Comic Fodder: Comic Books News and Reviews
DC Imprint Review
As much as I love me the capes and tights, there are variations and other genres, but sometimes you have to go a little sideways to get a glimpse. Here’s a little attention for some other areas of the comic world that don’t get quite as much publicity.
Astro City: Dark Age/Book Three #2
by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross
Here’s a book that turns the superhero idea on its head. Forget about Superman as the main feature, this is a world where a guy who might have bumped into Jimmy Olsen once tries to make a living while dodging the constant battles between good and evil in his city. A few years back, Busiek and Alex Ross made some news with Marvels, and not too long after that, they set up shop at Image Comics with this concept. It was wonderful from the start, and brimming with a wonderful sense of humanity because of its willingness to look at things from a “regular” standpoint, and more removed than, say, from the perspective of the Thing’s girlfriend.
When DC bought the Wildstorm imprint, Astro City came under its banner, and here we are today. It’s worth noting that the title has had scheduling problems in the past, so the creative team has decided to develop 90% or so of each story arc before publishing each first issue. The end result is a long delay between each chapter, but when the final product comes out, it’s worth the wait.
The current narrative evokes the overall feel of comics from the ‘80s, with the heroes getting grim and gritty, with the focus on two brothers, Charles and Royal Williams. Charles has become a police officer, while Royal has been tossing around as a bit of a third-rate thug at first, just efficient enough to be given a promotion every now and then in the underworld. As from the beginning of the entire series, Alex Ross paints an attention-grabbing cover for every issue, while inside Brent Anderson renders every item you can think of, from doomsday weapons to the trash falling out of a can. Veteran Alex Sinclair is on colors, and John Roshell handles the lettering, all of which adds up to make something better than the normal sum of its parts.
By Book Three the brothers have already gone through some serious stuff. Charles has recovered from serious wounds from corrupt cops, driven on by Royal’s motivation to find the man who killed their parents. This drive helped Charles to recover, and now he’s on the trail of a major figure in the Pyramid. Royal was a plant inside one of Pyramid’s bases, but it got raided by the authorities, and Royal has gone radio-silent on everyone. He’s mostly just trying to survive.
For someone who turned into a criminal, Busiek does a great job of making you sympathize with him. The underworld figures know him just well enough to squeeze him into a form of indentured servitude whenever they want to make a move at controlling local crime; Royal has survived just enough to make him a pro at it, so it seems everyone knows his name. Throughout all of this, we get a sampling of heroic adventures, snapshots that come from a known cliché just well enough to be recognizable, but with Astro City heroes. The end result is that you still follow the “civilian” story, but you half wish you could read an entire other issue that just dealt with the super-heroes, because even though it’s a variation on a known theme, it’s just different enough to make it interesting.
Issue #2 ends with the Pyramid’s goal revealed: they want a crack at Apollo 11, a super-group that is strange and wonderful, and one for which Astro City fans have longed to see more details. Pyramid launches a recall of all of their operatives, and that includes Royal. So like it or not, he will be in position again to help out his brother, and maybe, just maybe, get justice (or revenge?) for their murdered parents.
Bottom line: If you haven’t been getting the series, get the trades. I tend to buy the trades later anyway, and hand them out to friends, to show them what they’ve been missing.
Storming Paradise 6
by Chuck Dixon, Butch Guice, and Rick Burchett
For those who have missed this, it’s 1946, the Americans messed up their calculations on the nuclear bomb, and Oppenheimer and company blew themselves up. The conventional invasion of Japan has begun, and the Allies are taking the islands one by one, fighting women and children in some cases.
The series is full of little tidbits about World War II-era people and items. For instance, the bombs were so heavy, when they dropped them, the planes abruptly jolted up. Dixon uses words that were normal for that time during war, so for people who might be offended, the Japanese are referred to as “Jap” sometimes, an historically accurate term for the time frame, but one which is commonly seen as offensive today. The series has a smattering of celebrity figures, both military people, and people like John Wayne.
The tricky part is that a few holdout Germans have cracked the code for atomic weaponry (Hitler did in fact have his own research program working on it at the time), and an encounter with an Allied plane sets it off in the ocean. This prompts Truman to bring in the Soviets, and see what kind of horse-trading it will take to secure their cooperation against Japan.
