiac (best Fincher movie since Fight Club) the strange con man movie The Brothers Bloom and the "magicians are bastards" The Prestige.
I loved Big Lebowksi, which I finally saw, and I'm glad I held out for the big screen. Saw it at the Paramount here in Austin, and it has gone from "I really need to see that" to "one of my favorite movies" with just one viewing. Other movies I saw that had their moments but weren't quite all there were Choke and The Bank Job. Oh, and I saw Gran Torino and found it vastly overrated.
Best of 2009: TV
Top 20 TV Shows in 2010
1. Lost Season Five (ABC)
2. Breaking Bad Season Two (AMC)
3. Chuck Season Two (NBC)
4. Modern Family Season One (ABC)
5. Burn Notice Season Two & Three (USA)
6. Flight of the Conchords Season Two (HBO)
7. Spectacular Spider-Man Season Two (DXD)
8. Community Season One (NBC)
9. The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season Two (FOX)
10. Torchwood: Children of Earth (BBC)
11. The Office Season Five & Six (NBC)
12. Batman The Brave and the Bold Season One (TOON)
13. Better Off Ted Season One (ABC)
14. Leverage Season Two (TNT)
15. Party Down Season One (STARZ)
16. 30 Rock Season Three & Four (NBC)
17. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season Five (F/X)
18. Weeds Season Four (SHO)
19. Parks & Recreation Season Two (NBC)
20. Better Off Ted Season One (CBS)
Favorite Hour-Long: Lost (ABC)
There are four strong contenders in this category: Chuck, Breaking Bad and Lost, with Burn Notice as a dark horse candidate. And while the performances and sheer gutsiness of Breaking Bad tempts me, my favorite hour-long, and honestly my favorite thing on TV, is Lost. It's ambitious, but shows signs of the showrunners knowing that they need to have a satisfying ending for that ambition to mean anything. In contrast to Battlestar Galactica, which after that bullshit finale, I wish I could un-watch. It's got some of the best writing on television, elevated well above the usual quality we get in genre TV into award-worthy territory. The writers are tackling complex concepts like time travel and quantum physics (OK, magic) in a way that makes it approachable but not dumbed-down, and the characters are so compelling that you care as much about their small stories as you do the big mythology. Add in one of the best casts of actors on TV and just generally exquisite production values, not to mention that they've done this for five seasons now and aside from some arguable hiccups in the middle seasons, it's never been anything less than great, and I believe Lost will be one of those "Best of TV" shows for a long, long time.
Unless they fuck up the ending. Then I take it all back and give the nod to Breaking Bad.
I also really like Dexter, although ever since season two, it's settled into something of diminishing returns for me, and I really liked Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but it's cancellation keeps it from nudging up beyond "what could have been" territory, even though I'll definitely re-watch both seasons on DVD from time to time, as it's a solid offering, even with it's non-ending ending. Dollhouse might have made it on if every episode was like "Man on the Street" or "Epitath One" but most of it was disappointing, and I remain somewhat bitter that it got to stick around despite its downward spiral when Sarah Connor didn't, even though it was on a creative upswing.
Oh, and there's Leverage, which is just a ton of fun, and White Collar, which is usually decent and may someday be as good as Leverage if it grows some balls and learns how to better utilize its great cast.
1. Lost Season Five (ABC)
2. Breaking Bad Season Two (AMC)
3. Chuck Season Two (NBC)
4. Modern Family Season One (ABC)
5. Burn Notice Season Two & Three (USA)
6. Flight of the Conchords Season Two (HBO)
7. Spectacular Spider-Man Season Two (DXD)
8. Community Season One (NBC)
9. The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season Two (FOX)
10. Torchwood: Children of Earth (BBC)
11. The Office Season Five & Six (NBC)
12. Batman The Brave and the Bold Season One (TOON)
13. Better Off Ted Season One (ABC)
14. Leverage Season Two (TNT)
15. Party Down Season One (STARZ)
16. 30 Rock Season Three & Four (NBC)
17. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season Five (F/X)
18. Weeds Season Four (SHO)
19. Parks & Recreation Season Two (NBC)
20. Better Off Ted Season One (CBS)
Favorite Hour-Long: Lost (ABC)
There are four strong contenders in this category: Chuck, Breaking Bad and Lost, with Burn Notice as a dark horse candidate. And while the performances and sheer gutsiness of Breaking Bad tempts me, my favorite hour-long, and honestly my favorite thing on TV, is Lost. It's ambitious, but shows signs of the showrunners knowing that they need to have a satisfying ending for that ambition to mean anything. In contrast to Battlestar Galactica, which after that bullshit finale, I wish I could un-watch. It's got some of the best writing on television, elevated well above the usual quality we get in genre TV into award-worthy territory. The writers are tackling complex concepts like time travel and quantum physics (OK, magic) in a way that makes it approachable but not dumbed-down, and the characters are so compelling that you care as much about their small stories as you do the big mythology. Add in one of the best casts of actors on TV and just generally exquisite production values, not to mention that they've done this for five seasons now and aside from some arguable hiccups in the middle seasons, it's never been anything less than great, and I believe Lost will be one of those "Best of TV" shows for a long, long time.
Unless they fuck up the ending. Then I take it all back and give the nod to Breaking Bad.
I also really like Dexter, although ever since season two, it's settled into something of diminishing returns for me, and I really liked Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but it's cancellation keeps it from nudging up beyond "what could have been" territory, even though I'll definitely re-watch both seasons on DVD from time to time, as it's a solid offering, even with it's non-ending ending. Dollhouse might have made it on if every episode was like "Man on the Street" or "Epitath One" but most of it was disappointing, and I remain somewhat bitter that it got to stick around despite its downward spiral when Sarah Connor didn't, even though it was on a creative upswing.
