Santa cuts a promo
OH MY GOD! I can’t wait for this. Their Daredevil run is my favorite run by a creative team on a book.
Teaser for Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev’s upcoming MOON KNIGHT series, launching May 2011. So rad.
My Top 10 Comics of 2010
Well, another year’s gone by for the comic community. In 2010 we saw thousands of issues hit the stands (fun fact: Only 50% had Deadpool in them). There was a lot of good and there was also a good amount of bad. I’ve been reading more than ever, which leads to a bit of trouble when you’re trying to think about lists like this. A lot of stuff I read this year wasn’t from this year either. Eventually I made a list of stuff I liked and ranked it.
The list is primarily made up of Marvel books because I am and always will be a Marvel guy at heart. My bias is right out there, but I think I’ve made some picks that you might not have thought about. I know my list is a lot different than the CBR or Comics Alliance lists. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you to decide. Continue along to the list, dear readers, if you dare.
WARNING: There are some spoilers in this. Read at your own risk.
10. Batman and Robin #10-16 by Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke (artist), Frazer Irving (artist), and Cameron Stewart (artist). Published by DC.
2010 was the year of the Bat for DC. Even though Brightest Day was going on the real focus was on Dick Grayson as Batman and the eventual return of Bruce Wayne. Personally I found Morrison’s issues of Batman and The Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries to be pretty sucky overall (more confusing than entertaining). Batman and Robin managed to tell a good story even with the confusing stuff associated with Morrison books. The reveal at the end of issue 13 was one of the best moments of the year. While I would have preferred a more consistent artist it worked out for the best here. Batman and Robin was the most fun Batman book on the shelves in 2010 and was a fitting end to Morrison’s run on this title.
9. PunisherMAX #1-5 by Jason Aaron (writer) and Steve Dillon (artist). Published by Marvel.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Punisher, but the team of Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon made me want to check this book out. Sadly it’s been plagued by delays as of late, which actually worked pretty well with my decision to trade-wait this series. If you thought Aaron’s work on Wolverine and Ghost Rider was good, you need to be reading this. The first five issues tell a story that focuses more on the Kingpin than it does on the Punisher. At first you might not be into that, but once you start reading, you will be sucked in. This is a more realistic take on the Punisher that is rooted in the real world. Any superhero qualities that the Punisher has in other books are stripped away leaving a gritty and incredibly violent comic. PunisherMAX is a well written and drawn crime comic at its core. This is what a Punisher movie should be.
8. Amazing Spider-Man #617, 625 (Rage of the Rhino, Endangered Species) by Joe Kelly (writer) and Max Fiumara (artist). Published by Marvel.
The big story in Amazing Spider-Man in the beginning of this year was The Gauntlet. These two issues were parts of the whole story where Spidey’s old villains returned. ASM issues 617 and 625 were my two favorite single issues of the year. These issues told the heartbreaking story of the Rhino. He was done with the supercrime world until the “new” Rhino dragged him back in. By the end of Endangered Species the new Rhino is dead as is the original Rhino’s wife. These two issues got a fair amount of critical acclaim, but were soon forgotten because of the sheer amount of issues of ASM that were released this year (33 in total). The writing is what really shines here, but that’s not to say that the story doesn’t look great. These issues made the Rhino into a character that I actually cared about and was the best Spider-Man story of the year.
7. X-Force: Sex and Violence #1-3 by Chris Yost (writer), Craig Kyle (writer), and Gabriele Dell’Otto (artist). Published by Marvel.
If this was a movie and I was writing the description for the DVD I might call this “a sexy, action packed romp.” This miniseries was as fun as it was beautiful and hot damn was it beautiful to look at. Gabriele Dell’Otto is one of the most talented painters in comics. The art is worth the price of admission alone. There could be no words in this book at all and it would still be great. Sex and Violence was the story that I had wanted X-Force to be; Wolverine and Domino killing a bunch of people. This wasn’t a thought provoking story, it was just fun. One nitpick that I have is that this wasn’t a MAX book, which didn’t allow the creative team to completely cut loose. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I can’t say enough how pretty it is to look at.
6. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers Unleashed #1-4 by Chris Eliopoulos (writer) and Ig Guara (artist). Published by Marvel.
