Living Between Wednesdays

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

2009-03-30T22:08:00.000-03:00

BLAST OFF!

I'm outta here! Living Between Wednesdays has moved to a bigger, better, badder home! I hope you'll join us over there for lots of comic book love for years to come! Click on this link to go to

THE ALL NEW LIVING BETWEEN WEDNESDAYS!!!!

Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed this blog over the years. I hope you'll like the new one even more!

This Week's Haul: The Last Haul...for now!

2009-03-27T10:54:00.006-03:00

Hiya everyone!

I think this is it. This is going to be my last post on this site. But that doesn't mean I'm quitting! I am finally launching the all new, all awesomer Living Between Wednesdays site in just a few days. I'm pretty excited about it.

Actually, I guess there will be one more post: the one where I announce that the new site is up. Well, anyway.

Here are some of the comics I read this week!

The Muppet Show #1

I am actually astonished at how well this was executed. It's really, really great. The way the characters are only drawn from the waist up, the jokes, the structure of the comic mirroring the Muppet Show episodes. It's just fantastic. Roger Langridge writes and draws it and he captures the feel of the original show perfectly. I am pretty excited about Boom Studios new Boom Kids line, but the Muppet Show was definitely what I was most looking forward to. I am a huge Jim Henson fan, and I have been watching a lot of the Sesame Street: Old School DVDs lately, so I was definitely in the mood for this. By the way, a Sesame Street comic would be awesome.

Wonder Woman #30

I know I have praised Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman plenty, but I just want to say it again: her Wonder Woman voice is amazing. I find it really jarring when a character just doesn't sound right (ie - James Robinson's Superman) and Wonder Woman is a character that has been, more often than not, written as a very flat character. Simone manages to give her a lot of depth and personality without losing the regal quality of the character. Like, I want Wonder Woman to have some warmth and humanity, but I don't want to see her being like "yo, what's up Etta?"

Also in this comic, Wonder Woman is really, really angry so we get to see how powerful she can be when she wants to be. And I like that.

Daredevil #117

Daredevil is one of those comics that makes me feel sorry for people who don't read comics because they do not get to read DAREDEVIL. There are a lot of comics on the stands that I enjoy, and there are a lot of great story lines, but the world of Daredevil, however depressing, is one of my favourites to lose myself in for 10 minutes or so each month. I think because it's more of a character study than any other comic, which makes it sound boring but it's really not because there is also a lot of kicking and punching. Plus, Brubaker is the master of the cliffhanger ending.

Captain America #48

I love nothing more than when Daredevil and Captain America drop on the same week. Double shot of Brubaker, PLUS I get my two Marvel boyfriends, Matt Murdock and Winter Soldier, in one week. And this week there is the added bonus of NAMOR in Captain America! I would love a week where Namor appears in every Marvel title, because he really makes every comic that much more entertaining. In this issue we get a nice example of how Namor, though pretty ridiculous-looking, is really one of the most terrifying characters when he's angry.

And also, Winter Soldier was hot.

Superman #686

Meh. I love this cross-over Superman storyline. I love Renato Guedes' art. I do not love James Robinson's writing on this title. Usually I like his writing, but I am not feeling his Superman. I do love seeing Mon-El back in action, though. But seriously, Superman, the dude is trapped in the Phantom Zone forever because you, let's face it, did not even try to find a cure for his lead allergy and as soon as he gets out (on his own) you are demanding favours of him? I'm surprised he didn't tell him to take a flying leap (note: not an effective insult for Superman).

Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug

Hello, what's this? Something totally rad?!

I basically own everything that is in here, but I still bought it because I just want to support the fact that they even published this. Well done, DC. Ambush Bug may seem like an odd choice for a Showcase, but it's actually perfect because there has never been an Ambush Bug collection of any kind before, and it's a little challenging finding all of the issues he appears in. You won't be sorry you bought this.

Cylon cookies!

2009-03-20T19:16:00.005-03:00

There are many copies!

To celebrate (or mourn) the last episode of Battlestar Galactica tonight, I made Cylon cookies. And you can too!

First you just have to fashion a custom cookie cutter out of a heavy duty foil lasagna pan like so:

Then you make your favourite sugar cookie dough. Like all things in life, I turn to a fictional character for advice here. Betty Crocker has never steered me wrong.

Alright, now roll out that dough and get ready to cut some cylon heads!

Now, remember, when designing your cutter, and when placing the cookies on the pan, these cookies are going to lose their shape quite a bit when they bake and spread out all over the place. Leave a lot of room.

Time to toast those toasters! Bake for about 10 minutes until they start to get a little golden. Be careful taking them off the sheet after because they are delicate. We had a couple of casualties.

When the cookies are nice and cool, you can decorate them! I split a batch of vanilla frosting in half and coloured one half red and one half silver. Matt drew a Cylon head that we could use as a guide:

Mmmmm...delicious Cylons!

Enjoy the last episode everyone!

Is Atlanta Thrashers Goalie Kari Lehtonen a Big Nerd?

2009-03-11T09:39:00.007-03:00

I love it when my worlds collide.

Here we have Atlanta Thrashers goaltender/Finn/nerd sporting his latest mask. It has the Dark Knight Joker on it.

Not convinced? Of course not. You don't have to be a nerd to like The Dark Knight. So let's go to Exhibit B: the Kill Bill mask from the previous season:

And sure, you don't have to be a nerd to like Kill Bill either, but the two things together are starting to paint a pretty nerdy picture.

Now let's go to Exhibit C, or as I like to call it, the clincher:

Yes, that is a Final Fantasy themed goalie mask.

Still not convinced? How about this Optimus Prime (movie version) mask he had made but never wore in a game?

And, just for fun but not really relevant to my argument, here's a picture of Lehtonen with Lil' Jon (who has also been featured on a Lehtonen mask). Actually, I think this picture is relevant to my argument because Lehts looks really nerdy:

Is he a geek, or is he just lazy about his pop culture references? You decide. I choose to award him the first Living Between Wednesdays Award for Public Geekery by an Outsider.

Keep letting that geek flag fly, Lehts!

My Spoiler-Free Mini-Review of Watchmen

2009-03-04T22:34:00.003-04:00

Do we need a review of Watchmen to be spoiler-free, actually?

I just got back from an advance screening, and I just wanted to share some quick thoughts.

I thought the movie was a really good, loyal adaptation of the book. For those of us who have read the book, and love the book, it was fun to see it come to life. The acting was great, I dare say that Nite Owl and Rorschach were perfect. The last time I read the book, I had a thought that there is no way that they could make Walter Kovacs (without the mask) as he looks in the book work on screen. I was wrong. He looked perfect.

