Sunday, June 27, 2010

Dingo

Dingo by Michael Alan Nelson and Francesco Biagini consists of issues 1-4 of Dingo.

Dingo is hard to describe without giving spoilers away. The main character in this story is Dingo, a guy with a mysterious past. He has to recover an item his rockstar brother lost. On his way, he meets a huge, scary looking dog. The adventure begins. The story follows Dingo in his interesting adventure full of action. The story is quite good and the writer made sure to give closure to the story while giving us little details on the past of the characters, something that could be exploited in subsequent series if they do more.

I liked this book quite a bit. The art is very good and the story is quite entertaining. I really like how the book has some dark humor in it and I liked the conclusion to the story. The scary dog is a very good character too, it must have been difficult to draw, but the artist did a great job with him.

If they do another Dingo series I'll be sure to check it out.

Doom Patrol Book 3: Down Paradise Way

Doom Patrol Book 3: Down Paradise Way by Grant Morrison and Richard Case consists of issues 35-41 of Doom Patrol.

This comic starts with a story of a transvestite street. A conscious street that can move from one city to another. It was a fun story.

The next story was not that fun for me. It was full of interesting ideas, such as an abstract world called "kaleidoscope" and wars without words, etc. However, the story was a bit boring for me. Most of the story wasn't that funny and it wasn't that interesting. In fact, the most interesting part for me in this story arc was the prologue at the beginning of each issue, a prologue which had nothing to do with this story but was probably setting up the next story.

The art in this series is okay. I don't think it is that great, but it gets the job done and the job is quite difficult when you have to draw things that seem impossible to draw . So much imagination is flowing in this title, hard to keep up for the artist.

Overall, the series is quite interesting and it has plenty of funny moments, but I think it too often gets bog down by having so many concepts floating around at the same time. I'll read the next volume because I was intrigued with the prologues in the issues here, but if the next story is not great, I am going to stop reading this series.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Sleeper Season 2

Sleeper Season 2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips consists of issues 1 through 12 of Sleeper Season Two.

I just recently reread the whole Sleeper series and it was a very entertaining read. I usually don't like rereading books I've read before, but Sleeper is a complex story that can be enjoyed in multiple readings. In this particular book, we find Carver in an interesting situation as he seems to have decided to be a villain. However, his undercover handler, Lynch, is out of a coma, so he wants to use him to get him out. The story just gets better and better.

Brubaker does a great job of giving us cool stories here. Besides the main plot being very exciting and interesting, there are little gems here and there, such as a hilarious origin story for a villain that parodies Spider-man's origin story.

One thing I really like about this volume, is that we get to know a lot more about Tao. Tao is one of the most interesting villains I have seen. I always enjoy villains that are very intelligent, and Tao really seems like the most intelligent man on Earth. I enjoyed reading any time he was on a panel. Brubaker did a great job of writing intelligent dialogue for Tao. I am always amazed by how some writers can do a great job of doing this, while other writers fail at it.

The book gives an ending to the Sleeper series, and what an ending it is. I highly recommend this comic, comics like this are why I read comic books. Fantastic book.

Sleeper Season 1

Sleeper Season 1 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips consists of issues 1 through 12 of Sleeper.

Sleeper is one of my favorite series. In this comic, we follow a sleeper agent, Holden Carver, who is undercover in a super powered criminal organization. The leader of this organization is a genius man called Tao. Tao creates random acts of violence around the world and Carver is supposed to find out why Tao acts like that and hopefully get intelligence for the government. The problem is that the only government agent that knows that Carver is undercover is in a coma after being shot a few months ago.

Holden Carver is in the dilemma that nobody can take him out of his undercover job and that escaping the organization would be extremely difficult. This is why the first story arc is called "Out in the Cold", a title that reflects what our protagonist is going through.

The first story arc is fantastic in getting us into this world. Making us feel what Carver is going through and see the contradictions he lives, as his best friends are super villains and the woman he once loved is trying to capture him (thinking he went rogue).

The second story arc really elevates the story to a whole new level. One spy finds out that Carver is an undercover agent and he tries to get him out. The three part story is fantastic, leading to one of the best issues I've ever read in comics, Sleeper #8, the story is superb, and the art is really incredible. Sean Phillips draws noir better than anyone and he really makes one feel for Carver in this book.

