Spider-man: Blue is a goner

I’ve turned the last page of the last issue a few days ago and will be on reading other things… This story was less than transcending to me, maybe because I started reading with very high expectations… Well, not as high as before reading Superman for all seasons but high nevertheless.

In the last book, we finally get to know the identity of that “shadow” that had been lurking around since the beginning of the book, trying to help other villains (and there’s been a plethora of them) finishing off Spider-man. It also gave birth to one of the most pathetic attempt at drawing that character; that drawing reminded me of Village People for some reason.

The character also makes a strange mistake and abducts Harry Osborn instead of Peter Parker, based on the only reason that he borrowed some of Parker’s aftershave… It didn’t really make sense to me; I think he should have been confused between the two of them as Parker must be, after all, wearing HIS OWN aftershave as well… Or didn’t he shave on that day?

So after a rather disappointing last 2 books, I’m back in my “Wood Mood” and picked up my Local hard cover. One of my friends bought it for me while he was in Malaysia as bookstores over there seem to be selling comic books together with other books in English. It was really nice of him to carry this massive book back for me in his already packed suitcase.
I had set it aside for a while as I had read a few books written by Wood and wanted to read something else. I unpacked it a couple of nights ago, and let me tell you the book itself feels great. The hardcover looks and feels nice when holding the book in my hands, they had the clever idea NOT to include a dust jacket (god I hate those). The pages are oversized compared to the traditional comic books which makes reading the story a more submerging experience. I also enjoyed the extra weight and thickness of those pages as it adds a “quality feel” when flipping through the book… And nothing beats that “paper and ink” smell when opening a brand new book!

Still not sold

One statement in my last post was that I wasn’t really a Superman fan and that last book I read didn’t really made me want to become one… Well, I’m not much of a Spider-man fan either (not that I dislike him, I just didn’t really get into reading his stories) and once again, Spider-man: Blue fails at making me want to become one.

I’ve almost read the entire story (5 out of 6 issues) and honestly, I’m not really sold on that book… It seems Marvel tried the same concept they had over at DC when coming up with Superman for all seasons… Or maybe it was the other way around, whichever came first… So they hired the SAME TEAM who wrote that Superman’s summary, switched characters, and published a Spider-man summary.

Again, while it’s nice to not have to know anything about Spider-man’s universe or even comic books to be able to read and understand what is going on, it gets kind of frustrating to read “summaries”… It’s not particularly well done, and honestly, I don’t know why I feel that way, but it seems Tim Sale can’t draw a “punching” Spider-man… He’s there, facing the villain, and he throws a punch at him, but what should be more “dynamic” has a very static aspect and can’t really feel the impact… Does Spidey hit like a girl? Couple that with a so-so story and you get that book.
So while I still have to finish it, I still think it’s not really worth your money… I mean 5 out of 6 are “meh” so save some cash and some time and get a real book like Kraven’s last hunt if you’re looking for some Spider-man action. I think I should have stayed in my “Wood mood”, maybe I’ll pick up Local next as I’ve heard many good things about that one.

And winter it was…

I finally found time to finish reading Superman for all seasons this week-end. At first, I quite enjoyed reading it as it was telling the story of Clark Kent before he actually became Superman or even moved to Metropolis. I got to know about Lana Lang who was his High School sweet heart and one of the first persons he told his secret (after his foster parents)… It also made me realize that Lois Lane was not his first romance (yeah I’ve never watched Smallville on TV or else I’d probably know that I guess…)

So one of the best things is that you do not need to know anything about Superman, or to have even heard of him before, to actually read the book and understand the story. It is addressed to anyone, fans and non fans included. I, myself, am not really a Superman fan, not because I dislike him but more because I never really got attracted by that character for some reason… But that was fine and I still could read the entire book without having a big question mark over my head after each panel.

On the flip side, the book didn’t make me want to become a Superman fan… The story was OK but didn’t really carry anything spectacular in it… It was just a basic “coming of age” story with all the expected stages: growing up, leaving home, get hurt, go back home to lick your wounds, realize something and leave home again (but stronger)… So yeah, not a bad story, it just doesn’t qualify as “sensational”… Also the art was just OK, I really hated those parts in the city… Too ugly.

So there you go, while it’s still a book I partially enjoyed reading I did not become a Superman diehard fan and was a bit disappointed by Jeph Loeb and Time Sale for once… Just to let you know, my first thought after finishing the book was “luckily I only paid 6 bucks for it…” I probably would have been pretty pissed if I had paid retail price (around USD15). I am now starting Spiderman: Blue which is another Loeb/Sale cooperation and hope it’ll be slightly (if not a lot) better.

Summer and Fall

In my first post about Superman for all seasons I was tentatively guessing the remaining 3 issues’ titles, and I was right for at least the second and third one (haven’t got to the fourth one yet)… So spring is followed by summer and fall… What a surprise!

