jim

Shipwreck 3: There's a Borges nod and finally some backstory as to what in the fuck is going on. Phil Hester and crew remain good. Black Panther 7-10: Fuck, there's a lot of talking. It's great quality talking, but goddamn, is there a lot of it. Shouts out to the art team to make all the exposition and interactions dynamic. Reading this makes me sad, because this is what superhero comics should be at a median level, but few, few teams are permitted this much latitude. Then again, few teams are this staggeringly talented, so... Descender 7: I already forgot what happened, but it was pretty. Wait! There's a new version of Tim-23. And he kills people! Mayday 4: Yes. This. Bring me more things like this. X-O Manowar 1: The opening "I'm reclining with a superhot alien woman after sex talking about how much I miss my homeworld" is eyebrow raising, but everything after that is so fucking good. X-O Manowar as a grunt in a space Easy Company with the art team's amazing work? Yes. I'm in. We get these for free, and I'm putting it on my pull. Monstress 10: I don't know what's going on here, but it's gorgeous. Josie & The Pussycats 4: If I only complain about how I'm pretty sure they got a metal reference wrong, it's petty as fuck. That said: Humor is difficult to work and this comic executed it without a sweat. I get the impression this is Ms. Bennett letting her hair down, and Archie Inc. puts her with a team that plays to that strength. Well done. (Dread, are you aware of a Dutch speedcore scene? Because with a description like that I'm pretty sure they meant Swedish thrash....)

WE TALKED A LOT OKAY

Mike, Franken-Castle is gloriously fun. Trust me.

Mike, I enjoy the Secret Warriors and Punisher Dark Reign one shots. IIRC, the Secret Warriors one is one part John Hickman finally laying out a portion of the map of his SW run, and the Punisher is a great vehicle for Remender's heavy first person I'M A BAD MAN I'VE DONE BAD THINGS I'M GONNA MAKE IT UP TO MY DEAD/LIVING GIRLFRIEND/FAMILY/FRIENDS/CHILDHOOD PUPPY BY MORE BAD VIOLENCE narration. Klaus oneshot: Please, Morrison, use Dan Mora on a project that isn't you goofing off. Batwoman Rebirth oneshot: Batman talking down to Batwoman felt wrong. The mission of the issue is condense Batwoman's recent publication history into a 16+ page comic, with enough room for the important moments to breathe and a "wait what" final splash. It does that. Let's see where it goes. Seven To Eternity 1-4: JEROME OPEÑA AND MATT HOLLINGSWORTH ARE BASED GODS AND WE AREN'T WORTHY. Remender and Opeña cooked up a fairly familiar feeling fantasy universe (think D&D on an alien planet). The core story "transporting a prisoner that can offer you whatever your heart desires in exchange for your SOOOOOOOOOOUL" is the Prisoner's Dilemma. The team makes everything feel hella dramatic. I agree with Hannah's comments about Remender's female characters. If he fixed that up, he'd be a fantastic writer. Constantine/Green Arrow Future's End one shots: Solid! Constantine's a traditional Constantine lying with a more powerful foe about magic, Green Arrow's is all setup. Then again, Andrea Sorrentino is fanfuckingtastic on Green Arrow, so that makes it all okay. The First Three Issues Of Scarlet Witch: I'll actually check in on the series if there's an art team I like drawing the comic, so picking up the first three issues packaged together is a great tool. When Vanessa Del Rey is the weak link in the chain, that's a pretty strong chain.

Hannah and I read many of the same things. (I miss Denny O'Neil comics something fierce. Maybe it's time to revisit The Question?) Four Kids Walk Into A Bank 3: "LBJ? Is that a Spanish blowjob?" ILU Matt Rosenberg. New Super-Man 1-7: I like this. A maybe subversive take on the Chinese creating their own Justice League written by Eisner winning Gene Luang Yang (Avatar tie in comics, pre-Rebirth Superman), and drawn by a penciller who'se work looks to me like a Capullo understudy. A solid traditional comic. Ether, Dept.H: MATT KINDT IS REALLY GOOD SO IS DAVID RUBÍN NEWS AT 11 Detective Comics 948, 949: Passing over a weird misstep with trans nomenclature, this just feels off. An uncanny valley version of Batwoman, perhaps. Maybe this is double shipping, maybe it's both writers needing a second pass but yeah. Sometimes you put all the ingredients together and it doesn't come out right. Josie & The Pussycats 1-3: Ms. Bennett and Ms. Mok let their hair down. Glorious fun, and the team effortlessly nails comedy. It takes a lot of work to make something look this easy. Moonshine 2: Azzarello & Rizzo return for a comic about foul-mouthed criminals and firearms. Steady as she goes, folks. All-Star Batman 1: Good premise, unremarkably good execution from professionals. If you MUST buy only one Batman comic, etc etc. Deathstroke 11: I appreciate what the team attempted here, but I think they reached for a little too much within the space of a 20 page superhero comic. Then again, bless 'em for even trying. Difficult to go wrong on a Priest script, drawn by Cowan and inked by Sienkiewicz.

