Every week we at Geekanerd rip panels from our comics and put them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Beware some major SPOILERS.
Click the pics for high res goodness!
Skrull "Humanity" - Secret Invasion #3
Two separate scenes in this issue of
Secret Invasion featured Skrulls who really didn't seem to be all that into the mission at hand. The first, above, appears to be some sort of priest or something, and he looks pretty distressed about old whatsherface getting a gun pointed at her.
The second is the Skrull S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the lest of the above frame backing up Skrull Jarvis. He looks positively distraught about pointing a gun at Maria Hill. I like to think that during his time posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent he grew a certain fondness for Ms. Hill. These two frames alone really make me want to see a "
Frontlines" style story about the Invasion from the Skrull POV. I want to know what's going through these non-agressive Skrulls' heads. So c'mon--where's my
Secret Invasion: Behind Enemy Lines?
Worst Dialogue - Green Arrow Black Canary #10
When in need of a snappy banter, steal from 300.
Clearest Example of Batman's Insanity - Final Crisis: Requiem #1
I think these panels speak for themselves, so I'll just comment on the great use of "Hnnn".
Best Custom Contract Job - Secret Invasion #3
I love that some team of lowly Skrull contractors were hired to design and construct this giant room that serves only one purpose: stretch Mr. Fantastic out so much he can't wiggle out.
Banana Randomizer Award for Achievement in WTF - Detective Comics #846
So, we knew that as a child, Hush cut the brakes on his parents car, killing his dad and almost killing his mom. What we did NOT know is that he based his whole bandaged-face supervillian costume on the memory of his hospitalized mother, who of course was hospitalized because of his unsuccessful murder attempt. That...that's messed up.
Most Horrific Villain - Young Liars #5
Just looking at this section of the book again to post it makes me a little squemish. This crazy little man ambushes these poor bastards during sexy time, removes our protagonist's "Mr. Johnson" (Lapham's phrase, not mine) and proceeds to do some really bad things to his companion. Thankfully they "cut to black" right after that unsightly unzipping panel, but the absence of illustration might actually just make it worse. There's a taste of satisfaction when the little bastard gets a toothbrush to the eye courtesy of his female victim, but he jumps out the window and gets away. Which just means he'll show up later, even more grotesque than before with an eyepatch and a taste for revenge. Shivers.
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Summary only...
Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. Arranged from BEST to WORST.
There are probably some minor SPOILERS herein.
Dead, She Said #2 gets an A from Albo
I'm so happy that the second issue of this series kept up everything I enjoyed about the first. Many detective stories will put their protagonist through a lot of pain before the story wraps up, systematically degrading the private dick's body and thus emphasizing their eventual triumph as a result of superior intellect and sheer force of will rather than brute strength. Steve Niles has decided to cut to the chase in this tale, where our lonely detective's body is actually decomposing rapidly due to a little condition called death. Everyone's complaints about the smell aren't keeping him from investigating his own murder, though. It's a really handsome book with fun storytelling, and I really can't recommend it enough to fans of detective stories or horror. Or giant ants (here's looking at you, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lovers!).
Detective Comics #846 gets a B+ from AHR
Hush is back! *crickets* Oh well, some more details on his origin remind readers why they should care, and all in all this is as clever and satisfying an issue of 'Tec as I've come to expect from Dini.
Reviews for Detective Comics #846, Secret Invasion #3, Final Crisis Requiem, I Hate Giants #1, and Ultimate Origins #2 after the jump!
Young Liars #5 gets a B from Albo
It seems that Young Liars' "Curse of the Sucky Odd Numbered Issues" is finally over! After a miserable #1 and #3 (and a great #2 and #4), this issue came as a huge relief. I can't say it was perfect, since the story as a whole still has me pretty befuddled as to the whys and wherefores, but the scenes within this book were strong enough to make me overlook such vital silly points. It's pretty awesome that we're only in issue five and already there are some major consequences hitting this group of unlikeable protagonists. Oh yeah, that's a problem isn't it? I HATE these people. Even when I like this book I hate it. What's a fanboy to do?
