They can run, but they can't hide from the Fox News legal team...

What has come before: Doesn’t matter. It’s all gone now.

In this book, writer/artist Bob Fingerman imagines a nuclear holocaust where he and his wife, Michele are among the few survivors. As they wander the irradiated wasteland that was once New York City, they run into many of the character archetypes that you would expect in a post-apocalyptic setting: mutants, zombies, cannibals and demagogues. What makes this story different from most dystopian tales is that the Apocalypse is played for laughs. And more often than not, it succeeds as a comedy.

Refreshingly, Fingerman avoids turning himself and Michele into Mary Sues. He depicts himself as a bit of a jerk from page one, but is somewhat redeemed in the reader’s eyes by his unwavering love for Michele. The more impressive trick may be how he keeps from filtering Michele through love’s lens and depicts her as a three-dimensional character with positive qualities as well as flaws.

All snark aside: This cover is absolutely gorgeous.

What has come before: technically nothing, since this is a prequel.

The folks at Top Cow have been doing a lot to try to lure new readers and lapsed fans back into the fold. They have been tying up dangling subplots in their comics in preparation for fans jumping (back) on board. They have been offering trade paperbacks at the introductory price of $9.99.Finally, they have been releasing the occasional one-shot like this one, a tale of one of the previous bearers of the Darkness in the late 19th century.

There’s a very mild spoiler in this review, so let’s meet up again after the break.
(more…)

The irony of this book being released in time for Thanksgiving is not lost on me...

Premise: Tony Chu is a detective who gets psychic impressions from almost anything he eats. As an agent for the FDA (which has grown into a powerful agency in the wake of a devastating case of bird flu), he gets involved in cases that are even weirder than his psychic powers.

I tried describing this book to my girlfriend and she was revolted, so I’ll tell you up front that this book is not for everyone. However, if you are a fan of black humor, surrealism, and procedurals, this is a book that you cannot miss. Writer John Layman economically establishes a rich setting with a minimum of exposition (vital information is usually delivered with brief, Pushing Daisies-style flashbacks).

The most important characters are well-rounded and fully realized, and the cliche characters (such as Chu’s antagonistic superior officer) still manage to be entertaining. Plus, he is as deft with moments of side-splitting humor as he is moments of jaw-dropping horror.

(more…)

If you judged this book by its cover, you'd be absolutely right: it kicks ass.

For the last few months, Marvel has released a series of one shots, collectively called “The List,” in which Norman Osborn enacts devious plots against various heroes in the Marvel Universe. Each issue has been a self-contained story, and for the most part, they have all been rather enjoyable. This week saw the release of the best one to date, which stars Wolverine.

As novel an idea as it may be for Wolverine to star in a comic </sarcasm>, I was more intrigued by the guest stars of this issue: Noh-Varr and Fantomex. Both characters were created by Grant Morrison, and have either been mishandled or ignored completely since Morrison left for DC a few years ago. It’s good to see writer Jason Aaron take these characters (as well as other concepts from Morrison’s X-Men run) and use them to craft one of the most fun comics I’ve read in a long time. This comic has tons of action and is funny as hell. All of the characters get some great lines, particularly Osborn.

Not only does this comic contain a great story, but like a good DVD, it has plenty of bonus features, including Marvel Universe entries for Fantomex and Marvel Boy, and a short Wolverine story written by Aaron earlier in his career.

Highly recommended. You get a lot of bang for your 4 bucks here.

The World's Second Finest Duo...

What has come before: Connor Kent (aka Kon-El aka Superboy) has recently returned from the dead. Shortly before his death, he was cloned from both Superman and Lex Luthor. He is now trying to figure out his place in the world, and which of his “fathers” paths to follow…

This comic worked for me on a couple of levels. On the one hand, it was a self-contained story that had some really nice character development between Connor and Tim Drake (formerly Robin, now Red Robin). It was a little light on action, but had genuinely touching moments and an intriguing cliffhanger.

On the other hand, the events in this series are tightly woven into current events in DC Continuity (this title is one of many written by the prolific Geoff Johns). As Superboy reacquaints himself with the world, it also allows the reader to discover what’s going on in the DCU.

