Talk about taking advantage of having some internet. This week I'm missing out on:
Astounding Wolfman #21 - Hey, has anyone seen The Wolf Man?
Atomic Robo Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #1
Avengers vs Atlas #2
Dark Avengers #14
Battlefields Happy Valley #3
Black Widow Deadly Origin #4
Captain America #603
Chase Variant
Collection Dans La Marge
Daredevil #505
Devil #1 - Not sure what this is
Doctor Voodoo #5
Dodgem Logic #2
Doomwar #1
Green Lantern #51
Guardians of the Galaxy #23
Hellblazer #264
Hulk #20
Incorruptible #3
Incredible Hercules #141
Incredible Hulk #607
Joe the Barbarian #2
Invincible #70
Marvels Eye of the Camera #6
McSweeneys #33
Punisher #14
Amazing Spider-Man #621
Spider-Woman #6
Uncanny X-Men #521
Jesus....it's gonna be a tough adjustment the day I don't work in comics any more...
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Thursday, February 18, 2010
Comics I'm Missing This Week
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Comics I'm Missing This Week
Well, missed last week, really. The state of comic shops here is poor. There are two: one of which is tucked away on the first floor of an office block with virtually no signage, the other of which is in a shopping mall out of the centre of town. The former carries virtually no shelf stock (though I did manage to pick up their only copy of the latest Criminal) and the latter, while not much better for shelf stock, only gets a shipment every other week. That one is a pretty decent shop in its way, though, with a good, varied range of GNs. The state of stores for fans in relatively isolated parts of the world like this really does just reinforcve a lot of my ideas about digital comics' inevitable rise. It's all well and good for people in cities like London to doubt it - we really are spoiled for choice - but for sheer convenience how can a guy in Buttfuck, Ohio resist? Anyway, casting my eyes over the shipping list last week, what will I need to track down?
Also, you think I could find Scalped #32 anywhere? Could I fuck. Neither carries any shelf copies of it. See what I mean?
What's this Judge Dredd Mega City One Archives thing? I can't even remember it being offered.
Batman & Robin #8
BPRD King of Fear #2
Daytripper #3
Groo Hogs of Horder #3
Haunt #5 (Sshh! It's my guilty pleasure!)
Hellblazer Pandemonium HC
As an aside, nice to see Hicksville back in print!
Human Target #1
Invincible Presents Atom Eve & Rex Splode #3
Marvel Boy Uranian #2
Newave! Underground Minicomics of the 80's
Nextwave Ultimate Collection TP - Gonna buy me this. One of my favourite series of the past decade.
Phonogram 2 #7
PunisherMAX #4 (silly name for a great comic)
Realm of Kings Imperial Guard #4
(Jesus, this is supposed to be my pared down list! Glad I wasn't working this week!)
REBELS #13
Solomon Kane #2
Amazing Spider-Man #620
Ultimate Spider-Man #7
SWORD #4
Unwritten #10
Dark X-Men #4
Not gonna waste my time with Hit Monkey. Let me know if it's any good, will you?
Zombies That Ate the World #8
PHEW! Hey, what's Octopus Girl vol 1 doing on the Gosh new releases? Has it been re-released?
Most of this can wait, but if I get the chance later this week I might pick up BPRD and PunisherMAX. And maybe Batman & Robin and Daytripper. Comics here are EXPENSIVE!
Monday, October 05, 2009
Things I Did This Weekend 05/10/09
Oh yeah, totally. I've been totally updating every day, there must be something wrong with your browser or RSS feeds or whatever. Anyway, this weekend I:
- Attended the British International Comics Show in Birmingham. Rather than our usual method of getting to a con (Josh & Will drive up with stock on Friday night, I take the train on Saturday), we all drove up together on the Saturday morning. This involved me being picked up at 5.15am. Of course, I was woken up by drunken teenagers having a party in the street outside our window at around 1am, and that was that as far as sleep was concerned. I lay awake for the next 3 hours or so, thinking “Go to sleep, Andrew. Go to sleep.” Eventually I gave up, got up around 4.15 and took my time getting ready, having breakfast and so on.