One of these things is not like the others. One of these things is Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers Unleashed. This is the only all ages title on my list. A lot of people overlook the all ages books, but if you do you are missing out by not buying this. LATPAU is the second installment in the series of Pet Avengers miniseries. It tells the stories of the adventures of the super animals of the Marvel universe. While it is written for a younger audience the miniseries can be enjoyed by everybody. Compared to everything else that I read this year no other comic made me laugh out loud more. Ig Guara makes fantastic looking art here which makes a great story even better. Jaded comic fans who need a dark story to enjoy something won’t like the Pet Avengers, but if you get the chance to read this, do it. I assure you that you’ll enjoy it; you may even get choked up at some point.
5. Black Widow #1-5 by Marjorie Liu (writer) and Daniel Acuna (artist). Published by Marvel.
Black Widow was a book that was destined for cancellation the second it was announced, but I still checked it out. I’m really glad that I did. The first story arc told a fantastic spy story. It was a very easy series to get into regardless of whether you knew a lot about the character going in or not. Marvel books about B and C list characters are hit or miss, but this was a hit for sure. Black Widow had a strong female lead written by a female writer, how many books can say that? It started off as a book that was completely off my radar until I started to hear very positive things about it. I picked it up and was very happy with what I was reading. The first five issues were as good and suspenseful as the best spy books or movies out there. Daniel Acuna’s bright art contrasted the dark tone of the story. Sadly this creative team was only on this title for the first five issues, but they were a great five issues.
4. Criminal: The Sinners #1-6 by Ed Brubaker (writer) and Sean Phillips (artist). Published by Icon.
I will start this off by saying that not every issue in this miniseries was released in 2010. That being said, I could not ignore this because of that. The Sinners brings back Tracy Lawless from volume two of the series. Criminal is some of the best crime fiction being created currently. Put it up against anything else out there and I assure you that Criminal is better. Ed Brubaker crafts a story that sets up several plots and has them all converge by the end of the series. He makes you sympathize with a man who kills people for a living, ran away from the army, and sleeps with his boss’s wife. It can’t be the easiest thing in the world to make this guy likeable. Sean Phillips art is looking its best here. The art is very gritty, but also manages to be very detailed. Phillips use of shadows and low lighting is unmatched. The Sinners is completely new reader friendly, but offers a richer experience to those that know the series and its characters. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how Criminal is the book most worth its cover price on the stands. No ads and bonus content (letters page, painting by Phillips, and an essay usually about crime films) make this well worth the $3.50. Criminal is a comic that any fan of hardboiled crime fiction can enjoy.
3. Elephantman #24-29 by Richard Starkings (writer) and a whole lot of artists. Published by Image.
Elephantmen is the best series that you’re not reading. This under the radar indie book is a perfect mix of sci-fi and noir. Elephantmen is a book about a group of human/animal hybrids that were made as soldiers who are now trying to adjust to living with the rest of society. Issues 24-29 are all of the issues that were released this year and were the first six parts of the Questionable Things storyline. Each issue is its own one-off story, but they work as one long story as well. There isn’t one consistent artist on the book, but it works here. Certain artists will works on stories about certain characters. For example the artist Marian Churchland does the art on stories that focus on the character Miki. The 25th issue of the series was told entirely in splash pages and had 27 different artists working on it. This book isn’t just good for its art, which is a very high point of it. The writing is just as good. Richard Starkings finds a way to perfectly balance this book between dialog heavy issues and action packed issues. The Elephantmen cast contains some of the most human and complicated characters in comics. This book never has an off issue and if you need a jumping on point, start at issue 25 and then go buy them all once you’re done reading it. Elephantmen is a series that does one thing (among many others) very well; it examines what it really means to be human.
