great idea Burl; unikrunk is in.
Stop.
Hammer-time.
New format for words about picture-books; all new words about picture-books will be at top of post. Well, not very top, or even here, where this paragraph is. But very close, right down there, the new words will be found. Thanks.
Wed., 10:51 AM ET, 3/13/8
The Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story – TPB
Collecting issues Immortal Iron Fist 1-6 and some CW stuff, this trade is fifteen concrete block-shattering levels of fucking awesome. I, unikrunk, am hereby sold completely on this take on Iron Fist, whom until now filled my gayest-ass hero spot. Yep, I am a total convert.
The amazing kinetic art in this series is punctuated with writing that is so perfectly tight it is cinematic in its ultimate form. Panel upon panel of silent, incredibly violent action with gems of dialogue interjected; perfect.
Between this and The Green Mist one-shot, I will continue to track down and consume this run. 10 out of 10 thumbs up.
GL Corps #22
Gah, shit. Look, pairing and pretty much completely synchronizing this title with GL during the Sinestro Wars was a great idea, and for this reader, it was the perfect approach. But listen; that era is over, and the spectrum rings thing could really benefit from two separate titles. This issue was 95% a retelling of the Green Lantern #28...what the shit.
Seriously, its time to let GL be Hal’s book, or at the least the Earth sector’s book, and leave the Corps to deal with the big-ass galactic shit. You could tell two great stories with the upcoming spectrum ring stuff. Don’t dick this up, and make me feel like I am reading
WWHulk: Gamma Ray-Super-Friends War-Bound Terrific Team. Thanks.
Superman Confidential #13
I fucking hate Toy-Man, in every incarnation I have ever seen, ever. The character is completely ALF, and even though this is a comic about a bulletproof dude in his underwear and a cape, the giant toy thing is just too much. I mean, is this really a trouble for Superman? A giant, lumbering toy bear? Dude, you are Superman, just fucking fly through it at the speed of light or something. Oh, and Olson is a total retard in this. 2 out of 10 thumbs up, bitch.
Batman Confidential #14
Holy god. Just when I thought it could not get any worse, I open up this thing. Okay, so Bats is fighting this fucking ALF looking BatManuel type guy, seriously, but BatManuel is sorta purple, so it totally ups the Siegfried and Roy quotient.
Somehow Batman spazzes or something, and Nightwing shows up, looking simply marvelous in the old-school super-collar, Power-Twin suit. There is no story here at all, and the art is boring, and the comic is crap. Um, no thumbs for you.
Countdown 7
You know, you can’t win them all. This series has had its ups and downs, and this issue is on the downside. It’s not terrible, but it is a series of meetings and exposition on already dragged out plot points. Anyway, it tees up the endgame well, if being a little boring in doing so/
Abe Sapien: The Drowning #2
Almost perfect. The art in the first five panels of this issue is absolutely beautifully painted. The rest of book is no slouch either, and the writing is fairly great. Near the end, things got a little vague and the book took an inward turn; here’s hoping this bit will make more sense when the arc is through. Overall a great comic. 9 out of 10 thumbs
BPRD: 1946 #3
Pretty damned good. There is a distinct feel, a certain outré to the BPRD stuff, it feels slightly different then HB or even Abe’ solo book (which happens to feel more like HB to me), and this series has captured the essence of that feeling. The BPRD series is not about hitting the monsters until they are paste; it is about being vulnerable to the creeping darkness, yet standing your ground despite your shortcomings.
I absolutely love the Giurescu tie-in, and the Demon/Russian Doll lady is perfect. As part of the 1946 run, here are 8 out of 10 thumbs up.
Wed., 5:58 AM EST.
Cable #1
This was mostly good, mostly. I don't read many mutant books, but when I do pick them up, I tend to enjoy them, and this is no exception. Sweircynski? I have to at least give it a look. Brass tacks? It is not bad, could have been a little more meat on it, but it was fantastically delicious.
Logan #1
Please see above review, replace Sweircynski with Vaughan, and pictures with words. And throw in a smattering of applause for good measure.
Hulk #1 (yeah, I know, but it's new to me)
I loved the crap out of this book. I have the rest on back order, but I really dug the CSI team, and the nice little dust-up they get into. Star of the show? Ursa Major, for looking scary as shit. Top Drawer.
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home
I have been waiting for this bitch for a long time, and it was worth every tortured second of the wait. Picks up right where we left our boys, and then goes into fucking awesomeville riding a black, blood frothed stallion.