Oh, and there's Leverage, which is just a ton of fun, and White Collar, which is usually decent and may someday be as good as Leverage if it grows some balls and learns how to better utilize its great cast.
Best of 2009: Comics
Top 20 Comics of the Year:
1. Chew
2. Incognito/Criminal: The Sinners
3. The Umbrella Academy Dallas
4. BPRD Black Goddess
5. Hellboy The Wild Hunt
6. Beasts of Burden
7. Usagi Yojimbo
8. Incredible Hercules
9. Batman and Robin
10. The Unwritten
11. Sweet Tooth
12. The Muppet Show
13. GI Joe Cobra
14. BPRD 1947
15. The Unknown
16. Nova
17. Guardians of the Galaxy
18. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye
19. Agents of Atlas
20. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
Top 20 Graphic Novels of the Year:
1. Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
2. Rocketeer Deluxe Edition (IDW)
3. Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1 (IDW)
4. Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Volume 1-5 (Viz)
5. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 1-6 (Viz)
6. Amulet Book 2 (Scholastic)
7. Scott Pilgrim Vol 5 (Oni)
8. Johnny Hiro (Adhouse)
9. Mouse Guard Winter 1152 HC (Archaia)
10. The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack (Dark Horse)
11. Hellboy Library Edition Volume 2-3 HC (Dark Horse)
12. Immortal Iron Fist Omnibus (Marvel)
13. Criminal Deluxe Edition (Marvel)
14. Starman Omnibus Vol 2-3 (DC)
15. Empowered, Vol. 5 (Dark Horse)
16. A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Pantheon)
17. RASL Vol 1: The Drift (Cartoon Books)
18. Pixu: The Mark of Evil (Dark Horse)
19. TMNT Collected Book Vol. 1 (Mirage)
20. Tiny Titans Vol. 1-2 (DC)
Favorite New Comic Of The Year: Chew
At the moment, my "buzz book" is Andy Diggle's run on Daredevil, which at three full issues into its run, is looking like a further evolution of the good work done on the book by Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker. And while I've lost interest in the past few months, early on this year I was quite into Mike Carey's work on X-Men Legacy. In similar "not new number one but new creative team" books there's Marvel Adventures Spider-Man by Paul Tobin and several different artists, which synthesizes some of the best aspects of the Spectacular Spider-Man TV show, Ultimate Spider-Man and Tobin's own touches to become easily the best Spider-Man book on the shelves. Then there's the new Morrison Batman & Robin, which hasn't been perfect but has been damn good, and the Vertigo resurgence with the two must-read books, The Unwritten and Sweet Tooth. Those two in particular were real front-runners for this category. And Stumptown had a great debut, but with only two issues released in 2009, it's too early to call it the best new book of the year.
But the book with the most novel premise, not to mention providing a consistently excellent read with each issue, is Chew. John Layman's been toiling in the trenches for some time now, turning out quirky gems like Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies and Puffed, but his new creator-owned Image series is far and away the best thing he's written. It's funny and strange on the surface, but there's plenty of world-building, plot detail and character development to go with it's "That is such a strange concept, I've got to read it" hook. And artist Rob Guillory has a fresh look that instantly grabs the eye, not to mention storytelling chops rarely seen in a debut. Together, these two put together the best new comic of the year.
Favorite Ongoing Series: Incredible Hercules
Pretty much everything in the ongoing series category is Marvel, with two exceptions. RASL, by Cartoon Books, is a notable exception. It ranks lowest on my list, however, not because of the quality but because of the frequency. Jeff Smith was putting out biggie-sized issues on a quarterly basis, and I was happy with that, it seemed to be a schedule he could meet. He announced this year that he was going to put out smaller issues, but bimonthly, and I knew that probably wasn't a great idea, and indeed, the flow of issues has pretty much stopped. This is a constant frustration for me as a fan and a retailer, as it makes it really hard to sell indie series, when so many of them disappear or become even more inconsistent in their scheduling, and it hurts the ability of new indies to sell as well. Folks fear getting burned again, and I can't really blame them.
Deep breath. That rant aside, the flipside of that is my other non-Marvel pick for ongoing series, Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. Consistently on schedule, consistently excellent.
My other favorite series contenders are Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova and Agents of Atlas, and of course my winner, Incredible Hercules. None of them register very high on the Top 100, sadly.
Favorite Mini-Series: Incognito
1. Incognito
2. Criminal: The Sinners
3. The Umbrella Academy Dallas
4. BPRD Black Goddess
5. Hellboy The Wild Hunt
6. Beasts of Burden
7. The Muppet Show
8. GI Joe Cobra
9. BPRD 1947
10. The Unknown
11. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye
12. New Avengers: Reunion (Marvel)
13. Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter (Marvel)
