I did this before a while ago, and I think it's time to do it again.
I have a small stack of GNs/collections from Oni, and I'd like you all to decide which one I should read this weekend.
The candidates are:
Killer Princesses by Gail Simone & Lea Hernandez
Little Star by Andi Watson
Midnight Mover by Gary Phillips, Jeremy Love & Jeff Wasson
No Dead Time by Brian McLachlan & Tom Williams
Once in a Blue Moon by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, & Jennifer Quick
One Plus One by Neal Shaffer & Daniel Krall
Scooter Girl by Chynna Clugston-Major
Three Days in Europe by Antony Johnston & Mike Hawthorne
Please use the comments on this here blog post to make the case for which of the above I should read over the weekend. I'll post a review or reviews of the Oni GN(s) I choose early next week.
Thanks!
Friday, 23 June 2006
Thursday, 22 June 2006
Really Quick Boom Reviews
My review copies from Boom! are starting to back up on me. So here are some very quick takes:What Were They Thinking?! Some People Never Learn: These remix comics cam be amusing, but the novelty is starting to wear thin. There are some amusing bits here, but if this stuff is going to continue, they're going to have to kick it up a notch. 2.5 (of 5)
Hero Squared Ongoing #1: There are lots and lots of words here--good thing that DeMatteis brings to funny more often than not. And the last few pages are silent, so I guess that he used up Boom!'s allotment of word balloons for the month and they ran out. A fun continuation of the mini, and hopefully a plot will kick into gear soon. 3 (of 5)
Tag #1: You'd think that zombie comics would have run their course by now, but Giffen finds a fresh spin to keep things interesting, and Kody Chamberlain has the perfect art style for this comic: inky with a touch of Jae Lee in there. And while a zombie blog may be pandering to all of us comics bloggers, it works. 3 (of 5)
Second Wave: War of the Worlds #3: Too much time is spent in the sewers in the first half of the book, but the art really opens up when the group finally gets out in the open. Still, I want to see the plot move quicker to keep my interest. 2.5 (of 5)
X Isle #1: Take one part Surface, add in some Lost, and you get X Isle. This makes for a good first issue, setting up the situation and establishing the conflicts. Greg Scott supplies the art, and he's improved since his fill-ins on Gotham Central and really makes this book work for him. I want to read more. 3.5 (of 5)
(review copies of these comics were provided by the publisher)
Wednesday, 21 June 2006
FCBM2 Wrap-up
It's been over a week since Free Comic Book Month 2 finally wrapped-up, and once again I'd have to label it a success. Sixty-two people entered, and this year I was able to send free comics to every person from whom I received an entry! Of course, I had to take an extra 11 days to do it, but I don't think there were very many complaints. I gave away a total of 150 free comics this time.
Looking at the site statistics, May was my biggest month traffic-wise in a year--since the last FCBM in May 2005. Part of that it turns out was from people looking for the Aquaman trailer, since I posted a link to it at one point and once it got pulled Google searches were leading people to me instead. (But then last year during May I got a huge boost from one of my posts getting linked to by a popular library blog.)
Last year there were several times when I matched people up with comics they had already read; this year that only happened once, and the person who I inadvertantly duplicated had only received the comic from another source two days prior. I heard back from most people that they enjoyed the free comic(s) they got, so I guess I was going a pretty good job on matching new comics with readers.
A couple of people sent me comics back in return, which while appreciated and a nice guesture was not necessary. (One of the reasons I'm giving away comics is because I have too damn many of them!) The knowledge that you've enjoyed the comics is thanks enough. If you really want to thank me, come back in December and contribute when I do my fund drive for the CBLDF (or heck, go and donate now!)
