evil fighting unicorns

Vote for your favoUrites for The Eagle Awards God, I'd like to see some women (like Gail Simone) win.

Mike Oeming's The Mice Templar is coming out this summer, a project he has talked about for years. The inevitable comparison to Mouse Guard comes up, with a 'good vibe' for both
"Templar I think is the opposite: it's more menace and danger with undercurrents of sweetness."

Also Oeming's Omega Flight is solicited as a mini-series, rather than an ongoing series. I understand Marvel's move as the Flight books have never performed well in the past and it has always been a cult book.

January referrals-- what searches led to this blog-
lusty cops
vavavoom girls
7 up pop a shot
spiderman zombie cover wedding
skinny tornadoes
Ragdoll Mad Hatter
redhead recognize birds
a unicorn fighting evil
why redheads are amazing
dan slott icelandic
lana lang the insect queen
Giganta, a woman who can somehow grow to a size
holy terror batman
"roy harper" "legs" "babs"
what happened to Burt Ward

Library hero

Babs and murder in the library

Batgirl 1 1988
Barbara Randall, Barry Kitson
Babs also sports a long sleepshirt with "U2" on it. I suppose it could be more dated if it said "Choose Life" {Wham} or "Frankie says Relax", which was one of my favorite shirts to wear, without truly realizing what that song was really about. While there was no murder in the library today, the fire alarm was going off, we have no phones, and the outer front door was open.

I've been getting a lot of DVDs from the library- Little Miss Sunshine was great as expected, but The Wicker Man with Nicholas Cage was just awful. As someone wrote on Rotten Tomatoes "Cage trapped in bad movie" Dreamgirls made my mom and I cry, and we loved it, despite the soap opera bits (hello, we all know it's a kid when a woman doesn't feel well and is told she is fatter every day)

In other Entertaiment news, The Aquaman Shrine by Rob of Marlton, NJ was the Obsessive Fan of the Week in Entertainment Weekly. He cops to Tegan being the #1 fan but didn't think they would publish #2 Aquaman fan..

And if you get a chance, please read the fanfic by my comic friend Bryan has written for the Michelle Rodriguex underground: Fanfiction with Michelle as Tigress

Ennis-ocity

Bad librarianship breaks the bad news to me that Boys is cancelled. They better find a home for the remainder of the series. I was just enjoying it's utter twisted look at the superhero community. As Mark says, Buggeration!

Wildstorm board on the cancellation

Supermodel garbagewoman

Written by Brian K. Vaughan ; Art by Goran Sudzuka and José Marzan Jr.; Cover by Massimo Carnevale

In Y the last man 53, we return to the very first person to reveal Yorick as a man- the ex-supermodel now garbagewoman who disposes of the male corpses. Y has always been an interesting experiment of gender politics, and the question of what all the strippers, models, happy ending massagers and Coors light commercial twins would do if all the men and their attention was gone is a fascinating one. I love the scenario that women who learned something- scientists, miltary types, farmers would be of the most use to a new society.

Of course, there is still a place for those who sell their bodies. We meet a 'working girl' who dresses up like a man for other women. Waverly, our ex model has been creating a new life picking up remains, and her path crosses with Yorick's mom. Her final speech that "the day of selling our tits and ass are over" and that they have "a shot to be more than everyone used to see us as. We can be more than just bodies." I really enjoyed this issue.


X-23 issue 2
WRITER: CRAIG KYLE CHRISTOPHER YOST PENCILS: MICHAEL CHOI
Speaking of kiss-ass women, here's a rarity-- a Marvel title I am really enjoying. I raved about the art last review, but this issue added a young Captain America and Daredevil that added another element. Laura starts a friendship with Megan, and her first day in school is just a riot while she interacts with her teachers. But a big cloud of dread hangs over these fun experiences, and we know our girl can not just have a normal life.

Hero genre mash-ups

I read Slate most days for political and social content. I was happy to see this frontwebpage article on Comics that reinvent the superhero genre.