The fact that it is based on one specific comic book that most fans have read numerous times makes it a weird movie-going experience. As I said, the movie was very loyal. There are no surprises if you've read it, right down to almost every line of dialogue. And, because it's based on a comic, almost every shot is also familiar. So it felt as if I had watched the movie before.

My only real problem with the movie is that it was too gory and that the major sex scene was just too...porny? It was over the top for sure. As for the gore, I think a lot of the most violent scenes would have been better without it. Off screen would have been classier and less distracting (and more like the book).

Oh...and the soundtrack is BATSHIT INSANE. But it kind of charmed me.

But overall the movie looked great, had great acting and had some neat ideas about how to tell this crazy story on screen. I don't know how people who haven't read the book will feel about it. I would imagine that to them it would seem sort of weird and rushed and lacking in a lot of areas. And it would certainly be depressing. But for those of us who have read it, it's just a nice treat to see the story come to life. That's all I expect out of these things. I think the challenge of making a Watchmen movie was met and adequately conquered. And some of the scenes were downright awesome to see on screen!

I mean, I said before I saw the movie that the problem with putting Watchmen on the big screen is that there is really nothing fun about the story. It's pretty joyless. But it is still entertaining, and I think the director made it as fun as it could possibly be without ruining it.

The movie is about three hours long, so good luck to everyone who is going to the midnight screening tomorrow night!

The comic-iest Oscars ever!

2009-02-23T09:25:00.006-04:00

I'm using the fact that Hugh "Wolverine" Jackman hosted the Oscars as an excuse to write about them in this comic book blog.

Mr Jackman was delightful, I thought, and I especially loved his opening number with the big "I'm Wolverine!" finisher. He was very funny and charming, but I still don't think he's the sexiest anything, let alone man alive. I'm looking forward to a big musical number in Wolverine.

I loved the set, and having the orchestra out of the pit. And I really liked that Danny Boyle made a point of mentioning how great the set was, and thanking the people responsible. Classy! I don't know how "toned down" the whole works looked, especially with that giant crystal curtain, but who wants to see a low-budget Oscars?

Bill Maher really came off as a douche, eh? Awkward, awkward jokes and very predictable "MY documentary wasn't nominated!" remarks. And then he almost opened the envelope before reading the nominees because he was too busy thinking about how much smarter he is than everyone else. From now on, only delightful, charming people at the Oscars please.

Speaking of looking like a douche: Peter Gabriel. I mean, whatever, I know that cutting the songs off at one minute or whatever seems disrespectful, but when I was watching the performance of the medley of nominated songs, the slots for each one seemed long enough. And poor John Legend (who maybe had laryngitis or maybe was trying to sound more like Peter Gabriel?) had to step in at the last minute and sing those ridiculous lyrics while Gabriel sat a few rows away. What if that song had won? Awk-ward.

Also a douche: Zac Efron for leaving presenting partner Alicia Keyes in his dust when he strode out onto the stage.

And...that kid from Twilight for rocking that ridiculous vampire stare the whole time. Lift your head, son. Stand up straight.

I think the best dress was Marisa Tomei's.

And I think the worst dress was, sadly, the one that Queen Latifah was wearing during her song. Was the dress a tribute to something? It kinda looked like a crazy prom dress that I would have designed when I was seven, and only had one crayon left. Too bad because her red carpet dress was lovely.

I liked that little Pineapple Express bit with Janusz Kaminski, especially when they were watching Milk.

When the first acting award was given out using that five presenters format, I was worried that the show was going to be ten hours long. Cut to Robert Downey Jr in the audience, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing. But y'know what? I really liked it. I thought it was really nice for those past winners to be sharing such kind, and seemingly unscripted at times, words with the nominees. Plus it was exciting to see five amazing actors on the stage at a time (although...best lead actress was given out without much reaction from the audience, but when they brought out the five male actors to give out that award, there was a standing ovation. Women: booooooooo! Men: yaaaaaaaaaay!). I think that they should have used the same format for best director. And, as Matt and I were joking, for best movie. They could just have five things, like "Please welcome The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and the Titanic!"

I have always found it amusing that there is such a huge difference in speeches from when actors win, or when anyone else wins. Actors are always overwhelmed and crying and hyperventilating talking about fainting, but when a sound editor or someone wins they are just like "Thanks. This means a lot." They worked just as hard or harder on the exact same movie, and have also just won the highest honour that they can receive in their industry, but they manage to hold it together.

I was really surprised that Mickey Rourke didn't win, but happy that Sean Penn won. I really liked Milk a lot, and was hoping that it might win best picture. Oh well. Slumdog Millionaire was pretty good too.

And, of course, Heath Ledger's win was both sad and exciting. Exciting because it's the highest honour a comic-based movie has ever won at the Oscars. I still think Christopher Nolan deserved a nomination, but oh well. He'll just have to make the next Batman movie even better.

And finally, yay for the guy from Man on Wire for doing a coin trick at the podium, and then balancing the Oscar on his chin. We need more of that at the Oscars for sure.

This Week's Haul: These Birds Have Flown

2009-02-20T20:40:00.004-04:00

Just a quick one this week. Focusing on getting new site up. Talking like Rorschach.

Hey, here's something neat! My old post on Batman: Year Two has been translated into Spanish for a Peruvian comics blog! Check it out. Thanks to blog author Giancarlo Roman for doing that! I have no idea what it says! I am especially happy about it because that has always been one of my favourite posts.

Robin #183/ Birds of Prey #127

This was the last issue of Robin, one of several DC titles to come to an end this month. It's bittersweet to be losing all these titles because, while I enjoy them and have been reading them for a long time, it's been awhile since an issue has done anything for me. Which is probably why they are being canceled. Of Nightwing, Robin and Birds of Prey, Robin was the strongest title, I think, at least at the time of cancellation. Tim Drake is a great character, and can almost carry his own title. Almost. I actually would have liked to see a Robins title (um, maybe not called that) featuring Dick, Tim and Jason, especially now that Batman is out of the picture for awhile. Why battle for the cowl when you could have three perfectly capable guys (well, two) holding down the fort?

Anyway, as I was saying, this was the last issue of Robin. And, unlike the final issues of Nightwing and Birds of Prey, this was actually a pretty good ending. As far as I'm concerned, Will Pfeifer set the bar pretty high for ending a Gotham-based comic with Catwoman #82. That was a great comic. Robin wasn't that good, but it tied up some things, opened up new possibilities, and kept the soul-searching and personal reflection on a career in crimefighting to a reasonable level. There was a running interior monologue throughout the issue, but it wasn't way over the top like, say, last week's issue of Nightwing.