Final Crisis: Requiem gets a C+ from AHR
Funny and sad character moments in the first half, but the second half is a dry, dry history lesson on Martian Manhunter. Big fans of the character might enjoy, I wouldn't know. I do know that DC should have bought the rights to use the brand "Oreo" for this final send off.
I Hate Giants #1 gets a C+ from AHR
High school nerd angst. And not very deep angst at that. Fun art saves it from the discard pile.
Secret Invasion #3 gets a C from Albo
Beautiful to look at, but nothing nothing nothing happens happens happens. Last issue ended with Nick Fury showing up to the fistfight with a big glock, and this issue shows him firing it. This issue ends with SPOILER Captain America and Thor showing up to the fistfight, and I bet next issue will show them punching things. Snorlax. But like I said, Leinil Francis Yu's art is, as always, something to behold.
Ultimate Origins #2 gets an F from Albo
F for who the F cares. F for why waste an Fing issue of your big Fing Ultimate event on a story (Captain America's origin) that we've all read a million Fing times. F for I have so many more bad things to say about this book but I've already wasted too much Fing time on it.
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Summary only...
Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. Arranged from BEST to WORST.
Kick-Ass #3 gets an A from Albo
No really! I didn't like the second issue either! But I promise, this one picks the story back up in a big way. There are a lot of refreshing story bits that support the "real world" setting. For instance, after our hero's first successful outing as a vigilante he comes back to school acting like a total badass, showing his classmates a YouTube video of the dustup. He doesn't reveal that he is "Kick-Ass," but it's refreshing to see a teen superhero that doesn't keep acting like a dork and go to great pains to disassociate himself with his alter ego. I mean, what teenager actually HAS that kind of discipline? I don't think I'd even be able to keep my secret identity secret for a week. Anyway, the book's only OK for the first 15 pages or so, but the ending... I haven't audibly exclaimed in surprise at a comic in a long time, but the end of this issue is a real "holy shit" moment that adds a nice wrinkle to the world of Kick-Ass.
Reviews for Locke & Key #5, Young Liars #2, Red Mass for Mars #1 and Wonder Woman #21 after the jump!
Locke & Key #5 gets an A from Albo
If you're not already reading this book I pity you. You're missing out on one of the most consistently good reads on the shelves right now. And forget catching up, back issues of this are tough to find (though a couple of recent reprints do help). Joe Hill's storytelling is very fresh for the comic book world, and his characters are shockingly well developed after only five issues. Also, where many of these non-superhero books written by non comic book writers tend to work better in their collected format, Joe Hill shows a surprising adeptness at maximizing the monthly issue format. Every time you pick up the book you know you're going to get a complete experience, not just an arbitrary slice off the story's timeline.
Young Liars #4 gets a B from Albo
This book is killing me. I hated the first issue, loved the second, used the third as toilet paper... And now I like issue four. I don't like being in this limbo where I'm not sure if I like a book or not. Love it or hate it, I just want to know! Like the second issue, this one stays in one setting long enough for actual story progression to take place, rather than using the supremely confusing time-hopping format of what I shall henceforth call "The Odd Issues." It's a bit of the problem that none of the characters are likable in the least, but there's almost enough wild adventure to make up for it. So I guess I'll be back next month. *sigh*
Red Mass for Mars #1 gets a B from Albo and a C from AHR
AHR: Does anyone actually enjoy reading a character who can see the future? It's always so much smugness and "I know" jokes. I don't like it in Layla Miller and apparently I don't even like it from Jonathan Hickman, who had two major hits with me in Pax Romana and Transhuman. On the plus side there's a fun recap of the various ways that humankind will attempt to destroy itself in the next 100 years, and I enjoyed wannabe National Front superhero who uses his power to force English on the entire world. I'll probably stick with this series if just for tangents like these.
Albo: What is Jonathan Hickman's problem? Why does he feel the need to write so many books at once? Why doesn't the poor bastard take it easy? I feel like every time I pick up an Image comic there's an ad for a NEW Hickman book. What a crazy. Anyway, after having mixed feelings on the other two books of his I've read (wowed by Pax Romana, bored by Transhuman), I'm happy to say that this was a really enjoyable read. Hickman has a real knack for pulling extremely complex societies with rich histories and interesting power players out of thin air. Some bits I found distractingly unbelievable (the superhuman trying to destroy all languages but English), but as a whole I'm totally pumped to see where this goes.