Mary Jane's image from Spider-man loves Mary Jane is the cover image, and the list includes some of my fav's from recent years: Love Fights, Living in Infamy, Ex Machina, Astro City, and the evercool SMLMJ. Although McKeever is planning to depart the title also, so a new writer and David Hahn as new artist-- let's hope the new team can carry on at the same level.

Reading the most recent Girls last night gave me the normal eye raising and moments of humor. The cover of issue 24, the series finale is here. Man, will I miss Y and Girls. They have been great reads that I look forward to, and have for years. And 52 at issue 37.

cartoons on a chalkboard

Just finished The Long Chalkboard. A sweet and thoughtful little book that came to me thanks to the public library. It's not for you if you love things like Annihilation and Ultimates-- but the page by page black and white illustrations coupled with witty text makes this a gem. There are three stories that highlight life's joys, anxiety, and interactions, while talking about art, children's authors, and chili.

In their humor, simplicity, and subtlety, these stories--brought to life perfectly through Feiffer's drawings--speak to our deepest adult-yet-childlike selves. There's not a grown-up among us who won't be completely charmed.

second chance redheads

Redhead mom is visiting, a very busy day at the reference desk, and a holiday party for C's work made it a busy weekend.

New Heroes (cast at Golden Globes) tomorrow. EW had an article where it said Christopher Eggleston (Dr. Who) is joining the cast as Claude, an invisible man in New York. In Feb, a flashback episode where we learn "there was a whole generation of heroes and that thye had adventures of their own". Excited to resume the story, and see if Peter is the human bomb after all.

Shout-out to Gail Simone for this quote in Atom 7,not only does she quote Patton Oswalt (pain go bye-bye juice) and circus peanuts, but when Giganta approaches Ryan he says,
"Hey she said she was being mind controlled. Everyone deserves a second chance, especially redheads"

52, week 36
Last weeks 52, but capturing Renee at Charlie's bedside, while cancer eats him away, was very moving and real. The cancer, morphine, and unfairness of losing her friend. My half sisters are currently struggling with losing their father to bone cancer, so this story rings close to home.
"A month ago he was Charlie. He was funny. He was sweet. He was a royal pain in the ass. He was my best friend in the world."
The animal man story with Lobo, Osiris dealing with the Black Adam family, Skeets searching. With 15 weeks left, I tip my hat to the DC team for 52. It's been a good ride this year, and importantly, on time.

I bought the second issue of X-23, and have a stack of comics to catch up on.

Batgirl

Linkage

Old friend Rich (and co-organizer of the MidJersey Comicon with me) has just started posting some reviews to his blog The Public Domain. Rich has had many of these published on Silver Bullet Comics. His true passion are pulps though, and if you are a pulp fan, chat him up through Bold Venture Press.

Another new site that looks interesting is ComicJobz. Let me know if you see any for librarians!

Bracing for NY Comicon #2
It's gonna be a zoo, but hopefully a fun ride. Can't wait to see some comic artist and writer 'friends' and run around with PhillyGirl on Sat.

"the world needs better good guys"

I completely disagree with this post on Rags Morales, which accuses him of 'ruining his credibility' by working on Identity Crisis. While I too hate the rape-as-plot-point that is too often used for cheap sentimentality- in comics and film; I feel as many voices do that Identity Crisis was more than just a 'rape book'. I'm just catching up on the brave posts by Loren on his A personal story: Identity Crisis and Rape As you can see from the photo here on my blog, I've met Rags several times and believe he is one of the good ones worth defending (i.e., not Liefeld, Land, Cho, Miller).

On to better news:Dan Slott, one of the most decent and talented writers in comics, has been confirmed as the writer of the 6 issue Avengers: The Initiative, Spring 2007 [CSN 1020]. Quesada says "Slott is the real deal, he's impressed us to no end. He is the biggest superstar in comics that no one knows about." Joe, some of us have been waving the Slott flag for quite a while, and I was lucky enough to grab him on his way up to come down to my first comicon. {god, this is turning into a name dropping post!} His work on She-Hulk invigorated a long dormant character, and this The Thing issues were excellent despite poor sales. Success for Slott is good news for all comic fans!

