Arriving THURSDAY 6/3/2010

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 31, 2010

Categories: Shipping Lists

Remember, because of the Memorial Day holiday, comics are shipping 24 hours late in America! Small shipment, for a shorter week… 28 DAYS LATER #11 ADVENTURE COMICS #12 AUTHORITY #23 AVENGERS ORIGIN #3 (OF 5) AVENGERS PRIME #1 (OF 5) HA AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT #1 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #45 BETTY #186 (NOTE PRICE) BRIGHTEST DAY #3 BULLETPROOF COFFIN #1 (OF 6) CAPTAIN AMERICA BLACK PANTHER FLAGS OF FATHERS #3 (OF 4) CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #50 CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #21 KOZAKI PT 3 (OF 3) DARKSTAR AND WINTER GUARD #1 (OF 3) DEMO VOL 2 #5 (OF 6) DUST WARS #1 (OF 3) ELECTRIC ANT #3 (OF 5) EXISTENCE 3.0 #4 (OF 4) FRANKEN-CASTLE #17 GI JOE ORIGINS #16 GREAT TEN #8…  Read More…

Abhay Memorialized Capsule Reviews

38 comments

Posted by: Abhay Khosla on May 29, 2010

Categories: Reviews

Hello.  For your long weekend, here’s another boring “capsule” post where I drone on about things I’ve found interesting in the last couple months, while I’m too exhausted by work to write anything halfway decent or worthwhile.

I have read the worst comic I have ever read

101 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 26, 2010

Categories: Reviews

…which is saying a lot; I’ve been reading comics with at least some tiniest sense of critical thought for 25-ish years. I’ve read some howlers in my day; and it is always going to be hard to top, say, TAROT and the Haunted Vagina. For a really really bad comic, I have to end with my mouth wide open, and the thought racing through my head of  “….the FUCK did I just read?” as I sit there poleaxed. Well, I think last night I have read the poleaxest of all poleaxes — I felt incredibly dirty and gross after I put it down. JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL #3 “Arsenal”, of course, is the new nom de guerre (or…  Read More…

Reviews? What are those? Hibbs Hibbses On

46 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 25, 2010

Categories: Reviews

Let’s start with TV! Hm, I think I’m going to go on and on and on, so let’s hide it behind a jump to keep the “front page” cleanish…

Arriving 6/26/2010

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 24, 2010

Categories: Shipping Lists

Really and truly reviews in a day or two, including something about LOST, I imagine — I just have to get ONOMATOPOEIA to bed first… Nice week for funny books, I think… 7 PSYCHOPATHS #1 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #632 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #37 AMORY WARS KEEPING SECRETS OF SILENT EARTH 3 #1 ANGEL #33 ARCHIE #609 BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #2 OF(6) BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #181 BIG QUESTIONS #14 BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #16 BRAVE AND THE BOLD #34 CAVEWOMAN EXTINCTION ONE-SHOT CHIMICHANGA #2 (OF 3) CHOKER #3 (OF 6) COLD SPACE #2 DARK WOLVERINE #86 DARKNESS DARKCHYLDE WITCHBLADE KINGDOM OF PAIN (ONE SHOT) DAZZLER #1 DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #11 (OF 13) DETECTIVE…  Read More…

Arriving 5/19/2010

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 17, 2010

Categories: Shipping Lists

Older business first: I quite liked Tom Spurgeon’s thought piece on Digital. If I didn’t have mildly more information than he, I’d probably agree with it 100%, but I’m fairly hopeful, at this instant in time (which can always change), that I’m closer than he is. We’ll see, I’m sure. Go read it, anyway. Here’s what’s shipping this week (I’ll start reviews again tomorrow): 2000 AD PACK APR 2010 AGE OF HEROES #1 (OF 4) HA AIR #21 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS AMERICAN SON #1 (OF 4) AMERICAN VAMPIRE #3 ANCHOR #8 ANITA BLAKE CIRCUS OF DAMNED CHARMER #1 OF (5) ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #23 ATLAS #1 HA ATOMIC ROBO REVENGE O/T VAMPIRE DIMENSION #3 (OF 4) AVENGERS #1 HA AVENGERS ASSEMBLE…  Read More…