Wonder Woman #21 gets a D from AHR
Wonder Woman meets Beowulf, much olde thyme englishe ensues. Even Gail Simone can't make me enjoy this armored-men-on-horses stuff. When I pick up a superhero comic, one of DC's "big three" no less, I want to see some superheroing.
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Summary only...
Every week we at Geekanerd rip panels from our comics and put them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Beware some SPOILERS!
Click the pics for high res goodness!
Beatdown of the Week - Young Liars #3
Little Sadie here apparently attended the Jason Bourne School of Resourceful Dustupping. Not only does she pull an IV out of her transsexual junkie friend and jam it in her attacker's eye....
...she then proceeds to squeeze the remaining contents of the IV bag into the guy's face! Holy crapsticks that is hardcore.
Hit the jump for the highs and lows of Amazing Spider-Man #559's art!
Art Worth Praising - Marcos Martin, Amazing Spider-Man #559
I praised Marcos Martin in my review of the book but I'm glad I get to do it with some visual reference now! You can see in this page how deceptively simple his linework is. It feels very spare and uncluttered, but really there is a high level of detail crammed into every inch. The panel-to-panel storytelling is especially great on this page. Martin tells a fun little story with all the details he's packing into Spidey's characterization: the subtle wringing of hands behind the back as he worries about being seen as a psycho, the contemplative hand on the chin in the next panel, and the resolute fist in palm at the end... You would know what was happening in this page even without word balloons, which is really as good as it gets.
One more thing I want to say about Martin's art in this issue of Amazing Spider-Man is that his sense of architecture is spectacular throughout the issue--so many comic artists draw cities as block after block of homogenous rectangle buildings, but Martin does a great job of keeping his setting just as varied as real world New York.
Also contributing to the great look of this issue is Javier Rodriguez on colors. He is a perfect compliment to Martin, with a coloring job every bit as subtle and smart as Martin's linework. EXCEPT...
(Mis)Adventures in Computer Coloring - Amazing Spider-Man #559
Yes, this is the third time I've gotten on this book for grievous misuses of Photoshop. What happened, Javier? Every other page of this book is beautiful, so why did you lose all sense of subtlety and restraint for the nightclub scene? It's so unpleasant I can only hope you were just trying to make a statement about how distasteful you find clubbing.
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Summary only...
Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. There are probably some spoilers herein. Arranged from BEST to WORST.
Amazing Spider-Man #559 gets a B from Albo
Dan Slott returns as the best of the Brand New Day herd. The real star of the issue, though, is artist Marcos Martin who throws down some really good looking pages that come off as something like a Tim Sale/David Lapham lovechild. The only problem with the art is some ugly ugly ugly coloring in a night club scene that buries Martin's work under a layer of splattered Day Glo vomit.
Wolverine: The Amazing Immortal Man and Other Bloody Tales gets a B from Albo
This one-shot contains three David Lapham-penned short stories that take place in different eras of Logan's non X-Man life. The first, a story of Logan working as a circus act in the 30s, is by far the best, even if it doesn't quite fit with what we know of his history. Only the third story falls flat, mainly because it just seems like a very normal Wolverine story after you've been given two alternate perspectives on the ole Canucklehead.
Reviews for Newuniversal: Shockfront #1 and Young Liars #3 after the jump.
Newuniversal: Shockfront #1 gets a C from Albo
I'm willing to bet that my inability to grasp what this comic is going for is 100% due to the fact that I'm completely ignorant of previous newuniversal stories. That being said, this book certainly didn't do anything to make me want to rid myself of that ignorance.
Young Liars #3 gets a C from Albo
Yes, this is the third review this week wherein I evoke the name of David Lapham. Call me a fanboy. I was less than impressed by this issue for many of the same reasons I wasn't sure about the first issue... The story's chronology skips around so much that I have a hard time getting caught up in the stakes of any given moment. Hopefully things settle down a bit for issue four (like they did in issue two) so I can relax and really get into this promising story.
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Summary only...
Every week we at Geekanerd rip panels from our comics and put them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Beware some major SPOILERS.
Click the pics for high res goodness!