- During my preparation time I was amazed to discover 4 Music’s best kept secret: “Signed by 4Music”. It’s a music video show for the deaf, complete with sign language translator in the bottom right corner of the screen. The translators dance while they sign, and do their best to emote the lyrics. It is quite something:
- Got picked up and the drive began. Not bad actually and as I had been up for some time, I actually was in better shape than I would have been if I had woken up at 4.45 or so. So it all went rather quickly, and we arrived at the venue with plenty of time to get set up.
- Well, my first impressions on arriving at Birmingham weren’t good. The convention venue felt well out of the centre of town, in a very industrial area. It was near the University, so I guess it can't be all that bad, but it really felt like the outskirts, just inside the motorways that loop all around Birmingham. We were up on the third floor of the science museum, in a large event hall which had no natural light whatsoever. What’s more, the dim lighting it did have gave a slightly depressive vibe to the whole thing, not helped by the usual rows of back issue dealer longboxes all set up from the night before. We got ourselves set up over three tables, plus an extra for Knockabout, whom we were covering as Tony B has a dose of the old swine flu. Then the public arrived.
- Odd crowd. The actual general audience seemed like far more of a traditional comics crowd: lots of guys wandering about with lists of backissues they were after. It all created the impression of a glorified mart rather than a convention. We had a very quiet start to the day, then a bout of people browsing before actually starting to sell stuff. I guess people want to take it all in before spending their money. To be honest, our collection of stuff seemed to be of more interest to the creators present than the punters. We didn’t really take a break throughout the day. I think stopping would have been a terrible mistake. We were all tired and in various stages of a cold, so we just forced ourselves through the day, which went fairly quickly in the end. I didn’t even have a proper look around the stalls.
- There were various plans going on for drinks that night, but to be honest confusion reigned. Unlike Bristol, there’s no real standard place everyone goes for drinks, which is another strike against it. The piss-up on Saturday night is generally the centrepiece of any British con, but everyone was walking around going "So what's happening tonight?". I wound up organising to potentially meet with Cheeky Joe Melchior, Garry Leach and Tim Pilcher, but after a very nice Chinese for dinner (and a wander through downtown Birmingham) me, Josh and Will just went back to the hotel bar for a couple before hitting the sack early. Just too bloody tired.
- Up nice and early for Sunday and I was feeling much better, though my cold had a bit of a resurgence. The day was more of the same, only a bit slower. I did get the chance to take a walk around the floor though, chatting with small press guys as I went. Found a few titles I liked the look of and bought for the store. It’s always awkward when you’re doing this kind of thing and you’ve got two guys sharing the table, one of whom is very good and the other who is not. The best you can do is kind of politely ignore their work. Otherwise you have to feign interest but when it comes down to the nitty gritty tell them you’re not interested. I was particularly impressed by crime comic Harker and a new collection by the Accent UK guys of a web comic called Strange Times. Nice stuff.
- I was on a panel in the afternoon called Industry Insider or somesuch, a retail/publishing/distribution discussion which really tried to cover too much ground in too little time. I felt a bit sorry for Tim, who facilitated it but didn’t even really get to touch on his main agenda, the formation of a UK comics advocacy organisation. Anyway, it all went fairly well, and I got to quickly talk about some of my digital comics theories, which I must write about more here soon.
- After the panel I went back to our table and we started packing up so as to hit the road good and early. It took a bit of negotiation with one of the organisers, as he didn’t want us to spark a mass exodus of dealers while there were still customers, but he eventually agreed to let us quietly slip out. So we secretly moved all our stuff around the back of the heavy black drapes that ran around the edge of the room to the goods elevator, got the car loaded up and were on the road for 4.45. Traffic wasn’t too bad and I got dropped off home just after 7pm.