Birds of Prey, on the other hand, went out with a whimper. Man, I like Tony Bedard, but this really felt like the comic had been punched in the gut and was trying desperately to crawl out of the room unnoticed. A completely unmemorable ending to a fairly significant, and at one time beloved, comic series.

Next week: the final issue of Blue Beetle (sob!). Of all the titles getting canned this month, I am the most disappointed about this one. The rest come as a bit of a relief because I can really reduce my pull list. I actually expect to make a lot of cuts over the next few months, but hopefully I'll be able to replace some of them with exciting new series. Like Jeff Parker's highly entertaining Mysterius, which was also out this week (#2), and Jersey Gods, the first issue of which hit stores a couple of weeks ago. It will definitely satisfy your New Gods cravings.

Holy crap guys! The Watchmen movie is, like, soon!

Comic Art Auction Announcement

2009-02-18T13:49:00.002-04:00

Howdy!

A group of comics professionals, including Darwyn, Cameron Stewart, and Adam Hughes, are trying to help out a friend with some hefty medical bills and are selling some artwork and other special items on ebay. Anything raised above what's needed will be donated to the HERO Initiative charity.

You can check out the goods here, but here's a taste:

This Week's Haul: I Bumped my Brain!

2009-02-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

Well, these reviews were pretty much ready to post on Friday morning, but then I got in a car accident on the way to work. Nothing too bad, but I got a slight concussion according to the doctor. Anyway, I forgot to post these yesterday, so here they are today.

Batman #686

Neil Gaiman + Andy Kubert = $$$$

I think this was really awesome. I like to make fun of Gaiman fans because they are annoying, but this really was great. The dude can write a comic (as long as it doesn't set Marvel characters in 1602). Plus, Kubert's art looked great.

Aaaand...a Catwoman-centric story? That will always win me over. Especially one where she ties Batman up for any reason.

When I was reading Alfred's story in this issue I was wondering how many casual Batman fans who are picking up this comic will be confused and take Alfred's word as bond re: The Joker. But I think the comic was pretty clear that nothing happening in it should be taken as canon.

Calling the story "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader" is a bit risky, as it compares it to one of the greatest comics ever written, but y'know...confidence in your product, I guess. It was a really entertaining read and I am looking forward to the next issue. Worth the extra dollar!

Plus I liked that line "I don't think Death is a person, Batman." Cute, Gaiman. Cute.

Amazing Spider-Man #586

For some reason I always save Spider-Man for the end of my comic reading each week. This week I put it near the beginning. It was the only Marvel title I picked up this week, so I kinda felt sorry for it.

I know that I have mentioned this before, particularly in my Best of 2008 post, but I am just so frigging impressed by how great Spider-Man has been since the relaunch at the beginning of last year. And the fact that it is coming out three times a month makes it that much more impressive. I think that Marvel has actually found the perfect formula for creating comic books: have a rotating team who are all in on the same story-line, but are all telling their own short stories within the larger arc. Brilliant! The way they have it set up, it avoids several problems that plague almost every title on the stands today:

1. There are no "fill-in" issues because there is no one single creative team.

2. The comics come out on time.

3. Because it's a continually rotating team, the larger story is very fluid, and doesn't change drastically when a new creative team comes on board. For most comics, when a new team takes over a book they pretty much start over with the character and story, taking the elements that they liked from the last team's efforts, and dropping the rest. Many things never get resolved, or are just forgotten.

This issue, which follows-up last week's big reveal of who the mysterious new villain, Menace, really is, is a perfect example of what Spider-Man is doing right. Menace has been showing up in Spider-Man comics since the relaunch. There were many issues that the character wasn't there, but Menace was never forgotten about. Typically, the identity of a villain like Menace would be revealed within a 6-issue story arc in most comic series. The Spider-Man format allows for this long-lasting story to exist while lots of other stories are happening. And the Menace storyline is only one of many larger storylines existing in the Spider-Man world. It's great stuff, and it really creates a more complex and vibrant universe for Spider-Man. There's a lot going on, but the writers have a great handle on it all. I never expected the title to be this well-managed when they first announced that it would be coming out so frequently. Well done, Marvel!

Booster Gold #17

How are the sales on this title? Good, I hope because I really love it and don't want it to go away. When Geoff Johns left the title I didn't think I would still be into it, but I still look forward to it ever month.

Nightwing #153

This was the final issue of Nightwing, and it was terrible.

Batman Confidential #26

This, on the other hand, was fantastic. Really, really great. It's the antidote to all this crazy, arthouse Batman that we have been getting lately. It's a straightforward story where a bizarre theme-based villain is terrorizing Gotham and Batman teams up with Jim Gordon to figure it out. Awesome right? Well add to that some AMAZING art by, wait for it, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and inked by Kevin Nowlan! Sometimes you just need a shot of Batman, straight up with no chaser. This is that comic.

Mini-Marvels: Secret Invasion

New Mini Marvels digest!!! Everyone should buy three of these.

Scott Pilgrim Contest Winner!

2009-02-10T21:56:00.002-04:00

I have randomly drawn a winner from all who entered the Scott Pilgrim contest. The winner is Andrew Townsend, and I swear it was random and had nothing to do with the fact that The Stolen Minks are on his ultimate Scott Pilgrim playlist.

Here is his list:

Young Leaves--Attack in Black
Super Soaked--Be Your Own Pet
Little Garcon, Little Fille--Born Ruffians
Hot Tips--The D'urbervilles
Burn 2 Ash-- Chad VanGaalen
Sugar Laced Soul--The Diableros
She Don't Use Jelly--The Flaming Lips
I Know a Place--Jay Reatard
Lay Your Head Down--Keren Ann
Secrets Aren't So Bad--Magneta Land
I'm Easy--The Meligrove Band
Shake It Off--Ninja High School
Bring It--The Stolen Minks
I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart--The White Stripes

Congrats Andrew! Send me an email with your contact info so I can get that Scott Pilgrim special to you (rachellegoguen at gmail dot com). Thanks for entering everyone! I enjoyed reading your lists!

In other news...

I am working hard on getting the new and improved Living Between Wednesdays up and running. I can't post too much here because I am out of room. The plan is to have the new site up by the end of the month. I hope you will all follow me over there. Daily posts are the plan for the new site! For reals this time!

Scott Pilgrim Contest!

2009-02-04T16:40:00.007-04:00

The fifth installment of the beloved Scott Pilgrim series is released today. I haven't read it yet because I don't get advance copies like some bloggers, but I do have a pretty nifty prize to give out!

I have a fairly rare, not-available-in-stores Oni Press collection of miscellaneous Scott Pilgrim stories (see photo). These stories showed up in Free Comic Book Day comics and such and have now been collected in one handy comic book! And it's in FULL COLOUR!

