Fast Comic Reviews Because I've Got A Moment Or Two:
Tales Designed To Thrizzle #1
Michael Kupperman is a very, very funny man. With tales of Sex Blimps, the true story of Jesus's half-brother Pagus, and the Buzz Aldrin Mysteries, he delivers a dose of surreal hilarity that effortlessly jumps between styles. Read this interview at The Comics Journal to learn a bit more. Nice one.
Appendum: Ian makes smart writing dude about this over on his site, so read that, too.
Grounded #1
It's been a long time since I've felt like a new superhero-related comic exceeded my expectations by such a large margin, but Grounded is, with the exception of one minor quibble (our protagonist's name isn't mentioned by writer Mark Sable until page 23, something that irks me unless it's a dramatic choice,) just about the perfect comic for me. It's laugh-out-loud funny in places, touching and surprisingly inspirational without being too maudlin, and just metafictional enough to reward long-time superhero fans without alienating indie-slanted people who may just think that it looks neat.
And looks neat it does - Paul Azaceta's art, combined with colors by Nick Filardi, conveys mood and action perfectly. Azaceta reminds me of Michael Lark without openly aping his style and has the clear storytelling of Alex Toth: viewing a page as static shots without words, the reader can easily get an idea of what's happening. Highly recommended. If this sounds interesting, you can find out a little more at the book's annoyingly Flash-intensive website.
The Defenders #1:
It takes longer to read this single issue than The Ultimates V2 #7 and Daredevil #75 (an oversized finale) combined. Thankfully, it's very funny to watch as Giffen and DeMatteis, with Kevin Maguire, pick on the original non-team affectionately. What's funny is how this manages to convey the essence of each character - Namor's a completely arrogant prick, Strange is an overly verbose man with an ego the size of the Eye of Agamotto, and Hulk is...Hulk. I laughed and laughed like an infant with a rattler, but my tolerance for the works of the Justice League International team is higher than most.
Daredevil #75
Well, that was a bit excessive.
Tales Designed To Thrizzle #1
Michael Kupperman is a very, very funny man. With tales of Sex Blimps, the true story of Jesus's half-brother Pagus, and the Buzz Aldrin Mysteries, he delivers a dose of surreal hilarity that effortlessly jumps between styles. Read this interview at The Comics Journal to learn a bit more. Nice one.
Appendum: Ian makes smart writing dude about this over on his site, so read that, too.
Grounded #1
It's been a long time since I've felt like a new superhero-related comic exceeded my expectations by such a large margin, but Grounded is, with the exception of one minor quibble (our protagonist's name isn't mentioned by writer Mark Sable until page 23, something that irks me unless it's a dramatic choice,) just about the perfect comic for me. It's laugh-out-loud funny in places, touching and surprisingly inspirational without being too maudlin, and just metafictional enough to reward long-time superhero fans without alienating indie-slanted people who may just think that it looks neat.
And looks neat it does - Paul Azaceta's art, combined with colors by Nick Filardi, conveys mood and action perfectly. Azaceta reminds me of Michael Lark without openly aping his style and has the clear storytelling of Alex Toth: viewing a page as static shots without words, the reader can easily get an idea of what's happening. Highly recommended. If this sounds interesting, you can find out a little more at the book's annoyingly Flash-intensive website.
The Defenders #1:
It takes longer to read this single issue than The Ultimates V2 #7 and Daredevil #75 (an oversized finale) combined. Thankfully, it's very funny to watch as Giffen and DeMatteis, with Kevin Maguire, pick on the original non-team affectionately. What's funny is how this manages to convey the essence of each character - Namor's a completely arrogant prick, Strange is an overly verbose man with an ego the size of the Eye of Agamotto, and Hulk is...Hulk. I laughed and laughed like an infant with a rattler, but my tolerance for the works of the Justice League International team is higher than most.
Daredevil #75
"I can't believe-"Ultimates V2 #7
"-what?"
"That I paid $4 for such a-"
"-disappointing read?"
"And dude, you know how I feel about this title."
"I know exactly how you feel about this title."
"I mean, at least the King Of Hell's Kitchen story had all those whaddaya call 'em."
"Yakuza?"
"Yeah, Yakuza. Talk about an anticlimax with this one."
"Not a single Japanese gangster gets his face ripped off by a car antenna?"
"Not a one."
Well, that was a bit excessive.
