Slightly Risque and Potentially Inaccurate: Jeff Reviews the First 15 Minutes of GTA:VCS

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 22, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Ack, look at that Graeme McMillan–he finished his part of the newsletter and he’s giving you comic reviews! Me, I barely posted anything yesterday and now, until I figure out what, if anything, I have to say about Yukiko’s Spinach, I’m going to review the first fifteen minutes of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for the Playstation 2. I received my copy of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories the other day. Despite being 100% pleased with the game I was spending playing Dragon Quest VIII (which, if you like old school video game RPGs and the design work of Akira Toriyama, you pretty much owe it to yourself to buy–half the monsters you encounter look like outtakes from…  Read More…

No-one is Belushi, though: Graeme does 3/21, part two.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

AFTER THE CAPE #1: I have no idea whether it’s intentional or not, but the first issue of this new three issue superhero series from Image (specifically from Jim Valentino’s Shadowline imprint, and his plotting here is perhaps the best argument for his return to autobiographical comics yet) reminds me of nothing as much as a generic mid-’90s indie book. It’s not just the content of the book; even the format – the thick, inky pages that stain your hands, the lack of additional content beyond the story itself and full-page previews of the next issue’s cover, the attempt at a Bullpen Bulletin page that’s set in bland Times New Roman type just large enough to look as if there…  Read More…

The view from the retard pen — Hibbs does 1 book from 3/21

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Just one from me tonight, in order to say I did it: EXILES #92: I swear to god there should be a Chris Claremont drinking game. Like when someone utters the phrase, “You’re good… I’m better”, you take a drink. Or when someone calls something a “Caper”, you drink. Dude, even people who are ON capers don’t call them capers. Rassen-frassen. The worst part is I have a soft spot for this book, this situation, these characters — even when Judd was doing his Echoes-of-Claremont thing — but this isn’t where I want to read “real” Claremont, no I don’t. EH. More tomorrow. -B

Let Loose From The Noose: Graeme reviews Amazing #539.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on March 21, 2007

Categories: Reviews

I am completely ignoring everything Bri said in his last post, apart from the comment about Brave and The Bold, because it really is that enjoyable – I’ll get to it later this week, but if you dig superheroes who don’t frown or want to read an enjoyable Supergirl for a change, you should definitely pick it up. Right now, though, I’m going to do an Amy Whitehouse and get back to black. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #539: The main problem with this book isn’t actually really a problem with the book at all, but with all the expectation that’s been created around the thing. For months now, we’ve been told “Spidey puts on his black costume! Yes! His black costume! You’re…  Read More…

I’ve Coined A New Term!

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Uncategorized

“Schrodinger’s Cap” is a term explaining how Captain America can be alive in one Marvel title while dead in another title that comes out the same week. I should have something more substantial later today but right now I’ve got a couple of different deadlines breathing down the back of my neck. Really, though, you should check out the comedy gold that is Hibb’s post below. Just beautiful.

Slowly, I turned….

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Reviews

I’m utterly dead after today’s day of work — not only did I have to get through the new books, but the photocopy of the new PREVIEWS (the “blackline”) appeared today, so I had to power through that, deciding on what to list and what not on our next sub form so I could get it to Graeme so G knows WHAT to discuss in the new ONOMATOPOEIA. Speaking of Graeme, since I know he’s not likely to link-blog this one, but check out This thread on Millar World, where Millar evidentially decides Graeme is an internet stalker of some kind. I love this bit: “I think he’s Scottish, though I’ve never actually met him, but the people who have…  Read More…

Too many books spoil the froth: Graeme whines.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on March 20, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry

So, I’m working on the New Comics part of the new Onomatopoeia (For those who don’t live in San Francisco and/or have never been in the store to know what I’m talking about, Onomatopoeia is the free monthly Comix Experience newsletter thing; I do a bunch of blurbs about the new comics that can be preordered that month, Peter Wong does a column called Lost in Pictopia, and most importantly, Jeff Lester from this very parish does a column called Fanboy Rampage! – He came up with it first; I stole it without realizing it, because I am unoriginal and a pilferer – that is more often than not the funniest thing you’ll read of a month. Really, it’s a…  Read More…

A Little Late, A Little Early: Jeff Wraps Up His 3/14 Reviews.