It basically starts when we left off after the first issue. Clark starts his job at the Daily Planet and his new life as Superman as well. He’s a very lonely guy, though, and he realizes he’s not at home anywhere anymore as Metropolitans see him as a farmer boy from Smallville but he can’t seem to “understand” people in Smallville anymore… It’s kind of an “in between” situation that anyone who’s left “home” has probably struggled with before. It’s a different side of Superman, he’s a super being and all but still has Average Joe’s problems, feelings, dilemmas…

In the third chapter, the story is told from Lois Lane’s point of view while the narrator’s spot is picked up by Lex Luthor in the fourth. I still enjoy the story, although I couldn’t help but notice Tim Sale was probably in his “cubic” period when he drew those books… Maybe I didn’t notice in the first issue as most of it took place in Smallville and there weren’t many skyscrapers around, but he sure took his ruler out his pencil case right now… Remember how your art teacher taught you how to draw perspective in secondary school? Tim remembers, that’s for sure… And he’s applying the technique by the book… Maybe that’s intended but it’s far from mesmerizing to me…

Morning read

I woke up a bit late this morning, a bit too late to have my morning gaming session like I usually do. So instead logging on to my favourite game, I picked up a book from my comics collection… I was not sure what to read exactly, I was on a lengthy Brian Wood diet and thought maybe I should give somebody else a shot (although I still have to start Local).

My hand finally found its way to one of many Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s collaboration I had yet to read: Superman for all seasons

While at first I found the art a bit simplistic, I quickly found back Sale’s style and attention to all the little details he likes to put in his backgrounds. It’s very different than what he did on all the Batman books I read so far, but somehow similar in some ways…

So far the story is OK. It starts in Smallville just when Clark Kent is about to graduate. I’ve only read the first chapter (Spring) and am about to start the second one (Summer)… As it’s a 4 part story, I could bet the 3rd and 4th chapters will be Autumn (or maybe Fall) and Winter. Now I kind of know why the title is Superman for all seasons.

I think the first chapter starts of the book pretty nicely, I like the way Clark’s father is the narrator of the story and also seeing Clark evolving from a teenage kid to Superman, actually discovering more and more of his powers and realizing he should use them for the good of mankind. I know this “Epiphany” thing is such a cliché to some, but it works on me… I know I’m an easy prey and vultures will feast on my flesh, alright…

Only one thing bothered me in this issue… At some point, some kid is chasing a kitty on the edge of a building (you know, those edges that look like they’re actual sidewalks that go around a building?)… All kids do that right? Anyway, so the kid is chasing the kitty and he suddenly trips or something and starts falling off the building. Of course, Superman flies in, saves the kid from certain death, and takes him down to safety… back on the building’s edge!!! Come on, Superman, that’s a big “no-no” to you on the safety side…

More Batman readings

I haven’t been posting here for a while as I was pretty occupied taking care of my son and wife during the holidays. I have however had some time to go on reading some books, and all of them were Batman stories…

First in line was Batman: Anarky trade paperback that collects Detective Comics #608-609, Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #1, Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-2000) 40-41, and Anarky (1997 1st Series) #1-4 all written by Alan Grant. I had no idea who Anarky was at first, but it was a Batman story with Alan Grant in the mix so it couldn’t possibly turn out to be too bad. And I think that’s exactly how I felt when reading it: “Not too bad”. It did not really thrill me to read it, Anarky is an OK character between a hero (or a “vigilante” as he says in the book) and a villain who’s trying to save humanity by doing not-so-legal things that put him on Batman’s blacklist. The art was just horrible in the first story but it got better as I read on, without being astounding… So yeah… “Not too bad” is what fits best when talking about that book in my opinion.

The second trade paperback I read was Batman: Gothic. I was a bit disappointed by the art at first… I found it was too “fuzzy” like when there’s too much noise when watching TV (the kind of noise that makes the image sloppy) but when reading I found it matched the story pretty nicely and wasn’t bothered by it. I found the story interesting as it unveils a part of Bruce Wayne’s childhood, and the outcome was quite unexpected but I was a bit disappointed by it… Ends up like one of those Japanese animation series where they seem to have used up their entire budget and only have enough money to produce ONE episode. So of course everything gets mashed up and it leaves a lot to be desired… So that’s a bit how I felt, the whole story is a crescendo but it’s concluded in 1 page so it leaves a “So that’s it?” impression. But besides that the story was good and pretty creative too and I think it stands out a bit thanks to its originality.

