If you've read my profile, you know that I am (unofficially) the world's #1 comics fangirl. In that capacity, it's my duty to share my thoughts on my favorite titles each week. Admittedly, the boys may find my tastes a little girly, but lighten up & embrace your feminine side a little, guys!
To warm you up- ;9 -my fav creators are *Nicola Scott*, *Gail Simone*, Chris Samnee, & Brian K Vaughn.
So, without further ado, let's pump this mutha out!
☮ ♥ ♫
Sorry! I just ran out of time this week! I feel really bad so hopefully this makes up for it.......it's my boyfriend's comic book, issue #1. I have been thinking about maybe having a contest for somebody to win a copy of it. There are only 76 copies in all & he is VERY talented (lol) so it will be VERY valuable someday in my not so humble opinion! ツ
It would be limited to probably continental North America because I have no idea what postage might cost otherwise.......but I am not sure how to judge it. If you have any suggestions let me know! You can tweet me @SupergirlofArgo or friend me on facebook (SupergirlofArgo) or leave a comment here........have not figured out the best way to give out my email address yet but you can find it in either of those 2 places.
And since I am a little biased I don't feel right reviewing it so lets say Kara's comic this week is DC's "Legacies" #4 (of 10). It is a fun little retro biweekly that is worth the read.......and its got short-shorts Dick Grayson ( :9 ♥ ) on the cover!
Sorry to disappoint! I hope to get back on track next week! :( xoxoxoxo!
"Do you see me skimping out on the nervous patter that covers up the fact that I've wet myself because it looks like we've been replaced as the dominant species on the planet?!"~Peter Parker, the Spectacularly Amazing Spider-Man
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade von Grawbadger
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letters & Production: Chris Eliopoulous
Associate Editor: Lauren Sankovitch
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Executive Producer (what! really? ~8-O): Alan Fine
Comic Book Week: August 18th, 2010
I have said before that I am not the biggest Marvel fangirl but I do mostly like the Avengers titles. Of course since Brian Michael Bendis writes all of them they are all pretty much the same. 9,9
Kidding!
Kindof.
He is good with the dialogue and the characters and has been doing better mixing up the pacing of the stories........but there is ALWAYS that back and forth 'jibba-jabba' ( ツ ) that can be funny........just it is ALWAYS there.
The artwork is fantastic.......I have also said that I LUV Stuart Immonen (sorry Kathryn ;-) ) and von Grawbadger, Martin & Eliopoulous just enhance the fabulous look of this book!
The current issue is part three of the new opening storyarc where Dr. Strange and Daimon Hellstrom (those go to the characters' wikis btw cause I know a lot of you might not know who Daimon Hellstrom Son of Satan is.........scary!...........especially! ~8-( ) are possessed by the mystery villain, who wants Dr. Voodoo's (the recently annointed Sorcerer Supreme) Eye of Agamotto. He (Voodoo) sends it to Luke Cage, leader of The New Avengers (dum-diddee-DUM!), since they are apparently old friends! And so the fight begins!
The pretty cover I have shown is the variant edition by Immonen and part of Marvel's weird celebration of the "Women of Marvel"........not that I do not approve it just seems very out of the blue! ':-\
The story & art as I have said are great.
I like the characters, who are, besides Luke......or Power Man as he used to be called; Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers-Marvel's version of Supergirl (I guess?), who is to Captain Marvel what Supergirl is to Superman sortof; Jewel/Jessica Jones-Luke's significant other with powers pretty similar to Ms. Marvel (she's kindof of a 'made up' character......like Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer); Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse-athlete/scientist/spy who in only two issues seems to have replaced her ex-husband Hawkeye on the team; Spider-Man/Peter Parker-okay, like do not try to tell me you do not know who Spider-man is okay?; Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett-again really?; The Thing/Ben Grimm-big rocky member of the Fantastic Four; Iron Fist/Danny Rand-former partner of Luke & a kung fu guy with an.......iron fist.......also he does not show off his chest anymore like in his wiki (poop! :-( ); and 'administrative assistant' (I guess?) Victoria Hand-former assistant of Norman Osborn/Iron Patriot(/Green Goblin) and appointed to help the team by Steve Rogers, the first Captain America.