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Reviews

This is where the funny would go, if I wasn’t up and writing this before six in the god-damned a.m. TEEN TITANS #44: As long as we get an unfucked-up Batgirl out of this, they can totally get away with the “fortunately, I have the antidote in my utility belt right here” trick. Hell, Robin could use a syringe full of Magic Wishing Juice and I’d go for it. I’m surprised that Hibbs didn’t like this as I thought it did a great job of giving each Titan their opposite number, which is very Silver Age. (I know he wasn’t happy with all the torture, but that’s, you know, Claremont’s X-Men which was the inspiration for the Wolfman-Perez revival in…  Read More…

Three for the road: Hibbs finishes 3/14

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Weirdly unmotivated to do any work today — I’ve been largely pretending I have a day off. BUt I said I would, so I will, and here’s another couple of reviews from last week’s books. Tomorrow, the new cycle starts again!! BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: CYLON APOCALPYSE #1: More of a “retail intelligence” thing than anything else, but man am I getting frustrating by how DE is handling (or having to handle, your call) it’s BSG books. Mixing new and old, putting multiple titles in one week, and not being clear as to what’s what, really. Here’s the solicit copy for this series: “DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT presents an all-new, Battlestar Galactica event featuring the DYNAMITE Debut of Javier Grillo-Marxuach (ya know, the guy…  Read More…

Arriving 3/21

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Posted by: admin on March 19, 2007

Categories: Shipping Lists

Yeah, I took a few days off, but I’ll have another review post here before the end of the day. In the meantime, here’s what Comix Experience is meant to be recieving this week: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT SPREADING THE DISEASE #4 (OF 5) 52 WEEK #46 A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #53 (A) AFTER THE CAPE #1 (OF 3) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #539 ANITA BLAKE VH GUILTY PLEASURES #5 (OF 12) AQUAMAN SWORD OF ATLANTIS #50 (NOTE PRICE) ARCHIE & FRIENDS #108 ARCHIE DIGEST #233 ARMY @ LOVE #1 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #4 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ZAREK #3 BIRDS OF PREY #104 BRAVE AND THE BOLD #2 CABLE DEADPOOL #38 CAPTAIN AMERICA #25 CW CHECKMATE #12 CIVIL WAR BATTLE DAMAGE REPORT CLASSIC…  Read More…

More on Monday (Or Is That: Moron Monday?): More Reviews of the 3/14 Books from Jeff.

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Reviews

NEW AVENGERS #28: Those missing pages from Civil War: The Initiative pay off here as the New Avengers try to get Cap’s body and find themselves confronted by, uh, the Newer Avengers. Only problem is, Bendis wraps this as a flashback which he ends on a cliffhanger so he can go back to the present time and bring that to a cliffhanger which, to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt, I’ll chalk up as experimentation instead of plain ol’ bad storytelling. Like the other Bendis book this week, nice art saves it from being worse than Eh. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #5: Ooooh, no. Would’ve been perfectly fine as, say, a follow-up to a big Punisher-centric multi-issue story arc, but…  Read More…

More On The Floor: Jeff Reviews a Few More 3/14 Books.

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 18, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Hmmm. Keep thinking I had some interesting comic-related dream to tell you about, but I don’t remember it now. I’m re-reading Rick Veitch’s really staggering Rarebit Fiends collections, the first two volumes of which are pretty much a secret history of the comics market in the early ’90s and I keep coming across all these deeply prescient bits (as so often seems to be the case with dream journals, particularly if you’re almost hysterically suggestible and prone to magical thinking, as I am). My favorite bit so far is Veitch stumbling across a back room in a dilapidated house where the DC Editors are having a meeting. “We’ve come up with an idea that’s going to save direct market,” one…  Read More…

Lazy Sunday: Graeme finishes off this week’s books.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

So, Jeff complains (below) that this page is full of essays and that we can’t skate by by just complaining that things suck anymore. The following is my attempt to prove him wrong, because sometimes I just want to phone it in. NEW AVENGERS #28: Maybe I’m just getting beaten down by the constant world of pain that is mainstream Marvel these days, but this was surprisingly enjoyable. Not so much for the main plot, which leaves me relatively cold, but instead the smaller moments – Luke Cage buying milk, the Dr. Strange scenes (especially the cloaking of the Sanctum Sanctorum, which I’m sure that I’ve misspelt), the Silver Samurai’s choice of movie. Bendis is clearly enjoying himself on this…  Read More…

Three Up, Three Down: Jeff’s First Few ‘Views of 03/14 Books…

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 17, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Back when I first started co-writing these with Hibbs (and although it feels like forever, was really only about five years ago), I would sit down with a pile of the books in alphabetical order, read each book, write a review immediately after finishing it, and then move onto the next. It took forever, and usually I’d have to break the work into two different readings or else I’d get incredible headaches, and I could pretty much only do reviews every other month because at the end of that session it’d take at least ten days before I could even begin to look at comics for fun. And although I was seeing Edi at the time, I was single, living…  Read More…

