What I Got/What You Should Get: This Time I give You Orders!

OK so here we are again, here’s what I got and Why... but with a twist!

What follows is my haul for this and last week, with shorter bits on the usuals and as an added treat for all you kids at home, I'm throwing in alternative suggestions for the lackluster or impenetrable stories. Regardez! 

American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #2

So this series is showing us the AmVamVerse (is that a term? If not, I just coined it) version of Dracula, and although I have little or no interest in yet another retelling of the Dracula myth, this is very well done. The art is creepy and atmospheric, and the interpretation and period setting fit well with previous American Vampire stories. A very good title that will read even better in trade paperback collection, if you like this, try any collection of the main series or the equally pretty previous mini series 'Survival of the Fittest'. Or, you know any other Dracula book, film, comic, video game cartoon, TV show...

Batwoman #11

It's good but it's losing me. Pick up Batwoman: Elegy instead, it's where the reimagining of the character began in earnest, originally running in Detective Comics. Elegy has the JH Williams art recently missing on the title but has a Greg Rucka script and plotting, something the title has sorely missed of late.

The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #6

We've got a lot of love for the Bulletproof Coffin here on 2Badguys, I recommend jumping in with the collected version of the first series or the third issue of this series (Tales Of The Haunted Jazz Club) as a taster. Dancer #3 A well made espionage-thriller-with-a-sci-fi-twist series. Try this if you liked the Bourne films/books, or Alias TV show.

Daredevil #15

Just when I thought I was out, they drag me back in again. Great Latveria Storyline. Or buy Daredevil: Born Again if you prefer your DD to stand more for 'Depressing Drama', than 'Derring Do'.

The Crow #1

I didn't get this in the end, decided to finish reading J O'Barr's original The Crow story instead as it's been collecting dust on my bedside cabinet for some time now. I may end up giving up and just rewatching the film like I did last time I tried though.

Eerie Comics #1

Some of the first comic books I ever read were my Dad's issues of Creepy and Eerie from the 70s. Where Creepy was a straight horror anthology, Eerie focused on Science Fiction Chillers. I'm not sure if this is reprints of old Eerie stories or a reboot or a bit of both, but it certainly looks like classic Eerie. Dark Horse has successfully resurrected Eerie's sister title Creepy, in recent years, further evidence of the industry's renewed interest in the horror genre.

Fatima: The Blood Spinners #2

To buy or not to buy, that is the question. Not to buy I think. Fork out a little extra for God and Science: The Return of the Ti Girls by the other Hernandez brother instead, you wont regret it.

Hellblazer #293 
What's the cockney equivalent of Hellbilly? Hell Sparrow? I dunno, just buy more Hellblazer.

The Massive #2

There's a lot going for this series so I'm giving it till the end of this opening three-part story at least. I probably won't go much further though. To it's credit The Massive unlike anything else on the shelves; a post-eco-disaster-apocalypse series set on a Greenpeace boat. Yeah I can't really say I've read that book before, and the premise has been set up well, but the characters aren't engaging me yet and there are odd discrepancies in the art which bug me, like that 20 odd year old looking Hipster in the captain's seat who is meant to be a 50ish hardened seaman and ex mercenary. Like the writer's previous work on Northlanders, and DMZ before it, it's good but I want better, so I'm using a harsh yardstick. Do try this out.

No Place Like Home #5

This is an odd one, sort of Wizard of Oz reimagined as a Teen Slasher flick, It's clumsily done in places and the reactions of the cast to certain events are inconsistent to say the least, but I've enjoyed this mini series. Issue five sees the final part of the first story arc, but there's more to follow apparently. A very pretty book, with a unique hook. Also, it has flying monkeys for fuck’s sake.

Punk Rock Jesus #1

The venerable (or is that venereal?) Action Ash already reviewed this, so I'll spare you my two penneth (go read his, we're not made of penneth), but suffice to say I agree. If you like this try True Faith by Garth Ennis and Warren Pleace, which reprints their story from UK comics-anthology-with-a-conscience, Crisis. Or anything written by Garth Ennis before he started working on Punisher for that matter.

Revival #1

Another week, another promising new series from Image. This series focuses on a small American town where after a particular time, townsfolk stopped being or getting dead. This ain't no zombie book though so stop the eye-rolling now, this is more of a psychological take on what would happen if people just couldn't die all of a sudden like in that Dr Who spin off series I didn't watch. But y'know, better than that. Lahverly looking cover too.