- So how did it go? Well, we think we broke even at least. A con is an expensive proposition for a store, involving hotels, staff wages, meals and so on. Josh always frets about opportunity cost as well, so breaking even is never quite good enough. What else could we have done with that time to better effect? But I think our presence at these shows is always good for us as a store. We put our name out a little more, and we always carry a range of books unlike anything else at the show. Seriously, you don’t even have to get too esoteric to be distinctive: a few D&Q and Fantagraphics books would do the trick. Plus it’s always a good opportunity to network a little and strengthen relationships with creators we have existing ties with. We also got Charlie Adlard interested in a probable Walking Dead bookplate in the future (in full colour, with any luck). So all in all I think it was worthwhile, though I’m guessing we probably won’t do it again, as Josh was a little less enthused. What it has done is make me think about perhaps attending Thought Bubble in Leeds this November. Not as a store, but just as myself. It has a lot of positive buzz and a great line-up so I might head up there to check it out. It has the benefit of being a one-day show, which appeals to me no end, and I know enough people who’ll be there to guarantee a good night out. Now if I can just convince Alex...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Zipping Through the Week in Comics 14/05/09
Okay, as fast as you like, quick reviews of what I read this week. This may be a regular feature. Let's see how long it takes! The idea is not to give an exhaustive outline of plot, creators and so on, but rather to just say whether or not it's any good. Well, that's the idea, anyway. In no particular order:
Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers #1 - Nice idea, so-so execution. Would've made a fun one-shot. As a mini-series? Not enough to carry it, I'm afraid.
Ultimate Spider-Man #132 - Ultimatum does its reboot thing, Bendis indulges his little dialogue tricks and it's all fine enough. But jumpin' Jesus, why is Stuart Immonen not a megastar? He is a phenomenal artist.
Trinity #50 - Flicking through to see how it ends. What the fuck is going on here? Can't make heads nor tails of it, really, but that's what I get for missing out 20-odd issues. Not to rag on Busiek, but this is twaddle.
Thor Tales of Asgard #1 - Always loved this Lee/Kirby Norse mythology stuff that ran originally as backups in Journey Into Mystery (with Thor as main star of the book). The recolouring on here is dire, though. I'm not opposed to recolouring jobs, but this looks awful. Nice Coipel cover.
Storming Paradise #5 - Easy to forget that everybody's favourite right-winger, Chuck Dixon, can still write a smart, solid comic. Great alt-history WWII stuff, with outstanding Butch Guice art.
Soul Kiss #4 - Promising start to this series, but I can't help but feel like it's losing steam a little. When I think how much Rasl packed into just the first couple of issues, this feels a bit flabby. Good cliffhanger, though.
Secret Six #9 - I don't follow this regularly, and whenever I pick an issue up I'm always pleasantly surprised. Funny and dark. Who would have thought I would be made to give a shit about Bane? Or Catman for that matter?
Secret Warriors #4 - I have to admit I haven't been astounded by this to date, but I did enjoy this issue. I think the problem for me lies in how little interest I have in Nick's new team. Who hardly appear here. Nice to see Gateway around, though.
Howling Commados #1 - Kind of but not really a lead-in to Captain America: White. Beautiful art, okay writing. It's not going to change your life, but you could spend hours pouring over those pages.
REBELS #4 - Why am I enjoying this so much? It may have something to do with the return of childhood favourites the Omega Men, and I'm happy enough with the art. But there's something about it I find quite compelling, which is I guess just means Tony Bedard is doing his job. Oh, I'm always happy to see Starro and those aliens out of Invasion, too.
Jack Staff #20 - Just recently caught up on this. Why isn't this book more popular? I really must try harder to sell the bloody thing. I guess it's quite highly stylised, and Grists sometimes abrupt scene transitions take some getting used to, but dammit, it's worth it!