14. The Incredibles Family Matters (Boom!)
15. War of Kings (Marvel)
16. Atomic Robo Beyond the Shadow of Time (Red 5)
1. Chew
2. Incognito/Criminal: The Sinners
3. The Umbrella Academy Dallas
4. BPRD Black Goddess
5. Hellboy The Wild Hunt
6. Beasts of Burden
7. Usagi Yojimbo
8. Incredible Hercules
9. Batman and Robin
10. The Unwritten
11. Sweet Tooth
12. The Muppet Show
13. GI Joe Cobra
14. BPRD 1947
15. The Unknown
16. Nova
17. Guardians of the Galaxy
18. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye
19. Agents of Atlas
20. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
Top 20 Graphic Novels of the Year:
1. Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
2. Rocketeer Deluxe Edition (IDW)
3. Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1 (IDW)
4. Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Volume 1-5 (Viz)
5. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 1-6 (Viz)
6. Amulet Book 2 (Scholastic)
7. Scott Pilgrim Vol 5 (Oni)
8. Johnny Hiro (Adhouse)
9. Mouse Guard Winter 1152 HC (Archaia)
10. The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack (Dark Horse)
11. Hellboy Library Edition Volume 2-3 HC (Dark Horse)
12. Immortal Iron Fist Omnibus (Marvel)
13. Criminal Deluxe Edition (Marvel)
14. Starman Omnibus Vol 2-3 (DC)
15. Empowered, Vol. 5 (Dark Horse)
16. A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Pantheon)
17. RASL Vol 1: The Drift (Cartoon Books)
18. Pixu: The Mark of Evil (Dark Horse)
19. TMNT Collected Book Vol. 1 (Mirage)
20. Tiny Titans Vol. 1-2 (DC)
Favorite New Comic Of The Year: Chew
At the moment, my "buzz book" is Andy Diggle's run on Daredevil, which at three full issues into its run, is looking like a further evolution of the good work done on the book by Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker. And while I've lost interest in the past few months, early on this year I was quite into Mike Carey's work on X-Men Legacy. In similar "not new number one but new creative team" books there's Marvel Adventures Spider-Man by Paul Tobin and several different artists, which synthesizes some of the best aspects of the Spectacular Spider-Man TV show, Ultimate Spider-Man and Tobin's own touches to become easily the best Spider-Man book on the shelves. Then there's the new Morrison Batman & Robin, which hasn't been perfect but has been damn good, and the Vertigo resurgence with the two must-read books, The Unwritten and Sweet Tooth. Those two in particular were real front-runners for this category. And Stumptown had a great debut, but with only two issues released in 2009, it's too early to call it the best new book of the year.
But the book with the most novel premise, not to mention providing a consistently excellent read with each issue, is Chew. John Layman's been toiling in the trenches for some time now, turning out quirky gems like Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies and Puffed, but his new creator-owned Image series is far and away the best thing he's written. It's funny and strange on the surface, but there's plenty of world-building, plot detail and character development to go with it's "That is such a strange concept, I've got to read it" hook. And artist Rob Guillory has a fresh look that instantly grabs the eye, not to mention storytelling chops rarely seen in a debut. Together, these two put together the best new comic of the year.
Favorite Ongoing Series: Incredible Hercules
Pretty much everything in the ongoing series category is Marvel, with two exceptions. RASL, by Cartoon Books, is a notable exception. It ranks lowest on my list, however, not because of the quality but because of the frequency. Jeff Smith was putting out biggie-sized issues on a quarterly basis, and I was happy with that, it seemed to be a schedule he could meet. He announced this year that he was going to put out smaller issues, but bimonthly, and I knew that probably wasn't a great idea, and indeed, the flow of issues has pretty much stopped. This is a constant frustration for me as a fan and a retailer, as it makes it really hard to sell indie series, when so many of them disappear or become even more inconsistent in their scheduling, and it hurts the ability of new indies to sell as well. Folks fear getting burned again, and I can't really blame them.
Deep breath. That rant aside, the flipside of that is my other non-Marvel pick for ongoing series, Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. Consistently on schedule, consistently excellent.
My other favorite series contenders are Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova and Agents of Atlas, and of course my winner, Incredible Hercules. None of them register very high on the Top 100, sadly.
Favorite Mini-Series: Incognito
1. Incognito
2. Criminal: The Sinners
3. The Umbrella Academy Dallas
4. BPRD Black Goddess
5. Hellboy The Wild Hunt
6. Beasts of Burden
7. The Muppet Show
8. GI Joe Cobra
9. BPRD 1947
10. The Unknown
11. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye
12. New Avengers: Reunion (Marvel)
13. Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter (Marvel)
14. The Incredibles Family Matters (Boom!)
15. War of Kings (Marvel)
16. Atomic Robo Beyond the Shadow of Time (Red 5)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Neglected Blog
Huh. There are some cobwebs around here, aren't there?
Most of my blogging time has moved over to Facebook and Twitter, and the rest of it? That's gone to my increasingly busy schedule. For example, here's this week:
Sunday - Potluck/gift exchange with friends
Monday - Dinner with family, late showing of Avatar
Tuesday - Lunch with family at Torchy's (?), work
Wednesday - Insanely busy last new comics day of the year
Thursday - Hopefully insanely busy Christmas Eve at the store, then Christmas Eve with the family
Friday - Christmas Day and all that entails
Saturday - Work day, catching up on missing Friday work
And that's just the big stuff, it doesn't count all the smaller stuff. And it seems like every week has been like this for months. So... blogging probably won't get any more frequent here, but I'm going to try to at least have a Best of 2009 post ready for January, I've been working on that one in my copious free time.
Most of my blogging time has moved over to Facebook and Twitter, and the rest of it? That's gone to my increasingly busy schedule. For example, here's this week:
Sunday - Potluck/gift exchange with friends
Monday - Dinner with family, late showing of Avatar
Tuesday - Lunch with family at Torchy's (?), work
Wednesday - Insanely busy last new comics day of the year
Thursday - Hopefully insanely busy Christmas Eve at the store, then Christmas Eve with the family
Friday - Christmas Day and all that entails
Saturday - Work day, catching up on missing Friday work
And that's just the big stuff, it doesn't count all the smaller stuff. And it seems like every week has been like this for months. So... blogging probably won't get any more frequent here, but I'm going to try to at least have a Best of 2009 post ready for January, I've been working on that one in my copious free time.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Weekly Comics for November 25, 2009
Didn't get a chance to read everything I wanted to, notably Beasts of Burden, but here's what I did read this week:
Chew #6 (Fantastic start to the new story, surprising and pleasing return of a character I really liked in the first issue, fantastic artwork and great comedic timing as usual - Best new book of the year? Yep.)