*whew!*
I have mentioned the lead up for the plot of this issue which continues into the next as the mystery villain is revealed at the end of the issue and all the heroes are fighting an invasion of demons from a mystery dimension. Also, Victoria throws a (funny) tantrum & carries a really big gun (I kindof like her! ツ ).
So it is all very good. Except!
I have to complain about the editing because I think that may be where the problem is!
First on the splash page, the characters are all standing around looking up at the sky and as the camera shifts they keep moving around without actually moving! One could blame Immonen but it really seems like something the editor should have picked up.
Second, Victoria somehow has time to change clothes in the middle of the invasion as she is clearly wearing a different skirt in her two different appearances. Again Immonen is partly to blame (I am SOOOOO sorry, Stuart, my love! ;;-) ) but also should have been picked up in editing.
Third is the aforementioned confusion over whether it is Hawkeye or Mockingbird that is on this team! I mean I love them both and this is partly Bendis' (or maybe mostly Bendis') fault but it is too much like the original series where we waited like a year and a half so Ronin (Echo) could join for like one issue!
Fourth, the team lineup I listed may not be the team since Iron Fist is not on the recap page (which is actually a good editorial call).
I don't want to be so hard on Brevoort or Sankovitch but someone has to have a better grip on this book.......it is good but it could be great.
RATING: 7 gun-toting-Victorias out of 10
Gotta run! Love you all! ツ* *kisses!* This week's present is "The Avengers" teaser trailer!
"I dunno . . . I think I just fell in love or something."~Hunter
Words: Nick Spencer
Art: Joe Eisma
Colors: Alex Sollazzo
Letters: Johnny Lowe
Design: Tim Daniel
Covers: Robin Esquejo
Editor: Kristen Simon
Publisher: Jim Valentino
Comic Book Week: August 11, 2010
So this week's Kara's Comic is the first of a new series from Image, morning glories....& I am not forgetting the name of the story....it does not seem to have one ("For a Better Future" maybe? O,o). Basically, Morning Glory Academy is "one of the most respected preparatory academies in the country" (3 countries really since some of the students come from Canada & Japan) and their "methods are unconventional". This comic is "Degrassi" if "Degrassi" were a comic book (I know! I know! There's a graphic novel! But I was hoping to make a point here! ツ) & set in a boarding school & with a horrible secret. Okay, its more like "The Covenant". Happy? ツ
We learn very quickly about MGA and find out that it really has a big secret at the heart of its program. Then we meet 6 new students.......the quoted Hunter from Toronto, Casey Blevins from Chicago, Ike from Manhattan, Zoe from San Diego, Jane/Jade from Des Moines, and Fukayama Jun from Tokyo. These students meet & talk & it looks like some of them might be pairing up shortly (maybe Hunter and Zoe/Casey/Jun-Jun's a boy 2 btw-or Ike & Casey). Then they find out that they all have one thing very strange in common (besides all being 16) & that MGA is much more dangerous than they thought.
All in all there is nothing in this story (yet) that is all that original but the art/colors/letters are magnificently beautiful and very reminiscent of Marvel's Runaways.....there is one splash page near the end although that does not seem to entirely fit.....weird! The characters are likable & original. And the story is well told even if it seems very familiar. And the last page cliffhanger is enough to make me want to see what happens next month.
I am not sure why but I like it!
RATING: 6 ½ morning glories out of 10
Morning glories are so pretty! ♥ them! (& the 'not morning glories are supposed to be men in the moon..... 9,9).