Guerillas #4 - Is anyone out there reading this? Brahm Revel has a lovely Mazzucelli/Toth-inspired line and the story is far better than it has any right to be given the concept. Genetically-modified apes fighting in the Vietnam war? Whaaat?
House of Mystery #13 - Picked it up for the Eric Powell guest art, but this series bored me away a long time ago. Nice Sergio one-page at the back.
Oh shit! Interlude! Did you see that they're doing a Groo Library? At last!
Anyway, back to it...
Green Lantern Corps #36 - The prelude to Blackest Night rolls on. War is a'coming. This issue is....okay. Plenty of action, at least. I do like Gleason's art, too.
Fusion #1 - Typical company crossover shit. Seriously, avoid.
Elephantmen #19 - God I love this series. A focus on Sahara, with some nice guest artwork by Marian Churchland.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #1 - Read it last night, can't remember anything about it. Bad sign. Oh yeah, it was weird, but not in a good way.
Dark Reign Young Avengers #1 - The pleasant surprise of the week for me. Paul Cornell garners a lot of respect from folks, but his comics work has been hit and miss so far. Good work here though. Nice set-up with a team of thoroughly unlikeable sorts, like the racist size-shifter who is quietly reprogramming the team android to disrespect minorities. Check it out.
Fables #84 - Not sure about this big crossover, but it does cement Jack as being a primo louse, which is nice.
Dark Reign Hawkeye #2 - Another surprise for me last month. Who would have thought it? Basically: Bullseye is a nutjob who does bad things to people and most certainly not a team player.
Walking Dead #61 - Kirkman makes the point in the back that he has now surpassed the issue count of Y the Last Man (a series he admires a great deal). Amazing really that he has managed to maintain such a level of quality. It helps he has had a relatively stable art team who are perfectly suited to the subject matter, but there's a deft hand in Walking Dead that he just doesn't show with any of his other books. I'm a big fan of Invincible, but it slips a lot more that Walking Dead. That being said, things happen at the beginning of this issue that just feel a little too much, especially for what seems to be the beginning of a new storyline. Still, I guess the repercussions of it may yet be felt in what Andrea and Dale do next. Anyway, I love ya, you big hunk of zombie soap opera!
BPRD The Black Goddess #5 - Another favourite series of mine, but I'm a bit gutted to have this end on something of a cliffhanger then find out there's no new BPRD until next year! Sheeeit. Arcudi and Davis are a brilliant team, they really are. They have the kind of synergy you only get once in a very rare while.
Captain Britain & MI13 #13 - Dracula wins! Well, pretty much. Cornell again, who is doing a nice job so far on this story arc. I wasn't blown away by the Secret Invasion storyline they did, but it feels like he's able to pave his own way now and it's paying off. Oh, and the cover for the next issue is stunning.
Black Panther #4 - So far so good for me on this new series. Lashley is doing the best work I've seen from him, with not a small amount of Barry Windsor-Smith creeping in there. Shame about Campbell's ass-tastic covers.
Azrael Death's Dark Knight #3 - Well, it's very pretty, but does anyone actually give a shit about Azrael?
All New Savage She-Hulk #2 - I'm undecided on this. Van Lente is a favourite of mine, so I'll cut him some slack, but the humour was very welcome last issue and it feels far more muted this time around. More Campbell ass on the cover.
Action Comics #877 - This stuff is decent enough, but not enough to make me really care. I suppose if I were more of a devotee of the Supes books it might grab me.
From the Ashes #1 - Minimum Wage was one of my favourite comics of the 90's, so I was quite excited about Fingerman's new post-apocalyptic autobiographical comic. It's a nice twist. But it doesn't quite work. The dialogue feels forced and doesn't quite pull you in. Still, nice ending, so hopefully it'll pick up next time.
Echo #12 - I'm loving this series, really I am. You should try it.
Rawbone #2 - Jamie Delano does pirates. And sirens. And tits. Lots of tits. Two issues is enough for me, I think.