Saga #5

Just buy this, it's fucking great (see last month's quotes) the first few issues or reprints there of are still widely available, or wait for the inevitable collection due in a couple of months time. Or even just pick up the current issue, you won't have trouble catching up. A beautifully drawn and written book. An absolute class act.

The Shade #10

Basically what I said last time, engrossing story, charmingly roguish lead, beautiful art by Frazer Irving and a hell of a lot of bang for your buck. I'll be sad to see this go when it reaches it's stated end at #12. If you like this, go and read writer James Robinson's superb Starman run from the 90s, but if you're reading this you have probably read already, not that you need to have to enjoy this series, it’s all very self-contained. The bad news though is that sales for this series were piss-poor apparently so this may be the last Shade series we see for a some time.

Sunset: $1 Preview

I know piss all about this other than the art looks nice and it's a bit crime-y looking. Oh and it's cheap. Dirt cheap. This serves as a preview for a forthcoming collection and as a marketing ploy I like it. It's sort of like when you get the first chapter of a book printed in a magazine or the back of another book. Enough to get you piqued and have an idea of what you're looking at before you fork out for the full tome. Anyway this'n is by Christos Gage and Jorge Lucas, both creators with a lot of good work under their belts. Well worth your buck (or local equivalent).

The Walking Dead #100
In a word; brutal. Buy this issue if you like crying.

Wonder Woman #11

Still good, but losing the Wow Factor for me. It's actually hard to suggest something else similar instead, apart from Peter Milligan's Greek Street which wasn't actually as good as Wonder Woman is now.

Valhallahan

The Beginning of the Endless...

It's San Diego Comic Con time again folks, and the big companies have been making some big announcements as usual. I'd suggest heading over to Bleeding Cool or Comics Alliance or some other news website for a rundown, but I thought I'd comment on one tidbit.

By far the most surprising news from San Diego Comic Con this year was the revelation that Neil Gaiman is returning to Vertigo comics for a prequel to his legendary Sandman series. The series will tell the tale of how Orpheus was originally imprisoned, leading to his release in The Sandman #1, and will be drawn, no doubt entirely beautifully, by the inimitable JH Williams III.

"Shut up and take my money", as they say.

Valhallahan

Punk Rock Jesus #1

Punk Rock Jesus
Written/art by Sean Murphy


Action Ash
As the latest Vertigo title to hit the shelve, Punk Rock Jesus is just what the doctor ordered as far as Vertigo titles go. Unlike their other titles of late this book comes straight from the old school. Irreverence - Check, Indie sensibilities - Check, Anti-religious sentiment - Check, and all rendered in the scratchy brilliance that is Sean Murphy's art.

Brief plot summary - A company named "Ophis" has funded a famous geneticist to clone Jesus Christ using the shroud of Turin, for the purpose of impregnating a virgin who is chosen through an audition process. This is all for a reality TV show that will follow the pregnancy and then the child as he grows up to be the second coming of Jesus. Also, an  uber violent ex IRA member has been hired to be the head of security for the project. Shit is clearly about to get real!

Being primarily an artist does not hinder Sean's ability to plot out an engaging story. This book seems very well thought out and seems to have a good few sub plots, however not too many and handled well so you don't find yourself getting lost. Then you have the themes of blind faith, the moral issue with cloning, the moral issue of bringing a child into the world with such a big responsibility already thrust upon it and of course cold blooded corporations willing to do anything for money.

The art is a masterclass in stark black and white storytelling, all done with a tremendous amount of detail.  Murphy's use of shading and shadow is an art form in itself, the extremity of which, in certain panels, calls to mind German expressionism. At times it seems slightly manga influenced (I mean that in the best possible way) especially during the action. The fact that it's in black and white seems to help exhibit Murphy's already impressive talent for drawing facial expressions.

Clocking in at approximately 30 pages it is well worth the £2.65 ($2.99) cover price.Technically, there's been no punk yet but I'm more than willing to stick around and see where that will come in to it.

5 Ex-IRA members breaking placards upside old men's heads out of 5

Super Geil!

What I Got and Why: Mixed Doubles

Guten Tag!

