Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Any recommendations

You know Cobie...narrowing down the playing field takes time...

Especially when he has to speel-- err... SPELL...

I recently picked up Axe Cop by Dark Horse, which prints the stories by the brother duo of 27 year old artist Ethan Nicolle and his 6 year old brother, Malachai Nicolle . Yes, you read that right. For the full story, you’ve got to check out this story at CBR on it or this high praise . It’s a feel-good story, certainly, and you can’t help but cheer on the sheer awesomeness of it.

And you know what? After actually reading #1-2, it was really, really great! I had a huge grin on my face the entire time I was reading it and when I put it down I couldn’t wait to tell my wife. Some of it was due to knowing a 6 year old wrote it, but a lot of it was because it was just so damn entertaining. It’s surreal to the Nth degree and all done with great charm. There is no down time and that just heightens the fun. I really loved it.

I highly recommend everyone at least sample this series!

Based on a preview story I got on Free Comic Book Day, I recommend The Intrepid Escape Goat by Brian Smith.

You can read the preview story here.

A fun, all-ages romp with art reminiscent of Bongo Comics crossed with Cartoon Network, maybe. I haven't had a chance to seek out the actual comic, but I will be doing that sometime this week.

The appearance of EG's probable "kid sidekick" near story's end was (no pun intended) priceless.

History of the Marvel Universe #1

Cover date: January 2012

Released: November 2011


Get down to your local comic book shop and pick this issue up before they sell out. Marvel accomplishes in a single issue what DC Legacies failed to do in ten.

It's a nice and succinct overview of the different eras in Marvel's history that makes it all fit together as a coherent whole. It's narrative heavy in a way that works. It reprints tons of classic artwork by some of the industry's best. Highly recommended.

KNIGHT WATCHMAN: SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET

Whatta ya know? There's a NEW comic from BIG BANG COMICS. I feel Gary Carlson's efforts (and those of the various creators he works with) deserve all the promotion they can get. Check it out at the BB site...

http://bigbangcomics.com/


Henry

I bought The Secret History Omnibus over a year ago (at the same time I bought the GDS hardcover, so my order would be large enough for free shipping) on Cramey's and Cobie's recommendations listed above. I often buy trades and stockpile them to read whenever the mood hits. Last week, I finally got to it.

I must say that I'm quite glad I purchased it! This was a sprawling, epic tale spanning a couple of milennia (and much further back in the short prologue that opens it) and features some really detailed, impressive art by a group of artists including Igor Kordey (best known as one of the artists on Grant Morrison's New X-Men run) and Goran Sudzuka (who did some guest art on Y, the Last Man).

I loved all the historical settings/eras, which included Moses's exodus of the Jews, Napoleon's conquest and the beginnings of World War I among others. I'm no historian, so some of the figures and references were over my head, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. A lot of historical characters got the spotlight, and there were many memorable characters encountered by the four immortal siblings along the way.

Having never gotten into manga, this is really my first venture into translated foreign comics. This was certainly an impressive place to begin.

The Secret History continues to be published by Archaia Press. I've seen that a second Omnibus is already available and that there have been issues published that will likely merit at least a third. The only downside is that with it caught up to the early 20th century already, we may lose some of the exotic quality of the first volume. I definitely lament some of the eras that were skipped over and could have made for good settings. But I'll definitely be getting the next volumes at some point in the near future.

Thrilled you got this Lardy! Even more that you enjoyed it as much as I did. (Huge thanks to FC for spotting this one to begin with).

I'm with you 100% on vol 2, which I didn't realize was out already. I'll definitely buy as the quality was too good to pass up, but I hope it doesn't lose that extra something without the epic-ness of multiple eras within the sprawling history. Hell, I'd be thrilled for even just recurring detailed flashbacks like Lost.

This was my first intro to Archea as a publisher and theyre now on my radar.

Also, I totally didn't connect Sudzuka with the Y: the Last Man guest art. That's where I know him from!

I think I reviewed V. 2 somehwere around here - it covers the two world wars. Volume 3 is due in September - it appears to cover the post-war Middle East crises. There's a Volume 4 out in French, which goes up to the shooting of Pope John Paul II (no publication date yet for English). So the events covered are getting more condensed as we move into our current time.

I suppose this could just keep going on indefinitely, covering current events, but I'd like to see the series go back and fill in some of the historical gaps as well.

People I've shown these books to, who aren't into comics at all, are just entranced with the detail of the artwork. It really is a unique series.

So the surprise hit of January / February for me was Prophet. I had heard the buzz surrounding it and how quality it was, and then was even more curious once I started reading some big names (e.g. Warren Ellis) really complimenting and praising it. So, checking it out for myself, I was totally blown away by how unique the series is, and how interesting and good that made it. This was a fantastic comic! And by issue’s end, I wasn’t sure if it was so much that I wanted to continue reading, or if I just felt compelled to.