Just want to mention a couple of other books that I luved this month. Birds of Prey #4 (DC) was sooooo great, but I almost feel bad for so often rating Gail Simone (♥)! Justice League Generation Lost #7 & Booster Gold #35 (DC) are carrying on the tradition of the Justice League International.......love it! And Zatanna #4 (DC) has been so much fun since the series started, although the artwork was not quite as outstanding this issue.
Bogo! 2 Kara's Comix this week because I could not decide which one to review! Ick! Last week's six books are gonna haunt me forever..........
Comic Book Week: August 4, 2010
"Still, not everything buried remains lost and forgotten..."~Amon the mummy
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist & Cover: Michael Allred
Letters: Todd Klein
Colors: Laura Allred
Associate Editor: Angela Rufino
Editor: Shelly Bond
(I, Zombie created by Roberson & Allred.......wait! Is that rite?.......hmmmmmm........well, according to imdb there's a movie by that name too: http://imdb.to/bPuSCx)
iZombie-or I, Zombie, depending on who you were to ask-is the story of gravedigger Gwen Dylan, who is herself a zombie. But unlike other zombies she's pretty normal so long as she eats a brain every once in a while. Being a gravedigger, she just digs up a dead body when she needs to and gets by. Unfortunately she then gets the memories of the person who's brain she's eaten and is forced to fulfill some untended to last wishes. So in "The Magical Memory Tour", Gwen's trying to solve the murder of Fred, the latest man who's brain she ate. The killer appears to be another zombie, the aforementioned Amon the mummy.
Funny but I never thought about the fact that mummys and zombies are really the same creature before! 9,9
So now that Gwen and her bff (literally), the ghostgirl Ellie, have tracked down Amon, who has been a zombie/mummy much longer than she has, he is explaining to her the nature of what she is, while her ex and his partner track down a vampire coven and her current interest, a "were-terrier", plays video games.
And that brings you completely up to speed!
I have sung the praises of Chris Roberson on Cinderella before and Mike Allred is a living legend. Allred's wife Laura is as always along for the ride on colors and Klein's letters are perfectly suitable.
The whole formula is somehow completely complicated and yet so simple. This book is not really stand alone, but you could probably pick up this issue and fall in love. The review is short and sweet but so is the book-not the best but always enjoyable...........
RATING: 8 brains out of 10
"Thought......we might be heroes."~Thomas Blake (Catman :-9)
Writer: Gail Simone (♥)
Artist: Jim Calafiore
Colorist: Jason Wright
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover: Daniel Luvisi
Editor: Sean Ryan
When I turned the first page of this comic I had to review it. Calafiore and Wright created the most beautiful splash page I have ever seen! ♥
Simone (♥) tells a western tale of the main characters that has nothing to do with anything that we have read in this book before & may have nothing to do with anything we will read again but it is powerful and moving and returns the best villain since the Joker in Junior (Ragdoll's sister if you know anything about this book-read my last review here: http://bit.ly/dD9hHs). I really have no idea what this story (called "Unforgivable" btw!) has to do with anything as the Secret Six characters fight Deathstroke and Junior in the old west (Again with the old west! Two reviews of westerns last week & now this!). Catman (yum! 9,9) and Deadshot prove to be total badboys and then everyone dies! The artwork is fantastic (I am a little sorry to say that the cover doesn't quite live up to the inside...... :-( ), the story is thrilling, the characters are great, the letters actually stand out (you need to read Ragdoll's "Punch & Judy" routine!),.........the only fault I can find with this comic book is that it might not make sense to a new reader. I think that it would still be a fun read even if you had no idea who my Catman (again.....yum! :-9) is, but I am not sure-so I am asking anyone reading this right now please read this book and let me know, if you haven't read it before do you like it? I'll be your best friend! ;;-*) lol!
Hi, everyone! This week I'm trying to do a little chilling, but I did not want to do what I did last time & end up not posting for a whole bunch of months! :-( So I'm going to try something new & run through all the comix I read (& loved! ツ) last week, but keep the reviews short............here goes!