Authoritative Action: Graeme continues the 3/14 reviews.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

GRIFTER/MIDNIGHTER #1: I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually read a Chuck Dixon comic before. I guess that I must’ve; wasn’t he all over DC and the Batbooks in particular in the mid-to-late ’90s? I read the first Robin mini-series, and they were probably Chuck Dixon, right? Nothing that sticks in my mind, anyway, and nothing that I can think of since Chuck came to the fore as one of comics’ foremost conservatives. Bearing his personal politics in mind – and read this for some idea of what his personal politics are – how do you think he deals with DC’s highest profile gay character? Let’s evesdrop on this conversation between Apollo, Midnighter’s boyfriend, and another offpanel random cast member:…  Read More…

Don’t make get off my stool: Hibbs and 3/14 mark II

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

How weird is it that I skipped a day of daily blogging, and even *I* didn’t notice it? (though, honestly, I’m clearly the weak link in this chaain insofar as something something GOD DAMN RIGHT goes) CIVIL WAR: THE CONFESSION: I literally can’t add anything to what Graeme said. That’s probably the best single-book review I’ve ever read here on the CRITIC. There’s not a word there I’d disagree with, though I might have said “due to the loveliness that is Maleev’s art, this is right on the cusp between AWFUL and EH. Though, no, really, it’s AWFUL” BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Season 8) #1:I watched all 7 seasons of the TV show over the course of…. oh, nine months…  Read More…

New TILTING up

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Posted by: admin on March 16, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry

http://www.newsarama.com/Tilting2_0/Tilting38.html I have to admit I’m fairly dumbstruck how many people in the thread that follows are talking about how great SUPERMAN #75 was. I guess it really IS true that whatever you read first when you’re 13, is the greatest comic ever. Or something. -B

“You suck, Captain America!” “Yeah? Your mom!’: Graeme does the Confession.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

CIVIL WAR: THE CONFESSION: Right upfront, let’s be honest here: This is Alex Maleev’s book. His art here is well done, occasionally-beautiful work (especially in the Cap sequences; his figurework and facial expressions are wonderful, and slightly defeated, obviously, by Iron Man’s armor), making the most out of what is essentially just another talking heads book. Like his recent New Avengers issue, this is a book that you look at and kind of wonder what he’d be like on something where his design tendencies were let loose and he wasn’t stuck drawing people in longjohns. But the writing… Ehhh. Not so good. I’m not even talking about the dialogue, which manages to reduce supposed-genius Tony Stark (who, again, boasts of…  Read More…

Now THAT’S How You Build A Kite: Jeff’s Final Reviews for 3/7 Books and a Confession…

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Reviews

Getting ready to go to CE and Thank God, because I could only scratch up another four reviews total from the remaining books of last week. Since I feel that’s kinda paltry, I thought I’d relate a honest-to-God dream comic book related dream to you in the hopes you’ll find it funny. In order for this story to be funny, I’m making a large assumption (unsupported by Google) which is that I’m not the only person who remembers those freebie kite-flying comics they used to pass out in school. You do remember those, right? In my case, they were distributed through Pacific Gas & Electric, but I assume they were printed nationally and then branded regionally. In them, you’d have…  Read More…

All Monkeys are French: Graeme starts his 3/14 reviews.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on March 15, 2007

Categories: Reviews

You can tell that Jeff and I both have day jobs by the fact that we both post on weekdays at the very start of the day (well, unless you’re not on the West Coast of the Continental United States of America, in which case, I apologize). This is my way of saying, he’s got an interesting essay about essays right below this post, so if you haven’t read it, go and do so. Meantime, for those of you who thought I’d be reviewing Civil War: The Confession first this week, wait until tomorrow. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT #1: As such a fan of the Buffy TV show that I kind of think that the seventh season was…  Read More…

An Essay About Essays: Jeff Looks at Casanova #7 and Phonogram #5

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Reviews

Now that it’s my turn on the wheel of “blog until you drop” here at SC, I probably can’t get away with the whole “somebody someday should write an essay about so and so” that I just dump in the lines of one of the 3700 reviews we do every week–there’s really no reason I can’t take the time to actually take one of those ideas and expand upon it. So rather than getting Part II of my review of last week’s books (and I’m starting to worry there may be a very paltry Part II if it ever does show since my memory of last week’s books has faded radically), I thought I’d try something different and look at…  Read More…