Just two posts in from the long hiatus and I’m reminded why the "What I Got" posts get a bit same-y from me; apart from the new titles, I've got my favourites that I say the same bloody things about week in, week out. With that in mind I’ll keep it short and sweet on the old faithfuls and have a re-jig on the next instalment. In the meantime, enjoy!

American Vampire #28

The past two storylines have been great, so hoping this one keeps up the momentum. Now we’re still in the fifties and back to the series' original cast members and setting albeit a long time later with a lot more water under the bridge, certainly for Pearl, who is worlds away from the naive ingénue we first met in American Vampire #1. Although there is certainly an ongoing story in American Vampire, it is a very new reader friendly book. The start of each new story arc is always marked clearly on the cover, and often feature heavily if not entirely on new characters. A very noob friendly and highly enjoyable series.

Creator Owned Heroes #2

This series is quite the curio. Spearheaded by Jimmy Palmiotti, whose Jonah Hex work I’m very fond of, this is a collection of creators mostly known for their big company work, displaying their craft in, well, Creator Owned Heroes. Does what it says on the tin I guess. The series features two strips and magazine style articles and interviews at the back. A full read for your extra dollar, it feels a bit like a short US version of Judge Dredd: The Megazine. The stories are a bit forgettable so far but Trigger Girl 6 is a fantastic showcase for the beautiful art of Phil Noto, a real favourite round these parts.

Fatale #6

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are two creators at the top of their game. No matter what they turn their hands to they ‘knock it out of the park’ as I believe the yanks say. The collection of the first five issues has just come out so it’s a great time to catch up. I recommend buying the individual issues of any Brubaker/Phillips series when you can as they fill the back of each books with fascinating articles on the films, shows and books of the genres they are dealing with. With this pair there is almost always a ‘noir’ filter; Criminal was crime noir, Sleeper and Incognito were Superhero noir and Fatale is Horror noir and damnit, who don’t like noir!

Fatima #1

Gilbert Hernandez, the batshit-crazy half (occasionally third) of Love and Rockets’ Los Bros Hernandez is back with a new series which, judging by the promo pages online deals with some kind of zombie crisis. On a quick flick through it looks like everyone involved keeps their clothes on which is pretty bloody weird for a Gilbert Hernandez book. The lead still has a figure Russ Meyer would be proud of though, so don't worry. In all seriousness, although I'm giving this a try, I'm enjoying Gilbert's books less and less these days so I've not set my hopes too high on this series.

iZombie #27

Onward goes the apocalypse! Only one more issue after this. Why, you bastards, why?

New Deadwardians #4

For me, this has been the best of the new batch of Vertigo titles that launched together a few months ago. The other three were Dominique LaVeau: Voodoo Child, Fairest and Saucer Country, all of which were pretty lacklustre. Although this series does have that unfortunate appearance of being "yet another zombie/vampire story" the book has enough of its own identity, brought about by the pacing and the understated nature of the Edwardian characters, that it’s been a rather pleasant surprise to me. Focus less on the criminally overdone vampire/zombie angle and it’s a very enjoyable crime mystery comic.

Prophet #26

I decided to stick around with this series after last month's blatant jumping Jumping-Off point. Brandon Graham’s straight-sci-fi approach to Rob Liefield’s Extreme 90s badass character has been a real success for me so far, but I fear that a lot of this was to do with the creepy art and design work from Simon Roy. Without this factor, I'm reminded that my interest in far-out space stuff can be a bit limited, and with no real characters cling on to, this can seem more and exercise in world-building, and I prefer my stories with a bit more human interest.

Resident Alien #2

Talking about human interest, this new series from Dark Horse by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse has human interest in abundance. This quirky tale follows a murder mystery in a small town from the perspective of an Alien who crash landed in the area some years ago and is posing as the local GP. I’ve been a big fan of (2000AD alumni) Parkhouse for a long time so it was his art that made me try the book but the perfect combo of his expressive characters and the charming, if occasionally gruesome story have made this a real win for me, Like a (very well made version of) the kind of murder mystery TV show they rerun on TV during the day; clever, but not so clever as to alienate younger viewers, gruesome, but not so gruesome that your Nan couldn’t watch it, a quirky twist in the lead detective role, and a charming supporting cast. It’s sort of a comic book version of Monk, or Diagnosis Murder, and all the more compelling for it.