American Vampire #5 (Vertigo/DC)
(Scott Snyder, Rafael Albequerque, and Stephen King)
I am LOVING this series! The art is dark and moody and romantic and gorgeous! The story is split in two, one half told in the old west and one half told in the 1920s; both halves are intimate and luscious and scary! OMG I really love this book! If your are not reading this book I envy you because you can pick up the trade and enjoy it for the first time. It is really that good. But if you may be turned off by the vampire thing, please keep reading.......this book will grow on you! If you like noir, westerns, 20's fashions, mystery, a little bit of romance, or even a little bit of violence something in this comic will grab you.
Now.....how am I going to do the ratings? How about 9 ½ sunny days (with a little cloud for the ½ ツ)............!!!!
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☁
Thor: The Mighty Avenger #2 (Marvel)
(Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee, and Matt Wilson)
I wish all of Marvel's titles could be this good! This is an out of continuity tale of Thor (the norse god of thunder if you don't know!)......at least I hope it is. Thor in this book has no past Marvel history and there may or may not be other Marvel characters in this universe (besides, you know, those that show up to interact with Thor, like a museum curator Jane Foster and a Mr. Hyde that nobody really recognizes), and I hope they keep it that way. The art and story feel like a nice little fairy tale and I'm loving it! ❤
8 sunny days!!!
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☂ ☂
The Return of Bruce Wayne #4 of 6 (DC)
(Grant Morrison, Georges Jeanty, and Walden Wong)
To be honest this mini series started off confusing me. But with each issue the stories seem to be getting more "complete" while making more sense in the story of how Bruce Wayne (Batman) is coming back (he died........didn't you hear! ツ). Grant Morrison is too smart for his own good but if you hang on for dear life he will always bring his stories home. He is amazing! And the artwork is so delicious! And I'm not even a western fan! And I read 2 westerns this week! WTH!
7 ½ sunny days!!
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☁ ☂ ☂
Jack of Fables #46 (Vertigo/DC)
(Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, and Andrew Pepoy)
I have every issue of this series so far. It is consistently fun. The art is consistently clean and clear. And even though the story seems to be diluting with 2 different Jack of Fables, and I'm not a huge fan of the Page Sisters (the 3 ladies on the cover), and even though he's cute ( ツ❤) the Babe the Blue Ox stories have started to run their course, but this comic still deserves a review. In fact it deserves a good review! If you read it, you will like it!
7 sunny days!
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☂ ☂ ☂
The Flash #4 (DC)
(Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul)
I miss Wally West ( ☹ ). I miss Linda Park-West (OMG! I never got that joke till I just wrote it! :-P ). I don't miss their kids that much but..........
I am liking the new Barry Allen! The CSI feel is obvious but it works! And who knew Iris Allen-West could be such a great character? They seem to be trying to make her a bit Lois Lane-ish, but distinct enough that you won't mind. The artwork is nice, maybe a little bit gritty for a fun character like the Flash but the current story is about a murder after all.
7 sunny days!
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☂ ☂ ☂
[The All-New] Wonder Woman #601 (DC)
(J. Michael Straczynski, Don Kramer, and Michael Babinski)
This is the first official issue with the new creative team, the new costume, and the new history. It's okay. I might even buy it next month too. I like the art, I can live with the costume (for now! ~:-( ), and there is nothing wrong with the story. It just feels like they broke Wonder Woman to put her back together but they did not make her any better........just different. (And I think I might like Diana's new costume better if her top was the same as her old top........that thin little accent along her neckline just is not doing it for me.)
6 sunny days.
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂
Hugs & kisses until next week! (I hope! ヅ )
♥ Kara ♥ xoxoxoxoxoxoxo!!