Tilting v3 #25 is up

4 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 14, 2010

Categories: Retailing/Industry

More on Digital comics, yay! Read it at Comic Book Resources! -B

Arriving 5/12/2010

18 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 10, 2010

Categories: Shipping Lists

Crazy over-scheduled weekend — I’m desperately behind right now… ADVENTURE COMICS #11 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #631 ASTONISHING X-MEN XENOGENESIS #1 (OF 5) AVENGERS INITIATIVE #35 SIEGE BATGIRL #10 BATMAN #699 BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1 (OF 6) BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #204 BIRDS OF PREY #1 (BRIGHTEST DAY) BLACK TERROR #10 BLACK WIDOW #2 HA BOOSTER GOLD #32 BPRD KING OF FEAR #5 (OF 5) BRAM STOKERS DEATH SHIP #1 DAREDEVIL CAGE MATCH #1 DARK AVENGERS #16 SIEGE DAYTRIPPER #6 (OF 10) DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #893 DMZ #53 DOC SAVAGE #2 FABLES #95 (RES) FALLEN SIEGE FARSCAPE SCORPIUS #1 FIRST WAVE #2 (OF 6) FLASH #2 (BRIGHTEST DAY) FRENEMY OF THE STATE #1 (OF 5) GREEK STREET #11 GREEN HORNET STRIKES…  Read More…

SAVAGE SYMPOSIUM: WILSON by DAN CLOWES

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Posted by: Abhay Khosla on

Categories: Symposiums

Dan Clowes is the cartoonist and author of a considerable number of the most celebrated comics of the past 20 years, including GHOST WORLD, DAVID BORING, ICE HAVEN and THE DEATH RAY, all of which originated in his EIGHTBALL anthology series.  His most recent publication is WILSON, his first original graphic novel published by DRAWN & QUARTERLY and released on April 28, 2010. WILSON prompted the following Savage Critic round-table discussion, which took place via the internet between May 2 and May 9, 2010.

More Overdue Library Book Reviews (Is That A Pun?)

8 comments

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on May 9, 2010

Categories: Reviews

If Ambush Bug was a nostalgic disappointment, STAGGER LEE and THE FOUNTAIN were the two happy surprises from my “Name things I should read/review from the Multnomah Library System” idea (Feel free to suggest more books in the comments, by the way. Go here for details on how it works, but use these comments for suggestions so I don’t lose track. I find it easy to lose track). In both cases, I had what could politely be called lowered expectations, and ended up happily surprised.

Showcase Shocker: Graeme Doesn’t Get Ambush Bug

18 comments

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on May 8, 2010

Categories: Reviews

Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something kind of depressing about SHOWCASE PRESENTS AMBUSH BUG. I remember, when the original series (serieses?) were coming out, thinking that there was something hilarious and subversive about what Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming were up to, even though I didn’t get half the jokes (Hey, I was ten years old or something like that; give me a break), but re-reading the stories now – and especially in one large chunk like this collection – I came away feeling as if I was watching the creators fall out of love with comics, or at least the comics industry; what starts as affectionate parody gradually becomes more and more bitter (and repetitive, as if…  Read More…

Spurgeon interviews Hibbs

18 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on May 7, 2010

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Over at The Comics Reporter. Tom pitched it to me as “Stump the Hibbs”, though he veered away from that pretty fast once we were talking. I wish the first question hadn’t been The First question, because, upon reflection, I would have questioned the very basis of a Vertigo/Art comics split — selling comics to adults is selling comics to adults, and there’s a point where you have to Let The Market Decide. Still, it was The First question, and you’re still feeling each other out at that point… I truly don’t understand why one would want to categorize things that tightly — and I don’t think those kinds of divisions make a lick of sense in 2010 (if they…  Read More…

No Zero Issue Rage Shall Escape My Sight

13 comments

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on May 6, 2010

Categories: Reviews

Pardon me one moment, while I rant about one small thing concerning BRIGHTEST DAY #1. Namely, it’s not the first issue. I know, I know; it’s numbered “1″, and the cover says “First Issue,” but… it’s really not. Not just in the sense of “There was an issue prior to this” (Although, you know, that should be a clue right there), but in the sense of, “There are no real introductions or beginnings in this ‘first’ issue, if someone picked it up cold and didn’t know that there’d been an #0.” Each of the story threads is already in progress, and the characters barely introduced. The first scene, in fact, picks up from the cliffhanger of the previous issue, which…  Read More…