Deadly Class 26: Pro: Remender and Craig know how to do a fight comic. Hell yeah. Con: A puzzling reveal that calls into question the strongest issue in the series. It's a massive ask and the team needs to work overtime to earn it. Wic/Div 26: Continues. Cool scenes, but this issue felt like a collection of scenes and not a full thing. The Black Monday Murders 3: This is a Hickman comic. I'm here for this. Some random issues of Bombshells (15-20, mostly): RENEE MONTOYA (and some other people) RENEE MONTOYA (fights Nazis) RENEE MONTOYA (does anything, really)

I recorded a video of my review of Fallout: New Vegas. Here it is. If you don't want to click through, I adore the game, but it's unforgivably broken on the PS3, and this is a GOTY edition. Hannah should have a video of a fun F:NV bug lying around.

Catching up: -Bloodshot USA 1-4: Another year, another good event from Jeff Lemire and Doug Braithwaite. If you need superhero comics that're reliably good, this is your jam. -Vampirella 0: Too long by a couple pages, but I'll take a 17 page comic for 25c where Jimmy Broxton goes full EC/Warren. For 25c, go buy it and see Broxton change his style. If he's doing Vampirella like this I might have to pay closer attention. -Divinity stuff, most of it by Matt Kindt and Trevor Harsine, with Juan Jose Ryp in spots: I'm pro. Fun event arc, which allows for cool tie ins, especially the Jeff Lemire/Clayton Crain Bloodshot issue, which was gorgeous. -That One Issue Of Archer And Armstrong (I Think?) Where Javier Pulido Draws In Tezuka's Style: I'm here for this, yes. -Deadly Class (recent): ...but the past ain't through with Saya. Damn. Remender and Craig are low key killing it, every damned issue. Remender plots mercilessly. -Bizarro. What a pure joy of a comic. Wonder, slapstick and kindness. Go buy it.

Samskara by U. R. Ananthamurthy. An Indian classic novel from the 1970s, I think. It's a fine book, but hobbled by the heavy handed translation. Like reading a fully carnal Faulkner novel translated by an academically good British prude.

I read most of what Hannah read, minus some, plus other material. We generally agree, so I’ll expand on where we disagree. I enjoyed Fate/Zero v1 more than she did, though I wouldn’t buy the second volume without a more severe discount. It follows the show too closely. I’m interested in more Psycho-Pass v1 manga, though. It’s a prequel manga, so it means they have latitude. The artist doesn’t skimp on backgrounds, either. I’m not sold on the conceit of the world, but I’ll continue. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service still eludes my expectations. I know it’ll be good, but I’m always surprised at how good it is. I’ll put it at top 5 mangas Dark Horse published, ever. I might even put it at top 5 Dark Horse period. Loverboys. Not much to say, except that I’m trying to get a taste for Gilbert Hernandez’s work. It’s sad and strange. Tokyo Babylon Omnibuses: Too long by 300 pages. I’m glad I read it so I can talk about it with my friends. It’s interesting from a historical perspective, as this was allegedly one of the first times a mainstream BL manga went this hard. As a reader 20 odd years after that point, though, I almost stopped reading at page 800 because CLAMP wouldn’t shit and also wouldn’t get off the pot. What Did You Eat Yesterday v11. More cute stories, with the A story continually meted out. Hopefully, things move along a little quicker on that front. I like it for its portrait of a gay life in Japan as unremarkable, while also acknowledging the reality of significant homophobia in the culture. Blame Academy And So On. Blame! errata, which is almost immediately undercut by stupid fan service. Every so often there’s a particularly inventive grotesque or a striking splash page. For super fans only.

