I Read Comics
Sep. 26th, 2011 08:29 pmBlogger's note: I actually like the idea of the DC 52 relaunch in theory. It has, if you haven't noticed, been pretty underwhelming. I realize most of the comic readers that come here are on the casual side. However, for those I would point to ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sigma7 's take and additionally th three articles he mentions in the comments section of said post.
It should also be noted that as a close personal friend of a comic shop owner, I got some free comics and deep discounts on some of these titles. This is less enviable than you think as I do end up spending more money at his store as he is one of the nicest guys you could know. So here we go some new, some old.
Baltimore:The Curse Bells (Dark Horse)- written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden - Mignola is so prolific right now that I find it hard to keep up with him. However of all of his titles, I like his Lord Baltimore tales which feature an intrepid vampire hunter in plague-ridden Europe. The Curse Bells is the second miniseries (and Mignola has a novel out too), but I think it an easy jumping on point. The book feels like vintage Mignola- truly one of those comics that transcend the artform. Ben Steinbeck's artwork gives it the appropriate feel of gothic horror. This one appears to be nearly perfect- action packed, humorous at points, and the appropriate sense of dread and horror.
Batman #1 (DC comics)- written by Scott Snyder- Snyder is relatively new to the big time, but when all is said and done, he is one of the good things that has come out of the 52 relaunch. This book and his Swamp Thing are on the short list of the best new books. There seem to be have been a lot Batman relaunches and new directions in the last couple of years, and this was one of my favorites. I liked a lot about this- it is a bit of the Detective Batman-which is a direction I like. I liked the character interaction, the dialogue, the pacing, and the cliffhanger. I don't know if it feels like the massive relaunch story it is supposed to be, but it is a solid start.
I liked Greg Capullo's art which feels like a perfect fit. I especially liked what Snyder does with the new characters he introduces and what he has done with existing characters. This one is going to end up being one of the better 52 titles, and I have become a Snyder fan.
The Boys: Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker #1 (Dynamite) - written by Garth Ennis- With The Boys, Ennis cemented his place for me as one of comic's best. Of course, Preacher was an instant classic, but until The Boys, he seemed stuck on Punisher-style hitmen and good-not-great military tales. The Boys turned out to be one of the better things in comics in recent years. It was so coarse it had to appear on an independent comics press, but it was a perfect skewering of the comics landscape. Arguably, it's run too long now (at 50+ issues), but it is essential.
Butcher should be forgettable- a miniseries that spirals off the main story. Instead it isn't. It is the opposite- all the best things about The Boys captured in one tale. If Butcher was a movie (and it certainly has that feel), it would be a critically regarded character piece of a rough urban upbringing (Think This is England). Even Ennis fans might be tempted to skip this one, but don't- it really is among Ennis's best work.
Wonder Woman #1 (DC)- written by Brian Azzarello - Full disclosure, I've never really been a big Azzarello fan, and I haven't been much of a Wonder Woman fan over the years. I had been excited by J Michael Straczinski joining the title last year, but ended up feeling left a little hollow.
Azzarello seems to be headed down some of those same paths, exploring the mythology behind the warrior, but I still feel no one will be able to do that better than Alan Moore did with Promethea. WW#1 is a fine book, but it didn't really generate much excitement for me, and it's not a title that I can see myself picking up going forward. I generally liked what Azzarello did with the character and I think Cliff Chiang's art is fine, but just missing that special hook to reel me in.
sigma7 's take and additionally th three articles he mentions in the comments section of said post.It should also be noted that as a close personal friend of a comic shop owner, I got some free comics and deep discounts on some of these titles. This is less enviable than you think as I do end up spending more money at his store as he is one of the nicest guys you could know. So here we go some new, some old.
Baltimore:The Curse Bells (Dark Horse)- written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden - Mignola is so prolific right now that I find it hard to keep up with him. However of all of his titles, I like his Lord Baltimore tales which feature an intrepid vampire hunter in plague-ridden Europe. The Curse Bells is the second miniseries (and Mignola has a novel out too), but I think it an easy jumping on point. The book feels like vintage Mignola- truly one of those comics that transcend the artform. Ben Steinbeck's artwork gives it the appropriate feel of gothic horror. This one appears to be nearly perfect- action packed, humorous at points, and the appropriate sense of dread and horror.
Batman #1 (DC comics)- written by Scott Snyder- Snyder is relatively new to the big time, but when all is said and done, he is one of the good things that has come out of the 52 relaunch. This book and his Swamp Thing are on the short list of the best new books. There seem to be have been a lot Batman relaunches and new directions in the last couple of years, and this was one of my favorites. I liked a lot about this- it is a bit of the Detective Batman-which is a direction I like. I liked the character interaction, the dialogue, the pacing, and the cliffhanger. I don't know if it feels like the massive relaunch story it is supposed to be, but it is a solid start.
I liked Greg Capullo's art which feels like a perfect fit. I especially liked what Snyder does with the new characters he introduces and what he has done with existing characters. This one is going to end up being one of the better 52 titles, and I have become a Snyder fan.
The Boys: Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker #1 (Dynamite) - written by Garth Ennis- With The Boys, Ennis cemented his place for me as one of comic's best. Of course, Preacher was an instant classic, but until The Boys, he seemed stuck on Punisher-style hitmen and good-not-great military tales. The Boys turned out to be one of the better things in comics in recent years. It was so coarse it had to appear on an independent comics press, but it was a perfect skewering of the comics landscape. Arguably, it's run too long now (at 50+ issues), but it is essential.
Butcher should be forgettable- a miniseries that spirals off the main story. Instead it isn't. It is the opposite- all the best things about The Boys captured in one tale. If Butcher was a movie (and it certainly has that feel), it would be a critically regarded character piece of a rough urban upbringing (Think This is England). Even Ennis fans might be tempted to skip this one, but don't- it really is among Ennis's best work.
Wonder Woman #1 (DC)- written by Brian Azzarello - Full disclosure, I've never really been a big Azzarello fan, and I haven't been much of a Wonder Woman fan over the years. I had been excited by J Michael Straczinski joining the title last year, but ended up feeling left a little hollow.
Azzarello seems to be headed down some of those same paths, exploring the mythology behind the warrior, but I still feel no one will be able to do that better than Alan Moore did with Promethea. WW#1 is a fine book, but it didn't really generate much excitement for me, and it's not a title that I can see myself picking up going forward. I generally liked what Azzarello did with the character and I think Cliff Chiang's art is fine, but just missing that special hook to reel me in.