The season has a good ending while showing us a cliffhanger moment to set up the next season. This is a truly fantastic series. I highly recommend it.

Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape

Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges and Tony Akins consists of issues 1 through 5 of Jack of Fables.

After I read the Great Fables Crossover (a story that I loved in Fables), I became a little more interested in the Jack of Fables series. I decided to read the series and I am not disappointed, the first volume is quite good. It has a very different feel to Fables as Jack of Fables is more humorous and incorporates meta fiction much more (something that happened in the Crossover).

Jack is an annoying guy, but his personality creates a lot of humor. Jack is an arrogant, egotistical character, but he actually is quite powerful, so he can back up a lot of that arrogance.

I think it is worth checking out, specially for those that enjoyed the Fables Crossover. The book is different enough that it could appeal to people that don't like Fables, but I guess the fact that it is a spinoff makes that unlikely.

More Single Issues

Shield #2 by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver.

I love this comic. The first issue was awesome, but this might be even better. The story is just so interesting. This comic has made me interested in reading other stuff by Hickman. I have read the first two issues of Secret Warriors because of this and I am planning on getting his first Fantastic Four trade paperback soon. This series is the reason I try out new series. Every once in a while you discover a series that makes you realize why comics are so good.

The art is incredible, I have become a fan of Dustin Weaver with this series. There is outstanding detail in the pencils, there are creative panels and the storytelling is great. I can't ask for more from Dustin Weaver.

Codebreakers #3 by Ross Richie, Carey Malloy and Scott Godlewski.

I am starting to lose interest in this series. However, the series ends next issue, so it comes at the right time. The issue ends with a big cliffhanger making me want to see what happens in the final issue of the series, but I have to say that I am not that impressed with the story so far. I was expecting more mathematics in a series about codebreaking. I guess I was spoiled with the terrific book "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson.

Irredeemable #14 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto.

This series is very good and this issue is great. I really like the direction the series is taking and how Waid has made me feel like I know these characters. The last panel makes for a great cliffhanger for the next issue. I can't wait to find out what Modeus is up to.

The comic book started being about a hero gone wrong, but it keeps getting deeper and deeper as the series goes on. I really like this series.

Chew #11 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.

I love Chew. I think Shield was better this month, but Chew was a close second. The series is just hilarious while at the same time having an interesting plot behind it. I love it.

This issue has Tony Chu have his first date. The date goes exactly like one would expect in this comic. The date has danger, gore and jokes. I get excited every time I get a new issue in this series.

Chip #2 by Richard Moore.

The 2-issue miniseries ends in this issue. The story is quite simple, but it is humorous and it has a nice feel. I like it. The art is very good. It is a nice comic book for kids.

Various Recent Single Issues

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #37 by Karl Kessel, Paulo Siqueira, Kurt Busiek and Pat Olliffe.

The annual consists of two stories. The first one by Kessel and Siqueira and the next one by Busiek and Olliffe. The first story is about the first meeting between Captain America and Spider-Man. It was a fun issue. I like how Kessel treated Cap. The art was also quite good. I liked the second story more though. I thought it was a fun story, it made me want to read the other issues that Busiek wrote about Spidey's first year. It was worth buying.

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #2 by Grant Morrison and Frazer Irving.

This issue is about Puritan Batman. The issue is not as good as the first one, but it was quite good. I liked how Bruce would use his power to save people from superstition. We are starting to learn a little bit more of why it is dangerous for Bruce to go back to the present, but it is still mysterious.

The next issue is Pirate Batman. I am looking forward to that, I have the issue right next to me, I will read it tomorrow. The cover is great.

Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine #1 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert.

I loved this issue. I was very surprised by it. I was not expecting an issue set in the past starting Spider-Man and Wolverine. The issue slowly explains how Peter and Logan ended up in prehistoric times, which I think works great. Jason Aaron really knows how to write and it doesn't hurt to have a superstar artist like Adam Kubert to help. Kubert has very detailed pencils. The images are very sharp and clean, I really like the feel of the story. I also like that Kubert is not afraid to put more things into the panels by putting the camera farther back. Really good stuff.

I am looking forward to the rest of this miniseries, it is shaping up to be a fantastic one.