Criminal Sinners #2 (Loving the return of Tracy Lawless, and the murder mystery he's investigating is an interesting one)
Incredible Hercules #138 (I need to read the rest of Assault on New Olympus, but I got enough to enjoy this, which was a lot of fun. References to Ocean's 11, Ghostbusters and Harryhausen along with the Avengers battling a corporation made up of Greek gods and titans makes for good times)
Guardians of the Galaxy #20 (I miss some of the characters, but I admire Abnett & Lanning for being unafraid to mess with the status quo, and I love what they're doing with the rift, Knowhere and the Church of Universal Truth. I've always wanted a superhero sci-fi book like this, I just didn't know it.)
Chew #6 (Fantastic start to the new story, surprising and pleasing return of a character I really liked in the first issue, fantastic artwork and great comedic timing as usual - Best new book of the year? Yep.)
Criminal Sinners #2 (Loving the return of Tracy Lawless, and the murder mystery he's investigating is an interesting one)
Incredible Hercules #138 (I need to read the rest of Assault on New Olympus, but I got enough to enjoy this, which was a lot of fun. References to Ocean's 11, Ghostbusters and Harryhausen along with the Avengers battling a corporation made up of Greek gods and titans makes for good times)
Guardians of the Galaxy #20 (I miss some of the characters, but I admire Abnett & Lanning for being unafraid to mess with the status quo, and I love what they're doing with the rift, Knowhere and the Church of Universal Truth. I've always wanted a superhero sci-fi book like this, I just didn't know it.)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Weekly Comics for November 11 & November 18, 2009
I have been really neglecting this blog of late. Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 absorbed a lot of my free time for November so far.
Daredevil #502 (Damn. Diggle's run so far is fantastic)
Hellboy The Wild Hunt #8 (Great finale, and I'm really enjoying what Mignola and Fegredo are doing with the characters)
Unwritten #7 (Hasn't hit the heights of #5 again, but is a really good read, reminiscent in quality and world-building of what this team did on Lucifer)
Batman and Robin #6 (Not a fan of Tan's artwork, but in general, still really into this book)
S.W.O.R.D. #1 (The art is gonna turn some folks off, but I love it, a perfect fit for Gillen's quirky take on sci-fi in the Marvel Universe. I hope this book sticks around, because I thought the first issue was a blast)
Realm of Kings Imperial Guard #1 (Not a huge fan of these characters, and without the rest of the Realm of Kings cast involved, I find I don't care much about who is running the Shi'ar)
Marvel Adventures Superheroes #17 (A fun relaunch of sorts for the all-ages Avengers)
X-Men Legacy #229 (Emplate = bleh. Acuna's art not my favorite. But I'm still liking this book, mostly due to Carey's take on Rogue. I wish it weren't getting dragged into the orbit of the other X-books, I liked it better when it was out there on its own)
Realm of Kings (Wow, did not expect that. Cthulhu-tinged Avengers vs. Quasar? Surprisingly fun)
Daredevil #502 (Damn. Diggle's run so far is fantastic)
Hellboy The Wild Hunt #8 (Great finale, and I'm really enjoying what Mignola and Fegredo are doing with the characters)
Unwritten #7 (Hasn't hit the heights of #5 again, but is a really good read, reminiscent in quality and world-building of what this team did on Lucifer)
Batman and Robin #6 (Not a fan of Tan's artwork, but in general, still really into this book)
S.W.O.R.D. #1 (The art is gonna turn some folks off, but I love it, a perfect fit for Gillen's quirky take on sci-fi in the Marvel Universe. I hope this book sticks around, because I thought the first issue was a blast)
Realm of Kings Imperial Guard #1 (Not a huge fan of these characters, and without the rest of the Realm of Kings cast involved, I find I don't care much about who is running the Shi'ar)
Marvel Adventures Superheroes #17 (A fun relaunch of sorts for the all-ages Avengers)
X-Men Legacy #229 (Emplate = bleh. Acuna's art not my favorite. But I'm still liking this book, mostly due to Carey's take on Rogue. I wish it weren't getting dragged into the orbit of the other X-books, I liked it better when it was out there on its own)
Realm of Kings (Wow, did not expect that. Cthulhu-tinged Avengers vs. Quasar? Surprisingly fun)
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Weekly Comics for November 4, 2009
I missed reading comics last week, so this is sort of a catch-up post with this week's comics as well.
Sweet Tooth #3 (We see the extent of the post-apocalyptic world for the first time. I'm really loving this new Vertigo book)
Nova #31 (The Darkhawk revamp didn't work as well as the Nova one, but I did like seeing him guest-starring, and I love the new status quo for the Worldmind, Nova Corps and it's new drill sergeant)
X-Men vs Agents of Atlas #2 (Fun, although between this and Assault on New Olympus, it felt like there was a lot of reading other comics I wasn't interested in to keep up with Agents of Atlas and Incredible Hercules, which I am)
Superman World of New Krypton #9 (In the immortal words of Willow from Buffy: Bored now.)
Guardians of the Galaxy #19 (Not digging the art, and... did they just kill off a bunch of great characters, or is there a restoration coming?)
