Reviews of books, comics, movies, and other random stuff.
Better late than never, and it's a small but mostly good batch...All-Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder #2 (DC Comics, $2.99): Oh, Frank, what in the hell are you doing? On first read, I groaned at how bad the scripting was, particularly Batman who sounds like a crazed Adam West auditioning to play Sin City's Marv. Then I read Fossen's take on it, and skimmed through it a second time. And I groaned again! A little bit louder. Regardless of what Miller's intent is with this story, the fact of the matter is that his writing is godawful. Considering…
Remember when I used to post 3-5 of these every week? Between school cutting into my leisure reading time - what, you thought I got paid for this stuff? - and not wanting to review anything I've previously covered (with purely subjective exceptions), it's been pretty tough to write up the longer reviews recently. Add to that the likelihood that I'm going the "wait for the trade" route with a lot of Marvel/DC stuff, I'm guessing 1-2 Buzzscope reviews will become the norm for the time being. Speaking of...Ronin Hood of the 47 Samurai GNIf Ronin Hood of the 47…
The Baltimore Comic-Con was mostly worth the last-minute trip. Well, as worth it as a day that starts with me on roller blades for the first time in 5+ years at 7am could possibly be. Put a few faces to names, including AdHouse's Chris Pitzer (who comped me a copy of Hope Larson's attractive Salamander Dream, with custom rounded corners!) and Buzzscope's Yang to my Yin, J.D. Lombardi. Of course, I once again took no pictures because I suck at that kind of thing. In lieu of that, however, I offer People's Evidence A in the case of: "If I…
Support GOOD Comics! Try NEW comics!The column formerly known as "Try Something Different" has become something different. Instead of listing every single comic book shipping each week, the newly rechristened "On the Shelves" will instead take a look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 9/15/05. 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]ADHOUSE BOOKS Salamander Dream GN, $15.00Thanks to Skyscrapers of the Midwest, Project:…
No Buzzscope reviews this week as my both of my kids started school last week and I started today (online), so free time has been scarce. The past two weeks' lessened output have been an unexpected but refreshing break as every now and then it's nice to simply read comics for the pleasure. On that note...The Adventures of BioBoy #1: Irreverant fun, beautifully illustrated by NYC Mech's Andy MacDonald. Creator/Writer Sal Cipriano's got an intriguing concept here, with bonus points for two "complete" stories in this issue, but the next issue or two needs to flesh it all out a…
Support GOOD Comics! Try NEW comics!The column formerly known as "Try Something Different" has become something different. Instead of listing every single comic book shipping each week, the newly rechristened "On the Shelves" will instead take a look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 9/8/05. 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]AARDVARK-VANAHEIM/WIN-MILL PRO Following Cerebus #5, $3.95Can someone explain the appeal of this…
A light week of reviews, both for Buzzscope and CBC Quickees, as reality pushed comic books back into the realm of non-judgemental escapism, and my critical abilities were shot after one review. Besides Johnny Raygun, other highlights of the week were: Amelia Rules #14 (officially joining Bumperboy as one of my favorite, truly all-ages comics), Powers #12 (saved from the axe after stagnating a bit), The Expatriate #3 ("WTF?" done right), and The Grimoire #5 (consistently fantastical fun). Oddly, after three false starts, the much-acclaimed Rocketo #1 sinks further into my to-read pile.Johnny Raygun #6A satisfyingly straightforward, subtly satirical spin…