Thanks for slamming my dick in the car door, dudes. This is the shit. Howzabout we don't wait another year before you put another of these series out, eh? Sound good?
Justice League: The New Frontier Special
I love this comic. I mean, romantically. I want to make it dinner, then fuck its brains out. Brilliant. Insert more heaps of praise here.
Secret Invasion Saga - Marvel.
It is a very good thing that this is a free comic (well, all of mine are free, but, you know, for Joe Six-Pack out there, I would hate him to spend his kid's milk-money on this shit).
Oh yeah, my review. That's it. That's all I have to say. SKRUL!
Countdown 8
I like it.
Green Lantern #28
I can't just keep writing the same review for this series every week, but then again, it just keeps getting better. Fuck, I need to find something critical or insightful to say about this book. I will be back later.
It rocked my balls, hard and personal style. I LURVE GL.
Wed., evening, 2/27/08
Let’s start with that which rocks...
The Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Doom - One Shot
Holy crap this comic was amazing. Love the different artists, Allred's stuff from the 'golden age' being my favorite. This is a perfect one shot, and now I will be reading this book moving forward. Time for unikrunk to start digging through some crates for back issues. 10 out of 10 thumbs up on this one.
KICK-ASS #1
Fucking brilliant. Terrific storytelling and great art can't wait to see how this one plays out. Some laugh out loud moments, followed by some 'holeeee shiiiit' moments. Another perfect 10 thumbs up.
Thor #6
This series is just fucking perfect. I love everything about it. Great last couple of panels. A tip-o-the hat to all involved.
JSA #13
Ooookay, now I get the Kingdom Come bridging. It is starting to work for me in this issue. Gog, Magog, totally cool.
JSA Classified #35
HOLY CRAP. Just when I was ready to give up on this book, it delivers in spades. Wildcat just got a whole lot cooler in the uni-world.
Superman Confidential #12
S'okay. Cute, fun, a little stupid at times. Like a puppy this one is.
Countdown 9
Piper rules. Who would have thunk it? I was very moved by his glory panel, seriously. Piper, you did it, you rule.
Saturday morning, 9:00AMish...
The incredible Herc is fucking rad.
The Incredible Hulk #110 - #114
Incredible. Revving the Incredible Herc angle up in 110, this take on the last days of the Green Kings reign are a fantastic view of the WWHulk events. Every single thing about issue #110 is perfect.
Once the Herc ball is teed, it gets slapped out of the course. There is cheese, but the flavor is just right and the amount is perfect.
Great arc so far.
Musings on Jan. 30th
Superman Confidential #10
– Ok, so Sale is back, and he and Cooke stumble through the conclusion, finally, to the Kryptonite storyline. This series is starting to piss me off.
A six issue arc, that gets shelved for 5 issues, then they jump back in at issue #11 for the conclusion, and it reads like there are about, ah, 5 chapters missing from this story. Did these two over-commit and miss a bunch of deadlines, then slap this ending together in a last minute panic?
The art is great, and the first five chapters in this arc were great, but in the end it just falls apart.
Countdown #19-#13
I am glad I stuck it through with this series, things are coming together nicely, and there was relatively little filler so far; things that seemed like fluff later come around, and most have somewhat of an impact on the story. I won’t go into spoilers, but these issues have a lot of cool twists, brutal fights, and nastiness galore. Can’t wait to see where it is all heading.
GL #26-27
Damn, this book just keeps on delivering. The Sinestro Wars was a fantastic ride, and now the fall-out is even better! Fucking. Love. It.
War crimes, an Oa ruled by morons and the creation of the Alpha Lanterns…plus, a nice advert for ‘Domination’, an utter tease image of a certain villain wearing a green ring, a yellow ring, and... A red ring. Looks like we are going to be seeing all of the spectrum’s warriors soon.
GL CORPS #20 – Oh hells yes. I am just coupling this series with GL moving forward, they are totally synched up, and I might as well heap my praise on the collective effort here. Top drawer, DC.
Jan. 31st. Morning.
Wolverine: Origins #20
Craptain Amuricah. When sideburns decided to recollect the time he and cap did…whatever, I was glad, because it meant that I would not have to look at that goddamn kid of his, Daxxon or whatever, and because I thought nothing could be worse than that story line.