Nova #30 (The old Nova's new role is something I like, and I also like the resolution of the Ego story)
Batman Brave and the Bold #10 (Fun little story with the Atom and Batman battling it out, kaiju monster style)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #55 (I'm an issue behind, but this was another great one, with a fun take on Captain America... Tobin is *killing it* on this book)
Detective Comics #858 (The origin of Batwoman... dark as hell, but well-written. And I loved the more conventional art style used by JH Williams III here, as much as I love his usual style)
Stumptown #1 (This one has been getting a lot of well-deserved praise on the Internet. It might be Rucka's best book since Whiteout or Queen & Country, it's got a lot of influence from Criminal, and I loved it. One of my favorite first issues of the year)
Sweet Tooth #3 (We see the extent of the post-apocalyptic world for the first time. I'm really loving this new Vertigo book)
Nova #31 (The Darkhawk revamp didn't work as well as the Nova one, but I did like seeing him guest-starring, and I love the new status quo for the Worldmind, Nova Corps and it's new drill sergeant)
X-Men vs Agents of Atlas #2 (Fun, although between this and Assault on New Olympus, it felt like there was a lot of reading other comics I wasn't interested in to keep up with Agents of Atlas and Incredible Hercules, which I am)
Superman World of New Krypton #9 (In the immortal words of Willow from Buffy: Bored now.)
Guardians of the Galaxy #19 (Not digging the art, and... did they just kill off a bunch of great characters, or is there a restoration coming?)
Nova #30 (The old Nova's new role is something I like, and I also like the resolution of the Ego story)
Batman Brave and the Bold #10 (Fun little story with the Atom and Batman battling it out, kaiju monster style)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #55 (I'm an issue behind, but this was another great one, with a fun take on Captain America... Tobin is *killing it* on this book)
Detective Comics #858 (The origin of Batwoman... dark as hell, but well-written. And I loved the more conventional art style used by JH Williams III here, as much as I love his usual style)
Stumptown #1 (This one has been getting a lot of well-deserved praise on the Internet. It might be Rucka's best book since Whiteout or Queen & Country, it's got a lot of influence from Criminal, and I loved it. One of my favorite first issues of the year)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Top 10 Preorders at Rogues Gallery 10/28/09
1. Blackest Night #4
2. Green Lantern #47
3. Blackest Night Titans #3
4. Batman #692
5. Star Wars Legacy #41
6. New Avengers #58
7. Detective Comics #858 (tie)
7. Anita Blake LC Executioner #1 (tie)
8. X-Force #20
9. Ultimate Comics Avengers #3
10. Teen Titans #76 (tie)
10. Nova #21 (tie)
10. Guardians Of Galaxy #19 (tie)
Tied for 11th: Incredible Hercules #137 & Worlds Finest #1
Amazing Spider-Man benchmark = Tied for 11th
Not much commentary this time, and it's a week late to boot. I think I'm going to put this on hold for a while... it's not offering up a lot of new information at this point. I might try to figure out some other similar feature, or I might not. I have noticed that Twitter & Facebook has more or less taken over for blogging.
2. Green Lantern #47
3. Blackest Night Titans #3
4. Batman #692
5. Star Wars Legacy #41
6. New Avengers #58
7. Detective Comics #858 (tie)
7. Anita Blake LC Executioner #1 (tie)
8. X-Force #20
9. Ultimate Comics Avengers #3
10. Teen Titans #76 (tie)
10. Nova #21 (tie)
10. Guardians Of Galaxy #19 (tie)
Tied for 11th: Incredible Hercules #137 & Worlds Finest #1
Amazing Spider-Man benchmark = Tied for 11th
Not much commentary this time, and it's a week late to boot. I think I'm going to put this on hold for a while... it's not offering up a lot of new information at this point. I might try to figure out some other similar feature, or I might not. I have noticed that Twitter & Facebook has more or less taken over for blogging.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Top 10 Preorders at Rogues Gallery 10/21/09
1. Blackest Night Superman #3
2. Stand Soul Survivors #1
3. Justice League Of America #38
4. GI Joe #10
5. Dark Avengers #10 (tie)
5. Dark Wolverine #79
5. X-Men Legacy #228
6. World Of Warcraft #24
7. Mighty Avengers #30 (tie)
7. Amazing Spider-Man #609 (tie)
7. Dark Reign The List Hulk (tie)
8. Thunderbolts #137 (tie)
8. Invincible #67 (tie)
9. Ex Machina #46 (tie)
9. Wolverine Origins #41 (tie)
10. Batman Streets Of Gotham #5 (tie)
10. Invincible Iron Man #19 (tie)
10. Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #4 (tie)
10. Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic #46 (tie)
10. Supergirl #46 (tie)
10. Power Girl #6 (tie)
Tied for 11th: Batman Confidential #35, Hellblazer #260, Resurrection Vol. 2 #4, Outsiders #23, Superman Batman #65 and Transformers Tales O/t Fallen #3.
This doesn't measure sales, just pre-sales, as we see how many subscribers had preordered on various titles, just to gauge relative interest levels.
Benchmarking once again against Amazing Spider-Man, which this week comes out tied with two other titles for #7. It generally sits at around the #7-8 mark, and it's placement a little higher on the chart helps tell me that this is another smaller week for comics, in terms of general interest.
It's also more of a Marvel week than DC this time out, which used to mean a bigger week, but right now, that's not really the case. Dark Reign The List, Dark Avengers, Dark Wolverine and Mighty Avengers are all shipping, and they do respectably well in terms of staying in the top 10, but I know from recent experience that shelf sales for these books is down. While the hardcore Marvel fans are still on-board, the casual DC & Marvel fans are starting to gravitate to buying more DC off the shelf. Or at least, anything DC with Blackest Night on it, as Blackest Night Superman is far and away the top preorder, and probably the top seller, for this week.