"It's a good thing that boy is pretty."~Lafayette Reynolds
Cover (D) by: Joe Corroney (shown)
Story by: Alan Ball with Kate Barnow & Elisabeth Finch
Written by: Mariah Huehner & David Tischman
Pencils by: David Messina
Inks by: David Messina & Gaetano Carlucci
Colors by: Giovanna Niro
Lettering by: Neil Uyetake
Edits by: Scott Dunbier
Based on the "True Blood" television series from HBO which in turn is based on "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" by Charlaine Harris
Comic Book Week: July 21, 2010
It's funny........I've always been a sucker for vampires (oops! no pun intended! lol!). Damon, Edward, Angel, Spike, Dracula..........yum-me! ;-9
So why do I prefer Sam Merlotte (♥!) to Bill Compton & Eric Northman (Sam's a shapeshifter btw)? Maybe I just want to leave them for Sookie I guess! 9,9
But this was a week of contradictions. I LUV (♥) True Blood the television show, currently in its third season on HBO in case you were wondering, & I bought a LOT of comix but nothing really stood out above the rest. So Kara's (my!) comic for this week is True Blood the comic book mostly by default.
And for a book with soooooo many writers (five!.....what is the difference between "written by" & "story by"?) why is it the art (by one penciller who does at least some of the inks too!) what stands out?
The cover for starters was sooo pretty (even with no Sam ♥.......booo!........but Eric & Bill, & Lafayette, do look pretty good, I get a bit of a sick kick out of Jessica and I love Sookie's dress ♥!). This is only one of twelve (!!!) covers by all kinds of artists so I'm going to break a rule just this once & show you the checklist from inside the book:
You figure out which one you like best!
Okay.......on to the inside!
The artwork is great! It really captures the actors from the show while not being stiff & posed as is typical when an artist tries to draw from life. And the colors and letters pop off the page right along with the artwork.
The story, though is very short. It actually doesn't even have a title! The characters are very true (oops! I made another punny..... X-b) to the television show, as they should be since Alan Ball is the show's creator. The dialogue though is a little stilted, making sure we learn the full names of every character by getting someone to say their full names and a brief bio. Oddly, this almost works due to the nature of the characters.
Without giving the story away (I hope!) we meet Sookie Stackhouse (played by Anna Paquin on the television show so you can get an idea of the quality of the artwork) who's the central character and a waitress at Merlotte's Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She's being spyed on by someone or something that will reveal itself before the end of the story. And in the story vampires are real and known to the general public ("True Blood" is like beer for vampires that is not real blood but that they can drink instead......meaning they can live with humans peacefully). There is pretty much a chance that every other monster and creature you ever heard of in stories and fairy tales is real too, but vampires are the only creature that people know about.
We then proceed to meet the rest of the main characters and the story ends, to be continued. And there's a nice pull out poster in the middle (its the twelfth cover shown above).
So short and to the point.......
RATING: 5.5 puppies out of 10 (psst! watch the show ツ)
If I've left you completely confused.........I understand! Sorry! 9,9
Here's a link to the HBO "True Blood" website that mite help to clear things up: http://itsh.bo/93nW7B
And to Charlaine Harris' official website for the original story: http://bit.ly/aPghgv
And one final present...........the "True Blood" theme song, "Bad Things" by Jace Everett (yah, I've never been a countrygirl, but Sam Merlotte (actor Sam Trammell) ♥ can do bad things with me anytime he wants!) ツ*:
"Ground Control"
Story: Jonathan L. Davis
Art: Kelly Yates
Colors: Phil Elliott
Letters: Robbie Robbins and Neil Uyetake
"The Big, Blue Box"
Story and Art: Matthew Dow Smith
Colors: Charlie Kirchoff
Letters: Neil Uyetake
"To Sleep, Perchance to Scream"
Story, Art, and Colors: Al Davison
Letters: Neil Uyetake
"Old Friend"
Story: Tony Lee
Art: Matthew Dow Smith
Colors: Charlie Kirchoff
Letters: Robbie Robbins
Comic Book Week: July 14, 2010
This week, Kara's (my 9,9 ) pick is something a little bit different. My friend (hi, Christina! ;-*) ) asked me to review IDW's Doctor Who. She's (I think!) a big fan and was surprised that there was a current American comic based on the character. Honestly I was too when I came across the annual at my LCBS (local comic book shop, d'uh! 9,9 ). See I haven't really been a big fan for very long, but then my boyfriend got me hooked on the most current season and I have been catching up.......although I have a long way to go! You see, if you don't know Doctor Who is a British sci-fi series that has more or less been on television since 1963.......ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY! ( 8-O ) That's three years before the first Star Trek went on the air!! And in that time, if shows like Star Trek & the X-Files have influenced modern life, Doctor Who is what influenced them! (Not to spoil anything, but--SPOILER ALERT--in the most recent episode of the television show that I have seen, an OLD villain of the Doctor, the Cybermen, say, "Prepare to be assimilated." Sound familiar? ツ).