Cheap At Twice The Price: Graeme on FCBD Iron Man/Thor

5 comments

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on May 5, 2010

Categories: Reviews

There are three things that I really liked about last weekend’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2010: IRON MAN/THOR oneshot from Marvel, and that’s not even counting the John Romita Jr./Klaus Janson artwork, which I believe is now legally required to be noted by anyone talking about any comic that the two of them work on together (For what it’s worth, I normally really like both artists, but there was something off about the art in this, for me; a thinness of line in places, an inconsistency in characters (Weird but true: Thor’s nose kept annoying me throughout the book. I have no idea why. I became obsessed with how thin and pointy it seemed at times) and a laziness in…  Read More…

Hibbs speed dates 5/5

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Reviews

FCBD last weekend, editing an interview that Spurgeon conducted with myself, participating in the first  Savage Critic roundtable, getting a first draft nailed down for the next TILTING, and this morning I taught a comics class to Ben’s 1st grade class (yay to using words like “juxtaposition” and “onomatopoeia” with 6 year olds!), how do I even have time to breath any more? Regardless, best bang out some reviews on the quickstyle before I start in on this week’s FOC… I’m not but halfway done with this week’s books, but here’s some quickie thoughts: ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK FOUR #4 (OF 4): 16 issues and 5 years later, thank god this is over. I can’t say that I’ve…  Read More…

In The Wee Small Hours: Jeff Looks At The Man With The Getaway Face

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on May 4, 2010

Categories: Reviews

Here’s a fun fact I learned at Wondercon 2010:  Darwyn Cooke is probably the closest thing comics has to a Frank Sinatra.

The Men With The “Oh God, Please Get Away” Voices

9 comments

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Podcasts

They said it couldn’t be done, and it nearly wasn’t – but look! The second (of two) new Wait, What?s, as recorded last Wednesday, in which Jeffrey Lester and myself continue to discuss comics, including a lengthy appreciation of Darwyn Cooke’s most recent effort, The Man With The Getaway Face, as well as shorter mentions for other works. We hope that you heartily enjoy this hour-plus of talking, even when we go off-topic and start talking about Doctor Who instead of just finishing up, like more professional podcasts would. (Ideally, we’ll do these more often from now on, and try – fingers crossed – to keep up this pace of getting them up in a timely manner. Although, that said,…  Read More…

Wait, What? More Wait, What?? Already?

4 comments

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on May 3, 2010

Categories: Podcasts

What’s that, you say? You’d like even more Wait, What? Well, you’re in luck. In an, I’m sure, never to be repeated turn of events, here’s the first part (of two) of the conversation Jeff and I had last Wednesday, talking about Jack Kirby, the Amish, and not quite getting around to Darwyn Cooke’s The Man With The Getaway Face. Yes, we managed to turn around an hour-long podcast in less than a week. This will likely never, ever happen again, so just take what you can get and like it. (Part two, we hope, at some point this week. We finally get around to Darwyn Cooke in that one.) (Also: Unless technology has decided to stab me in the…  Read More…

Arriving 5/5/2010

10 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Shipping Lists

I got swamped last week — there will be reviews tomorrow or Wed latest… and sometime later this week a very special Savage Critics Roundtable! 28 DAYS LATER #10 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #630 ANGEL BARBARY COAST #2 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #143 ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN WOLVERINE #1 ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK FOUR #4 (OF 4) AUTHORITY #22 AVENGERS ORIGIN #2 (OF 5) AVENGERS THOR CAPTAIN AMERICA OFFICIAL INDEX #1 HA BATMAN AND ROBIN #12 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #44 BOYS #42 BRIGHTEST DAY #1 BUCK ROGERS #11 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #35 TWILIGHT PT 4 (OF 4) CAPTAIN AMERICA BLACK PANTHER FLAGS OF FATHERS #2 (OF 4) CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #49 COMPLETE ALICE IN WONDERLAND #4 (OF 4) DEADPOOL CORPS #2 DEMO…  Read More…