Scalped #59

The excitement is too much!!!!!!! After 5 years of superb hard boiled crime fiction from Jason Aaron and RM Guera we’re reaching the high octane finale (in #60). There’s a lot of water under the bridge between these grizzled bastards and it's all coming to a head in a Mexican standoff. All secrets are out and all hell has broken loose! It's too difficult to avoid spoilers at this stage, so suffice to say this series is really, really, really fucking good. To be read with some Hank III blaring loud and proud and some sippin' whiskey on the go.

Spaceman #7

The 100 Bullets team of Azzarrello and Eduardo Risso have teamed up again to produce this intriguing science fiction mini series. Set in the half submerged wreck of a dystopian urban sprawl, we follow a "Spaceman", a large grotesque, specifically designed to survive deep space exploration, a task no one has any need for or interest in anymore, leaving him to eke out a dangerous living scavenging for scrap in the watery ruins. That is, until he comes into contact with a kidnapped Reality TV child star and the shit really hits the fan. This is another class act as you'd expect from creators of such pedigree, but will be a shock to the system for anyone expecting 100 Bullets 2, as this is much more like Eduardo Risso's 'Borderline' series from earlier in his career (written by the late Carlos Trillo, available in four paperback collections from Dynamite and highly recommended by me). Worth checking out, but as this is issue 7 of 9 you may as well wait for the trade collection at this point.

Sweet Tooth #35

Look, just go and buy the first Trade Paperback OK?

Whispers #1-3

This was recommended to me by a mate, and looking at the creepy covers I’m surprised I missed it when they were on the shelves the first time. Luckily the kind folks at Orbital had them in stock. The book is by Joshua Luna, who normally works as one half of the Luna Brothers. I've heard good things about their previous work (Ultra, Women, The Sword) but never actually read any. I know very little about the book, but if I can judge this book by it's cover, I'm impressed and slightly creeped out. I'll let you know either way.

Collections!

(I’m a firm believer in buying my comic books monthly, but I loves me some readin' in chunks too.)

Invincible Vol.16: Family Ties

One of the few series I trade wait on. Invincible is superhero comics done right. Over the years the series has gone from a refreshingly simple and exciting modern take on a Spider-Man-esque superhero coming of age story into a full blown space epic set in a 'shared universe' as complex as Marvel or DC but without spilling over into a million other tie-in books. One of the all time best long form superhero tales, if ye ask me. Well done Kirkman!

Joe Sacco: Notes From a Defeatist

After catching him on the bizarrely presented but informative TV show ‘Ink: Alter Egos Exposed’ (Sky Arts. More on this another time) I realised that I hadn't read everything Joe Sacco has done, so I thought I'd rectify that. Most famous for comic book as journalism work in 'Safe Area: Gorazde' and 'Palestine', this is a collection of his smaller more personal works, a lot of which don't even take place in a warzone for a change.

Valhallahan

Shopping!

ValhallahanI spent the weekend bouncing around the bars of Norwich drinking my body weight in cheap Bourbon. I've lost my voice and gained the shakes, but thankfully I had the presence of mind to fill my boots with Vertigo back issues at Norwich's own Abstract Sprocket when I first got to town, so I've a great deal to read in my recovery.

Purchases included:
4 Horsemen, American Century, American Freak, Battleaxes, Chiarascuro, Congo Bill, The Crusades, Doom Patrol, Enigma, The Extremist, Faith, Fault Lines, Flinch, Ghost Dancing, Goddess, House of Secrets, Millenium Fever, Jonah Hex: Riders on the Worm and Such, Seven Miles Per Second, Solo, Strange Adventures, Vertigo Pop: Tokyo.

I also had time to read Jeff Parker's The Inter Man and  Pat Mills and Leigh Gallagher's Defoe:1666 on the train. Reviews to come!

What Is Wrong With You People? (A voyage into the DC readership Part One)

Valhallahan

When DC announced that letters pages were returning to their books after a long absence, I was pleased to hear it. I enjoy anything that adds to reading time in my monthlies, even those annoying little Super 8 pull outs, I read The Walking Dead’s letter page every week and fondly remember the nerd raging fanboys in the X-Force/X-Statix issues, proving that sometimes there’s none so backwards as the fans of the fantastic. But what are today’s fan’s thinking what kind of person reads Jonah Hex? What are my fellow consumers thinking these days? How about the Vertigo readers, surely they’re my Kind of People right? Our survey says: “Hell Naw!”