Justice League also gets a boost from anticipation for James Robinson's run, as many folks seem to be enjoying Cry For Justice. I'm not one of them, and it's pretty clear Robinson's Justice League isn't gonna be for me, but I'm glad to see the book sliding up on the charts again. I also find it interesting that Supergirl and Power Girl are tied, because it tells me that DC still doesn't know what to do with Supergirl. Because no matter what you think of Power Girl, it's hard to deny that Supergirl is the original, and should be selling better than the Earth-2 version. Maybe DC should have put Palmiotti and Connor on Supergirl regularly, instead of just for the short-run Wednesday Comics?
2. Stand Soul Survivors #1
3. Justice League Of America #38
4. GI Joe #10
5. Dark Avengers #10 (tie)
5. Dark Wolverine #79
5. X-Men Legacy #228
6. World Of Warcraft #24
7. Mighty Avengers #30 (tie)
7. Amazing Spider-Man #609 (tie)
7. Dark Reign The List Hulk (tie)
8. Thunderbolts #137 (tie)
8. Invincible #67 (tie)
9. Ex Machina #46 (tie)
9. Wolverine Origins #41 (tie)
10. Batman Streets Of Gotham #5 (tie)
10. Invincible Iron Man #19 (tie)
10. Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #4 (tie)
10. Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic #46 (tie)
10. Supergirl #46 (tie)
10. Power Girl #6 (tie)
Tied for 11th: Batman Confidential #35, Hellblazer #260, Resurrection Vol. 2 #4, Outsiders #23, Superman Batman #65 and Transformers Tales O/t Fallen #3.
This doesn't measure sales, just pre-sales, as we see how many subscribers had preordered on various titles, just to gauge relative interest levels.
Benchmarking once again against Amazing Spider-Man, which this week comes out tied with two other titles for #7. It generally sits at around the #7-8 mark, and it's placement a little higher on the chart helps tell me that this is another smaller week for comics, in terms of general interest.
It's also more of a Marvel week than DC this time out, which used to mean a bigger week, but right now, that's not really the case. Dark Reign The List, Dark Avengers, Dark Wolverine and Mighty Avengers are all shipping, and they do respectably well in terms of staying in the top 10, but I know from recent experience that shelf sales for these books is down. While the hardcore Marvel fans are still on-board, the casual DC & Marvel fans are starting to gravitate to buying more DC off the shelf. Or at least, anything DC with Blackest Night on it, as Blackest Night Superman is far and away the top preorder, and probably the top seller, for this week.
Justice League also gets a boost from anticipation for James Robinson's run, as many folks seem to be enjoying Cry For Justice. I'm not one of them, and it's pretty clear Robinson's Justice League isn't gonna be for me, but I'm glad to see the book sliding up on the charts again. I also find it interesting that Supergirl and Power Girl are tied, because it tells me that DC still doesn't know what to do with Supergirl. Because no matter what you think of Power Girl, it's hard to deny that Supergirl is the original, and should be selling better than the Earth-2 version. Maybe DC should have put Palmiotti and Connor on Supergirl regularly, instead of just for the short-run Wednesday Comics?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Weekly Comics for October 14, 2009
Hellboy The Wild Hunt #7 (Really digging the use of Arthurian myth in conjunction with Hellboy, and the art, as always, is phenomenal)
Incredible Hercules #136 (Possibly the funniest fight scene I've ever read. And quite possibly my favorite book Marvel is publishing right now, at least when Hercules is the lead feature)
Red Robin #5 (Not as good as the previous issue, but a solid outing. Lucius Fox having a daughter weirds me out, even though he's the right age and seems like the kind of guy who would have a family)
Uncanny X-Men #516 (Tired of Magneto reforming. Tired of Magneto, actually. I like the Fraction X-Men, but it really does feel like nobody wants to evolve the X-Men concept like Morrison did, and so it's stuck in speeds that range from terrible nostalgia to pretty decent nostalgia)
The Unwritten #6 (Some weird narrative tricks that left me a bit bored, but the actual story of Tom Taylor in prison was really good)
Incredible Hercules #136 (Possibly the funniest fight scene I've ever read. And quite possibly my favorite book Marvel is publishing right now, at least when Hercules is the lead feature)
Red Robin #5 (Not as good as the previous issue, but a solid outing. Lucius Fox having a daughter weirds me out, even though he's the right age and seems like the kind of guy who would have a family)
Uncanny X-Men #516 (Tired of Magneto reforming. Tired of Magneto, actually. I like the Fraction X-Men, but it really does feel like nobody wants to evolve the X-Men concept like Morrison did, and so it's stuck in speeds that range from terrible nostalgia to pretty decent nostalgia)
The Unwritten #6 (Some weird narrative tricks that left me a bit bored, but the actual story of Tom Taylor in prison was really good)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Top 10 Preorders at Rogues Gallery 10/14/09
1. Green Lantern Corps #25
2. Blackest Night Batman #3
3. Uncanny X-Men #516
4. Batman #691
5. Detective Comics Annual #11
5. Red Robin #5
6. Fables #89
7. Deadpool #900
8. Batgirl #3
9. Action Comics #882
9. Enders Game Command School #2
9. Incredible Hercules #136
10. Secret Six #14
Tied for 11th: GI Joe Origins #8, Hellboy Wild Hunt #5 & PS238 #41.
This doesn't measure sales, just pre-sales, as we see how many subscribers had preordered on various titles, just to gauge relative interest levels.
Amazing Spider-Man didn't come out this week, but if it had, it would be tied for spot #10, an indicator that there a lot of better-selling books this week. There aren't as many ties, so it's not a huge week of best sellers, but when I look at the top 8 and see that six of the nine books in it are either Batman or Blackest Night related, it tells me two things: 1) The momentum in superhero comics is pretty squarely on DC's side right now and 2) It's going to be a pretty good week for sales.
