Archive for December, 2005

Holiday gift guide 2005

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Ho, ho, ho and all that stuff. Have you been a good boy or girl this year? Then you deserve a great comic book read as part of your holiday festivities. And since this is the season when all that goodness and cheer you’ve spread all year comes back to you in kind, let’s take a look at some really nice (see not cheap) books to start. There are five real golden choices as far as high-end comics this year, beginning with the fabulous The Complete Calvin And Hobbes ($200, Andrews McMeel Publishing). This is one of the most impressive collections of any series ever. It contains all 3,160 strips produced by creator Bill Watterson in three hardcovers, inside a slipcase. This may be a bit steep for a book (although some retailers are slashing the price), but for a fan of comic strips it is worth every penny. For more traditional comic book fans, Watchmen: The Absolute Edition ($75 US, DC Comics) is likely to be high on the ol’ wish list. This oversized, digitally restored, hardcover edition of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons 1980s miniseries about the dark side of super-heroes and humanity is a perfect compliment for this landmark title. Crisis On Infinite Earths: The Absolute Edition ($99.99 US, DC Comics) has all the bells and whistles as The Watchmen, along with an entire second book of bonus material looking back at this series that defined the DC Universe for an entire generation of fans by streamlining 50 years of history into one (sort of) cohesive unit. For something more contemporary, try The Walking Dead Omnibus ($100 US, Image Comics), a whopping 560-pager collecting the first two years of this hot series about a band of people fighting to stay alive and sane in a world filled with the undead. Thanks to filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and a boatload of Hollywood stars, most people now know all about Sin City. But to really get the feel of this seedy little town, a copy of Frank Miller’s Sin City Library Set Vol. 1 ($150 US, Dark Horse Books) is a must. This oversized, four-hardcover, slipcased set contains the first few Sin City tales and a slew of extras, spanning 840 pages. For those on a more modest budget, there are lots of great choices among recently releases, including: Identity Crisis ($33.99, DC Comics) was the hottest title of 2004. This murder-mystery involving the death of a famous hero’s spouse had fans guessing for months and the ramifications of this story are still being felt in almost every DC Comic sold today. Image Comic Hardcover ($24.99 US, Image Comics) was overdue by three-and-a-half years, but well worth the wait. The four remaining Image founders — Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino — each return to their original independent creation (or in the case of Larsen continued on) taking the Savage Dragon, Spawn, Cyberforce and Shadowhawk back to their beginnings in a reminder of why these creators are so influential and inspiring. Green Lantern: Rebirth ($33.99, DC Comics) was just slightly behind Identity Crisis on the buzz-o-meter. Orchestrating the return to the DC Universe of the silver age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan — who had turned evil, died and been merged with the Spectre — was a very tough task. But writer Geoff Johns, along with artists Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins, did a masterful job, reminding us why Jordan is the greatest and most deserving to wear that emerald power ring. The Complete Peanuts 1957-58 ($28.95 US, Fantagraphics) is the fourth out of 25 planned collections of Charles Schultz’s comic strip masterpiece coming over a 12-year span. Giving these books out should be a holiday tradition. Image Holiday Special 2005 ($11.80, Image Comics) is proof that holiday-themed comics don’t have to suck. This anthology dips into some of the best of Image Comics’ talent — including a Walking Dead story by Robert Kirkman, some PVP strips by Scott Kurtz and a Savage Dragon-a-la-Sin-City tale by Erik Larsen —and produces a bargain book that is not to be missed.