To get your hands on one of these babies, post your ultimate Scott Pilgrim soundtrack playlist in the comment thread. I'll draw a winner randomly from everyone who enters!

Final Crisis #7

2009-01-29T21:11:00.005-04:00

Final Crisis wrapped up this week, of course. I really loved how it ended. I definitely have to go back and read it from the beginning again to get everything out of it, but overall, this was a fantastic event with really high quality writing and artwork. I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't read it yet, but I want to say a couple of general things.

What I really love about Grant Morrison is his optimism. Final Crisis had a happy ending. Morrison had to pretty much literally take us to Hell and back to give us that happy ending, but in the end what we got was an incredibly beautiful ode to heroes and heroism. Morrison loves superheroes, and it shows on every page. He likes to torture them, but it's always so we can see them overcome and triumph in a way that always makes me want to cry because why can't Superman be real?! WHY?!

Things got as bad as they could possibly get, and not everyone made it out alive, but nothing happened that I would consider pessimistic. And there certainly wasn't anything snarky. This was not a series written by a disgruntled old scribe who was sick of superheroes and just wanted to make them all suffer for their own sick pleasure. We've seen enough of that in plenty of comics. This was a story of hope. And it was delightful.

Plus, y'know, there was a lot of cool-looking stuff.

This Week's Haul: Namor!

2009-01-23T17:24:00.014-04:00

Hey everyone!

I got a whole lot of comics this week. Really, too many comics. But my computer is fixed and Photoshop is reinstalled, so I am able to share my thoughts with you once again. Here we go with a small selection of what I read this week.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #2

Namor fans rejoice!

I have been buying Uncanny X-Men every month for the better part of a year now. I have really enjoyed Matt Fraction's writing on the title, and have tried to overlook the artwork in the Greg Land issues.

This issue tells the sexy history between Emma Frost and Namor. And it's frigging beautiful! Both Daniel Acuna and Mitch Breitweiser provide stunning artwork, but you don't have to take my word for it!

Oh Namor. I missed you so.

Superman/Batman Annual #3

Blowing? Tandem? It must be Superman/Batman!

Len Wein steps in to write this year's S/B Annual (typically the only issue of S/B ever worth reading). It's a re-telling of the Composite Superman/Batman story and it is really entertaining. It kind of emphasizes my point that Superman/Batman should be a series of one-shots by a different creative team every month. Even if it was just re-telling of Silver Age stories, it would still be a much better comic than it is right now.

Getting back to this issue: great art, great banter, a couple of unfortunate and somewhat confusing colouring errors, but those are easy to overlook.

Especially when Superman is looking so cute leaning on a wall!

Awwww.

And Batman asks a tough question:

Um, well...now that you mention it...

Dr Doom and the Masters of Evil #1

Hey! A new all-ages comic by Paul Tobin! Sign me up!

I love stories from the villains' point of view, especially funny ones where they are paling around. This book has plenty of that.

Mysterio asking to borrow a car so he can get his computer fixed really cracks me up.

This is going to be yet another really great Marvel all-ages title, as far as I can tell. But, like many all-ages books, it will mostly be enjoyed by aged comic nerds.

Ghost Rider #31

Yet another totally awesome issue of Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron. Much like Captain America, Daredevil, or Jonah Hex, it's so good every month that I really don't have anything interesting to say about it.

Except...HOT Ghost Rider on Ghost Rider Action!!!!

Green Lantern #37

The Red Lanterns have really been grossing me out, I'm not going to lie, so I wasn't too excited about this issue. But it was actually pretty awesome. For one thing, Ivan Reis really threw down some great art. And the Hal Jordan-Sinestro rivalry was entertaining as usual.

Mysterius: The Unfathomable #1

Jeff Parker has a new series! And it's for...Wildstorm?!

Well, I don't usually have much reason to buy Wildstorm comics, but this is a good one. A really good one, as far as I can tell.

A mystic and a plucky young journalist-turned-assistant. That's a solid combination. Parker is one of my favourite writers, so it wasn't a tough decision to pick this up. And the art, by Tom Fowler, is really beautiful.

New original series are exciting!

Batman Died for our Sins

2009-01-17T01:34:00.004-04:00

So something totally insane and messed up and horrifying happened to Batman this week.

Check it out:

Horrible.

And if that isn't bad enough, the comic is full of shocking scenes of violence, including this brutal death scene:

I am appalled at the levels DC will sink to just to increase their sales numbers. It can only be described as sensationalist and disgusting.*

Bonus panel:

Aquaman doesn't give a fuck.

* I am kidding. All panels are from Superfriends #11. Also, Final Crisis was awesome.

Update!

2009-01-12T10:56:00.003-04:00

I just want to let you guys know what's going on.

I haven't abandoned you, I just have been having computer problems. I had to format my harddrive, but my computer is finally working again. Which means my scanner is finally working again! Unfortunately, I lost important blogging programs like Photoshop. So I have to reinstall that.

ALSO...I am pretty much out of space here on Blogger, so I am moving this blog to livingbetweenwednesdays.com pretty soon. My plan is to bring over all the old posts to the new site so everything will be in one place. I am just working on the design now.

Hopefully that Best of 2008 post was long enough to tide you over a bit. I'll be posting again as soon as I get Photoshop reinstalled. It's been far too long without a Super Hunk rating!

The Best of 2008

2008-12-31T16:31:00.004-04:00

2008 was a big year for me. Matt and I got married, we both finished school, we both got jobs, and we each released a new album. I also got to go to my first comic book convention, HeroesCon in Charlotte. A pretty exciting year overall.

It was an exciting year for comic books too! As is now a Living Between Wednesdays tradition, I present my list of the best comic book-related things of 2008. I have selected 20 books, series, movies, events, and phenomenons that I feel were the best of the year. I have also created a list of runners-up, a list of ongoing series that continued to be awesome with the same creative teams as last year, and a list of great series that came to an end this year.

Enjoy the list. It took me about a thousand hours to write. Feel free to disagree, I don't claim to be an expert on these things. Thanks for reading my blog for another year! And have a happy new year! I'll see you in 2009 (a lot more frequently now that school is over forever!).