Also? The big Batman revamp that DC has done has paid off huge, and I'm afraid that just like Marvel's decision to return Steve Rogers in 2009, the decision to bring back Bruce Wayne in 2010 without even seeing how the revamp sells is jumping the gun and undercutting themselves. Certainly I'm shocked to see a Batgirl series and Robin series selling this well.
Deadpool and Uncanny X-Men are Marvel's representatives in the top 5 this week, with Incredible Hercules and Ender's Game Command School their other representatives in the top 10. Hercules is a bit of an anomaly, in that we're all huge fans, because it's such a great book. Ender's Game is a licensed book that doesn't sell many shelf copies, and that's fine with me... I sell it to be a good retailer, not because I'm any particular fan of noted homophobic crazy person Orson Scott Card.
I have to admit, I expected a bit of a drop for Fables after the big issue #50 - I know that my own interest has dropped off a bit, and I haven't read it for several issues - but that hasn't happened. Instead, the book remains one of our best sellers, both in single issues and trades. We got behind this book early on and it remains our best-selling trade series, just a tiny bit ahead of The Walking Dead.
2. Blackest Night Batman #3
3. Uncanny X-Men #516
4. Batman #691
5. Detective Comics Annual #11
5. Red Robin #5
6. Fables #89
7. Deadpool #900
8. Batgirl #3
9. Action Comics #882
9. Enders Game Command School #2
9. Incredible Hercules #136
10. Secret Six #14
Tied for 11th: GI Joe Origins #8, Hellboy Wild Hunt #5 & PS238 #41.
This doesn't measure sales, just pre-sales, as we see how many subscribers had preordered on various titles, just to gauge relative interest levels.
Amazing Spider-Man didn't come out this week, but if it had, it would be tied for spot #10, an indicator that there a lot of better-selling books this week. There aren't as many ties, so it's not a huge week of best sellers, but when I look at the top 8 and see that six of the nine books in it are either Batman or Blackest Night related, it tells me two things: 1) The momentum in superhero comics is pretty squarely on DC's side right now and 2) It's going to be a pretty good week for sales.
Also? The big Batman revamp that DC has done has paid off huge, and I'm afraid that just like Marvel's decision to return Steve Rogers in 2009, the decision to bring back Bruce Wayne in 2010 without even seeing how the revamp sells is jumping the gun and undercutting themselves. Certainly I'm shocked to see a Batgirl series and Robin series selling this well.
Deadpool and Uncanny X-Men are Marvel's representatives in the top 5 this week, with Incredible Hercules and Ender's Game Command School their other representatives in the top 10. Hercules is a bit of an anomaly, in that we're all huge fans, because it's such a great book. Ender's Game is a licensed book that doesn't sell many shelf copies, and that's fine with me... I sell it to be a good retailer, not because I'm any particular fan of noted homophobic crazy person Orson Scott Card.
I have to admit, I expected a bit of a drop for Fables after the big issue #50 - I know that my own interest has dropped off a bit, and I haven't read it for several issues - but that hasn't happened. Instead, the book remains one of our best sellers, both in single issues and trades. We got behind this book early on and it remains our best-selling trade series, just a tiny bit ahead of The Walking Dead.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Weekly Comics for October 7, 2009
Batman and Robin #5 (I wasn't expecting to like this once Quitely left, but I liked Morrison's take on Jason Todd, and I like seeing him match wits with the other former Robin, and I like the new Scarlet and the new villain. Good stuff)
Criminal: Sinners #1 (Spectacularly good, among the best first issues of an arc that the book has had, and it's great to see follow-up to the Lawless story. One nitpick: I wish writers would stop drawing so many names from pop culture... I love 30 Rock too, but Scotty "The Collector" Adsit drew me right out of the book)
Daredevil #501 (Diggle is off to a great start. I think he's got Daredevil running some sort of scheme, and things aren't as they appear... if I'm wrong and it's just that he's gone over to the dark side, I don't know if I'll be as happy, but I don't think I'm wrong. And either way, it's great writing and art)
Strange Tales #2 (Pretty great, for the most part. R. Kikuo Johnson's Alicia Masters story, Jhonen Vasquez's MODOK and the Rugg/Maruca Brother Voodoo are particular highlights. On the other hand, I continue to not get the appeal of Tony Millionaire)
Superman World of New Krypton #8 (The Thanagarian/Kryptonian match-up sounded like a great idea, but it's merely so-so. This book is good, but I wish it were consistently great)
Sweet Tooth #2 (Fantastic second issue, Lemire is doing beautiful work and has a setup that is slow and deliberate without being boring or too obtuse. With this and Unwritten, Vertigo monthlies are back on my radar again)
X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1 (I kind of enjoyed Jeff Parker's take on the Fraction-era X-Men more than I've been enjoying the Fraction version of late, and I loved seeing them match wits with the Agents of Atlas)
Criminal: Sinners #1 (Spectacularly good, among the best first issues of an arc that the book has had, and it's great to see follow-up to the Lawless story. One nitpick: I wish writers would stop drawing so many names from pop culture... I love 30 Rock too, but Scotty "The Collector" Adsit drew me right out of the book)
Daredevil #501 (Diggle is off to a great start. I think he's got Daredevil running some sort of scheme, and things aren't as they appear... if I'm wrong and it's just that he's gone over to the dark side, I don't know if I'll be as happy, but I don't think I'm wrong. And either way, it's great writing and art)
Strange Tales #2 (Pretty great, for the most part. R. Kikuo Johnson's Alicia Masters story, Jhonen Vasquez's MODOK and the Rugg/Maruca Brother Voodoo are particular highlights. On the other hand, I continue to not get the appeal of Tony Millionaire)
Superman World of New Krypton #8 (The Thanagarian/Kryptonian match-up sounded like a great idea, but it's merely so-so. This book is good, but I wish it were consistently great)
Sweet Tooth #2 (Fantastic second issue, Lemire is doing beautiful work and has a setup that is slow and deliberate without being boring or too obtuse. With this and Unwritten, Vertigo monthlies are back on my radar again)
X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1 (I kind of enjoyed Jeff Parker's take on the Fraction-era X-Men more than I've been enjoying the Fraction version of late, and I loved seeing them match wits with the Agents of Atlas)
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Top 10 Preorders at Rogues Gallery 10/7/09
A much smaller week than last week, judging not only by the position of my benchmark book (see below) but the lack of any notable "big seller" books in the top 10.