Prophet is by Image Comics via Rob Liefield’s extreme studios. It was a major Image comic in the 90’s and the epitome of everything wrong with comics then; but I actually never read any of those stories and don’t really know all that much about it. And I think this relaunched series is exactly for readers like me in that regard, who have no great knowledge or love of what came before. Rob Liefield made a very smart decision in finding some creators with real indie cred and letting them just run with the concept in their own direction. Writer Brandon Graham and artist Simon Roy do exactly that and its really like nothing I’ve seen before.

Prophet takes place at some far point in the future, when the lead character John Prophet has reawakened to find a very alien Earth. And by ‘very alien’, I mean it! It’s almost impossible to describe the contents of what is within without resorting to summarizing, so I’ll just try to focus on the tone of the series. There is an incredible sense of uneasiness throughout, and I felt myself getting continually more on edge. Prophet is a true sci-fi series in every sense, but it is one of the much more visceral ones to come out in awhile. In that sense, its very much like Ridley Scott’s Alien film in that it presents the reality of the situation and shows nature at its most pure and horrifying, and especially when it something entirely unlike anything we’ve seen before. There are moments where I found myself disgusted by what I was seeing but fascinated at how it subtly made sense within a much broader picture of the world Prophet is set in.

The writing and artwork create a steady forward pace that never once alleviates the tension but also does not give you the satisfaction of bringing things to a head. So you’re left feeling anxiety and awe at what you’re seeing, much like the character John Prophet.

I’m pretty darned impressed by this issue. This is a Liefield character and he’s done a pretty bold thing in staying totally out of it; instead we get something really fresh and unique to the comics world. Like I said before, at the end of the issue, I knew I had to buy the next one. Not because I was ready to put myself through that again, but because I feel like I have to know.

So another series by Image has really blown me away! This one totally different than everything else I've been reading: Peter Panzerfaust. Everyone do yourselves a favor and buy this comic. If you've got a soul, you'll love it.

Without giving too much away, here is a brief summary: Peter Pan in WWII. Beyond that, a killer delivery in story telling by Green Wake writer Kurtis Wiebe and artsit Tyler Jenkins. Wiebe instills a sense of the grandiose with the pacing and tone; it has a very innocent feel at times and then a very gritty WWII feel--a dichotomy that works. Jenkins artwork is stylized yet clean and I think he does a great job. It's interesting to see Wiebe's writing with an artist like Jenkins. It might be better than the Greek Wake combo.

I highly recommend people pick this up. I was delighted by how much I liked it.

The second issues of both of these series also blew me away! Both were fantastic!

A major surprise for me, which really knocked me off my feet, was Avenging Spider-Man #5. This is probably the best team-up story in years--not just for Spidey but for everyone. Its an amazing done in one full of heart and humor.

Spidey and Captain America have been two mega stars of Marvel for 50 years but they really don't team up that often. After this story, I want them to every few months.

Zeb Wells is a writer that absolutely nails the subtly poignant / laugh out loud funny / superhero action combo and that shows here. And Leinil Yu continues to grow from one of the best artists in comics to something even more amazing.

Buy it. It's one issue and you'll feel good after.

The Massive by Brian Wood, art by Kristian Donaldson (Image) - Issues 1 & 2 out of 3

A great climate catastrophe (origin unknown) has hit Earth, setting off a domino effect of further climate problems, crashing economies and resource wars. Now people are starting to rebuild, but the chaos remains.

The Ninth Wave is an ocean activist group led by former mercenary Callum Israel. They and their two ships survived the catastrophe by being at sea, avoiding the tsunamis, and have remained at sea except for brief forays to what remains of ports for supplies. Now their larger ship, The Massive, has gone missing and a small crew aboard The Kapital is both searching for her and trying to stay alive themselves. Israel and his team are not without enemies... and there's no shortage of well-armed pirates.

There's a lot covered in these two issues. Post-apocalypse Earth, a mystery, pirates and thugs, questions of ideology in a crashed world, human relations, love and loyalty.

All the action takes place in the Eastern Pacific, between Indonesia and Kamchatka, with a visit to flooded (and adapting) Hong Kong. This setting is pretty unusual for a comic book.

The story alternates between present day and immediately after the collapse (the past coloured in sepia tones).

There are also some text pages at the end of each issue giving background information on Callum Israel, his team and his group.

There's a distinct lack of preachiness which tends to accompany stories about environmentalists.

I can't say this would be to everyone's liking, but it really is a well-crafted story - and so refreshing to see a post-apocalypse without zombies, where the survivors are rebuilding their societies.

In old nautical lore, waves come in cycles and the ninth wave is the largest one, then the cycle begins again. There's a famous Russian painting of shipwrecked sailors facing death as the ninth wave approaches. It isn't stated, but I expect Wood took the name for his environmental group from that picture.