1. Action Comics
2. Tiny Titans
3. Ghost Rider
4. Watchmen Mania!
5. Wonder Woman
6. The Incredible Herc
7. Top Ten Season Two
8. The Dark Knight/Iron Man
9. The Amazing Spider-Man
10. Fourth World Omnibuses
11. Dr. Horrible
12. The New Frontier Movie/One-Shot
13. Secret Six
14. Supergirl
15. The Age of the Sentry
16. The Umbrella Academy
17. The War at Ellsmere
18. Zorro
19. Daisy Owl
20. Batman: Brave and the Bold Cartoon

1. Action Comics (DC) by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

The longest-running comic book title of all time was the very best of 2008, in my opinion. Geoff Johns gave us incredibly satisfying Superman stories that embraced the Man of Steel's past without being overly nostalgic. One of my favourite things about Geoff Johns as a writer is that he isn't snobby about the more recent history of comic book characters. Maybe it's because he's a younger writer, but I absolutely love how he doesn't write with the attitude that things were so much better in the 60s, or 70s, or whatever decade the writer feels the closest connection to. Johns does a great job of blending the best of all eras to create stories that will define the current era of comic books.

The two completed storylines, the Legion of Super-Heroes arc and the Brainiac story, were both excellent, and the New Krypton crossover that followed them has been really fun.

I also just love Gary Frank's artwork so much. His Reeve/Kidder style Superman and Lois are just fantastic. No offense to all other artists, but I wouldn't be sad if he drew every single comic, just because I want to see what every character would look like in his style. And that is why I am grateful that he illustrated the Legion story in Action earlier this year...so many characters!

2. Tiny Titans (DC) by Art Baltazar and Franco

Aw yeah! Tiny Titans was one of the titles that I was most excited about for 2008. Not only because it looked adorable and funny, but DC was finally making a real effort to go after kids under the age of 10. 2008 also saw the launch of DC's Super Friends (with awesome J. Bone covers), Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam (really great but needs to come out faster), and Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade. Last year Marvel had it all over DC for all-ages titles, but I think DC wins the war this year. I don't really care who's winning, just as long as the battle is happening. Because, really, when the two big publishers are trying to one-up each other's all-ages material, everyone wins.

3. Ghost Rider (Marvel) by Jason Aaron, Roland Boschi and Tan Eng Huat

If you told me a year ago that I would have Ghost Rider on my pull list by June...

Jason Aaron was the perfect man for the job on this title. I have been enjoying Scalped since it started so I was interested in picking up anything else that Aaron was going to be writing...I just didn't expect that to be Wolverine (which was excellent) and Ghost Rider.

Since the newest Ghost Rider series started up, it has been lacking the fun that a comic book about a flaming skeleton riding a motorcycle should have. When Aaron took over on issue #20, he injected an appropriate amount of fun and craziness. Each issue is packed with "holy shit!" moments. It's macho, it's insane and it's everything a comic book should be. I can't recommend it enough.

4. Watchmen Mania!

So in case you haven't heard, they are making a movie based on Watchmen. And people are kind of excited about it. This year saw the re-release of the Absolute Edition, a new hardcover, and the paperback was Amazon's #1 bestseller at one point, despite being over 20 years old. Plus Dave Gibbons and Chip Kidd put out a beautiful hardcover book, Watching the Watchmen, detailing the making of the legendary comic. It was a good year for the little yellow book.

I, like, a jillion other people, re-read Watchmen this year. I bought the recently re-released Absolute Edition, actually, so I could see the artwork as big as possible. Here's the thing about Watchmen: it's amazing. It's so good that, even though I had read it before, it hurt to put it down. It was so hard to stop reading it because it's just so damn awesome. I get totally lost in that world, depressing as it is. Plus, my love for Nite Owl know no bounds.

Watchmen is one of those things that is so good that it gets me thinking about all the things that had to happen, and had to come together, at the exact right moment in time to create this one perfect thing (sort of like how I feel about my own birth).

Alan Moore. Dave Gibbons. DC. The 80s. The Cold War. Reagan. Nixon. The emergence of British comic writers. Swamp Thing. Charlton Comics. DC's purchase of Charlton's characters. All of these and an infinite number of other things had to happen and had to come together in the mid-80s to give us this exact book, which is still completely mind-blowing.

There is a great deal of cynicism about the movie, even though the trailers do look pretty frigging awesome. All that I know is that the shop I was working at sold HUNDREDS of copies of Watchmen since the first trailer hit the theatres in July. And whether or not the movie does the book justice, the fact is that thousands of people worldwide are taking an interest in the book, many of whom had never heard of it. And that ain't bad.

5. Wonder Woman (DC) by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti

I read an interview somewhere (Comics Journal?) where Simone said that she specifically told DC when she went to write for them that she never wanted to write Wonder Woman. Too predictable to put the token female writer on the token heroine's book.

I'm glad she changed her mind.

Wonder Woman is a character that has been suffering since her creation. She's never really starred in a comic that was actually very good. The earliest stuff is just insane and, y'know, sexist. The "mod" era is fun but not particularly inspiring as far as super hero stories go. And, y'know, sexist. The character has typically been either a cold, ruthless, man-hating warrior, or has been really boring. What it comes down to is that no one knows what to do with her, whether in a group like the Justice League, or in a solo adventure. She's "the female one," which doesn't give the writers a lot to work with. So, as much as I like to think this doesn't need to be the case, perhaps it takes a woman to really flesh out a personality and a purpose for DC's most famous female character.

Gail Simone, one of my very favourite writers for many reasons, took over the Wonder Woman title on issue #14 last November after a pretty good run by Allan Heinberg and an abysmal run by Jodi Picoult. Simone quickly gave Diana Prince a personality, a life, a love interest and a place in the DCU that made sense. She has balanced her new life as an agent at the Department of Metahuman Affairs, and her old life as an Amazonian princess who has more than a few gods in her Rolodex. Plus, the boyfriend. I mean...FINALLY! And Etta Candy is back, so Diana has an actual friend for a change.

It's all very exciting, and made more exciting by the fact that Aaron Lopresti is a fantastic artist who is able to draw stunning renditions of Wonder Woman without making her costume look skanky, or without throwing her ass in our faces (sorry, Dodsons. I love your art but seriously...).

Now let's try to get an all-ages Wonder Woman title off the ground, eh DC? Or at the very least a Wonder Woman Super Friends action figure! Why are there Super Friends Cyborg figures but no Wonder Woman?!

6. The Incredible Herc (Marvel) by Greg Pak and Various Artists

And speaking of gods...

So, Marvel took a risk with this one. It was a weird decision. Last year they had a big crossover event happening, World War Hulk. This year they had a Hulk movie hitting theatres. So obviously the thing to do with the Hulk title is to change the titles to The Incredible Herc, and make it a comic about Hercules instead of Hulk, right?

On paper, it looks crazy. But that's exactly what Marvel did. I am not sure how big a seller this title is, but as far as I can tell, it does alright. And it is GREAT! It's one of those titles that I read with a big smile on my face. It's just pure fun.

