Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Civil War: Can it be saved?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 7, 2007
Post category:Pop Culture
Post comments:4 Comments

After reading Civil War #6, the answer is definitely no. In my opinion, this is the worst event comic DC or Marvel has put out in the three years since I jumped back into comics. Civil War makes Identity & Infinite Crisis look like f#&k!ng Shakespeare. House of M, is the next great American novel compared to Civil War.No matter how this ends, it cannot overcome the crap in the previous 6 issues.If it wasn't for the amazing artwork by Steve McNiven and the star power of Mark Millar, this series wouldn't be a hit; people would have dropped it…

Blog: One Diverse Comic Book Nation

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 4, 2007
Post category:Pop Culture
Post comments:2 Comments

Over in the left column, a little ways down, are "Blogs of Note", my short-list of the most essential comics blogs that I check regularly for updates. If the democratic blogiverse is akin to the [self-elected] House of Representatives, than these blogs are the House Ways and Means Committee. Some are new, some aren't; some I usually agree with, some I often don't; but each one is a highly recommended read. (Sadly, a few are on indefinite hiatus, but remain linked in the hopes they one day return.)One of the most recent additions is Loren Javier's One Diverse Comic Book…

The Defenders: Comics Fantasy Football Champs

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 4, 2007
Post category:Uncategorized
Post comments:0 Comments

Dave Carter of Yet Another Comics Blog has hosted a fantasy football league on Yahoo! the past two years, and yours truly took home the trophy this season with playoff victories over the regular season champs (and Dave's team), Kickers, Inc. -- 71-60 -- and the evil Flex Mentallo -- 59-44.Despite scoring the most points in the league during the regular season (1079), I only had a 7-8 record -- after going 5-2 the second half -- but snagged the last spot in the playoffs on a tie-breaker. Once there, though, the Defenders rolled to victory! They were a ragtag…

On The Shelves: 1/4/07

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 3, 2007
Post category:Media Pop Culture
Post comments:0 Comments

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! Hello, 2007! 2006 was a great year for comics of all types (be sure to check out my Best of picks) and I'm betting this year is going to be even better all-around. Hopefully Ed Brubaker's crystal ball is in working order: What will be the biggest story in comics in 2007? The rebirth of major interest in creator-owned non-universe spanning comics in the American Market. Yeah, after two years of crossovers and events, readers decide they just want to read the ones they like, and miss…

DC in 2006: Success or Failure?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 2, 2007
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

Marc-Oliver Frisch's always enlightening sales analysis for November is up at The Beat, and includes a sobering take on how 2006 played out for the Distinguished Competition: Although quite a number of DC titles have been unable to hold on to their audiences and taking nose-dives down the chart lately, the publisher's November output profited from several additional upper-level sellers: Batman, Green Lantern and Teen Titans shipped twice, in order to get back on schedule; 52 had five issues out due to the additional Wednesday; and Superman/Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Superman were back after skipping October. While this results…

Best of 2006

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:January 1, 2007
Post category:Media Personal Reviews
Post comments:4 Comments

In the most glaring sign yet of how much my tastes have changed over the 3.5 years since I started reading comics again, compare my Best of 2004 choices to this year’s stellar roundup (below). Posted nearly two months before the year had ended, that 2004 list was limited to ongoing series, two of which were canceled prematurely, in my opinion, and two others that were cut from my pull list a while back. The lone survivor, Conan, remains a consistently good read, and a repeat honoree on my 2005 list, but it didn’t make the cut this year. In fact, reflecting my gradual shift towards OGNs and TPBs, only three ongoing/mini-series made my list this year.

(in alphabetical order)

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Stagger Lee, Best of 2006?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 31, 2006
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

For its outstanding combination of ambition, execution and re-readability, Stagger Lee gets the nod for my Best Original Graphic Novel of 2006.