Spider-Man: Marvel Adventures #1 by Paul Tobin and Matteo Lolli.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man was rebooted into Spider-Man: Marvel Adventures and it starts with a solid first issue. I really like this series. It is full of joy and fun adventures with Spider-Man. Paul Tobin does a really good job with a teenage Spidey and I really like Chat, she is a nice supporting character.

Nemesis: The Impostors #4 by Ivan Brandon and Cliff Richards.

I am a little disappointed with this series. The art is really good (the best I've seen from Cliff Richards), but I think they should have put some kind of recap at the beginning of the first issue or something. Maybe I misunderstood the story, but it seems to me like the series depends on a previous series. I just didn't get the significance of anything that happened in this issue and I kind of didn't care about what happened.
I think it was a mistake to read this miniseries. I recommend reading another nemesis story first before trying to get into this one.

Local

Local by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly consists of issues 1 through 12 of Local.

Local is a comic book that was conceived to be about different cities. It would consist of 12 standalone stories set in different cities around North America. However, as the series progressed and the creators started liking their protagonist more and more, the book became more than just its premise and it was about the life of Megan.

For me, the overall story about Megan wasn't as good as the standalone stories. To me, the impact of the book came through the great short stories. My favorite is the one based in Richmond. It is about a band that just separated and the comic tells the story by using an interview in the background. I think the creators did a fantastic job of making me feel like I knew these people and their music in only 24 pages.

There are other great stories in the book, in fact most issues are great (there was only one short story that I didn't like). One problem that some readers may have is that most stories are a bit depressing. The stories are slice of life stories, hence there is not really a plot and they depend on the great character development that the creators do. Therefore, since one is very attached to Megan and the city she lives in, it is a bit sad to see her have to leave yet another city.

I was really happy when I would recognize the city that Megan was in, such as when she was in Burlington. Even though I have been to most cities covered in the book, the only one I could recognize was Burlington, as the image is from downtown, unlike other issues where the action doesn't necessarily happen downtown.

A really good book with great extras too. I recommend it.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Justice League International Vol. 1

Justice League International Vol. 1 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin MaGuire consists of issues 1-6 of Justice League and issue 7 of Justice League International.

I had to start reading this acclaimed series at some point. I've heard so many good things and J.M. DeMatteis was hilarious in a series of issues in Spectacular Spider-Man (the Legion of Losers storyline). I finally bought this book and after reading it, I have to say that while it is very good, it is not as good as I expected. However, it seems like it would get better in the next volume as this volume was more about setting things up.

In this comic, we have the Justice League, which at this time consists of Batman, Guy Gardner (a Green Lantern), Dr. Fate, Martian Manhunter and others. Gardner wants to be in charge, but Batman quickly takes the lead as it is in his personality. The dynamic between Gardner and Batman is a gem for comedy pieces. The writers take full advantage of this and they also use the penciller wisely, as he is excellent at facial expressions, something very important in comedy.

I am not sure I would recommend this book, I would have to read the next one before knowing, but it is a very funny book and the story is not bad.

Silverfin: A Young James Bond Adventure

Silverfin: A Young James Bond Adventure by Charles Higson and Kev Walker.

Silverfin is an adaptation of a book of the same name about a young James Bond. In the story, James Bond is the orphaned nephew of a great spy. He goes to vacation to the hills and discovers something weird going on in a nearby castle. He teams up with a cool kid to figure out the mystery behind the castle.

I think the art in the comic is very well done. The story is easy to follow without needing much dialogue and it services the story exceptionally. The story is quite simple and not that interesting, however it is entertaining and definitely good for young readers.

A good but not great comic book.

A Tale of One Bad Rat

A Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot.

A Tale of One Bad Rat is a story about a teenage girl, Helen, who runs away from her
house because of sexual abuse. She has a pet rat and she loves to draw. Being a fan of
Beatrix Potter, a woman that was opressed in her house in a different way, she was
inspired to go to the beautiful places where Potter drew (and wrote) her nice children's books. Helen little by little gains confidence and starts fighting the inner demons that come from sexual abuse.

The book is fantastic. The drawings are beautiful, yet simple to understand. The story is very emotional. It is clear that the writer put his soul into this project.

A fantastic comic book.