7. Top Ten Season Two (Wildstorm/DC) by Zander Cannon and Gene Ha

I can't even imagine how intimidating it would be to attempt to fill the shoes of Alan Moore. I guess it helps when the people filling the shoes are the rest of the original creative team. Zander Cannon and Gene Ha have done an excellent job of bringing back Top Ten, which is my personal favourite Alan Moore creation. It really is just as good as it was when Moore was writing it, and Ha is providing his usual beautiful artwork. Plus...it's coming out reasonably quickly! Very exciting.

My wish for 2009: an Absolute Edition that collects the first two Top Ten books, the Forty-Niners and Smax. Come on, DC! Bury the hatchet and put it out!

8. The Dark Knight / Iron Man

I spent several years feeling impossible levels of excitement for these two movies, closely following every casting decision, every development, every rumour, every trailer or poster, every photo from the sets. My anticipation was so great that I could hardly believe, when I was sitting in the theatre when they were each released, that the big day had finally arrived. And yet, somehow, both movies surpassed my crazy high expectations.

I mentioned at the end of last year's Best of 2007 post that 2008 was going to be a huge year for nerdy movies. Although both Harry Potter and Star Trek were bumped to 2009, it was still a monumental year for comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy films. Not only because of the volume of films that were released in the genre, but because they topped the box office returns. Six of the top ten fall in that genre, seven if you want to count Kung-Fu Panda, and eight if you want to count Quantum of Solace. So many comic book movies were released that I actually missed some that I was looking forward to (Hellboy II, Speed Racer and Punisher: War Zone, for instance).

Iron Man was loved by pretty much everyone. It was just so much fun, and it was a completely satisfying interpretation of the character. Many of the complaints about the Spider-Man, Daredevil, X-Men or Fantastic Four movies couldn't be made about this one. A lot of the loyalty to the characters and the comics can be owed to the fact that Marvel was now producing the movie themselves with the newly established Marvel Studios. But a lot of the credit also has to go to Jon Favreau, who genuinely loves Marvel super heroes. It also didn't hurt that all four of its big stars were Oscar nominees or winners.

As successful as Iron Man was, it turned out to be the appetizer. When The Dark Knight was released two months later, the whole world became Batman fans. Or, more specifically, Joker fans. It. Was. Insane. Of course we all know about Heath Ledger's amazing performance and his sudden and tragic death, and how that largely was what the world was talking about re: Dark Knight. But if you look beyond that, you'll see some great performances that have been overlooked. Gary Oldman returned as Commissioner Gordon and killed it once again. Aaron Eckhart was fantastic as both Harvey Dent and Two-Face (Spoiler!!). Morgan Freeman was even more enjoyable as Lucious Fox than in Batman Begins. And, of course, Christian Bale once again was great as Batman and Bruce Wayne. I'm not saying that Ledger's performance doesn't deserve the attention it got, I'm just saying that there are a lot of great scenes in that movie that he's not even in.

The added bonus of these two fantastic movies is that their success means more comic book movies in the future! We already heard Marvel's plans for a slew of movies leading up to a series of Avengers films, as well as the plans for another Batman sequel. There are also Green Lantern and Jonah Hex movies in the works, as well as that weird-ass Justice League movie. Who knows what else will get the green light? (Power Man and Iron Fist buddy movie...Power Man and Iron Fist buddy movie...).

9. Amazing Spider-Man Brand New Day (Dan Slott, Marc Guggenheim, Bob Gale, et al.)

A year ago, Spider-Man comics would have been on my "worst of" list. This year Marvel ditched two of the redundant titles, made Amazing Spider-Man come out three times per month, and also decided to make that comic awesome. It was a wise move.

I love the new format of the title. I love that it allows great writers like Dan Slott, Marc Guggenheim and Mark Waid team up with great artists like Marcos Martin, John Romita Jr and Steve McNiven for short stints. The result is that there are no fill-in issues or incidents of burn-out. The larger story arc isn't particularly fluid, but it doesn't need to be because the short storylines are great. The two-issue arc (#578 and 579) by Mark Waid and Marcos Martin were as close to comic book perfection as I think I have ever read. If they had been one issue, it would have been my favourite single issue of the year.

It was a controversial and courageous move for Marvel to basically wipe the board clean of all the terrible decisions they made about Spider-Man in recent years. They brought the character back to basics, but not without including fan-favourite characters and events from the 90s and beyond. The incredibly popular and high-selling arc, New Ways to Die, was an Eddie Brock story that was really exciting and featured some beautiful JRJ art. It's going to make a great hardcover.

I have bought every issue of Spider-Man since Brand New Day started. I had never bought an issue of Spider-Man before. Well done, Marvel!

10. Fourth World Omnibuses (DC) by Jack Kirby and the New Gods Action Figures

2008 was a huge year for reprints and new editions. Starman, Gotham Central, JLA/Avengers, Scud, Zot, Kirby's The Demon and O.M.A.C., Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire's Justice League, Bendis' Daredevil, Gibbons and Rude's World's Finest, Watchmen, The Killing Joke, The Man Who Laughs, Demon in a Bottle, Y: The Last Man, Hellboy, The Tick and Ronin were some of the countless titles to get reprinted, usually in fancy new hardcover editions. Of all the re-prints this year, however, none was more satisfying than seeing Jack Kirby's Fouth World comics collected in four beautiful hardcovers, all in colour, and all in order, for the very first time.
And Fourth World fans were also treated to the first series of New Gods action figures, which perfectly replicated Kirby's art and, in my opinion, are the nicest action figures of 2008.

11. Dr Horrible

The one good thing to come out of the writer's strike is that it gave Joss Whedon and a bunch of his pals time to make this 45-minute musical that quickly became the darling of the internet. Die-hard Whedon fans, much like Gaiman fans, have a tendency to ruin everything by being way too hardcore about it, but no amount of their insanity was going to ruin this for me. It's just really funny and has really catchy songs that you can't get out of your head. And Neil Patrick Harris is so great in it. It's nice to see him doing something that isn't just a parody of himself (although he is great at that too).

I watched all of Buffy and all of Angel for the first time this year, so it was a big Whedon year for me. I think I watched all of Firefly this year too, but that might have been last year. I can't remember. It's nice to finally get the appeal of Whedon and his work. Just calm down, Whedon-heads, alright? You are starting to make the Tim Burton fans look sensible.

12. The New Frontier Movie/One-shot (DC) by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone

Those who know me, or those who read this blog, know that I am batshit insane for Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier. So I was pretty excited about the animated movie that was finally released early this year. Strange Adventures put on a screening of it at one of the local movie theatres here to serve as a release party. The Halifax comic nerd family is pretty thrilled to have Cooke calling the area his home now. If he wrote a grocery list people would show up for its release here, and celebrate it as the greatest grocery list ever written.