Quick background: the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey. He is over 900 years old and travels through time and space in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which looks like an old-timey blue British Police Box (phone booth) on the outside and Legion of Super-Heroes HQ on the inside. The Doctor can be 900 years old because occassionally he regenerates into a new form enabling a new actor to take the role. He will be able to do this 11 times before he finally dies (and we're currently on the 11th Doctor so it will be interesting to see what happens!). The Doctor generally picks a human Companion to accompany him on his adventures, which in addition to three television series (one animated) have been chronicled in any number of novels (graphic & otherwise), several films, on the web, and in audio plays, as well as several spin-offs. The IDW comic book series tells of the 10th Doctor played by David Tennant (he also played Barty Crouch, Jr., in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). The series is characterized by low budget special effects but screamingly good scripts and plots that make it all seem natural.
The first story in this anthology, "Ground Control", opens with a floating Panda. If you are familiar with the Doctor at all, this is not surprising. The Doctor has been apparently grounded by an authority that has taken control of the TARDIS. The art in this story is fantastic, including the coloring, depicting Mr. Tennant almost perfectly, but the story is mostly just a background of the Doctor. The cute Pandas help though ツ. The story misses a Companion though, as the Doctor's human assistants are what ground him and allow his quirkiness, what being a Time Lord and all, to shine through. Also hurting the story is a panorama of the Doctor's enemies that DOESN'T INCLUDE THE DALEKS (they're like a race of evil R2D2's)! Sacrilege! (Probably IDW doesn't have the license......booo!)
The second story, "The Big, Blue Box", is sortof centered around a new Companion, for this story at least. The Companion turns out to be more than human and very important to two alien races. As is typical of Doctor Who, the Doctor pretty much just helps him help himself. This is probably the strongest story of the book in the art and story, with the art being a little more stylized than in the first tale, and the story a little more active and human. The color was a little inconsistent, very dark in some seens and almost distractingly bright in others.
The third story, "To Sleep, Perchance to Scream", tells the tale of the Doctor having a dream. The art is very pretty and painted, but there is no story really. But we do get a surprise cameo by the 11th Doctor (played by Matt Smith, the man who made me love bowties!)!
The fourth and final story, "Old Friend", feels more like a classic time travel story, where the Doctor meets a future Companion for the first time.....of course, the Companion remembers the Doctor from his own past. They talk and something happens to the Companion that isn't really surprising, but I won't spoil it. It's very short, kindof touching, and leads directly into Doctor Who #13. The art is nice, but I personally preferred the other three stories' art, possibly because the color was a little bit muddies than in the others.
The lettering is well done and suitable in all four tales.
Overall this squarebound book is great for Doctor Who fans and could probably at least interest some non-fans into taking the TARDIS for a spin.........but the $8 price point is just ouch! I mean, I don't usually stick on the price........I've never mentioned in this blog before..........but this book isn't really much longer than an average book, it doesn't have any really big name creators, the character's not that well known to a lot of the fans that are going to see it and one would think that IDW is hot enough to drop that price a bit! That doesn't really make sense! But it does have a flying Panda holding an arrow..........so...............
RATING: 7 flying pandas (sooooo cute ツ♥) out of 10