(more…)

I ask you, is this the face of a killer?

What has come before: An eccentric billionaire adopts seven extraordinary children “to save the world, of course.” Over the years, the children face a never-ending parade of grotesque, surreal threats that causes strain on the family dynamic.

It is nearly impossible to talk about The Umbrella Academy without mentioning  Gerard Way’s day job as the frontman for My Chemical Romance. The fact is, his comics have a lot in common with his music. He has sold a lot of records singing about death, doomed romances, and the hell of childhood. As the writer of The Umbrella Academy, he also touches upon these  themes, but throws in an occasional talking chimpanzee or rampaging monument every now and then. In both media, Way wears his influences on his sleeve (The Black Parade was full of nods to The Smashing Pumpkins and Queen; The Apocalypse Suite owes much of existence to Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Way is also keenly interested in building mythologies (the story of the doomed lovers in Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge; the decades long history of the Academy). The fact that he takes the same creative approach to comics as music is a double edged sword: on the one hand, it infuses the comics with a fresh perspective, making for one of the most unique comics on the stand. On the other hand, the loose narrative of the “concept album” approach means that the series lack cohesion, leaving a lot of things open to interpretation by the reader (which can be frustrating for some, but a pleasant experience for others, your mileage may vary).

(more…)

He's keeping a running tally of all the continuity mistakes...

What has come before: Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin, now the Iron Patriot) pretty much runs America. Clint Barton (formerly Hawkeye, now Ronin) seems to be more upset about this than anyone (even Spider-Man, oddly enough).
This comic dredges up some mixed emotions in me. I’ll get into it further after the break, as there are some spoilers contained herein.

(more…)

What has happened before: The Kree and the Shi’Ar went to war again, this time lead by Earth-born conquerors (Black Bolt and Vulcan, respectively). The Kree won when Black Bolt set off a doomsday weapon that appeared to kill both Vulcan and himself.  While all this was going on, the former Shi’Ar empress, Lilandra, was assassinated by what appears to have been Darkhawk.

If the War of Kings miniseries had a failing, it was that the ending was rather abrupt. Thankfully, this issue provided a much needed epilogue for this epic crossover.  Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning maintain their high level of quality output here, as does artist Paul Pelletier. Like their Secret Invasion: War of Kings one shot, this issue concisely sums up the previous crossover, tells a self-contained story, and provides all the necessary set up for the next crossover event. My only problem with it is that it makes me want to follow the upcoming Realm of Kings crossover, despite my crossover fatigue and rapidly shrinking comics budget.

Of course, if Marvel continues to publish transitional one-shots of such high quality, I may just skip the crossovers altogether and buy these every few months…

What has come before: It really doesn’t matter.

I have nothing bad to say about Alan Davis's covers. That logo, on the other hand...

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s aborted run on Fantastic Four was ambitious, yet disappointing. With their final issue, they joined the ranks of extraordinarily talented creative teams (JMS and Mike McKone, Jeph Loeb and Carlos Pacheco, Chris Claremont and Salvador LaRocca, etc.) that, for one reason or another, proved unable to fill Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Galactus-sized shoes. When I heard about the incoming creative team, I was indifferent at best. I am unfamiliar with writer Jonathan Hickman’s previous work, and Dale Eaglesham’s art has always been solid, but has never fostered any sense of fannish loyalty in me. Still, since I have been fascinated with these four heroes for a long time, I felt compelled to give them a chance and picked up their first issue, despite the retro 70’s logo and the Alan Davis cover (I adore Davis, but his awesome covers have graced some awful comics).

(more…)

Saw this outside the DC booth...

Ever since I moved to San Diego in 1993, I have never missed a Comic-Con. It has always been huge for as long as I’ve been going, in the last decade, it has become a monster. People complain that Hollywood has completely engulfed the event, but it still says Comic-Con on the marquee, and I spent the majority of my time there either buying graphic novels and Black Lantern T-shirts, or attending panels devoted to comics. Hell, in a lot of cases, the big movie studio panels drew people away from the panels I actually wanted to see, so Hooray for Hollywood! Anyway, since the days blurred together a bit, I’ll just give you a list of some of the highlights:

(more…)