If this sounds like a Harry Turtledove novel set in comic format, you’d have a good idea what this is lie. Butch Guice’s influence is heavily felt in the inks, even though Rick Burchett has taken over the main pencils. For those war genre fans who have been missing a good war comic, this one’s for you.
The Unwritten 2
by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
On the surface, we start with a character that unabashedly takes inspiration from the Harry Potter character. One cool thing is that the prose, while for all we know it could be meaningless smokescreen, actually reads fairly well, and might interest Harry potter readers if it did compose a full novel. The actual person, Tom Taylor, is resentful at the inconvenience of his father writing a character named “Tommy Taylor,” and the resulting best-selling books.
The trick is, Tom’s past may not be what he was told, and we quickly go down a rabbit hole to see his whole world turned upside-down. The art is solid, with lines that might seem at home in a children’s book, but graced with clear emotion and extra detail for adults to catch. It’s sort of like a Disney movie with some double-entendre jokes thrown in to see if the grown-ups are paying attention. They also blend in modern media, in an attempt to show the immediacy of the world we live in, and how it can change our lives, reaction times, and the spread of stories.
Carey and Gross are on a definite mission, to pull back the veil from all of the stuff you see on TV, all the urban legends that you have heard, all of the old advice that has supposedly come down from your great-great-grandma, and throw a pail of water square in your face. Most of us know that there are three sides to a story: your side, my side, and the actual truth. What if there are more sides? The creative team wants you not just to enjoy this story, but to help you question other things you may have taken for granted.
As an added bonus, they also throw in a ton of geographical trivia involving famous authors, where they wrote things, whether Sherlock Holmes’ famous address really existed at the right time, etc. I’m well-read, but I have no idea without doing research on my own if half of these tidbits are accurate, so I’m assuming they are for starters (which, given the aim of this title, may be a HUGE mistake), and it adds another nice element to the book.
Forget the trade. This is the type of book that begs to be doled out in small pieces of mystery and adventure. Pull up a chair and enter the fantasy, and be ready to be challenged, insulted, and entertained, all in a good way.
Tpull is Travis Pullen. He started reading comics at 5 years old, and he can't seem to stop.
Follow Comic Fodder on Twitter
Posted by Travis on June 15, 2009 4:11 AM
Permalink |
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: cost low tramadol at July 22, 2009 10:37 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: abrand name adipex p no prescription at July 23, 2009 6:14 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol amp ultram tramadol at July 23, 2009 1:54 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: tramadol hcl ultram at August 1, 2009 6:34 AMRDFjUr It is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: tramadol saturday delivery cod at August 2, 2009 6:15 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: xanax tramadol alcohol mix at August 3, 2009 2:27 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex 37.5 without perscription at August 3, 2009 2:48 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: overseas tramadol generic at August 3, 2009 6:56 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: pfizer drug viagra at August 3, 2009 8:18 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex next day at August 4, 2009 3:23 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: description of tramadol hcl-acetaminophen par at August 4, 2009 12:01 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: generic viagra samples at August 4, 2009 9:37 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: soma fab at August 8, 2009 1:35 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: tramadol 180 99 at August 8, 2009 4:06 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: adipex order at August 8, 2009 6:36 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: tramadol asprin allergy at August 8, 2009 11:50 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: soma kc 20 at August 9, 2009 7:31 AMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: order adipex deliver cod at August 11, 2009 5:58 PMGreat. Now i can say thank you!
-- Posted by: tramadol hcl 50mg tabs side effects at August 11, 2009 8:42 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol veterinary at August 12, 2009 6:15 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol and piroxicam at August 12, 2009 11:48 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: a good screw with viagra at August 13, 2009 7:27 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: viagra extasy tables pills at August 14, 2009 4:03 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: wholesale viagra at August 14, 2009 7:11 AMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: adipex on line prescription at August 14, 2009 10:08 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: adipex brand 37.5 at August 14, 2009 1:12 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex p side effects official store at August 15, 2009 6:31 AMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: blood drug test tramadol at August 15, 2009 5:23 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: soma 78 at August 15, 2009 6:25 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: buy adipex free doctor consultation at August 16, 2009 7:41 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: virtual soma cube at August 16, 2009 10:46 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: what is canine tramadol dose at August 17, 2009 10:56 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: tramal tramadol at August 17, 2009 5:35 PMExcellent site. It was pleasant to me.