Geoff Johns is quoted as saying that the Justice Society is "obviously my favorite book to write" and that one new character that fans have taken too is the redheaded Maxine Hunkel [CSN 1019]. "Maxine is my favorite new character. She has a very endearing quality. There's something appealing about having a character who is a fan-girl, who tries too hard. And I love how Dale designed her- I think she's cute as a button!" Thanks Geoff, we think you are so in the cute camp yourself. I guess I can relate to a very chatty redhead fangirl! Dale Eaglesham does the best Stargirl art, and see her interact here in JSA 2 with a traumatized Maxine. "the world needs better good guys" and girls, too.

so fast, so numb

If you are wondering about the odd subjects this week, I'm honoring REM for their much deserved entry to the Rock and roll hall of fame. I had the best time when I visited the museum in Cleveland. Everyone should go there once!

Win original Marvel Zombies art

Moon Knight: Vol. 1 in hardcover

Guy Gardner Collateral Damage 1 and 2
Howard Chaykin (writer and artist) spins a Guy Gardner story, with a lot of teeth, big lips and eyes. It was great to see Guy have his own title, as one of my favorite redheads in comics (see my December list). There are all the Guy moments you'd expect, with arrogant comebacks, and all-out aggression. The story involves the Rann-Thanagar War, of which I know zip about. It was a bit tricky for me to follow the sides, plus the Tormocks, plus the Lanterns, like G'nort of G'newt- the best name in comics. The setup is that Guy becomes the 'neutral arbitrator', the "Green Lantern with an ego bigger than the Power Battery and an opinion of himself only slightly vaster than the distance between the two worlds at war".

What I hoped to see, without a rewriting of the character, was a little less buffoonish Guy and more of how his rough early years shaped his current smug and arrogant persona. The art is all Chaykin - someone also said on a blog that he has 'rectangular heads' in addition to his teeth and nipples. That's funny. These are $5.99 each, for 24x2 pages of art, which must keep a few fans away I would think.

Tag
Keith Giffen Kody Chamberlain
If you like horror/thriller, give Tag a try. Issue 1 starts with a restaurant breakup "The cliche lives. Drop the breakup bomb in front of a live audience." Mitch leaves the restaurant and skeletal zombie type touches him and says "Tag! You're it.". After a hospital visit where he is not breathing, and with a body temp just above room temp, he tries to figure out what is happening. The art is shadowy, with lots of facial closeups. And the truth might be found in the blogosphere...

Pale Blue Eyes

I couldn't resist this Batgirl figure. I spend enough on comics, so I try to avoid figures, but Batgirl ones are the exception.

It's a rainy and chilly day here. Going to see a great local band called The Successful Failures in Philly tonight.

Just read X-23 yesterday. The art by Mike Choi is great, with a soft focus coloring by Sonia Obeck. It seems very textured to me. I don't read any X titles, but the intro summary gave me enough info to follow the story. X-23 is caught between being a girl and a weapon, and having seen people she loved died. She is pretty, but not too provocative. I liked it enough to try another issue.

My Guy Gardner review soon, Tag, and more!

Shaking through, opportune

Free Admission to the Big Apple Con, Jan 19, 20 I can't make this one, but maybe some of you midatlantic types can!

More NY-- The NYT on Brian Wood and DMZ

A new kind of post from Bryan, a very knowledgeable comic store employee here. He reads just about every comic, and it's great to hear about what comics he's high on (like the Virgin comic line) or as he tries to convince me to read Annihilation: Super Skrull (uh, no). Anyway, he said I could post his email here, and who doesn't want to hear from someone who even knows the Great Lakes Avengers?