20% Percent Gratuity: Wonder Woman #19
AHR: Here is how I believe this panel came to be....imagine if you will a conversation between artist Bernard Chang and editor Matt Idelson...
"I'm supposed to set this conversation between two men in the shower, but I don't want it to be too homoerotic."
"No problem. Put a sultry naked woman in the foreground."
"....in the men's shower?"
"Military bases can have co-ed showers. Didn't you see Starship Troopers?"
Great art, bad art, an evil Russian girl and a compromising position after the jump!
WTF Happened? - Young Liars #2
Albo: One minute the girl is whispering in the guy's ear and the next she's getting the "protective friend" hand on her shoulder and our hero is getting flipped off. Did he somehow project his fantasy for the world to see? Surely he's not getting the finger because the tickets aren't his? And just what WOULD that girl do to see Spoon? Especially considering that the book is set in 2005 Austin, where Spoon lived and assumedly played pretty frequently.
Best Actor - Evil Russian Girl, BPRD 1942 #4
AHR: I think this character has a name, but I can't be bothered to look it up. All you need to know is she's an evil demon in the form of a Little Russian Girl, and she displays a wide range of both evil and childlike emotions...
Ironically framed innocence! "Who, me?"
A classic "bad cop" interrogation pose.
Sulking
Two more adult expressions. Take charge confidence and affronted annoyance; "who is this bitch and who does he think he's talking to?"
Art Worth Praising - Chris Bachalo,
Amazing Spider-Man #556
Albo: What an awesome composition this panel is. The patterns in the floor and in Jameson's gown feel very Sienkiewiczian, the block of light keeps our attention well-focused, the restricted color palette works really well, and the top down perspective is just f-ing cool.
Oooh, what a bleak and stormy night it is! I know this doesn't seem that exceptional out of context, but the whole issue does a really wonderful job of isolating Spidey out in the cold. Bachalo doesn't use black borders around the panels, furthering the feeling of being surrounded on all sides by snow.
AHR: I think many other artists would have been content to simply repeat the first panel to convey an awkward moment of thought process in the second panel. The joke still would have worked, but the blank look away really sells the confusion.
(Mis)Adventures in Computer Coloring - Amazing Spider-Man #556
Albo: Please click the image to get a high res glimpse. Now take a look at that image of earth. Get a bucket ready because if you don't vomit at the "I just pulled this lossy jpeg off Google image search" look of that crap then you aren't paying attention. This is the second time we've had to call out this book for crappy use of photos.
Anachronism Alert! - Young Liars #2
Albo: Going to play Guitar Hero, are you? Well I hope you have a time machine, because you're living in April 2005 and Guitar Hero doesn't come out until November 2005!
Product Placement Sucks - Fantastic Four #556
Albo: Marvel is the biggest product placement whore on the planet. I'll accept your intrusive ads if A) You lower the price of the books or B) You remove all other advertisements. Otherwise I can't help but feel like I'm getting ripped off. And for all you guys saying product placement adds realism to a book, please tell me what sort of self-respecting human wears a t-shirt advertising Guitar Hero III: Mobile?
Biggest Letdown - Bryan Hitch's Art, Fantastic Four #556
Albo: It feels like only yesterday I was praising the art in this book. I'm not sure what's happened in the meantime (I hope it's something joyous like Bryan Hitch having a baby and therefore no time for art) but this stuff has gone way downhill. What the F is wrong with Johnny Storm in this panel?! He's been up all night shagging some supervillain, so a little weariness is in order, but c'mon! He looks like a zombie Gary Busey!
Now this one I'm willing to exonerate Hitch for and blame on the colorist... This is supposed to be a pretty impressive splash. And it would be, if I could tell what the hell is going on. There's no focus, it's all terribly jumbled.
From A Certain Point of View - Fantastic Four #556
Albo: Alyssa on ground spread eagle? Check. Sue Storm's head positioned directly between Alyssa's thighs? Check. Alyssa drawing closer to Sue with lips parted and eyes closed?
Check.
WTF?
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Summary only...
Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. There are probably some spoilers herein. Arranged from BEST to WORST.