-- Posted by: order tramadol online consultation at August 18, 2009 3:50 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: tramadol and sheep at August 18, 2009 6:59 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: omaha the rose at soma at August 20, 2009 5:11 PMIt is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: stories of men giving women viagra at August 21, 2009 6:42 AMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: buy cheap xanax pharmacy online at August 21, 2009 3:58 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: tramadol classified drug at August 22, 2009 1:56 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: toronto soma liberal arts school at August 22, 2009 4:54 AMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: mexican pharmacies adipex without prescription at August 22, 2009 5:14 PMIt is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: emedicine viagra side effects skin at August 25, 2009 6:40 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: safe is adipex p at August 25, 2009 8:29 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: 37.5mg adipex at August 25, 2009 10:18 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: purcahse tramadol at August 26, 2009 1:57 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: valium green at August 26, 2009 6:24 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex cheap with no presciption at August 26, 2009 8:15 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol and side effects at August 29, 2009 3:43 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: where to find tramadol pain releiver at August 29, 2009 5:34 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: getting high with tramadol hcl at August 30, 2009 8:13 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol description at September 1, 2009 5:17 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex and drug screen at September 2, 2009 12:43 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: tramadol apap surgical procedures at September 2, 2009 8:33 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: adipex and wellbutrin at September 3, 2009 12:29 AMExcellent site. It was pleasant to me.
-- Posted by: photo of 2 mg xanax at September 3, 2009 2:27 AMIt is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: diffrence in adipex and adipex-p at September 3, 2009 4:25 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: adipex side effects dayly news at September 9, 2009 2:03 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: xanax pills description at September 9, 2009 5:58 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: veterinary merck manual tramadol at September 15, 2009 8:01 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: tramadol numbness at September 15, 2009 11:57 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: tramadol serotonin crisis at September 16, 2009 3:55 AMExcellent site. It was pleasant to me.
-- Posted by: is tramadol hcl a narcotic at September 16, 2009 9:51 AMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: buying tramadol tramadol florida at September 16, 2009 11:49 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex brand medication at September 16, 2009 7:38 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: fibromyalgia pregabalin tramadol at September 16, 2009 9:36 PMGreat. Now i can say thank you!
-- Posted by: tramadol online no prior at September 16, 2009 11:33 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: getting high with tramadol hcl at September 17, 2009 9:18 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex p diet pill at September 17, 2009 11:15 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: shelf life of tramadol at September 17, 2009 3:08 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: tramadol acetaminophen effects at September 17, 2009 5:04 PMGreat. Now i can say thank you!
-- Posted by: xanax dosage administration half life at September 17, 2009 7:01 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: increase the effects of tramadol at September 17, 2009 8:58 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: adipex adipex at September 18, 2009 4:44 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex no generic at September 18, 2009 8:42 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: tramadol 50 mg use with elderly at September 18, 2009 12:38 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: identifying tramadol pills at September 23, 2009 9:05 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: xanax mixed with ecstasy at September 24, 2009 8:28 AMIt is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: discount tramadol without prescription at September 24, 2009 6:11 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: tramadol dose for canine at September 24, 2009 10:00 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: board online prescription tramadol at September 25, 2009 1:50 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: how long before adipex works at September 25, 2009 3:44 AMPerfect site, i like it!
-- Posted by: classification of tramadol drug at September 25, 2009 5:37 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol online no consultation fee at September 25, 2009 11:22 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: 2 mg xanax online pharmacy at September 25, 2009 1:15 PMExcellent site. It was pleasant to me.
-- Posted by: injecting tramadol capsules at September 25, 2009 6:59 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: 10 order tramadol at September 25, 2009 8:54 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol in breastmilk at September 26, 2009 12:45 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: pictures of tramadol at October 6, 2009 7:07 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: xanax and 5htp at October 7, 2009 4:29 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: adipex no prescription no consultation at October 7, 2009 6:22 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol hydrochloride uses at October 7, 2009 8:16 AMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: purchase adipex withour prescrpition at October 11, 2009 6:30 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: blood in stools by tramadol at October 12, 2009 12:04 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex orange county ca at October 12, 2009 11:24 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: can tramadol be taken with paracetamol at October 12, 2009 5:06 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: tramadol pharmacy tech career cheap tramadol at October 12, 2009 10:51 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex p pharmacy online at October 13, 2009 6:32 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: tramadol sales no prescription at October 13, 2009 8:28 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: side effects of xanax in at October 14, 2009 6:10 AMIt is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: tramadol fedex overnight 180 $99 at October 14, 2009 10:03 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: placebo for tramadol at October 14, 2009 11:59 AMIt is the coolest site, keep so!