I am starting to agree with you on Civil War. I loved the premise, but I am finding it hard to care for some of the side characters. "Typeface" and "Prodigy", seriously? Not only that but the anti-registration side seems...oh, I don't know...completely screwed? They have what, cap.,hercules, stingray, battlestar, and falcon? And they have to fight Iron Man, the sentry, wonderman, and venom? I don't see how they can win that big fight in the last issue. I think this series may have peaked when "clone thor" came into the picture. Even I don't know a lot of these guys (and I can name almost all of the "Great Lakes Avengers"). Plus, most of the
exposition for these guys can be found in the tie-ins (like frontline), so if you have an extra $20-$30 a month you can get all the answers you need.

Oh, and I'm glad to hear you post about White Tiger, I'm loving it. And that's not her "uncle" as Daredevil, it's Iron Fist. See Iron Fist, Shang Chi, the original White Tiger and all the other kung-fu characters of the seventies used to hang out together, so she used to call all of them
(power-man, daredevil, etc.) "uncle".

Speaking of comic store people, I've heard from Chad, and read Mike Sterling's blog that they aren't wild about Superman Confidential. From the classic Gwen and MJ work of Tim Sale, I was interested to see his art. I like the art, and Variant Edition turned me on to this 'different sort' of Superman story. Supes is just starting out, unsure of the limits of his powers "I appear to be invulnerable. Am I?", and the fame:"To my friends and colleagues, I'm just a farm boy in the big city. To the rest of Metropolis, I've become a protector." And I think the 'overcompensating' to Lois for dashing off or breaking dates is sweet. Only read issue 1, but writer Darwyn Cooke crafts an unusual Supes story, just maybe not for everyone.

Civil -Tiger- Justice

Civil War 6
I guess the reveal of the Hulkling shapeshifter would have had more impact if I was at all familiar with the character. Much of this series has not hit high points with me because I am more of a DC reader-- but even when DC gives ink to side characters, like Red Tornado, the DC folks do a much better job on backstory. Marvel seems to just add someone beyond the Spidey, Hulk, Xmen that are uber-obvious to even the general fan, but then write for only the most insider fans.
While I will never pretend to have the most encyclopedic knowledge of characters, esp. Marvel, I think at this point as a reader I can say while suggestions to read the Essential editions are welcome - but give me some more context. Or am I missing the point of the big crossover, bring every character to the giant 2 page spread that we can?
Steve McNiven's art is as quality driven as ever, particularly his Captain America, with seering blue eyes beneath the mask and detail. I did like Spidey joining the anti-registration side and his "My spider-sense is going off the scale! Seriously, this is defcon one!".

White Tiger 2
WHITE TIGER #2 (OF 6) (SEP062139)
Written by TAMORA PIERCE & TIMOTHY LIEBE
Penciled by PHIL BRIONES
Read this quite a while ago, but from my notes the "real life identity is not as simple as removing a mask". There's a story with the death of Angela's partner- so you have your standard revenge plot. And immigration papers- the ripped from current events aspect. I did like the time-crunch of trying to fight bad guys "Kicking butt clears my head so much better than jogging" and getting to a security job interview. The Daredevil 2.0 is confusing to me- it's not Daredevil, but her uncle?

Justice 9
Without summarizing the whole issue, I just want to thank Alex Ross and Braithwaite for the Wonder Woman, clawed in the face in battle, but still portrayed with muscle without the porn pose shots of other female superheroes. I also love seeing Bruce and Clark in street clothes.
You have to see the art, where the team is coated in a protective shell "wrapped in a fortress, if you will, by my metal men.". I stared at each character in the 2 page panel.
It is hard keeping the Black Adam (bad) in this issue and the 52 (bad, but redeeming himself) separate.

Soon: I spent $12 on the first Chaykin Guy Gardners - did you? I gave Superman Confidential 1 a try. And Geoff Johns loves his new Justice Society redhead- Maxine Hunkel.

