Recently in Comics Category

As I watched LOST a few weeks ago I noticed a name flash by during the credits.  Brian K Vaughn first showed up as a writer on the show in season 3 and has done work on several episodes during season 4.  Although most people will not recognize the name, he is well known in the comic book industry.  Vaughn recently finished a critically acclaimed series called Y: The Last Man.  At the time I spotted his name during LOST I had not read any of the series but I decided to pick up the first trade (trades collect issues of a comic book for easy reading so you don't have to go out and find back issues) on my next run to my LCS (that's "local comic shop" for you hipsters out there). 

Y: The Last Man is about Yorik and his monkey Ampersand, the last males of any species on Earth.

Yorick is faced with a world slowly coming unraveled and is thrust in to a quest to save humanity and find his girlfriend while being beset on all side by females with their own agenda.  There are vigilante woman trying to capture and sell Yorick to the highest bidder, organized "amazon" women who believe men have been cleansed for good reason, and politicians who have their own motivations for assisting Yorick and his band of travelers.  Yorick is a man stuck in one hell of a hen party.   

From what I have read so far this is a really excellent book.  The book is completely serious but also humorous without making fun of itself or the genre.  I am early, very early, in the series but I am already hook and can't wait to plow through all the trades.  This is also a series that I hope I can get my wife interested in.  It certainly has that air of mystery that surrounds LOST and I can see why they brought Vaughn on as a writer.  The really great thing here is that the story is finished.  The last issue came out a few months back so the final collected trade should be out soon if it hasn't already hit this stands.  I don't have to worry about waiting for the next part of the story like I do with so many other series that I read in both novel and comic book form.  I can remember how excruciating the wait for Dark Tower 3 was so having a series complete when I start reading is really quite refreshing.

The comic book industry is in a state of flux today.  The trade market is growing with mainstream books stores now stocking a wealth of books, including Y.  You should be able to pick up the first book at any local Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Borders, or any other large chain store.  I recommend, however, that you seek out your local comic shop and buy the book from the specialty retailer.  Supporting the comic shops helps keep the industry running.  There is a lot of amazingly wonderful work being put out today but the industry is in danger of disappearing in the near future.  I have a longer essay on this subject but it is enough now to say that if you like good writing and good stories you need to go out and buy the product.  If not, where are movies like 300 and Iron Man going to come from once no one is writing the stories anymore? 

Check out Y: The Last Man and let me know what you think.       

It was just that good.  Maybe not the BEST weekend ever as there were one or two things missing but it was damn good nevertheless.  I kicked off the festivities with a little Iron Man.

Let me just say that this movie rocked.  I don't know much about the character so I didn't bring any of that baggage with me into the theater.  I came at this film completely clean without any expectations and what resulted was a really enjoyable experience.  The film is funny in just the right places.  Robert Down Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow are absolutely perfect in their roles.  The only thing I could have really asked for would have been MORE IRON MAN.  I didn't see him kick enough terrorist ass before the film moved on to the next plot point.  Outside of that, Iron Man is a perfect superhero movie.  I am really excited to see Jon Favreau doing well as a director.  He has made some really solid films and looks to have a bright future.  I think I will always see him as the overweight pot head Gutter from PCU, but I have a newfound respect for him as a creative talent.  I hope he gets to make a sequel or two because this first outing was excellent.  I think it is Marvel's best film property to date.  Yes, even better than Spider-Man.   This is a movie you should see.  It is also a great start to what looks like an amazing summer movie season.  How can you not love a summer that includes Batman, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy, Narnia, and Indiana Jones? 

After the wonderful experience Friday at the movies, Saturday started with Free Comic Book Day at my LCS (local Comic Shop).  As always I took my daughter so she could meet some of the costumed superheros that always make an appearance at this event.  Her favorite is The Flash, but this year she took a particular liking to Princess Leia.  There is just something about little girls and princesses I guess. 

One of the most enjoyable things I have found since coming back to comics full force is the quality of writing that can be found in both mainstream books and independent work.  The stories being written today are so much better than what I was reading back in the early 90's.  They are more complex and certainly more adult.  Some think this is bad for an industry that needs an influx of younger fans and I can see their point, but I don't thinking kiddiefying the stories is the right way to go.