Young Liars #15 - I have to admit, I gave up on this around issue ten. As much as I love Lapham's work, I couldn't get into it. Finishing soon, so I thought I'd come back for the end. I have no fucking clue as to what's going on.
X-Factor #43 - Peter David does a great job in his little corner of the X-universe. Character-driven superheroics.
Wolverine #73 - Two halves, one by Jason Aaron & Adam "The Talented One" Kubert, the other by Daniel Way & Tommy Lee Edwards. All of it looks great and Aaron's story is a real joy. Way's half is a bit nasty, really, but that's to be expected of Way I guess. All told, well worth picking up.
War of Kings Ascension #2 - Abnett and Lanning have actually made Darkhawk interesting. That alone is reason to pick this up. It's like transmuting shit into gold.
Unwritten #1 - New Vertigo title by Mike Carey & Peter Gross. Worth a look, with an interesting premise. Not sure it will go the distance with the current crop of Vertigo readers, but might find a niche. Plenty of recognisable London landmarks (including the Jurys hotel up the road from work), which isn't particularly important but made me smile.
Umbrella Academy: Dallas #6 - That Gerard Way can sure write some good comics. Who woulda thunk it? Not to understate Ba's contribution, who draws the ass off it all. Happy to hear a book three will happen.
And that's it! Phew! About an hour and twenty. Who knows, maybe I'll do it again. Though I might just do the highlights! What do ya reckon?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Transmission problems....
Oops. Pardon the recent slackness, regular service will be resumed tomorrow. In the meantime, let's just say I've worked, done dinner with the in-laws, had a fairly productive day off, taken Alex away to Brighton for a long weekend (where I've picked up a pretty wicked sunburn), gotten an amazing cookery guide for the DS and finished reading Y the Last Man (tearjerker!).
Oh, I also watched The Ruins, which I was halfway through the audiobook of, so not the smartest move, but certainly an entertaining one. Good little horror with some wince-inducing gore. The question now is: do I finish the book? I guess I should, as right from the start there are significant differences, and I'm sure the audiobook experience will give it more depth. Plus, y'know, a horror story about killer vines is perfect walking to work material.
In additional news: remember the Scalped art I bought? The original art for the bookplate done for us by RM Guera was nice enough:
But then he threw in this little beauty to boot!
Nice, huh?
Friday, May 09, 2008
Done in One - The Week's Best Panel 09/05/08
I know what you're thinking.
Andrew,why isn't there a comic out there that gives thrills and high-gore spills without any nasty swearing, which also explores the subtle subtexts of super-hero convention?
Well, I'm happy to say that day has come. Ladies and gentlemen, from Moon Knight #18, the best panel this week's new comics had to offer:
Friday, December 14, 2007
Damn!
Just my luck, eh? On the 2nd February, this man and this woman
will be signing this book
in this comic shop
while I am in this city.
GAARRGGH!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Comics Photos for Comics People
Alan Light, original publisher of the Comics Buyers Guide, has put up a set of photos from the 1982 San Diego Comic Con.
It's a great look back at a time when the con was smaller and so many great artists were still about. Your mileage may vary...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Gore Watch! 21/05/07
Hither and thither, the tiptoe of Gore Watch!
Okay, okay...so I missed another week. No defence really. I was just too caught up in my deer-skinning night class. So I'm a little behind, but I can gut a 14-point stag in seconds.
COUNTDOWN #51 & 50
This is the new weekly followup to 52, cleverly numbering itself...guess how? Anyway, before getting into any actual gore, let's pop by the secret layer of wacky Flash rogues Weather Wizard, Pied Piper, Heat Wave, Trickster and Mirror Master (and yes, they pretty much do what it says on the box). Bunch of crrrazy guys in their colourful costumes, no doubt pulling off some nutty caper or other.