I'm really enjoying the Massive. It's a well crafted series from start to finish each issue where no panel is wasted. The premise, with a post-Apocalyptic theme with a nautical mystery bent, is wonderfully unique right now.

I also like reading a "hard science fiction" series to balance out all the more grandiose ones I'm reading.

Highly recommended.

Cobie's recommendation led me to pick up the first two issues of The Hypernaturals, and I'm digging the format, with the 'ads' for the Hypernaturals recruitment, and the in-depth interviews with members of the team at the end of the book, to fill in some characterization and backstory beats.

Thinkwell and Shoal have really fascinating futuristic powers, that lean a little bit in the Authority direction (my powers are a fancy buzz word, and I just do whatever the hell the writer thinks would be cool in this scene), but, so far, better written.

My tastes quite often vary widely from Cobies (no offense, dude!), so I was uncertain what to expect, but it was pretty interesting. I am very much an art snob, so I wish the art was a hell of a lot better, but the writing and the story premise is interesting enough to keep me on for a few more issues.

The Massive, another recommendation from around here, was interesting, but a bit too slow for my tastes. There was a fair amount of info-dump at the beginning, and I feel that, as a reader, I wasn't given any reason to really give a crap about a missing ship, when it's sort of casually mentioned that there's entire continents gone missing. It's like, 'My house burned down yesterday. But I'm gonna write a book about how I also chipped a nail.'

Everything seems to revolve around the ocean, which is sensible, given the nautical nature of the book, with even the storms, etc. being described as being the result of changes in sea temperature, leading me to getting an 'Abyss' sort of vibe from it. Aquatic stuff intrigues me, particularly if it turns out some previously unknown presence in Earth's oceans is behind this (or perhaps even some sort of collective biospheric intelligence of the planet itself?), but this looks to be a slow, slow, slow burn.

Finally read Hawkeye #1.

Fucking brilliant. Damn. I mean: daaaaaaamn.

yes! Its good right! Its just really good. #2 with Kate Bishop is even better ... it seems autobiographical.

and Kate Bishop hasn't been done to potential before #2 so its really exciting to experience.

Yah, I finally read Hawkeye #1 myself the other day. Damn good down-to-earth Hawkeye story with no in-costume action other than the opening pages of Clint falling out of a building. The rest of the issue (other than a hilarious sequence showing the consequences of a normal-guy superhero falling out of a building) was literally Clint going up against his landlord and the fall-out of doing so.

Excellent, EXcellent issue by two of the guys who worked on the late, lamented Iron Fist series a few years ago: Matt Fraction and David Aja. Aja uses a new style for him reminiscent of Chris Samnee's that is just awesome to behold in its simplicity and its detail. And Fraction is just a revelation here as I was beginning to think he could only write utter crap anymore! This is FANtastic!

It's like the Green Arrow comic I've always wanted! Seriously, I've always been fond of both DC's and Marvel's iconic archers. Both have had some memorable runs on various books, including Hawkeye himself on the excellent, cancelled-too-soon Hawkeye and Mockingbird series. Here, it's nice to see Clint down to earth and getting something unique and special done with him.

I sure hope this one has enough eyes on it and won't get cancelled!

Normal guy superheroes have my love. I always imagine how I might react to falling out of a building...and it's usually not nearly as gracefully as comic characters seem to do it. I think I can get evicted with the best of them though! XD

I just finished re-reading my old copies of Shadow Lady (young girl who finds magical eyeshadow that turns her into a scantily clad thief) and for those who haven't read them, I highly suggest doing so. MAN WAS IT FUN. I mean, besides the skimpy outfits and stuff, the plot (as it were) was really perky up until the series got cancelled and the last storyline had to be condensed down into practically nothing. Years of disappointment at my own eyeshadows followed the original reading.

Yay! I loved this book from issue 1 it jumped into my top five.

#2 keeps it up too.

I hope it at least make 4 to 8 issues to get a few story arcs in. I have never been a fan of Hawkeye, and now i think he is just great, and relate to him for the first time ever.

Hawkeye #3 continued to be the best book Marvel has right now while Daredevil is giving it a serious neck and neck run for its money ....

So, hands down the best superhero comic by the Big 2 (and best comic all around by the non-Vertigo Big 2) is Daredevil. There is no debate here: NOTHING by DC even comes close, and perhaps only Hawkeye can compare from Marvel but its too early to be declaring that.

(And I mean that. Nothing by DC, not Batman or whatever, is close).

The major reason is the incredible creative team(s) which is Mark Waid, and lead artist Chris Samnee (with some fill in help). Those two creators are also producing anther phenomenal comic: The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom . This one is also highly recommended.

^ having thought about it some more, I will say I think Wonder Woman may be in this category of 'best of the best'. The #0 issue was a highlight of the last few months and overall it's just fantastic.

anyone besides me reading Roman Dirge's "Lenore"

Its a dark humour comic about a cute little dead girl and her misadventures.