The most interesting part of FCBM--for me, anyway--is seeing which comics people list as their five choices for comics they enjoy. Like last year, I've broken down the numbers and here are the most popular comics:
9 people: Runaways
8 people: Ex Machina; Fables; Planetary; She-Hulk; Y, the Last Man
7 people: All Star Superman; Love & Rockets
6 people: The Goon
5 people: Legion of Super-Heroes
4 people: Astro City; Bone; Invincible; Sandman; Scott Pilgrim; Seven Soldiers; Starman; The Walking Dead
3 people: Astonishing X-Men; Birds of Prey; Cerebus; Daredevil; Hellboy; The Invisibles; New Avengers; Nextwave; Rocketo; Strangers in Paradise; Top Ten; Transmetropolitan; Ultimates; X-Factor
2 people: 100 Bullets; Animal Man; The Authority; Bacchus; Batman; Blankets; Captain America; DC The New Frontier; DMZ; Exiles; Fell; Finder; From Hell; Girls; Hard Times; Iron Man; Jonah Hex; Lucifer; Promethea; Queen & Country; Savage Dragon; Spider-Man; Superman; True Story Swear to God; Usagi Yojimbo
Plus many more titles mentioned by just one entrant--too many to list!
Of course it's impossible to draw any sort of conclusion from these statistics, but it does make for an interesting list (There appear to be a lot of Brian K. Vaughn fans who entered!)
Thanks to everybody who entered. It was fun matching up people with comics! I'll probably have another contest of some sort around the time of my second Blogiversary (in August), and come back again in May 2007 as I'll hopefully have Free Comic Book Month 3!
Looking at the site statistics, May was my biggest month traffic-wise in a year--since the last FCBM in May 2005. Part of that it turns out was from people looking for the Aquaman trailer, since I posted a link to it at one point and once it got pulled Google searches were leading people to me instead. (But then last year during May I got a huge boost from one of my posts getting linked to by a popular library blog.)
Last year there were several times when I matched people up with comics they had already read; this year that only happened once, and the person who I inadvertantly duplicated had only received the comic from another source two days prior. I heard back from most people that they enjoyed the free comic(s) they got, so I guess I was going a pretty good job on matching new comics with readers.
A couple of people sent me comics back in return, which while appreciated and a nice guesture was not necessary. (One of the reasons I'm giving away comics is because I have too damn many of them!) The knowledge that you've enjoyed the comics is thanks enough. If you really want to thank me, come back in December and contribute when I do my fund drive for the CBLDF (or heck, go and donate now!)
The most interesting part of FCBM--for me, anyway--is seeing which comics people list as their five choices for comics they enjoy. Like last year, I've broken down the numbers and here are the most popular comics:
9 people: Runaways
8 people: Ex Machina; Fables; Planetary; She-Hulk; Y, the Last Man
7 people: All Star Superman; Love & Rockets
6 people: The Goon
5 people: Legion of Super-Heroes
4 people: Astro City; Bone; Invincible; Sandman; Scott Pilgrim; Seven Soldiers; Starman; The Walking Dead
3 people: Astonishing X-Men; Birds of Prey; Cerebus; Daredevil; Hellboy; The Invisibles; New Avengers; Nextwave; Rocketo; Strangers in Paradise; Top Ten; Transmetropolitan; Ultimates; X-Factor
2 people: 100 Bullets; Animal Man; The Authority; Bacchus; Batman; Blankets; Captain America; DC The New Frontier; DMZ; Exiles; Fell; Finder; From Hell; Girls; Hard Times; Iron Man; Jonah Hex; Lucifer; Promethea; Queen & Country; Savage Dragon; Spider-Man; Superman; True Story Swear to God; Usagi Yojimbo
Plus many more titles mentioned by just one entrant--too many to list!
Of course it's impossible to draw any sort of conclusion from these statistics, but it does make for an interesting list (There appear to be a lot of Brian K. Vaughn fans who entered!)
Thanks to everybody who entered. It was fun matching up people with comics! I'll probably have another contest of some sort around the time of my second Blogiversary (in August), and come back again in May 2007 as I'll hopefully have Free Comic Book Month 3!
Summer!
Stay cool!
(Cover of Patrick The Wolf Boy: Summer Special 2001 by Art Baltazar, courtesy of the GCD.)
Tuesday, 20 June 2006
New This Week: June 21, 2006
Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:The Pick of the Week is All Star Superman #4, because it's always a happy day when Morrison & Quitely's Superman comes to town.
In other comics:
AiT/PlanetLAR have Jason McNamara & Tony Talbert's Continuity OGN.
Boom! pick up publishing DeMatteis & Ploog's Stardust Kid with issue #4; and debut the Lost-meets-Surface thriller X Isle.
Dark Horse go all barbarian on us, with the paperback edition of the third Conan collection, and new issues of Conan (#29) and Conan: Book of Thoth (#4).