Oh...or maybe hanging out with prostitutes, snorting cocaine. Like any good city banker I suppose. As an aside, click on this to blow it up and check out the lovingly rendered pimples and bruises on the legs of the girl on the couch. Nice one DC. Always looking to pull in that future generation of readers. Anyway, where is that rascally Mirror Master?
Oh MM! Always the joker!
Meanwhile, the week before in Countdown #51:
No, I don't know what the hell he's doing either, but I'm sure it gives him job satisfaction.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #540
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can.
"C'mere Alvin, I'm gonna break your arm, like Spidey does!"
Okay, so we don't see the bone bursting through, or blood pumping out, or even an actual clear shot of the break. I credit that to Ron Garney, who I think is a fine artist and who often shows a great deal of restraint with violence. In a way I should be advocating panels like the one above if this kind of thing absolutely has to be in pages of a comic about one of the world's most recognisable (and kiddie-appealing) comic characters. But, y'know what? This kind of thing doesn't need to be in pages of a comic about one of the world's most recognisable (and kiddie-appealing) comic characters.
Oh, and speaking of broken arms,
ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN #5
I'm from the school of thought that All Star Batman & Robin is a special kind of genius. There are very few comics out there that make me laugh this much, and yes, I do believe Miller is doing it intentionally. But Mary McDuff of Perthshire, bringing home a copy for little Dougal, might not be expecting this:
Nice bloody broken arm going on there. Meanwhile, dumpster-eater is left looking like something out of Watership Down.
Nice one Bats!
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9
Quite.
Actually, what I find funny about this is that they just couldn't resist that little spurt of blood. This could be done in a fairly restrained manner in this kind of profile shot, but at some point the decision has been made to get some brain sauce a-squirtin'.
BATMAN #665
Ahh, I for one am glad that they used the whole Infinite Crisis thing as an excuse to lighten up the DC universe and add a bit of fun back into Batman. Because nothing spells F.U.N. like a dead prostitute!
As a matter of fact, what the hell is up with all the prostitutes showing up in DC books? Is there some kind of editorial hate-on for sex-workers?
Magic Eightball says: Yes!
Seriously though, I know this is the bad guy, and we're supposed to hate him and all, but really, do we need to see him smashing the broken and battered body of some poor dead woman into a wall? Especially in a book that would never dream in a million years of showing a healthy, happy woman's nipple*.
NEW AVENGERS #30
Damn! You would think Wolverine would get a kevlar polo-neck or something!
Rated "A" for All, folks! Unlike the following...
MOON KNIGHT #10
Ah, Moonie, Gore Watch would be half the watch it is without you. What's been going on this week, under Marvel's dubious "Parental Guidance" label? Well, how about this:
and this:
and some of this:
(Let me help you out on that one: SHHRRRRIP!)
Look! A special guest appearance by the Punisher! Will they battle and then come to an understanding to fight the real villain? Or perhaps Moon Knight will just sit around and watch while the Punisher dispenses some Street Justice. Maybe have a little conversation about how appropriate it is.
"Really, Frank? Oh well, I'm not sure I totally agree. I mean, it could be argued that until we address the problems underlying this kind of thing, then we really are just fighting a losing battle."
<Wait--did he just say 'culling the herd'? This guy is nuts.>
"Nice shot, Frank! Of course it could be said that crime is a completely normal a part of society which will naturally fluctuate over time. You may be interested to know that violent crime has actually, in the bigger picture, continued a downward trend throughout the history of recorded crime statistics. Not that we can ever totally eliminate crime. Wherever there are laws, after all, there will always be criminals."
"And I must say, Frank, in the words of Nietzsche: 'Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster and if you gaze --Oh my God! You just totally blew the top off that guy's head! HIGH FIVE!"
Okay, so I rag on Moon Knight. I do always come fairly close to giving it a pass; it's clearly not meant for kids, and does after all carry a (barely distinguishable on the cover) Parental Advisory label. But then it never fails to do something to make me think: bull####. Yes, I said "####". Because guess what? Moon Knight can show us people's brains spilling onto the street, but not a "ca-ca" in sight.