Image Comics Hardcover

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Image Comics Hardcover Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino Image Comics $24.99 US (Hardcover) **** (out of five) It’s here, it’s finally here! OK, so it’s three-and-a-half years late, but the Image Comics Hardcover is actually in stores. Planned as a 10th anniversary celebration for February 2002, the remaining Image founders — Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon), Todd McFarlane (Spawn), Marc Silvestri (Cyberforce) and Jim Valentino (Shadowhawk) — were going to combine their considerable talents on one must-buy book. But since only Valentino and Larsen finished on schedule, the book was put on the shelf indefinitely as rumours and planned release dates came and went. Apparently McFarlane and Silvestri finally got the lead out (pardon the art pun) and the book is now a reality. The hardcover kicks off like a mule with the never-before-told origin of the Savage Dragon. For any fan of Larsen’s long-running series (set to return in January 2006), this is a mind-blowing and momentous occasion that along makes this release worth owning. Next up is the long-awaited return of McFarlane to comics. For those not up to speed, Todd was the hottest artist on the planet in the early 90s, illustrating the Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man and then launching the highly successful, Spawn. But he quit drawing after just 16 issues and hasn’t done much of anything since. Fast forward to now and the slightly jilted feeling longtime fans might get when they discover instead of a fully illustrated comic story, McFarlane cheats a bit and does just one illustration alongside his text. Oh, he can still draw (it’s classic Todd) but the graphic element, his use of space, was always McFarlane’s strong suit and that’s missing from this tale. That being said, it’s still pretty darn good. Silvestri pairs up with regular collaborator David Wohl to tell a pretty good Cyberforce origin tale (setting up the Cyberforce/JLA special and leading into a new series in ’06) and Valentino gives readers a good look at his new Shadowhawk (although it might have been nice to see something more on the orginal — now deceased — hero). All in all this trip back to their beginning of Image in a great reminder of why these creators are so influential and inspiring and how they’ve all managed to stay relevant after these, well, 13 1/2 years.

Green Lantern: Rebirth

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Green Lantern: Rebirth Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver DC Comics $33.99 (Hardcover) **** 1/2 (out of five) So just how do you redeem a mass murderer? Turns out you just blame it on a big, nasty demon-thingee. Orchestrating the return to the DC Universe of the silver age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan — who had turned evil and slaughtered the GL Corps, reformed and died saving the universe and then had his soul merged with the Spectre, the spirit of vengeance — was a very tough task. How could you bring him back to life? What could make the other heroes of the DC Universe trust him again? Writer Geoff Johns, along with artists Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins, did a masterful job of redeeming Jordan, not wiping out the recent past — particularly by not killing off the most recent GL, Kyle Rayner — and reminding us why the Hal is the greatest and most deserving to wear that emerald power ring. And on a personal note, my favourite comic character, Guy Gardner, returned as a GL. Thanks, Geoff. I owe you another beer.

Identity Crisis

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Identity Crisis Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales, Michael Bair DC Comics $33.99 (Hardcover) **** 1/2 (out of five) It was the mystery that had comic fans blazing up the chat boards for months: Who killed Sue Dibny? Of course if you’re not a big DC Comics fan the other question is: Who is Sue Dibny? The murder of the B-level hero Elongated Man’s beloved wife kicked off one of the most memorable series in years, a genuine whodunit that wasn’t cleared up until the very end. But the real story that came out during Identity Crisis was the fallibility of the Justice League — some of whom made some ethically questionable decisions, including erasing the memories of one of their own members — hammering home a humanity to these super-powered people that is unequalled before or since. Best-selling novelist Brad Meltzer (The Zero Game), along with the gifted art team of Rags Morales and Michael Bair, practically reinvented the wheel with Identity Crisis, easily making it the best series of 2004.

Image Holiday Special 2005

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Image Holiday Special 2005 Image Comics $11.80 (Paperback) **** (out of five) Holiday-themed comics usually suck. Teaming up (insert famous hero name here) with Santa Claus to save the world is just silly any way you slice it. So it’s nice when somebody takes that holiday theme and gets it right. This anthology dips into some of the best of Image Comics’ talent and shows why they have a roster of titles that comic fans should be paying more attention to. Highlights include: • A Walking Dead story by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn. • PVP strips by Scott Kurtz. • A Godland tale by Joe Casey, Tom Scioli, Nick Filardi and Jimmy Betancourt. • A Mr. Glum/Savage Dragon-a-la-Sin-City tale by Erik Larsen that is worth the buying the book for all on it’s own. • Shadowhawk, Grey Area, Spawn, Amazing Joy Buzzards, Noble Causes and more. The only thing this book is missing is an Invincible story by Kirkman and Ryan Ottley and Fell by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith and it would get a perfect five-out-of-five. At $11.80 (or $9.99 for our American friends) this is a steal of a book that is not to be missed.