Anyway, what I am saying is people 'round here were pretty excited about the New Frontier movie. And I think we were all pretty happy with it. Obviously it omitted some of our favourite parts of the book (Dinosaur Island!) but overall I think they did a nice job of fitting most of the story into a 90 minute movie. I also really liked the voice acting and the animation. It's a nice-looking film. It's bloodier than the book, which I thought was weird, but definitely a satisfying justice league cartoon for adults.

And as an added bonus we got some new stories set in the New Frontier universe in a one-shot special released around the same time as the movie. Included was a great Wonder Woman/Black Canary story by J. Bone, who doesn't do nearly enough interior work. I hope to see more New Frontier stories in the future. A special ever year would be great!

13. Secret Six (DC) by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott

Not only do we get to see Gail Simone reunited with the Secret Six gang, we see Simone reuinited with artist Nicola Scott!

I love Simone's Secret Six. I could read an ongoing story that follows this gang of weirdos forever. It's violent, it's crazy, it's hilarious and it's sexy.

14. Supergirl

I'm not so much talking about Supergirl the title as I am Supergirl the character. She definitely wins the award for "most improved" hands down.

It was a really big year for Supergirl. Beyond her own title, which I will get to in a minute, she is now the star of an all-ages title, Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, and a fantastic mini-series, Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom. She is now playing a major role in the Superman cross-over event, New Krpyton, which is really satisfying.

So a couple of years ago, when Eddie Berganza begged women to give Supergirl a chance, DC was planning on "fixing" the character and her title. I hated the new Supergirl. I mean, she was created by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner. It's not really her fault. I was basically content ignoring her as a character, and never planning to read her title ever. When DC said they were fixing the title, they did make changes, but they book didn't really get any better. It just got weirder as they created a story where her parents had sent her to Earth to kill her cousin, Superman. Booooooo.

It didn't really start to turn around until Tony Bedard took over for a few issues, and Renato Guedes provided some fantastic art that completely changed the look of the character. Suddenly she looked like a young woman and not a weird doll. Even the ridiculous costume started to make sense when it was drawn in a way that resembled fabric.

The comic kind of took another weird turn when it was tying into the Sinestro Corps War. It wasn't bad, but it was kind of confusing. For most of 2008 I was buying Supergirl every month and enjoying it, but since Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle took over as the writer a couple of months ago, it is the best it has ever been.

DC could have just swept this unpopular character under the rug. They had tried her in other titles, like Legion of Superheroes and Teen Titans. She just wasn't winning any fans. It would have been easy to ditch her without any explanation. No one would have noticed or cared. But they instead decided to really make an effort with her, and it worked. She has gone from being my least-favourite DC character to one of my favourites. She has finally found her place in the DCU and in the Superman family, and I'm really happy about it. So good job, DC!

15. Age of the Sentry (Marvel) by Jeff Parker and Various Artists

When so many elements that I love come together in one comic series, it's pretty obvious that I am going to go crazy about it. Silver age stories, Jeff Parker, and artists like Colleen Coover, Dave Bullock, Nick Dragotta, and Michael Cho combine to make one of the funnest mini-series since...Jeff Parker's last mini-series. This comic is brilliant and fun, and it pays tribute to the Silver Age in a hilarious way without full-on making fun of it. Even the letters page replicates the Marvel Mailbag of the 1960s. The best part about this series is that you really don't need to know much about The Sentry as a character. Each issue is made up of short stories that are in no way complicated and are more about what is awesome about comic books and super heroes than anything else. I feel like a lack of interest in The Sentry might deter people from picking up this great comic, and that's too bad.

16. The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

"I heard that emo fruit from that emo fruit band wrote a gay stupid comic."

"Well...yes and no..."

"My Chemical Romance sucks. I hate that emo shit!"

"Yeah, well, I don't like them either but since you're asking about the comic written by Gerard Way it's..."

"He only got to write it because he's famous and all his stupid emo fans are in love with him."

"Well, actually, he studied comic book writing before he..."

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAY."

Unfortunately, inane conversations like this one were the price to pay for what is easily one of the best new comic creations in years. The first series of The Umbrella Academy, Apocalypse Suite, quickly won over most of the comic fans who were doubtful that a guy who makes such uninspired music could possibly create such an imaginative and grown-up comic series. Gabriel Ba's beautiful art didn't hurt either. Apocalypse Suite was collected in a trade and a super deluxe fancy edition. A second series of The Umbrella Academy is also underway.

17. The War at Ellsmere (SLG) by Faith Erin Hicks

Most of what I wanted to say about this book I said in a recent post about it. But let me repeat that this book is a completely enjoyable read for people of all ages. Hicks is not only a delightful person, she has a genuine interest in creating comics that have strong, realistic female characters.

Despite the cancellation of the Minx line by DC, 2008 was actually a pretty good year for comics for teen girls. Besides The War at Ellsmere, we also got Hope Larson's Chiggers, Mariko Tamaki's Skim and Emiko Superstar, Cecil Castellucci's Janes in Love, Raina Telgemeier's new Babysitter's Club comic (Claudia and Mean Janine), and all the great new Supergirl stuff that I mentioned earlier. A solid year for sisters doing it for themselves!

18. Zorro (Dynamite) by Matt Wagner and Francesco Francavilla

I don't know why more people aren't talking about this series. Matt Wagner is doing a fantastic job of telling the origin story of one of the greatest fictional heroes of all time. And Francesco Francavilla's art is stunning in every issue. Plus there are always beautiful covers by artists like Ryan Sook and John Cassaday, as well as by Wagner and Francavilla. Overall, this comic is just really high quality, and it's a great read.

Also, consider this: if Batman read a comic book, it would be this comic book.

19. Daisy Owl by Ben Driscoll

One of my resolutions for 2009 is to read more webcomics. And if I find more like this one, then it won't be hard to fulfill that resolution.

Daisy Owl, by Ben Driscoll, is everything I have been looking for in a comic strip. The art is top quality, the characters are delightful, it's hilarious, and there is a good running story with actual character development.

Daisy Owl is the name of a young girl who, along with her younger brother, has an owl for a father. This is never explained, and that's fine. Other than the fact that their father is an owl and they live in a tree, and their father's best friend is a bear (Steve), their lives are pretty normal. They go to school, their father goes to work, they go on family trips. Daisy is a very smart young girl who is also a very loving sister to her young and confused brother, Cooper.

But the main thing is that the comic is completely hilarious, and I look forward to the day that a book is published so I can give it to everyone I know.