Some people just don’t know when they’re on to a good thing. In this series I'll share some examples from three of my favourite books.

Scalped #48

In Scalped #48 Joe Fonseca of Kitchener, Ontario goes to great lengths to prove that not everyone in the land of Wolverine and Neil Young has the level of discerning taste we’d been led to believe. He writes:

“…Most Vertigo titles have Very good writing but poor art, Scalped is the exception…regarding the covers: I understand why Vertigo is going for a different look to their covers, but the fact of the matter is that the vertigo covers are not very appealing to the eye. The ironic thing is that of all the Vertigo books, I find Jock’s to be some of the more interesting ones (next to Bolland’s Jack of Fables covers).”

Couldn’t disagree with you more Joe, week after week the Vertigo covers pop out at you from the shelf, if anything, Bolland’s are the least interesting compared to the madness Jeff Lemire comes out with every month on Sweet Tooth, the pop art dynamism of Mike Allred on I Zombie, or the sheer force of Jock’s masterful works. Ask any grown up who hasn’t been trained for years to enjoy the stylised musclemen and women of modern superhero comics what stands out to them as something that might be worth reading...

“...If I was editor, I would let R.M. Guera do the covers as a straight scene from thee story or try some of the great superhero artists like Ivan Reis, David Finch, Gary Frank or Jim Lee.”

Well thank fuck you’re not Joe! I’d drop that book like a hot turd if you were! Perhaps you should stick to Green Lantern or Legion of Superheroes or some other artistically stunted dross. I’m just going to put up a little compare/contrast for you readers at home.

Vertigo's I, Zombie #1

Jim Lee's X-Men #1

Vertigo's Sweet Tooth #1

David Finch's Psylocke #2



Vertigo's American Vampire #1

Gary Frank's Superman: Secret Origin #2



Vertigo's Hellblazer #275






Ivan Reis' Blackest Night #0



Vertigo's Scalped #38



I guess it’s a matter of taste. Whether you have any, that is.




Stay tuned for parts two and three where I look at the letters from Hellblazer and Jonah Hex!

The Comic Books of March: A Valhallahan's Eye View

Hi there!

Been a while, but now I'm back, from outer space! Well, Stevenage, but whatev's, the point is not where I was but where I am now. You know what I mean? The journey, though important is oft mooted by the destination. You dig? No? Ah sod you then, here's what I've been buying.

Mostly I've been buying from Chaos City in St Albans lately as I've been largely Herts bound and also because it's a jolly nice shop. It's a bit like when Silver Surfer was earth bound but with more pubs, less moping and a day job in social services.

Oh and Post It Notes. But I digress.

What I Got and Why...

Hellblazer: Original Sins

Inappropriate cover artist nothwithstanding (Jim Lee, WTF?) this is a loverly looking package. DC are finally reprinting Hellblazer in its entirety starting with his appearances in Swamp Thing. Thank The First of the Fallen for that! I started reading Hellblazer at around the #100 mark, so there's soooo much cool shit for me yet to read. Expect a full review of this when I'm done.

Joe The Barbarian #8

Finally this delightful little series has come to an end. I recently caught up on this series at Chaos City's sale, but I've been waiting for this issue to come out so I can sit and read it in one sitting. Sean Murphy's artwork in this is su-fucking-perb! He really is a superstar in the waiting. Also be on the look out for an American Vampire mini series from him soon. I can't wait. Never has a story about a young boy drifting in and out of a coma, whilst tripping balls looked so damned purdy. Top hole.

Sweet Tooth #19

The one we've all been waiting for... well, more like the one we've all been kinda curious about, but hey, this is my blog and I'll huckster all I like. This issue is primarily flashbacks and dream sequences, which has given series writer/artist Jeff Lemire a chance to rope in some other indie talent to give us their interpretation of his vision. and what a vision it is. A great issue, absolute top quality, well worth your shekels. This issue also pushes the overall story along in an exciting direction with the final pages' creepy cliffhanger. I bloody love this series.