DC continue their super ways with a second Showcase Presents Superman volume; the fourth collection of George Perez's Wonder Woman; the debut of the new Flash: The Fastest Man Alive series; and new issues of 52 (week 7), Birds of Prey (#95), Bite Club: VCU (#3), Ex Machina (#21); Hellblazer (#221); Manhunter (#23); Sgt Rock: The Prophecy (#6), Shadowpact (#2), Superman/Batman (#27), Swamp Thing (#28), and Testament (#7).
Dork Storm have a new issue of Dork Tower (#34).
IDW collect F. Paul Wilson's The Keep adaptation, and have a new issue of Fallen Angel (#6).
Image debut Casanova with art by YACB fave Gabriel Bá. There are also collections for Fear Agent (vol. 1) and Invincible (vol. 6), plus a new issue of Noble Causes (#21).
Maerkle Press debut Love and Capes.
Marvel debut Neil Gaiman & John Romita, Jr. on Eternals, and have new issues of Astonishing X-Men (#15), Captain America (#19), and Ultimates 2 (#11).
Oni have the fifth issue of Love as a Foreign Language.
Top Shelf have Tony Consiglio's 110 Per Cent OGN.
Yes, that's new issues of All Star Superman, Astonishing X-Men, and The Ultimates all on the same week. So be careful when you go to the comic store, else your head mught explode!
Dave's Dozen: Indy Comics
Continuing my look through the June Previews (for comics supposedly shipping in August), here are a dozen indy comics that I feel are worth your attention:
Phonogram #1
(Image, $3.50, p. 136)
"Real"-world magic collides with the worlds of indy rock and photography. Keiron Gillen's story looks intriguing and the art by Jamie McKelvie has an attractive David Hahn-like quality.
Strangers in Paradise #84
(Abstract Studios, $2.95, p. 206)
Is anybody but me still reading this in floppy form? Actually I'm not really either, as I tend to let these stack up and then read a chunk all at once. I guess I should be waiting for the trade, but it's too late to start now...
Dork #11
(Slave Labor, $2.95, p.218)
Yeah sure it takes Evan Dorkin forever to create a new issue of Dork. But it's always worth it, as Dorkin packs every page with the funny. Guaranteed laughs.
Rex Libris #5
(Slave Labor, $2.95, p. 218)
More densely packed librarian humor from James Turner.
Gold Digger #77
(Antarctic Press, $2.99, p.222)
Little Tiffany has her first adventure as she teems up with one of the Peebos to explore a hidden chanber in her Aunt Gina's lab. Fred Perry really shines when he does these one-offs between epics.
Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #1 - Ape Edition
(Ape Entertainment, $4.50, p. 224)
Another refugee from the Speakeasy collapse resurfaces. This combines the first (and only) Speakeasy issue with the unpublished second issue, allowing new readers to get in on the ground floor.
The Origin of Sparky One Shot
(Awakening Comics $2.99, p. 244)
A jam comic featuring the likes of Dave Sim, Shannon Wheeler, Bob Burdon and James Kochalka. Consider it an autograph book for APE or SPX.
Whisper #1
(Boom! Studios, $3.99, p. 247)
The First comics 80s rennaisance continues. This time it's Steven Grant's turn; he brings back his Whisper character, but it's a re-imagining, not a continuation.
The Enigma Cipher #1
(Boom! Studios, $3.99, p. 247)
Boom! seems to be turning out quality mini-series with alarming regularity, and this new one--which ties WWII code-craft with modern-day conspiracies--looks like it could be another enjoyable outing.
Delphine #1
(Fantagraphics, $7.95, p. 285)
The upscale Ignatz comic line continues. This time it's Richard Sala's turn as he retells the story of Snow White.
Thieves & Kings #49
Thieves & Kings Presents: The Walking Mage #1
(I Box, $3.50, $9.95, p. 293)
Despite Mark Oakley's annoucnement in the last issue of T&K that the series would me morphing into T&K Presents, it appears that he's taking a different tack. The regular T&K comic continues the narrative with the origin of sorceress Soracia, while The Walking Mage is a full-color 64-page digest-size comic collection of the Webstrip about magician Quinton.