What the fuck kind of sound does a motherfucking cunt of a symbol like # make anyway? Shit, fucked if I know. I'm just glad I don't have to explain it to my son.
Honestly Marvel, if you want to do this kind of book, make it a Max title. Because the only thing that makes this any different from virtually any issue of the Punisher Max (other than the fact that this is rubbish and that is one of the best titles on the market) is the language. Because the violence is easily on a par. Wake up!
Oh, also, are they really calling it "the 'Raq" now? Has anyone heard that used anywhere else?
Phew...I need to go sit down with a cool drink. Back next week. Promise!
*Head over to Iron Man for that kind of action!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Gore Watch! 05/05/07
"What the hell!" you scream, "Where have you been Gore Watch?"
Well, gentle folk, just last week as I sat down at my PC to begin another searing exposé of the comics world, there was a knock at my door. Two men in suits awaited me, subpoenas and cease-and-desist letters clutched in their sweaty, regulated palms. Well, they saw I was made of sterner stuff and broke down right there on my doorstep, begging and pleading with me to stop. Stop my weekly brain-soaked exploration of the darker side of popular graphic entertainment. It seems that I, Andrew Salmond, have brought the mighty publishers to their knees. Unable now to freely propagate their gory wares as substitute for good old fashioned storytelling, they were hitting a dead end. They had, it seems, forgotten what good old fashioned storytelling even was. They offered me every enticement, every incentive to stop. Money. Power. Space tourism. But it wasn't enough*. So, after giving them a week to think they were safe in their blood-stained ivory towers, I'm back.
That story may or may not be true.
Two of my top keyword searches for the blog yesterday were "beheading sound" and "broke his leg".
That story is true.
Anyway, enough blurb. On with the show!
Moral crusade.....I meant moral crusade....
WOLVERINE #53
I've said it before and I'll say it again: a vague "Parental Guidance" warning on the cover does not compensate for the fact that this is Wolverine, one of Marvel's most popular characters. And it certainly doesn't cover lingering, tube-y severed heads.
What the @#$% kind of guidance does that require?
I almost cherry-picked the following page, but then I figured it sits better in all it's blood-on-every-panel glory. Slashed chest! Injury to eye! Impaling!
And finally, a lingering shot of the sword resting in Sabretooth's cushion-y bosom.
CONNOR HAWKE: DRAGON'S BLOOD #6
To be fair, it seems a little silly to pick out anything in an issue where a large amount of time is spent with Connor Hawke (son of the Green Arrow) fighting a guy in nappies in a gigantic pool of blood. For example, any given page may look a little like this:
But I think the following sequence qualifies, with the son of Green Arrow taking the arrow which has pierced his hand, shoving it the chest of his enemy, and then (click on this for a closer look) giving it a little encouragement to really get things gushing.
Holy shik! Now that's super-heroic!
ALL NEW ATOM #11
Again with the whole zombie cheat in the Atom, but the last time I saw a poorly drawn shovel get planted in a living person's head it looked exactly like this.
What will little Timmy Bellbottoms think when Granny brings that home?
"Daddy, do good guys kill people with shovels?"
DC IN-HOUSE ADVERTISING: SINESTRO CORPS
So DC go line-wide with some gore this week, getting a bit of bony meat-hook action on the Green Lantern Corps. You know Green Lantern. He's in a team with Superman. He makes giant tractors and colossal cash registers out of green stuff. His nemesis, Sinestro, does the same thing, only it's made out of yellow stuff. And he probably makes giant pelicans. And shovels.
Oh, and makes bloody kebabs of his enemies.
CATWOMAN #66
Catwoman is actually a pretty decent read. Will Pfeiffer juggles a nice varied cast of characters, and he writes women well. And, to be honest, I don't expect this title to end up here.