American Vampire #12

Yee-Freaking-Haw! Danijel Zezelj, the unpronounceable master of the dark and moody, lends his considerable artistic talents to Scott Snyder's American Vampire this month., and a bloody good job he did too (pun not intended, but welcome). This issue is a standalone story featuring outlaw vampire Skinner Sweet going to and old timey rodeo show and reliving some past ignomies with some old... friends? This is one of those melancholy "how the west was lost stories" and a jolly good one it is too. I'd recommend this as a standalone, regardless of whether you're reading the series.

New York Five #2

I am now the proud owner of issues one and two of NY5. How is it, I hear you ask? I must like it right? Weelllll...... I haven't actually read them yet, I can't quite bring myself to. This stupid predicament stems from my ongoing beef with the artistic works of Brian Wood. I'm always suckered in by the gorgeous art, product design and premises of his stories, but I'm always disappointed by the characters. Every. Fucking. Time. It just seems to me that he can't write anything but pretentious hipster douchebags. Even his fucking vikings come across as hipster douchebags! How is that even possible? I'll read these at some point I'm sure but, maybe not soon.

Scalped #46

Scalped is Scalped. Scalped is good. Yep, it's still bloody great and I'm still loving it. I highly recommend this series to anyone comics fan or no comics fan. Actually, scratch that, I wouldn't recommend it to children or depressives as it deals only in adult themes and is truly fucking bleak. Anyway the point is, yet another top-notch storyline, back to the trials, temptations and failures of Chief Redcrow and the continual corruption of Dashiel Badhorse, and back on form after arguably dipping (slightly) with the Agent Nitz story a couple of months a go.

Jonah Hex #65

"Snow Blind" - Yet another classy Jonah Hex strip from Messrs Gray, Palmiotti and Bernet.Hex is one of those series that I have very little to say about month in, month out except that it's so damned entertaining, and such a quality package. $2.99 a month for a mean and fearless western yarn, that's done in one and features invariably monstrously beautiful art from some of the industry's most underrated masters. Just pick up a copy, I double dare you you sunofabitch!

Infestation: GI Joe #1

I'm still following the Infestation series, but after a little break, I'm losing enthusiasm. It really is absolute nonsense, good fun, but bloody stupid. The artwork in this GI JOE tie-in is proper shit though, someone should have a word as these 2 issues will probably outsell any other GI JOE book they produce, and they could have at least put a B or C caliber artist on this. To cap it all off the only character I've heard of in it is Baroness, and through boredom at work, Google and a childhood as an Action Force fan I probably know more than most about the franchise. They must know they can do better....and knowing is half  the battle (drumroll optional).  

Incognito: Bad Influences #4

When this issue came out I sat and read this series from #1 and boy does it read better that way! Don't get me wrong, I love reading my books periodically, but sometimes a book just takes an age to come out and you forget all about it. Anyway, Incognito is going from strength to strength. Expect a full review when we read #5 but suffices to say this is some of the very best super-work on the market. Brubaker and Phillips are so good at what they do it should be illegal. The Secret Ingredient is Pulp apparently...

Xombi #1

Xombi sees the return of an obscure Milestone character I know next to nothing about. I picked this up partly because the premise sounded kind of intriguing, but mainly because of the art by Frazer Irving who, to paraphrase, can make whippet shit look like the Sistine Chapel. The story, featuring living paintings, characters jumping from movie screens, inexplicable tuna sandwiches and mystery popcorn looks fucking mental. Expect a full review of this in due course.

Knight and Squire #6

I'm very sad to see this series go, but it has been a wild ride. I loved every minute of it. I wholeheartedly recommend this series. Also as Ash mentioned in the post below, writer Cornell had the dubious pleasure of meeting the bad guys last weekend. I loved what he did in Soundgarden.

iZombie #11

A slightly drab issue by comparison, but it's still so damned pretty. I really am enjoying this series immensely, despite the fact that it's mixture of supernatural action, soap opera, romance, pop-whimsy and occasional moping is not normally my bag.. Waitaminute, that's totally my bag, what am I on about? Anyway, check out this happening series daddy-o.

Casanova Gula III

Talk about happening! This series is happening as fuck! Not for squares dad, this is the heavy scene. If Jim Steranko and Ian Flemming wrote beat poetry this would be it. Dimension hopping, metaphysical espionage jazz from Matt Fraction and Fabio Moon.