Shark-Man #1
(Thrill House, $3.99, p. 328)
Another instance of a Hollywood big-wig slumming in comics. But this one has a cool-sounding story--a condemned prisoner is forced to protect a 1930s-era utopian society from organized crime--and art by Steve Pugh. So worth a look.
It's a baker's dozen this time out! A couple days ago I highlighted mainstream comics. I'll have Collections & GNs in a few days.
Phonogram #1(Image, $3.50, p. 136)
"Real"-world magic collides with the worlds of indy rock and photography. Keiron Gillen's story looks intriguing and the art by Jamie McKelvie has an attractive David Hahn-like quality.
Strangers in Paradise #84(Abstract Studios, $2.95, p. 206)
Is anybody but me still reading this in floppy form? Actually I'm not really either, as I tend to let these stack up and then read a chunk all at once. I guess I should be waiting for the trade, but it's too late to start now...
Dork #11(Slave Labor, $2.95, p.218)
Yeah sure it takes Evan Dorkin forever to create a new issue of Dork. But it's always worth it, as Dorkin packs every page with the funny. Guaranteed laughs.
Rex Libris #5(Slave Labor, $2.95, p. 218)
More densely packed librarian humor from James Turner.
Gold Digger #77(Antarctic Press, $2.99, p.222)
Little Tiffany has her first adventure as she teems up with one of the Peebos to explore a hidden chanber in her Aunt Gina's lab. Fred Perry really shines when he does these one-offs between epics.
Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #1 - Ape Edition(Ape Entertainment, $4.50, p. 224)
Another refugee from the Speakeasy collapse resurfaces. This combines the first (and only) Speakeasy issue with the unpublished second issue, allowing new readers to get in on the ground floor.
The Origin of Sparky One Shot(Awakening Comics $2.99, p. 244)
A jam comic featuring the likes of Dave Sim, Shannon Wheeler, Bob Burdon and James Kochalka. Consider it an autograph book for APE or SPX.
Whisper #1(Boom! Studios, $3.99, p. 247)
The First comics 80s rennaisance continues. This time it's Steven Grant's turn; he brings back his Whisper character, but it's a re-imagining, not a continuation.
The Enigma Cipher #1(Boom! Studios, $3.99, p. 247)
Boom! seems to be turning out quality mini-series with alarming regularity, and this new one--which ties WWII code-craft with modern-day conspiracies--looks like it could be another enjoyable outing.
Delphine #1(Fantagraphics, $7.95, p. 285)
The upscale Ignatz comic line continues. This time it's Richard Sala's turn as he retells the story of Snow White.
Thieves & Kings #49Thieves & Kings Presents: The Walking Mage #1
(I Box, $3.50, $9.95, p. 293)
Despite Mark Oakley's annoucnement in the last issue of T&K that the series would me morphing into T&K Presents, it appears that he's taking a different tack. The regular T&K comic continues the narrative with the origin of sorceress Soracia, while The Walking Mage is a full-color 64-page digest-size comic collection of the Webstrip about magician Quinton.
Shark-Man #1(Thrill House, $3.99, p. 328)
Another instance of a Hollywood big-wig slumming in comics. But this one has a cool-sounding story--a condemned prisoner is forced to protect a 1930s-era utopian society from organized crime--and art by Steve Pugh. So worth a look.
It's a baker's dozen this time out! A couple days ago I highlighted mainstream comics. I'll have Collections & GNs in a few days.
Monday, 19 June 2006
YACB Bulletins
ITEM! In an editorial for the L.A. Times, comic writer Elliot S! Maggin compares Al Gore to Jor-El: "Look! Up in the sky ... It's Al Gore!"
ITEM! Phoebe Gloeckner went to the Salo Internacional del Comic
De Barcelona and put together a photo documentary of the trip.
ITEM! Bound By Law? Tales From the Public Domain is a free online comic about the perils of copyright for documentary filmmakers. Wired has an interview with the creators, Keith Aoki, James Boyle and Jennifer Jenkins.
ITEM! Phoebe Gloeckner went to the Salo Internacional del Comic
De Barcelona and put together a photo documentary of the trip.
ITEM! Bound By Law? Tales From the Public Domain is a free online comic about the perils of copyright for documentary filmmakers. Wired has an interview with the creators, Keith Aoki, James Boyle and Jennifer Jenkins.
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