This doesn't measure sales, just pre-sales, as we see how many subscribers had preordered on various titles, just to gauge relative interest levels.
1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer #29
2. Batman And Robin #5
3. Angel #26
4. Batman Annual #27
5. Astonishing X-Men #31
6. Deadpool #16
6. Justice League Cry For Justice #4
7. Amazing Spider-Man #608
7. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3
8. X-Men Vs. Agents Of Atlas #1
9. Witchfinder In The Service Of Angels #4
9. Boys #35
9. Cable #19
9. Dark Reign List Secret Warriors #1
9. Star Wars Invasion #4
9. Superman World Of New Krypton #13
10. Daredevil #501
10. Irredeemable #7
10. Batman Confidential #34
Tied for 11th: Incredibles #1, Jack Of Fables TP, Vengeance Of Moon Knight #2 and Warlord #7.
Once again benchmarking against Amazing Spider-Man, which sits at #7 just like last week, this is another really light week. There are no Blackest Night books, and the biggest books are licensed sellers like Angel and Buffy. Warren Ellis has two long-delayed books, Astonishing X-Men and the fabled final issue of Planetary, but those probably aren't destination books like the last issue of Old Man Logan was, and even Batman and Robin is slipping a little bit with the loss of Frank Quitely. My guess? A lighter-than-usual Wednesday.
I've always known Deadpool was popular, but I'm still surprised at how well that book is selling, both to subscribers and off the shelf, and Justice League Cry For Justice seems to have scratched the Justice League itch a lot of fans were feeling. I wonder how that will transition over with Robinson (and many of the Cry For Justice characters) moving over to the main Justice League book.
Buffy and Angel continue to sit comfortably near the top, but their shelf sales have dropped by at least 75%. These books, once blockbusters in their own right, are selling pretty much to the diehards now.
This doesn't measure sales, just pre-sales, as we see how many subscribers had preordered on various titles, just to gauge relative interest levels.
1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer #29
2. Batman And Robin #5
3. Angel #26
4. Batman Annual #27
5. Astonishing X-Men #31
6. Deadpool #16
6. Justice League Cry For Justice #4
7. Amazing Spider-Man #608
7. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3
8. X-Men Vs. Agents Of Atlas #1
9. Witchfinder In The Service Of Angels #4
9. Boys #35
9. Cable #19
9. Dark Reign List Secret Warriors #1
9. Star Wars Invasion #4
9. Superman World Of New Krypton #13
10. Daredevil #501
10. Irredeemable #7
10. Batman Confidential #34
Tied for 11th: Incredibles #1, Jack Of Fables TP, Vengeance Of Moon Knight #2 and Warlord #7.
Once again benchmarking against Amazing Spider-Man, which sits at #7 just like last week, this is another really light week. There are no Blackest Night books, and the biggest books are licensed sellers like Angel and Buffy. Warren Ellis has two long-delayed books, Astonishing X-Men and the fabled final issue of Planetary, but those probably aren't destination books like the last issue of Old Man Logan was, and even Batman and Robin is slipping a little bit with the loss of Frank Quitely. My guess? A lighter-than-usual Wednesday.
I've always known Deadpool was popular, but I'm still surprised at how well that book is selling, both to subscribers and off the shelf, and Justice League Cry For Justice seems to have scratched the Justice League itch a lot of fans were feeling. I wonder how that will transition over with Robinson (and many of the Cry For Justice characters) moving over to the main Justice League book.
Buffy and Angel continue to sit comfortably near the top, but their shelf sales have dropped by at least 75%. These books, once blockbusters in their own right, are selling pretty much to the diehards now.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Weekly Comics for September 30, 2009
Between new TV starting up again, borrowing Arkham Asylum, a fairly light comic book week and a variety of other stuff, I didn't have any time to read comics last Wednesday, but I've caught a smattering in the last couple days. I need to catch up on my Boom! reading, as they had a couple of books this week I really wanted to read.
GI Joe Cobra Special (Really great coda to the GI Joe Cobra story. I'd love to see an ongoing exploring this grittier battle between GI Joe and Cobra, maybe switching POV between Cobra and GI Joe, from this creative team)
Usagi Yojimbo #123 (A bittersweet, very effective story going back to Usagi's origins and once again playing off Sakai's fondness for down endings with a touch of hope for everyone but Usagi - fantastic issue of the book)
GI Joe Cobra Special (Really great coda to the GI Joe Cobra story. I'd love to see an ongoing exploring this grittier battle between GI Joe and Cobra, maybe switching POV between Cobra and GI Joe, from this creative team)
Usagi Yojimbo #123 (A bittersweet, very effective story going back to Usagi's origins and once again playing off Sakai's fondness for down endings with a touch of hope for everyone but Usagi - fantastic issue of the book)
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