There’s a line in the 2005 movie Sin City that sticks with me. “A smoker’s a smoker when the chips are down.” I used to be a smoker, but years ago I chose life and dropped the vile habit. I now find my thrills by way of Starbucks espresso and sugar-free Jell-O Pudding , like…
Writing
Can Peter Parker Finally Grow Up?
It’s time to let go. It’s time to put the scrapbooks of teenage, wisecracking Peter Parker on the shelf. It’s time to hang-up the throwback perpetual bachelor fantasy. It’s time to put Spider-Man away. It’s time to let Peter Parker get old. I say this as a reader who came into funny books in the…
Comic Review: ANNIHILATOR #1
Grant Morrison’s done this all before, you know. The whole “metafiction starring a none-more-mod writer with a dark and magical alter-ego/creation slicing through the tenuous membrane dividing the real world and the world of creation because what is reality anyway, mannnn” thing. It’s been done. Morrison did it perhaps most notably in the The Invisibles,…
Comic Review: SOUTHERN BASTARDS #4
The first arc of Jason Aaron’s Alabama epic concludes with the full-speed-ahead force of a freight train in this week’s Southern Bastards #4. The issue is a dark, balmy action tale rife with firecracker dialogue, brutal violence, and the stifling, claustrophobic energy of a small town gone bad wrapped around each panel. The breathtaking issue…
Comic Review: TERMINAL HERO #1
In the afterward of Terminal Hero #1, writer Peter Milligan describes the book as unlike anything he’s previously written. That’s mostly true, although traces of Shade the Changing Man are present. It’s a weird comic by a weird writer with some weird art, and it’s definitely unlike anything else on the stands. The story is a…
Comic Review: MILES MORALES THE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4
This is Brian Michael Bendis at his best. There’s no diner scenes. No shots of superheroes drinking coffee. No infamous Bendis “wall of words” slowing down the story’s pace. There’s not even a pop-culture reference or winking aside to detract from the proceedings. Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #4 is a slam-bang Spider-Man adventure comic,…
Comic Review: LOW #1
There’s a scene in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall where a young version of Allen’s character Alvy Singer is taken by his mother to the doctor. Young Alvy is depressed and has grown apathetic toward his 9 year-old responsibilities. His reason- the universe is expanding and will someday break apart into nothingness. “He’s not doing his…
Comic Review: TRANSFORMERS vs. G.I. JOE #1
This is a crazy comic book. Artist-writer-colorist-letter Tom Scioli channels Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko, embarking as a nearly one-man band to drum up a radically different take on the Robots in Disguise meeting the Real American Heroes. Co-writer John Barber tags along to pepper in dialogue, captions, and plot points. What does the duo…
Comic Review: SUPERMAN #33
Two solid issues of Superman in a row? The new DC, there’s no stopping them now! The Man of Steel’s refresh era continues in Superman #33, with writer Geoff Johns and long-time Marvel artist John Romita Jr. bringing readers part two of their “Man of Tomorrow” story. While not quite as explosive as their first…
Comic Review: SUPREME BLUE ROSE #1
And now for something completely different. Supreme Blue Rose is an entirely new take on the world of Supreme, the Superman proxy created by Rob Liefeld and helmed for years by Alan Moore. In Blue Rose #1, writer Warren Ellis steps in to apply his own unique take on the Supreme world, and combined with…
Comic Review: TEEN TITANS #1
Why oh why is this book not called New Teen Titans? It sure feels deserving of the title. After a lackluster first salvo at the launch of the New 52, the Teen Titans are back in a fresh #1. The creative team of Will Pfeier and Kenneth Rocafort make it an exciting debut, with an…
Comic Review: ORIGINAL SIN #6
The Watcher has no eyes. Original Sin has no heart. Perhaps the more accurate word is core. Writer Jason Aaron is clearly in touch with the various Marvel Universe characters that populate the pages of Original Sin #6. He takes special care with Nick Fury Sr., the book’s de facto star, peppering his dialogue with…
Comic Review: PROUD
Short stories are something of a lost art in the world of comics. They once dominated the field, with old 80-page giants and anthology titles offering readers collections of compact storytelling entertainment each month. Today, short stories are pretty rare and good ones rarer still. In Proud by James Mulholland and Caitlin Soliman, the potency…
Happy Batman Day!
Happy Batman Day! All the talk’s going to be about Bruce Wayne, so I thought I’d show some love for Jean-Paul Valley, who occupied the role of Batman for nearly 2 years (!) back in the ’90s during the seminal crossover event Knightfall. I wrote a series for Kabooooom a couple years back examining Knightfall…
Comic Review: Spread #1
Reading Spread #1 feels like popping in an old VHS tape with an intriguing painted cover only to discover an unnerving and unpredictable reel of weirdness play out. It’s creepy, gory, cold, and violent, and it’s also a lot of fun. This is a horror story with a survivalist aspect to it, but writer Justin Jordan keeps Spread refreshingly…