The Metabaron: The Techno-Admiral: It's more insane Jodo, still beautiful art. Steady as she goes. I Am Legion v1: Spooky WWII horror, drawn by John Cassaday. Cassaday's still great. Guy writing it is good.

Some catching up. Bloodshot Island: Fun concept, and it reminds me how good Mico Suayan is. Bloodshot Island epilogue: it’s difficult to do an issue of a comic where all the players are on a raft, but Lemire and Giorello pull it off. Bloodshot USA: Look, it’s Jeff Lemire and Doug Braithwaite. The part that sticks out isn’t the plot (everyone in NYC is a Bloodshot now?) but a panel where four Bloodshots and Ninjak share a sedan that’s too small for them. Lemire and Braithwaite can do whatever the fuck they want, I’m here. Ninjak 22: Silent issue. Ninjak versus ninjas. Matt Kindt and CAFU turn in solid work, though I have one major gripe with CAFU specifically drawing Ninjak getting stabbed in the foot and then for the rest of the issue it’s ignored? It’s one gripe amidst a comic I enjoyed. Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior Labyrinth: Duking it out with Rai for the best thing Valiant’s put out this year. Stunning work by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin. It feels like, for want of a better comparison, like those first couple arcs of Mark Waid’s Daredevil where Marcos Martin and Paolo Rivera tore it up. I don’t know what else Mr. Allen and Ms. Martin have done, so I shouldn’t say career highlight, but this hangs with your absolute top-tier cape comics. Britannia 1-3: Oh, the good Peter Milligan showed up. Cool. He gives Juan Jose Ryp some lecherous, ugly dudes to draw, and Jordie Bellaire colors the hell out of it. The backmatter contains essays from Oxford professors, so someone did research. Generation Zero, Renegades: No interest, though Darrick Robertson draws an internet cult well. Archer and Armstrong 5 (the date issue): Sickeningly cute. But I smile when I think about it, so that means everyone executed their job well. A fine done in one, with a couple great quips.

Battleworld tie-in minis Captain Marvel And The Carol Corps, Runaways: Short Elseworlds/What If? work that I can read and enjoy without worrying about continuity. Admittedly, the trades were remaindered, so $8 for both makes it easy to gamble. David Lopez (CM+CC) looks like Stuart Immonen in a couple pages, so that's fantastic. From this, I see why Marvel tapped him for Civil War II. Noelle Stevenson writes the Runaways with perhaps one too many jokes, but she nails the tone. I enjoyed both minis. Battleworld was great for crazy one offs, between these two and Weirdworld, I'm beginning to wish I bought more of those remaindered trades. SP4RX: Aggressively indie comic that has three different emotional gears and can't shift between them well. Technically solid (there's two, maybe three styles Wren McDonald works in) but doesn't quite congeal. SP4RX's pacing is killed by a pinup/splash every ten odd pages or so. The individual pieces are solid (male slacker cyberpunk, hahaha we're all fucked by capitalism, action movie) but connecting them is the issue. I'll bet Mr. McDonald's next full length work will be pretty great.

Saga 36-39: Still great. Still a tremendously good comic, month in, month out. Lazarus 24: Probably dropping after the next issue comes out. The story's good, the world building's great, but Mr. Lark's work feels subpar to me, and I've felt that way for the past ten odd issues. Trade waiting ahoy. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service omnibus v4: Horror manga as social fiction. I've read quite a bit, and there's no taste quite like Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. I'm invested in the characters, I like the stories, I love the art. As long as Dark Horse wants to put these out, I'll buy 'em.

Welcome, Jim. I feel like this will be better for us, you know, arguing in person instead of through Hannah. :D Thanks for having me.

Hi. I'm Hannah's boyfriend. After lurking for years, I've finally joined. Weirdworld v0, by Jason Aaron and Mike Del Mundo. Conan after two handfuls of LSD and somehow better. The concept lets Mike Del Mundo go monster mode on these pages and they're some of the wildest he's ever done. Weirdworld is berserk with ideas and reads like Mr. Aaron feeding Mr. Del Mundo craziness and Del Mundo matching and exceeding Mr. Aaron.