Z for zombie

The librarian's fiction suggestion[we call this readers advisory in the biz]: World War Z . by Max Brooks
It's the aftermath of the Zombie war, and this book reads like a documentary. There are clips from all over the world, with characters relaying their story of how they and their countries fared. It took me a good bit longer to read than I expected, and it wasn't just horror fluff. A commentary of social classes and military complexes. Zombies are a bit overdone at this point, but this is the author of the Zombie Survival Guide that I also own. I just found out he is Mel Brooks' son!

Now I'm reading Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Another famous son of a writer is Joe Hill (King). Just learned he wrote Fanboyz, a story in Spiderman Unlimited in 2005. I've never read his work, but am waiting for his book Heart-shaped Box (like the Nirvana song) at the library soon.

Just nod if you can hear me

Picked up this weeks comics- only 4 (52, Civil War, Atom, Superman, Amaz, Spidey) and decided to try X23. C and I drove out to the beach-- 70 plus degrees! The boards and beach were full of people and dogs out for the day, and there were even surfers.

Thought I'd share this pick of me playing guitar. I've been taking lessons about a year and half now. Let me tell you it has changed my appreciation for bands I see. Where before I would think, eh, not so great, now I realize just how hard can be to keep a beat and change chords and strum different melodies. And then to sing on top!
Currently working on Comfortably Numb, My Girl, and Brown Eyed Girl.

Check out ISB's 30 second recap contest. Recap comic stories in 8 - 10 panels; some excellent entries there!

joker venom block

Took a nice run today, in 50 degree weather here, due to El Nino and greenhouse gases. The campus I run at was quiet until the entire men's cross country team smoked by me. My plan is to run a few 5Ks this year, with C and Phillygirl. Last night stopped by to see B at the comic store, and he was reading a book because it was deadly quiet- on a comic Wed? But the holiday pushes books til tomorrow. He is big on the new Virgin line of comics, particularly 7 brothers and Devi. When the reprints come in, I'll give them a shot. Hindu mythology didn't appeal to me, but the glossy art does look different. This is what I try to convince the other librarians: comics and graphic novels are a format for the entire world of stories, not just a genre of superheroes.

Recent reads:
Jack of Fables 6
If you are like me and have only read one Fables trade and want to get in, I highly recommend the Jack of Fables series. Sturges and Willingham in this issue construct yet another Jack from fables-- Jack Frost. It involves his normal scoundrel ways to woo the Winter Queen. Pop up interruptions from Priscilla Page and Revise from the first series arc are just perfect. Steve Leialoha's art of the winter castle, the queen and Jack are a great match for the story, where the art doesn't overpower the writing. Absolutely one of my favorites from 2006.

Creeper 5

The joker and creeper scenes were great this issue. Their 'sharing of blood' is discussed in this panel.

Crossing Midnight 2
I will say I am still on the fence on this title. From the sales figures, it's not selling like hotcakes, but seems to be listed through a first arc at least. Mike Carey has crafted the story that uses Japanese mythology and horror elements in the modern day story of twins- Toshi and Kai- only one of which the power to bend knives and not get hurt. Art is by Jim Fern (FABLES) and Mark Pennington (SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN). I can't say I love the art, just from personal preference -- it reminds me of japanese tapestry. Except for the many gallons of blood spilled. Horror, myth, siblings, tradition, in one package.

The Boys 6
(you need to read it just to understand the cover art!)
So now I'm all caught up and actually looked forward to issue 6 here. There is no doubt it is vile in some ways, and could have probably restrained and still gotten the same message across. But, from the all American Starlight getting her top sliced open for her new costume, to Hughie's loss of his girlfriend because of showboating supes, the series makes me pull for this team of crazies. The supes are the drug addicted, perverted, get anything they want characters-- see them as the 80s jock in the teen movie. From the mockery of costumes to superhero funerals, Ennis adds it all to the mix.

Getting more excited for next months' New York Comic Con. Not only will the huge array of artists and writers be there, and Stephen King!, but Brian K. Vaughan was just announced. Thank god they recognize librarians as professionals and gave me a badge!