B.P.R.D 1946 #4: A
Dense story and crazy action, a winning combo in my book. In past issues this book's adventurous tone has felt bogged down by some extremely grim plot-points, but this issue focuses on more fantastic elements of the story and wisely pays extra attention to the best character to come out of this series, Little Evil Russian Girl. -AHR
Young Liars #2: A
David Lapham's Vertigo book reads a lot like his on-hold opus Stray Bullets, but with enough twists to make it feel like it's own animal. The story of a desperate kid's life falling apart has enough "oh shit" moments to make it stick in your mind for quite some time. -Albo
Simon Dark, Wild Cards, Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder-Woman and Fantastic Four all after the jump!
Simon Dark #7: B
Violence, violence! The most unsettling issue yet with a heavy emphasis on scrazy zombie carnage, but also in evidence are many elements of what has made the book great from the start; perfectly timed moments of deadpan humor, excellent artsy art, and a gentility to the character of Simon which strikes a sad contrast with the realistic vision of Gotham he inhabits. The only thing missing is a memorable storyline. -AHR
Wild Cards #1: B
Based on a series of sci-fi novels that started in 1987, this book is about an alternate earth where an alien virus has killed 90% of humans (referred to as "drawing the Black Queen"), horribly mutated 9% (called "Jokers") , and given superpowers to 1% (those would be the "Aces"). Pretty exciting first issue that definitely makes me want to stick around for issue 2. -Albo
Amazing Spider-Man #556: B
A little boring, but the art is pretty fantastic. Three pages of fat Spidey are funny. -Albo
Wonder Woman #19: C+
A lot of the resolutions in this issue hinge on one character convincing another character to do something huge by offering them a song-lyricesque platitude about peace and understanding. I guess that's superheroes for you but it's less than I expect from Simone. I do like the way she's writing Wonder Woman, combining the military detachment of Batman with the humanitarian idealism of Supes....she's an interesting balance between the two extremes. -AHR
Fantastic Four #556: C
What the heck? I was so excited about this book a couple issues ago, and it's already devolved into mediocrity. The art (which I praised extensively) has become a hard to decipher jumble. The characters for some reason are all dumb as bricks (when arriving at a battle scene where a killer robot has demolished 22 heroes including Iron Man, the Sentry, Wolverine, Dr. Strange and others, the Thing says "Take it easy, I got this guy."). And then all those heroes that were bleeding and unconscious all spring back into action at once, none the worse for wear. Sigh. -Albo
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Summary only...
Two separate scenes in this issue of Secret Invasion featured Skrulls who really didn't seem to be all that into the mission at hand. The first, above, appears to be some sort of priest or something, and he looks pretty distressed about old whatsherface getting a gun pointed at her.
The second is the Skrull S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the lest of the above frame backing up Skrull Jarvis. He looks positively distraught about pointing a gun at Maria Hill. I like to think that during his time posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent he grew a certain fondness for Ms. Hill. These two frames alone really make me want to see a "Frontlines" style story about the Invasion from the Skrull POV. I want to know what's going through these non-agressive Skrulls' heads. So c'mon--where's my Secret Invasion: Behind Enemy Lines?
When in need of a snappy banter, steal from 300.
I think these panels speak for themselves, so I'll just comment on the great use of "Hnnn".
I love that some team of lowly Skrull contractors were hired to design and construct this giant room that serves only one purpose: stretch Mr. Fantastic out so much he can't wiggle out.
So, we knew that as a child, Hush cut the brakes on his parents car, killing his dad and almost killing his mom. What we did NOT know is that he based his whole bandaged-face supervillian costume on the memory of his hospitalized mother, who of course was hospitalized because of his unsuccessful murder attempt. That...that's messed up.
Just looking at this section of the book again to post it makes me a little squemish. This crazy little man ambushes these poor bastards during sexy time, removes our protagonist's "Mr. Johnson" (Lapham's phrase, not mine) and proceeds to do some really bad things to his companion. Thankfully they "cut to black" right after that unsightly unzipping panel, but the absence of illustration might actually just make it worse. There's a taste of satisfaction when the little bastard gets a toothbrush to the eye courtesy of his female victim, but he jumps out the window and gets away. Which just means he'll show up later, even more grotesque than before with an eyepatch and a taste for revenge. Shivers.