Hellblazer #276-7

In which our hero (?) comes back from his honeymoon, tries to find a new thumb and deals with some pesky property developers all with the aid of nasty mysticism, demons and pure British obnoxiousness. I love Hellblazer. This run is really floating my boat at the moment, and as the cover to #277 says, it's the start of a new storyline and a fine jumping on point for new readers. Hellblazer hasn't been this consistently good for years. Long may it last.

The Walking Dead #82

Another series that it's hard to write any more about, either you're reading it or not at this point. All I'll say is that we're currently in one of Kirkman's "everything turns to shit" storylines and it's as exciting as ever. Who'd a thunk a zombie series could still be so good 82 issues in. Wowsers. I will add that TWD is one of those series it's worth starting from the beginning, if you start here, you're really missing out (and Vol 1 is really affordable, so do it).

 

The New Frontier

Many thanks to friend of the blog, Rene, who sent me The New Frontier Volumes one and two which I can't wait to get stuck into. Rene definitely earned a 2Badguys No Prize!

 

Stuff I didn't bother with...

 

FF #1

Because really, who gives a fuck? Does anyone really like the Fantastic Four in 2011? Anyone? Actually I can think of one guy I know, and he's a good bloke so I'll let you have that. Still not buying it though. I'll ask him what it's like next I see him and let you know.

 

Anything Deadpool

Because, despite the great covers from Skottie Young and Jason Pearson, I really don't find Deadpool funny, interesting or cool.

 

Vertigo Resurrected: Finals

Because it looks like some magic fairy wizard flute bullshit.

 

The Marvel Universe

Not really doing it for me at the moment. For the first time in a long time, I'm not reading any Marvel titles regularly. Feel free to suggest something to me to rectify this.

 

And Finally...

 

Wow, the new TV Wonder Woman costume looks like one of those naff "sexy" Halloween costumes.

 

The new Thor animation from Marvel Knight looks fecking awesome! 

 

I'm loving The Boondocks at the moment. Check it out. Thanks to Mr Nick for the recommendation.

 

I like drawing on Post It notes.

 

Keep your eyes peeled for some bargain bin reviews coming up from me.

 

TTFN pendejos!

 

Valhallahan

  

Comics Round Up! featuring What I Got and Why

Valhallahan
Well, not a particularly exciting week to write about, comics wise. I suppose I’ll have to brush off the Wetworks: Mutations abattoir of a review and my fond remembrance of Motormouth and Kill Power. Before I do though I will explain what I got and Why.

As I said, not n exciting two weeks to write about, but a great little bundle of books... and Infestation #1. These last two trips have really just been my regulars, my satisfying old faithfuls, my Snickers. Obviously they’re all published by Vertigo.

This week I bought the latest issues of iZombie (fast becoming my favourite read of the month), Sweet Tooth (Sideways Special!), Scalped (all misery, all the time!) and American Vampire (Not Twilight!). I’ve spoken about these at relative length before, so I’ll save you the repetition, suffices to say they all come highly recommended.

I also picked up a few bits and bobs from Amazon, such as Kane Vol. 4: Thirty Ninth, Thirty Ninth. Kane is essentially a cop show in comic book format, written and drawn by Paul Grist, of Jack Staff fame. It’s been a while since I read it, as it took me ages to find a copy of this volume and I didn’t want to skip ahead, but it’s the ongoing stories of the cops and robbers of a corrupt US precinct. It walks a fine line between serious and whimsy, but it walks it well. Worth noting also, that for some reason, these black and white collections are a bit of an arse to find. As is fellow black and white crime series Chicanos. What’s that all about?

My other online comic purchases were a load of The Uncanny X-Men Pocket Books from Panini. The Pocket Books are digest-format reprints of Chris Claremont’s epic run on The Uncanny X-Men (from Giant-Size #1 onwards) they’re printed in full colour and have about 8-10 issues’ worth of story per book. They even throw in the annuals and specials like God Loves Man Kills. At £4-5 (or about 80p + P&P from Amazon Marketplace) they’re a brilliant and cheap way to read these classic stories. Some of the dialogue may have dated badly, and reading them all together does highlight Chris Claremont’s recurring plots a bit much (boy does he like mind games) but I thoroughly recommend these stories and this format. Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and Silver Surfer Pocket Books are also available.