One of the best examples of some of the really great stuff you can find in comics today can be found in Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier



The New Frontier begins during the ends days of the Korean War.  America has turned on its masked heroes because of the red scare and most of them have retired or have gone into hiding.  Man has conquered the atom and appears to no longer need super humans and has pushed them away.  Superman has signed an oath of loyalty to the US and is acting for the government in foreign lands.  It is really a time without heroes.  The creation of the atom bomb, however, has awakened an ancient force that believes it is time to eliminate the human threat and its new, destructive power from the Earth.  It is in this environment that the men, women, supermen and superwomen of Earth must not only stand up and fight but come together to tackle a common foe.

The New Frontier recreates the DC universe from the ground up.  Classic characters and their origins are intertwined in a single story.  Each with different motivations and back stories that play into their characterizations throughout the work.  The reader sees both their amazing strengths and crushing weaknesses as each character tries to understand where the fit in to post war society.  This book deals with racism, sexism, and a whole host of issues that arose during the late 50's.  It is an amazing work for both comic fans and casual readers.

I think it is also important to note that it is not exactly for the elementary school set.  Death, suicide, and murder are all part of the story which younger children will probably not understand.  These themes, however, are crucial to the narrative and not just "thrown in" to make the book appeal to adults.  These events bring a realness to the story and are critical to the growth of the heroes, especially my all time favorite, Hal Jordan - The Green Lantern.

Yesterday saw the release of the animated film version of The New Frontier. 


I have been looking forward to this movie for some time now and went ahead and downloaded it last night in HD on my XBOX 360.  I did not get to watch all of it because I was just too tired, but what I saw was phenomenal.  The animation was gorgeous and this makes me want to go out and buy a Blu-Ray player so I can watch the film in all of its high definition glory again and again.  Some of the story from the book has been left out but the reviews on the movie have been overwhelmingly positive.  Again, I don't recommend this for younger kids, but otherwise this is a film everyone should see.  I promise you it is better than most live action superhero movies.  Yes, I am looking at you Fantastic Four!   A review of the film will be coming within the next day or so but I have no problem giving this my highest recommendation even without having viewed the entire film. 

Get the book (be sure to get both volumes), watch the movie, and thank me later.

Or maybe if government research goes wrong, or Earth passes through a comet's tail, or there is a virus breakout...Ok, I guess the dead can walk the Earth for any number of reasons but I think we can all agree zombies are extremely creepy and awesome!

Today's post concerns some recommendations for those of you that find the Zombie genre enjoyable.  While working on a paper Saturday, Shaun of the Dead, was on in the background. 



This is not only the best zombie comedy ever made, but it is possibly one of the best comedies ever made. There are great call outs to classic zombie movies. I especially loved the almost throw away line Ed uses when he and Shaun decide to save Shaun's mom, Barbara. The name Barbara may have some meaning to you old school Night of the Living Dead fans out there. There is also a nice bit of social commentary underscoring the comedy which again is also very prevalent in good zombie films. There is plenty of British humor, or humour, so it may be spelled back on the island as well as pop culture references, and some minor drug and video game gags. I highly recommend this movie and since I think both Comedy Central and Sci-Fi have run the film recently there is no reason for you to miss it. It's better uncut, but the cable version isn't half bad either.  Better yet, make it a double feature and rent Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz together.  You'll be in for one excellent night of comedy.

My second zombie pick of the week comes from the that often maligned and misunderstood genre...the comic book. 


The Walking Dead is author Robert Kirkman's attempt to follow the living AFTER the zombie apocalypse.  Too often films don't have time to see what the long term effects of living in constant fear and danger have on the survivors.  I picked up Volume 1 on Sunday after watching Shaun of the Dead on Saturday and I had the book finished in about an hour's worth of reading time.  Volume 1 sets up the world and the initial characters and although the story is derivate (some would say it is a homage) there are some really great moments.  I am looking forward to getting into the rest of the story.  I will also say that this is the only black and white comic I have ever bought on purpose and that is saying something.  I don't like black and white books.  The are in this volume, however, is amazing and you quickly forget about the lack of blood splatters because of the detail of the art.  I understand the artist, Tony Moore, didn't do too many issues so it will be interesting to see how the book looks with a different artist.  Again, this is another great piece of storytelling that I highly recommend.  I hope to get caught up soon so I can start buying the monthly series.  On a side note, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the story starts in Cynthiana, Kentucky.  My parents once lived and worked in that city so I feel a special connection to the story.  Kirkman and Moore went to grade school there I believe as well.