2. Scarlet #1-3 by Brian Bendis (writer) and Alex Maleev (artist). Published by Icon.
Scarlet is a series that got a lot of people talking. The creative team behind the book is the same team that made what might be my favorite run on a comic of all time with their work on Daredevil. Here this team did not disappoint. Scarlet tells the story of a girl who is going to start a revolution in America, whatever that means in this day and age. She is set off after almost being killed by a case of police brutality. When she is able to respond, she doesn’t respond by blogging about politics or by going to rallies, she responds with shocking acts of violence. Issue three ends with Scarlet picking off police officers with a rifle, all the while recoding the events in an attempt to rally supporters behind her. Bendis challenges the readers to see if they can get behind what she is doing. In Scarlet, Brian Bendis employs innovative storytelling techniques, such as completely tearing down the fourth wall and having Scarlet talk to the reader. Bendis writes some of the best dialog in comics and Scarlet is no different. Alex Maleev’s photorealistic style fits perfectly with the story that is supposed to take place in our world. The art is some of Maleev’s best and is some of his most experimental at the same time. Scarlet is a comic that will make its readers think regardless of whether they want to or not.
1. The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke. Published by IDW.
It feels odd saying that my favorite comic was a graphic novel over a series, but I can’t deny the quality of The Outfit. This book is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Richard Stark. It is part of the Parker series of novels and is the second in a series of adaptations that Cooke is working on. The story follows the story of a criminal named Parker who plans on taking on the mob aka the Outfit. Cooke does everything for this book. He adapts it, he does all the art, and he does all of the lettering. Cooke takes an already great book and makes it better. He tells the story, but it doesn’t fall into the trap of being overly faithful. Several vignettes are used to tell the tales of several heists with all of them having a different style from the main story of the book. The art is truly a time machine back to the 60’s. It has a look that is completely unique to it in today’s comic industry. It wasn’t unusual for me to find myself spending a while admiring a page long after I finished reading it. He does so much with so little. It isn’t overly detailed and the coloring isn’t what you get out of most comics. Cooke does something with The Outfit that is wonderfully different. Perhaps the best thing that Cooke is doing is that he is introducing the Parker series to a new generation, myself included. This was one of the nicest printed books released this year with a sturdy hard cover and heavy paper. The Outfit is a book that you’ll read in one sitting no matter how long it takes you to read it. Cooke hit a homerun with this one; it really shows a master at work.
And there you have it, the best 10 things that I read this year. Hopefully I might get you to read something new.
-Kelly
My Favorite Albums of 2010
After examining the music I listened to this year, I listened to far less than I thought I had (I am listening to more podcasts than ever now). My musical tastes have evolved a bit though. I’m now listening to stuff that I probably would never have touched a year ago. This year I only listened to 10 new CDs. After thinking about it that’s not very surprising considering the focus on singles by the music industry over the full album.
The albums that I did listen to this year I enjoyed a lot and it was pretty hard narrowing it down to my top five favorites. Some CDs that I liked that won’t appear in the top five are: Volume 2 by She & Him (this was the most relaxing music I heard in a long time, good mix of indie rock and pop influences), The West Coast Avengers Mixtape by Adam WarRock (a free mixtape with some really good tracks, don’t have to be a comic fan to like it), Broken Frames by Eyes Set to Kill (I put off buying this after the changes made in the band. Not bad, but not as good as their first two CDs), and Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold (some songs get lost in the shuffle while others are fantastic).
I also bought Five Finger Death Punch’s reissue of The Way of the Fist. I usually don’t buy reissues, but the amount of new content that was on the second disc made it worth buying. Something else that I listened to was the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World soundtrack. That soundtrack is magical because it has music by Beck on it that is actually listenable.
Now, onto the list!
5. Asylum by Disturbed
Disturbed will always have a spot on my top bands list after meeting them back when I was in the eighth grade. Their third and fourth albums were missing something that the fifth one brought back. The songs are as heavy as they used to be. The lyrics bring the personal feeling that the first album did. Many fans of the band dropped off as they became more mainstream, but I feel that they are getting back to the place where they used to be.
4. Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice by HIM
The songs on this album are some of the best sounding that HIM have ever done. Ville Valo’s voice is at its best here. Other than that it’s your usual HIM CD. There’s nothing bad about that at all. I like what they’ve been doing for the most part. If you like old HIM, you’ll like this CD. If you don’t, this won’t change your mind.
3. Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance
I’m still surprised that I enjoy this CD as much as I do. I’ve never cared enough about MCR before to buy or listen to a full CD of theirs before, but then I heard their new songs. They have pretty much completely revamped themselves. No longer are they the goth/emo rock they were before. Danger Days somehow manages to blend Pop and Punk without falling into the craptastic trap of becoming Powerpop. Some of the songs on this album are incredibly poppy and I’ll say it, I love it. I’m not a fan of pop, but here it works. The best description of this album that I can give is that it is a comic book turned into music. I highly recommend that you give it a listen if you don’t like My Chemical Romance, because this is a different band now.
2. Culdesac by Childish Gambino
This is the album that taught me that I might actually like some rap. Childish Gambino is the pseudonym of actor/writer/standup comic and now musician Donald Glover. Glover does a bit of everything in this album, which is free to download from his website (along with two mixtapes and several other tracks). I don’t know much about rap so please excuse any ignorance on the genre that I might have. Culdesac brings a more real feeling to its songs that I haven’t heard in 99% of the rap that I’ve listened to. It’s shocking sometimes how personal the songs can get. The songs are often backed by real instruments and all of the beats are made by Glover himself. Culdesac has the only acoustic rap song that I have ever heard. The first track on the album is titled Different and that song, in title and substance, sets the tone for the rest. This came very close to being my number one album of the year. Glover has said he wants to change the rap industry and I think he’s on the right track to do it. Culdesac can be downloaded (completely free and legal) here: http://childishgambino.blogspot.com/2010/08/you-can-download-childish-gambino-album.html
1. Love is Gone by Dommin
No rock group impressed me this year as much as Dommin did with their first album. I first heard of Dommin when they were one of the opening acts for the HIM show in Milwaukee. It could be debated that they put on a better show than HIM did. That made me want their CD, so I went out to buy it and I was blown away by Love is Gone. Dommin is a band that is equally influenced by Black Sabbath and Frank Sinatra. They have a dark sound with a prominent use of keyboards and heavy guitars. Even with the dark sound the songs are really catchy and you’ll want to listen to them a couple times in a row. Love is Gone is an album that for the most part was greatly overlooked because it is the freshman offering of Dommin. Many new rock bands get caught in the shuffle and Dommin was a casualty of this. Dommin really doesn’t fall into one rock category because of its broad group of influences. I would say that Love is Gone has something for everybody, including a fantastic cover of (I Just) Died in Your Arms. Overall it was a tough choice to pick my favorite album, but Love is Gone won out. Buy it if you have the chance.
Well those are my choices. Maybe you agree with me, maybe you don’t. Tell me your opinion. Also, go buy some albums.
-Kelly
Thoughts on Coming Out Day
It has come to my attention that today is Coming Out day to support gays and gay marriage. I fully support this day and the message it has, but at the same time I am very disappointed that there still needs to be a day like this. In an ideal world people still wouldn’t be so close minded and they could see that love is love, regardless of gender. Society really doesn’t seem like it’s very open to change on something like this. Every year more people come along to support days like this, but there’s also a new batch of people against it every year as well. I just can’t understand the close mindedness of these people. It’s not like my age group really helps things along. Every day I hear so much passive aggressive gay bashing that it drives me crazy. Sometimes it feels like this country is stuck in the 50’s.
In closing, if you don’t support gay marriage you are a close minded asshat.
-Kelly
I haven’t watched the Simpsons in a while, but I had to see this when I heard about it. Korean sweatshops, shredding kittens, chained up unicorns; this has it all. Now I’m all sad.
Let’s see how this goes
I decided to open one of these things up. It seemed cool enough and it’ll give me a place to post whatever random things I have to say that are longer than what I can say on facebook or twitter. Sure there are notes on facebook, but I’ve noticed that people really give fuck all about notes unless they’re tagged in it.
What will follow in this blog will be an odd collection of whatever I feel like posting. Whether it be a news story I found somewhere or an article of my own or a short story or some sort of fiction piece you will probably find it here at some point or another. Comic, movie, tv, and music talk is sure to follow.
I’ll probably write an angry rant eventually too, but who knows what’ll set that off. I’m going to guess that I’ll curse a fair amount so if you’re not a fan of that I’d suggest that you stop reading.
Well, that’s all that’s on my mind right now. Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men are on tonight so that’s what I’ll be watching.
There’s nothing really dynamic here, but I hope you’ll keep reading.
-Kelly