Good gravy I was wrong. Seriously, Wolverine hangs out in front of a statue of cap for what felt like 10 issues, recalling the time he was sent on a black-ops to kill Cap. This issue finally closes that very boring and utterly pointless sentimental chapter. That is the only good thing about this issue; that story line is closed down, thank fuck.
Wolverine: Origins #21
The Snikt That Broke The Camel’s Back. I am dropping this title after reading this latest issue. It’s just…not good. Okay, I will give the artist a little bit of a break for three excellent panels; they are all drawn from Deadpool’s POV, wherein every thing looks like a Disney cartoon. Wolverine having the forks and spoons for claws was a lark.
Other than that, CRAP. Pure shit. Pencils? Shit. Writing? Shit. Inks? Not to bad.
Thor #5
I am going to just throw this out there; Thor and the GL books are the best super-hero books out right now.
Loved this issue, for all the reasons I hated Wolverine. Great writing, the pencils are perfect, and the inks just fucking pop. I also like that this series is taking its time getting out of the gate, and establishing a sort of rulebook for the mythos to stand in. No story spoiler here, go buy, borrow or steal this gem, plus the preceding four issues, and have a blast.
Oh, one last thing; the rendering of Heimdall was freaking sweet. Very impressive work in the art department, gents.
JLA #16, #17
I am lumping these to pieces of crap together in an effort to save server space, somewhere.
Dear DC,
How the fuck is Countdown more interesting, engaging, and fun than your titular fantastic series, JLA?
I know how. You were not checking in on your staff. If you did, you would find they are all smoking the finest of cracks, and collectively vomiting into my fucking face via this title.
Well, I have had enough. Thanks for nothing, fuckos –
Sincerely,
unikrunk
JSA #33, #34
Good gravy. This is getting dropped. Hour Man? Why do I even buy this shit? I know that the JSA is always going to be boring crap. This time, I don’t blame you, DC. I am just a terrible consumer with buyer’s remorse.
Metal Men #5
EXCELLENT – so far, only one issue of this run was sub-par, and that was because it was just too sciencey; it was akin to reading a friggin text-book. Everything else has been perfection. Keep up the strong work, lads. This comic is a lot of fun.
Tuesday, AM, 2/12/2008
the Brave and the Bold #8
Flash reluctantly takes his kids to Prof. Caulder for help with their (his kid's) fluctuating powers. Pretty boring, however there is some fun stuff with the kids thinking they are being attacked by the Universal Monsters (Frankenstein = Cliff, The Mummy = Negative Man). Overall not much punch to this one.
the Brave and the Bold #9
This is a case of trying to put 10 gallons of crap in a 5 gallon bucket. The cover says it all;
Star Studded Spectacular! Black Hawk and Boy Commandos, Metal Men, Hawkman and the ALL NEW ATOM! PLUS: The Challengers of the Unknown!
Jeebus, I am surprised all that fit on the cover of #9, let alone in the issue. Way too busy and a decent story gets lost in the wake. It's really a CotU book, dealing with Megistus, the book of destiny, the orb of Ra, and some other crap. In the end, nothing comes from it; the reader is no clearer on the Megistus crap than before. Let down, big time.
Metal Men #6
What my friends and I call a 'Penn State'; awesome uniform, shitty helmet. The art is fucking beautiful, but the story is getting really contrived and is not going anywhere. I think I will need to re-read all of these once this 8 issue arc is through, it may be more palatable and exciting when taken in all at once. As it is now, I keep forgetting why I should care about Doc Magnus and his resposometer pals.
What If - Civil War - One Shot
Fucking Go Away, please. I thought this might be cool, so I gave it a shot. Learn from my mistake, and stay away from this tepid shit. They could have gone in a different direction, and made a great book. Instead, they barely tweak the U, and the outcome is predictable.
I will give it this; the army of Thors was pretty cool.
Countdown 12
Yeah! Convergence, Winslows! This book is just a series of meetings, with all of the players being called into play on Apokolips. And it was still rad. The end game begins.
JSA #12
Holy fuck, this is just bad. They are trying to bridge the gap to the Kingdom Come stuff, but why fucking bother? You are just going to go off on another Crisis event, and retconn all this shit anyway. Save your money, and buy an ice-cream cone; it will be more rewarding than reading this shit.
Y The Last Man - TPB #1
Okay, so I am the last kid on the bus with this one. Never really appealed to me, never purchased an issue, then people started telling me how they cried like babies reading issue #60. So, I gave it a ride.