What is great about both of these stories is that they use the zombies to tell human stories and they use zombies correctly if such a thing can be said.  Zombies are slow, but relentless.  They never stop, they never get tired, they never give up.  This puts constant pressure on the survivors and it is how each individual handles that pressure that creates the drama and the humor.  Zombies stories, when they work, tell stories of humans and groups of humans that are being put to the test.  The questions these stories always ask include "Are we better alive than dead?", "Are we already zombies, but haven't admitted it yet.", and "Do we deserve the life we have?".  Even if you don't appreciate the horror genre and all the nastiness that goes with it, I think everyone can identify with those themes. 

Send more paramedics.  Some of you know what that means... 

As I mentioned previously, I have been going to the comic book store irregularly for about 6 months now. It started innocently enough when Marvel released the first issue of a seven issue mini-series (the last issue is out next week) based on Stephen King's epic work The Dark Tower.

Going into a comic store for me, however, is like sending an former alcoholic into the liquor store once a month to get cooking wine. Eventually that guy is going to pickup some Crown Royal. It's only a matter of time. Same thing with me in comic stores. If I go in enough, I will end up buying more than just what I came to get. Of course just such a thing has happened or I would not be writing this today. I have bought several issues of Green Lantern, The Flash, and Justice League during my travels, but they are not in order and the story is disjointed as a result. This presents a problem, just like the alcohol stores creates a dilemma for the alcoholic. Either I have to jump in and start buying the books on a weekly basis again or stay out of the store all together.

Now, before I talk about my decision, let's look at a little history shall we?

There was a time when I was spending my grocery money in college on comics. This led to several "eating peanut butter from the jar" episodes, but I managed to make it work. At the high point (or low point depending on your point of view) I was taking home upwards of 15-20 books a week. The result of this period of my life is about 25 large boxes filled with around 150 comic boxes per box or over 3700 individual books...I think. I am writing this from work so my count may be off. If it is, then it is a conservative number. There are likely many more than just 3700 books at my house. Numbers, however, are not important. Just understand I bought A LOT of books back in the mid nineties. Since around 1997 or so those boxes haven't been opened. They have been moved many times and occasionally I will rifle through the books for a little nostalgia, but for the most part they have lived in the dark corners of my home for over a decade. I got married, got a mortgage, got a child, and generally played the role of "average guy" for the past ten years.

That brings us to to February 2007 when The Gunslinger Born Issue 1 was released. I returned to a comic book store (not MY comic book store because the store I considered "MY" store closed many years ago and the closing is what made me stop reading in the first place, but that is another story) with the sole purpose to get that single book and walk away. Buy and walk away is what I did, for a while. Eventually the comic book geek in me broke out and I bought other books. That trend has continued. Next week the final issue of the Gunslinger book hits the shelves and I plan on going by the store to get it. There is also a very real chance I will place a weekly order with the store's proprietor. I'll have to sacrifice something else to afford the indulgence, maybe my breakfast routine, but it will likely happen. I have grown comfortable enough with myself to say I am a comic book fan without concern as to what that means to other people. Some people enjoy sporting events, some enjoy golf, I enjoy comics.

There is one major problem with this hobby and thus the origin of today's title and that issue is storage. Once I read the books, and I do read everything, comics where never an "investment" for me, what do I do with the books themselves? They take up space and they do it quickly. There is room in my old boxes for a few new issues, but not much. Plus, those old books are in the way already. Mentioning new books may send my wife into cardiac arrest. The collection has meaning to me but I doubt I will ever read any of them again. I have considered eBay for some of the books, but I don't really want to get into that right now. Do I want them just sitting around taking up valuable space in my home when they will likely never see the light of day again in my lifetime? I don't really know what to do at this point. One day I may have a man cave of such awesome proportions in which I can display this collection, but that is a long way off. Any suggestions?