Reviews of books, comics, movies, and other random stuff.
La PerdidaBy Jessica Abel ($19.95; Pantheon Books)Wow! I missed La Perdida in its serialized form, first hearing of it when the final issue hit the stands last year, but considering it took five years to finish, I'm guessing reading it collected in one impressive tome was for the best. Unlike decompressed superhero comics where "writing for the trade" often implies unnecessary padding, Jessica Abel crams heaping handfuls of story into each chapter of her gripping tale of self-discovery and self-deceit, but they are unquestionably parts of a larger whole; an excellent, completely engaging and essential whole that belongs on every…
My new review column, Pull List Propaganda, launches today over at PopCultureShock, wherein I review: Infinite Crisis #6, New Avengers: Illuminati, Moon Knight #1, The New Teen Titans #34, Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #23-24, Supermarket #1-2, La Perdida, Mouse Guard #1, Robotíka #1-2, Super Real #1-2, The Last Island, and The Hunger #1-2.I think Jon's still working on adding the images, but it's already up and accessible, and since I'm on vacation and heading out to the Mets game tonight to see Pedro win his 200th game and the beginning of the end of the Atlanta Braves' death grip on…
A Week-Long Celebration of the Future of Comicsw/ Previews from Oni, Top Shelf, AdHouse & More In celebration of the overwhelming response to their offering all of their exclusive sneak peeks of upcoming books, the Isotope is doing something a little special as they lead up to the Alternative Press Expo and the awarding of the 2006 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics this weekend... and that's a week-long Legal Download Fest featuring books from the fine folks at Oni Press, Top Shelf, Silent Devil Productions, Boom! Entertainment, and AdHouse Books.All week long, only at the Isotope!
Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month. Here's my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 4/5/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK Revolution On The Planet Of The Apes #3ADHOUSE BOOKS Superior Showcase #1, $2.95 The follow-up to last year's FCBD standout, Superior Showcase #0 (which was a spinoff of the unfortunately out-of-print Project:…
Slowly but surely, I'm getting back on track over there. A huge help in that regard was finally finding a managing editor, Kevin MacDonald, who saw my posting on The Engine and endured a grueling interview process that included publicly, and intelligently, talking comics while drinking in an Irish pub. Equally important, though, is that he's actually a production editor by day, working for one of the major publishing houses here in the City. He'll be taking over coordinating and editing approx. 60% of our columns, while I finally turn my attention to getting our reviews up to snuff. Yay,…
Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month. Man, I was a little pissy last week, yes? Nothing a strong week of comics couldn't cure, though! American Way, Robin, Supermarket, Scatterbrain, Captain America, Iron Man: The Inevitable, Next Wave, X-Factor...it was like comics' own Best Week Ever! Here's my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 3/29/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try…
V for Vendetta, on the other hand—while similarly dated and liberally incorporating elements familiar to any fan of the vengeance seeking, flush with resources anti-hero—holds up remarkably well all these years later. It's a flawed story, mind you, as Moore slips back and forth between compelling melodramatic fiction and hamfisted polemic (similar in some ways to Fahrenheit 911), but the overall result is that of an incredibly engaging tale—part revenge thriller, part political potboiler, part police procedural—that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride before ending on a somber, if obliquely hopeful, note.