20. Batman: Brave and the Bold Cartoon

Finally something comes along to fill the void left by Justice League Unlimited. The happy difference between this Batman cartoon and others is that Batman is actually a pleasant guy on this show. He's an actual hero, not a grumpy weirdo. It's a great show for kids, very funny and full of action. And seeing characters like the new Blue Beetle and Plastic Man animated for the first time is a real thrill for us comic nerds. Plus...how about those opening credits?! So awesome.

Runners Up

Garfield Minus Garfield (Dan Walsh)
Batman: R.I.P. (DC) by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniels
Tales Designed to Thrizzle #4 (Fantagraphics) by Michael Kupperman
Ambush Bug: Year None (DC) by Keith Giffen
The Hall of Best Knowledge (Fantagraphics) by Ray Fenwick

Mini-Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors Digest (Marvel) by Chris Giarrusso

Final Crisis (DC) by Grant Morrison, J.G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco and Doug Mahnke

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom (DC) by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Phil Noto

Terra (DC) by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner

Chiggers (Aladdin) by Hope Larson
Marvel Adventures Superheroes (Marvel) by Various

The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 1 (DC) by James Robinson and Tony Harris

Emiko Superstar (Minx) by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
Omega the Unknown (Marvel) by Jonathan Letham and Farel Dalrymple
Janes in Love (Minx) by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

Wolverine: Get Mystique (Marvel) by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney

The Incredible Hulk movie

Teen Titans the Lost Annual (DC) by Bob Haney and Jay Stephens

Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam (DC) by Mike Kunkel

Batman Confidential (DC) by Tony Bedard and Rags Morales

Ongoing Series that Continued to Rock with the Same Creative Teams

Jonah Hex (DC) by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and various artists

Daredevil (Marvel) by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark

Captain America (Marvel) by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting

Scalped (Vertigo) by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera
Green Lantern (DC) by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse) by Joss Whedon, Georges Jeanty and various other writers and artists

Fond Farewells

Catwoman (DC) by Will Pfeifer and David Lopez

All Star Superman (DC) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

Y: The Last Man (Vertigo) by Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Justice League Unlimited (DC) by Various

The Batman Strikes (DC) by Various

All-New Atom (DC) by Various

X-Men: First Class (Marvel) by Jeff Parker and various artists

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

2008-12-26T22:24:00.007-04:00

LOOK AT WHAT J. BONE MADE ME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!

A little crocheted Batman!!! Isn't it the greatest thing ever!

I am starting to amass a cuddly family of Batmans! Look!

Man, I am so happy about this. In return I gave J an all-caps email. If you want to see more of J. Bone's cuddly creations, check out his blog devoted to them.

I also got a really nice gift from Darwyn Cooke! He gave me a signed copy of his new art book!

I'm the luckiest comic fan in the world!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! Have a safe and happy holiday!

Here's one of my favourite superhero Christmas scenes (though it's kinda heartbreaking) from Dave Gibbons' and Steve Rude's Worlds Finest series.

Awwww, Superman. Points for trying.

Best of 2008 post coming soon!

Terra #4

2008-12-21T10:54:00.003-04:00

I haven't had a chance to finish reading all of my comics from the past week, plus I am working on my epic 'Best of 2008' post. I did want to mention this about Terra #4:

I wish all mini-series ended with the lead characters going shopping and getting sushi for several pages. I love it!

How to Disappear Completely

2008-12-15T17:24:00.005-04:00

Can you guess Luthor's amazing scheme?

Ummmm...to get really hammered?

Oh well now how was I supposed to guess that?!

Also: hey kids! Wanna be invisible?! Just sink a cup of mouthwash, orange juice and a couple of aspirins and then stick radio parts in your shoes! Science!

How many kids died trying this?

Panels are taken from Action Comics #286.

Great Hera!

2008-12-08T22:44:00.003-04:00

I could seriously look at this all day.

Holy crap. It's so funny.

Just Don't Do It

2008-12-07T16:07:00.003-04:00

Here's an ad from the 60s with some helpful advice:

Chew gum instead of eating! Watch the unsightly pounds melt away!

I probably wouldn't wear a short skirt if those were my legs.

2008-12-06T17:21:00.003-04:00

Aaaaaaaahhh!!!

MONSTER LEGS!!!

If you have veins in your legs that look like that, you have a problem that no cream can cure.

Also, that lady with "dark circles" has clearly been beaten.

I'm depressed.

Those Who Hunt Elves

2008-12-05T20:40:00.002-04:00

...shan't be laid.

File this under "nothing you could say would ever make me read this comic."

This Week's Haul: Supergirl for Everyone!

2008-12-04T22:44:00.009-04:00

So I've already told you how awesome The War at Ellsmere, which came out this week, is. But there were also a lot of other awesome comics! Probably some bad ones too, but I fortunately didn't read any of those!

Batman #682

I think that all the confusing mess that was Batman: R.I.P. was worth it if it got us to this issue. It is absolutely bananas, but really, really enjoyable. It reminded me of All-Star Superman, the way that it embraced and celebrated Batman's zany silver age past. Grant Morrison...you are alright with me!

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #1

I definitely had high hopes for this one, and I wasn't let down. It's fun and silly and it pays no attention to proper canon or continuity. In other words, it's perfect for kids. And, much like Tiny Titans, it is fun for adult nerds as well.

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #3

Everyone should seriously be reading this series. I am going to keep saying that every week until it is over. This is the Superman/Supergirl interaction I have been waiting for.

Jonah Hex #38

And everyone should seriously be reading this series. I can't say enough good things about Jonah Hex, even though I don't talk about this comic nearly enough on this blog. It's completely and totally awesome. I know it is perpetually in danger of being canceled, and it would be tragic if it happens. Comic fans keep asking for one-shots and this is a whole series made up of them. Plus it has great writing and all-star artists.

The Amazing Spider-Man #579

I don't want to say the word 'perfect' here, but these last two issues of Spider-Man, by Mark Waid and Marcos Martin, have been pretty damn close. They have everything you could possibly want in a Spider-Man comic. Not only is Spider-Man witty and likable throughout, he is also incredibly heroic. I was almost teary-eyed. HE JUST GIVES SO MUCH OF HIMSELF!

JSA #21

Man, that Gog guy wasn't as cool as he seemed. Colour me surprised. I was sure everything would work out fine for those tortured souls who populate the Justice Society.

Hey! Y'know what else came out this week?! Showcase Presents: Supergirl v.2!!!

Ohhhh yessssss.

Not convinced? How about a 2-part story where Comet the Superhorse turns into a human temporarily and starts dating Supergirl?

Oh it gets worse...

That's why I don't date horses. They lie.