Last but not least is Batman: Hush vol.1 & 2. I’ve finished reading the first volume and am half way through the second one, and damn that’s a good book. Jeph Loeb is the writer (remember A Long Halloween?) and artist is not Tim Sale this time but Jim Lee. Let me tell you the combination is great! The story’s good, the art and colouring are impeccable, plus you get to see Batman kicking some Metropolitan’s ass which doesn’t spoil anything. Really worth the time and money spent…

Tough choice ahead

So I’ve finally found the time to finish reading Dark Victory. All in all it’s a great read and it ends the trilogy nicely. If I had to rate those 3 books in order of preference, it would be The Long Halloween first, followed by Dark Victory and Haunted Knight. I think I preferred The Long Halloween over the others because I somehow found the intrigue was better. I’ve changed my mind several times trying to guess who “Holiday” was, and Loeb and Sale got me several times… You get a new piece of info, you think you finally know, then it changes once more, setting your mind on something else, then reverses again to end up somewhere completely away from the first idea… I don’t know if you’re following my idea, read the book and you’ll figure out what I mean.

So what’s next? I’m not so sure myself… I have several books piled up on my desk right now, waiting for a charitable soul to pick one of them… There’s still several Batman books among them as well as others such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and the complete Y The Last Man saga. Tough choice to make as they’re all very promising books… I’ll decide which one wins very soon and post about my impressions as soon as I start reading it.

Long time no hear (or read)

Hi all (not that anyone is actually reading this blog), I haven’t been around for some time… Well, life caught up with me, I got really busy at work and I basically spent all my spare time trying the new WoW patch 3.0 like everybody else.

Of course I still managed to get some reading done. I was in a Batman mood so I went through Haunted Knight, The Long Halloween and am about 70% through Dark Victory… And I have to say I really love those books. The first time I read Haunted Knight, I still had the chills from Batman: Year One and I have to admit I felt kinda disappointed by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s work at first. Not that it was bad or anything, it was just not up to par. But that was a mistake; it’s actually a great book that sets the tone for the next two. I love the art and storytelling and how the mix of both can make you feel the characters’ emotions, even when you cannot see their faces as lots of time, they’re just filled with black ink… I’ve recommended those books and the past and still recommend them now.

I’ve also mentioned one author I liked very much: Brian Wood. This week I finally read the first issue of DMZ and it is awesome. The art is great (he’s using colors as opposed to Channel Zero), it’s really detailed and dynamic too… Plus the story is really catchy. I was planning on waiting for all the trade paperbacks to be released before purchasing them but I got caught up and feel I want to read more right now… Maybe I’ll order the first 5 in my next purchase. I think the next one is coming up some time in February 2009.If you haven’t checked his work yet, head to his website’s download section and get some of the files available. They’re in PDF format so you may want to get a PDF reader first.There’s also a nice Channel Zero review written by Nooch over at J!NX.com you may want to check out.

You're ready...! Almost... part 2

OK so you don't like Wolverine... Maybe he's too mean for you or something... Now if the idea of a rich playboy who's SO rich he doesn't need to work and instead spends his spare time trying to do something good for the society sounds nice to you, maybe you will like Bruce Wayne also known as Batman.
What I like in this character is not the fact that he's kicking bad guys' ass but more how he does it... If you think about it, most super heroes did not "choose" to be one before they actually went through some kind of DNA changing event that was out of their control and woke up one day with super powers... No... Batman does it using technology. One day he woke up and decided he was going to fight criminals in Gotham City and he knew he needed some kind of an edge (he is only human after all)... So he used his wealth to develop various equipment that would help him in his quest... So yeah, engineering rules~! (Yeah you guessed right, I'm an engineer...)
Anyway, you will find LOTS of books in which Batman appears or is the main character, but here is a short list of some of the ones you will definitely have to read:

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
The beginning of it all... Bruce Wayne has been training away from Gotham and is now coming back. That's the book in which he meets Jim Gordon for the first time... Sounds familiar? Maybe you've watched Batman Begins?

Batman: Haunted Knight by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
First of a trilogy of trade paperbacks that regroups 3 Halloween stories: Fears, Madness and Ghosts

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Second of the trilogy in which Batman, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent have to work together to catch a serial killer who is getting rid of mobsters from the Falcone family. The story happens over a year between 2 Halloweens and the killer only acts on holidays. This is the story that sees the death of Harvey Dent and the birth of Two-Face.

Batman: Dark Victory by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Last one of the trilogy. Batman's off chasing another killer whose crimes will involve Dick Grayson's parents. Batman then decides to take care of him and he eventually becomes Robin.

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
This book reveals the origins of The Joker and marks the end of Batgirl as we know her as she gets paralyzed for the rest of her life.

Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
On April Fools Day, Arkham Asylum is taken over and the inmates demand Batman to be delivered to them in exchange of their hostages. In the process of getting back the detention center, Batman almost goes insane... Creepy story, great art, this book is considered a must have in any comic book collection.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
Batman is now "retired" but will put on his tights one more time to save the good old Gotham City. Considered a classic as well....

OK, I think that summarizes it... Of course lots of books are missing, like you could get the Knightfall saga if you'd like to see Bane, but I just wanted to list out the ones that I think are really worth your first order's money. If you get hooked up, order more!