70 titles per month from DC

DC Comics month to month sales figures

There are some really interesting tidbits on DC sales to ponder here- see if your DC or Vertigo titles get comments like "harsh drop" or "declining, due to fickleness" It's a different keyhole to peek through as a fan, but most of the numbers synch with our feelings on titles- delays cause lost interest (Wonder Woman), some restarts didn't work (The Flash).

'it can’t gloss over the fact that 52 and Justice League of America appear to be the only major successes in the publisher’s stable right now. Other recent relaunches, such as Wonder Woman and Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, are dropping down the chart at an alarming rate. New high-profile creative teams on Action Comics and Superman are commercial disappointments so far.'

Re: my favorite line Vertigo:
At Vertigo, the monthly direct market sales continue to look bleak. While Fables and Y: The Last Man remain as strong as ever and the spin-off Jack of Fables appears to be successfully establishing itself as a much-needed third flagship, shifting upwards of 20K every month, there’s not much else.

Teasing out some titles I read---
11/2006: 52 Week 30 — 102,576 (- 0.1%)

11/2006: Birds of Prey #100 — 34,607 (+13.9%)

11/2006: The Boys #5 — 26,842 (+ 8.0%)

11/2006: Mystery in Space #3 of 8 — 25,804 (-10.3%)

11/2006: Y: The Last Man #51 — 25,606 (-4.5%)

11/2006: The Creeper #4 of 6 — 18,492 (-12.5%)

11/2006: DMZ #13 — 14,228 (- 2.8%)

Nice to see this about The Exterminators, which I don't read, but friend of my MidJersey Comicon Mike Hawthorne is mentioned..
Holding level as guest artist Mike Hawthorne steps in. Issue #13 begins a four-part storyline, so The Exterminators should be safe until #16 at least.

This is a surprise to me:
11/2006: The All-New Atom #5 — 25,569 (-10.1%)
Another commercial disaster.

Graphic Novels: the golden age is right now

HAPPY NEW YEAR FANBOYS AND FANGIRLS!

One of my first acts of 2007 was to finally move to the new blogger. After a careful backup and some finger-crossing, it was painless. Everytime I logged in to "old blogger" I kept thinking of the old prospector in the Brady Bunch, and felt like saying stuff like "back in aught-05 we didn't have things like tags!".

I wanted to do a Best of list, but the holiday business put me behind the 8ball. You might want to read Tom's year end list. Thing #8-- cool of him to point that series ender by Slott out.

And all should read Loren's 2007 diversity wishes, where he "asked several of my favorite bloggers and podcasters, who I really admire for their perspectives on diversity in comic books, if they wouldn’t mind sharing some wishes for 2007" Even even picked me!

Publishers Weekly Comics Week Best of 2006
Of the best list, I've read Fun Home, American Born Chinese, Marvel Zombies, Nextwave and Sloth. Also a few of the Honorable Mentions, but I am sad to see Pride of Baghdad overlooked. It's hard for me to place the trades within a year, often I've read them in floppy form (like Villains United) and they are released later. There are also lists of Manga and Manhwa, which are less my bag, except ordering for the library collection.

Dan Nadel: this year once again demonstrates the virtues of small, brilliant publishers like Drawn & Quarterly and Fantagraphics. Nurturing unique artists, growing with them, and releasing quality work remains the best (and oddly unique to these two companies!) business model

Douglas Wolk: No getting around it: this was the best year for English-language comics ever. There's so much good stuff, new and old, coming out, because there's an audience for it like there's never been before, which means that there's an economic scaffolding to support it

Jason Persse: With the average cost of a single comic book at around three dollars, it has become cheaper for collectors and casual readers alike to await the trade paperback of even the most common super-hero stories

And a few December referrals - the winding road on the interweb to this blog-
fancy redheaded men
barbara eden cheesecake
chainmail hotpants
hot redhead bookworm
charlie brown socks knocked off
soap opera hairstyle redhead
i am one of sean pauls bigest fan
"gerry conway" feminism
funny facts about ginger haired people
the legion of the ukraine spider