Oops. Maybe Will's been having a few drinks with Geoff Johns. Y'know, when I was a kid that kind of action would gotten you an R18 rating. Now it's a full page splash in a comic starring a mainstream, recognisable super(anti)hero. Well, I guess I shouldn't...pfftt....LOSE MY HEAD!
IRON MAN #17
Remember Iron Man? Last month, All Ages rated Iron Man gave us an autopsy, a popped head, and a nipple. This month, rated "A" for All Iron Man gives us.....
SPLURT!
At least that's the sound it should have made. Just imagine if they'd done this in 52! What do you think? Answers in the comments below.
A couple of points about Iron Man:
a) It's actually a pretty decent read at the moment.
b) It's written by the father/son team of Daniel and Charles Knauf. Daniel was responsible for HBO's excellent and lamented Carnivale, which I bought the first box set of a couple of weeks back, and which you should watch.
Move on, people! Move on! Nothing to see here!
*Not quite enough.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Gore Watch! 21/04/07
Whither comes Gore Watch?
MOON KNIGHT #9
Y'know, I almost gave Moon Knight an off this week. After all, it's not like the title is trying to appeal to the younger audience.
But then I thought: If you want to have people ripping other people's teeth out, make it a Max title why don't ya?
ROBIN #161
This week in Robin: Tim uncovers an insidious plot by Gotham cannibals to preserve junkies.
Mmm....marmalade!
Now strap in kids, it's WORLD WAR 3! Remember how a few weeks ago Black Adam went crazy, FWATting his way across the world as revenge for the havoc wrecked upon his people and his family? (Wait: revenge at a strike against his homeland? A revenge which costs the lives of many innocents along the path to his intended targets? Hmmm...)
Anyway, after a brief stay at Oolong Island, he's back on the warpath! A four-issue-in-one-week exercise in exploiting the power of compulsion over taste! Weirdly, 2 & 4 are pretty much clean. But #1 kicks us off in fine style...
WORLD WAR THREE #1
I'll ease you in with a little Nightwing (or IS he?) action:
Some people would say it was okay for kids to see this, as there is no blood.I say HE BROKE HIS LEG! Yeesh, have you ever had someone break YOUR leg?
Anyway, less talk, more SKLATCH!
Skunch me, that looks painful.
AHAHAHA! Nice one Black Adam! At least he kept his sense of humour.
WORLD WAR 3 #3
And then...
Yow!
Watch out Young Frankenstein, here he comes!
Ouch! (Though interesting to note that the sound of someone getting their arms ripped off is almost identical to someone having their face ripped off. Who knew?)
Yeah, for "enigma", read "someone nobody really gives a damn about". Poor fella. Looks like he's snoring.
By the by, I was quietly sitting here in Gore Watch central, browsing the internet whilst contemplating my Tipitaka, when I came across this!
Not only has he had the same idea as me, but he's managed to fit in unsuitable sexual references to boot! Personally that kind of thing was formative in my youthful development, but I see where he's coming from...
Anyway! More power to him! Together we will smash the insidious corruptions of Big Comics!
Onward, my moral army!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Massimo Belardinelli 1938-2007
Sad to say, this classic (and much under-appreciated) 2000AD artist passed away recently. He helped set the artistic tone of the magazine during it's golden period, particularly with his work on Slaine and Ace Trucking Co (a favourite of mine when I was a kid), not to mention things like Meltdown Man, The Dead and Flesh.
Flesh is something I only saw later in reprints. The idea is people travel back in time to hunt dinosaurs as big game. Of course things go a little...wrong.
Meltdown Man is another I only discovered after I got some old issues from the second-hand shop down by the Paraparaumu beach shops (the one that had the arcade in the garage out back - Past Possessions I think). It was a bit of a crazy post-apocalyptic mishmash of science fiction and fantasy. Not one of classic 2000AD stories, but silly fun.
And of course Slaine. Hey, I was a fantasy & horror-obsessed 11 year-old. How could I NOT love this?
Arrivederci Massimo!