-- Posted by: does xanax slow down metabolism at October 14, 2009 3:52 PMGreat. Now i can say thank you!
-- Posted by: are adipex tablets time released at October 17, 2009 5:31 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: find adipex 37.5 no perscription at October 17, 2009 9:23 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: cod saturday delivery tramadol at October 17, 2009 7:05 PMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: pain in equine tramadol at October 18, 2009 12:56 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: xanax bars side effects at October 20, 2009 5:01 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: pharmacy salary tech buy tramadol now at October 21, 2009 4:30 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: does adipex have interaction with prednisone at October 21, 2009 9:24 AMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: who sells adipex at October 21, 2009 11:21 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: adipex online from overseas at October 21, 2009 5:11 PMExcellent site. It was pleasant to me.
-- Posted by: tramadol dream pharmaceutical at October 24, 2009 6:38 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: how does tramadol make you feel at October 24, 2009 12:27 PMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: generic lowest price viagra at October 25, 2009 12:00 AMExcellent site. It was pleasant to me.
-- Posted by: info pharm tramadol at October 27, 2009 6:01 PMI bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
-- Posted by: what type of drug is valium at October 27, 2009 11:53 PMPerfect site, i like it!
-- Posted by: order tramadol overnight delivery at October 28, 2009 3:43 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: side effects of tramadol on canine at October 28, 2009 3:57 PMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: what are the ingredients in adipex at October 28, 2009 5:53 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: pet med tramadol 50mg at October 28, 2009 9:46 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: soma coffee at October 29, 2009 10:57 AMI want to say - thank you for this!
-- Posted by: valtrex nasonex tramadol at October 31, 2009 8:38 AMVery interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
-- Posted by: ultram tramadol hcl at October 31, 2009 12:23 PMGreat. Now i can say thank you!
-- Posted by: college pharmacy top buy tramadol now at November 5, 2009 8:51 AMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: tramadol lactation at November 5, 2009 10:42 AMGreat work, webmaster, nice design!
-- Posted by: cyclobenzaprine tramadol interaction at November 5, 2009 12:32 PMIf you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
-- Posted by: side effects of tramadol painkiller at November 5, 2009 4:16 PMMore Recent Stories:
• Tpull's Weekly DC Comics Review
• Weekly DC Comics Review – Wonder Woman 37
• Comics on TV – Bonus Castle Coverage!
• Another Comic Book Victim: The U.S. Military
• Tpull's Weekly Marvel Comics Review - Part 2
• Tpull's Weekly Marvel Comics Review - Part 1
• Tpull's Weekly DC Comics Review – Part 2
• Tpull's Weekly DC Comics Review – Part 1
• Mainstream Media gets Silly with Comics
• Tpull's Weekly DC Comics Review – Part 2
Recommended Sites- Bam! Kapow!
- Newsarama
- The Beat
- Comic Book resources
- The Pulse
- Dave's Long Box
- ICv2
- Chris's Invincible Super-Blog
- The Absorbascon
- Progressive Ruin
- Lady, That's My Skull
- The Hurting
- DC Comics
- Marvel Comics
- Beaucoup Kevin
- Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun
- Worth Reading
- ComicMix
- Comic Blog Legion
- FanBoyWonder
- Gates' Rants
- ComicList
- When Fangirls Attack
- Sequentially Speaking
- Occasional Superheroine
- Journalista
- Robot 6
- Dr. K's 100-Page Super Spectacular
- The Hooded Utilitarian
- Tucker Stone
- The Comics Reporter
- KC Polaris
- Random Longbox
Etc.
Fodder Headlines
Home |
News |
Reviews |
TV |
Forums |
RSS Feeds
About Filmfodder |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Filmfodder Suggestion Box
© The Fodder Network. Don't steal our stuff.
WVMA1z
-- Posted by: Wpweydtq at July 15, 2009 4:14 AM