Holy fuck this is great. If you have been reading it, you know that already, but this series just took my maidenhead like a fucking Viking on Viagra and meth. Buying the rest of the trades this week; by the time I am done reading them, the last one should be out. Good, good, good.
Loki - TPB
Amazing art, some good story telling, the ending left me dryer then a bucket of sand. The set-up is fantastic, the execution almost flawless, and the end result...unfortunately boring.
Friday, AM, 2/15/08
BPRD 1946 #1 / #2
Drool. Really digging the year 2 angle on this, the series so far feels pitch perfect. Love the covers by Migs, and Paul Azaceta and Nick Filardi do a great job bringing things to life.
The Soviet woman-demon-child is fucking freaky. Good job, dudes.
On the story, it may seem a little redundant at first, but then you notice the realism set in by the characters and some good narrative. This is not the story of a rag-tag team full of piss and vinegar, ready to take on the whole of the armies of the night.
These are some seriously tired, desensitized, fuck-it-all sort of dudes. They just want to go fucking home, and are now dragged into Bruttenholm's vampire shit. Great.
Great take on the situation in Berlin after the war, and so far the best of the BRPD stuff I have read. Let's hope it keeps on delivering.
Abe Sapien #1 - The Drowning
Fuck, I just totally went dick-happy over BPRD, I am spent. This fucking book rocked, for pretty much all the same reasons as the BPRD 1946 shit. 10 out of 10 thumbs up.
Iron Man Enter the Mandarin #5
Nothing really wrong here, this issue is just boring as hell. There is some terrific art; I love the graffiti informed panels and anatomy. Other than the art, there is not much to #5.
Dead OF NIGHT: The Cool Dark #1
This is a great retelling of the Man-Thing origin, far superior to last year's Legion of Monsters one shot. Where Legion of Monsters was fairly standard comic fair, The Cool Dark is a true horror comic.
Narrated by the Digger, the reader is treated to a filthy-mouthed, adult, 'Creepshow' style ride. This is definitely worth purchasing.
GL Corps #21
Decent enough, the Alpha Lantern arc is moving. Looks like it will be interesting enough. It’s just that Sinestro Wars was so fucking awesome, and now things are all slow and shit. I know, I know, it takes time to lay the groundwork for another great arc. I understand that. But I am impatient, and want to stop with the foreplay and get back with the grudge-fucking.
Wed. 4:57AM EST 2/20/07 - Musings
JLA #18
It’s the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, and, it's pretty fucking boring. The second yarn in this issue is where it is at; "Meanwhile, Back at Owl Creek Bridge" is a terrific tale of the fucking bullshit Red Tornado has to deal with.
Since the second story was great, and the first one crap, #18 has balanced the scales. 5 thumbs up, then? Good.
Batman Confidential #13
How do I always end up with the crappy comics? I read Burl or Lecko or Blue's reviews, and they glow like a pregnant virgin. Meanwhile, I am over in my corner eating gruel and going on for twenty minutes on how bad a book sucks. I need to stop reading things like Batman Confidential and just pick up what you people are reading.
Oh, #13 - ah, the pencils and inks look way better than that fucking Joker run, but having a three inch dick instead of a one inch dick does not make for a cock, eh? It’s still a dink.
And fer' christs sake, could you make Nightwing any fucking g
ayer? He looks like Siegfried and Roy's illegitimate love child. No thumbs for you! Get out of my store.
Countdown #10 -
Sweet-tits city. SPOILER.
FUCING GRANNY GOODNESS is DEAD!!!! Yeah, I know she will be back, its comics, but her ass got completely fucking fried. I mean, skeleton floating in a wave of flame, Sarah Conner nightmare, fried.
The rest of this issue is no slouch either. I am in Bizarro world, where a cheese weekly rates better than anything else. WTF? Here's 8 thumbs up Countdown, don't spend them all in one place.
the Brave and the Bold #10
Okay, here is the cover: Superman with Silent Knight / Teen Titans with Aquaman and Aqualad. That pretty much says it all, huh? More Megistus and more of me not knowing what the crap is going on.
The Challengers of the Unknown do manage to anchor the arc, but jeebus. This issue really sucked. I know what you are thinking, but the way TT are presented here is akin, in fact inspired by, the 60's cartoon TT, with speedy in the yellow and red suit, and wondergirl. Man, fuck it, I am not writing about this any longer; save your money, this issue is shit.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier
I am about 25% done with this gorgeous book. So far, the rawk, she is with this one.