Death Jr.

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Death Jr. Gary Whitta, Ted Naifeh Image Comics $14.99 (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) Who would have thought it — a cute little story about Death? DJ (that’s Death Jr.) is just your average happy-go-lucky kid — who has a little problem keeping his pets and houseplants alive. So he’s pretty happy when he discovers some “special” kids at his new school that are just like him. There’s Pandora (who has a little fetish for opening things), Stigmartha (whose hands bleed when she gets nervous), Smith and Weston (conjoined twins who prove that one mind can be better than two) and The Seep (an armless, legless grumpy kid floating in a tank of liquid). With the help of his new friends, DJ ends up in a heap of trouble that sees his dad, Death, locked away and his evil uncle taking over the family business. Smart, sweet and funny, writer Gary Whitta and artist Ted Naifeh could have a real franchise to build upon.

Superman: For Tomorrow Vol. 2

December 19, 2005 | Trades

Superman: For Tomorrow Vol. 2 Brian Azzarello, Jim Lee DC Comics $33.99 (Hardcover) *** 1/2 (out of five) OK, I’ll put it all on the line: I actually liked Superman: For Tomorrow. Having a lot of friends who are comic fans and a few industry associates, I heard little but criticism about artist Jim Lee and writer Brian Azzarello’s 12-issue arc on The Man Of Steel. “It’s too slow,” they whined. “There’s not enough going on.” But having talked to Azzarello as the first issue was hitting the stands, I took heed of his advice that the story would all come together in the end. It did. After learning in the first volume that one million people has mysteriously vanished, including Superman’s wife Lois Lane, the distraught hero risks his life to find out the truth and winds up in a battle to the death with both friends and a very old foe. OK, so this isn’t the best work either Lee or Azzarello have ever done, but in the end it is a pretty tight little story that has a lot of depth and is very much worthy of a second look.

Catwoman: When In Rome

December 5, 2005 | Trades

Catwoman: When In Rome Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale DC Comics $26.99 (Hardcover) **** (out of five) Catwoman doesn’t suck, just Hollywood. OK, so maybe your last exposure to DC’s famous feline vigilante may have come from a tragic trip to the movies last year to see that laughable effort that even Halle Berry in leather couldn’t save — but please don’t base your judgments on it. For a better look at why this character has endured for over 65 years, all you have to do is pick up Catwoman: When In Rome. The award-winning writer/artist team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale re-team to fill in the blanks from their two Batman mega-series, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory by sending Selina Kyle on a quest to find her roots. Assailed by vivid and troubling dreams, Selina, aided by the eccentric Riddler, arrives in Rome searching to confirm if one of Gotham City’s most notorious mafia bosses is also her daddy. A decently engrossing mystery by Loeb, mixed with some sublimely stupendous art by Sale will have you believing in this classic cat again.

Batman: Under The Hood Vol. 1

December 5, 2005 | Trades

Batman: Under The Hood Vol. 1 Judd Winick, Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen, Paul Lee, Cam Smith DC Comics $13.50 (Paperback) *** ½ (out of five) Behind his stone-faced façade, Batman’s heart is racing. There’s a new face in the Gotham City crime scene, a hidden face, and if the Dark Knight’s suspicions about the identity of the new Red Hood prove to be true, then it could change his life forever. Taking his name from the classic villain that would become the Joker, the Red Hood catches the eyes of not only Batman, but the Gotham underworld as he systematically begins to wipe out and take control of his competition. When they finally meet face to face, or rather fists to faces, something about the Hood seems very familiar. Could the world’s greatest detective know one of its worst new crooks? The revelations of Under The Hood — another strong effort by writer Judd Winick, along with artists Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen, Paul Lee and Cam Smith — are stirring for any longtime Batman fan and will no doubt have long-standing ramifications for the DC Universe.

Girls Vol. 1: Conception

December 5, 2005 | Trades

Girls Vol. 1: Conception The Luna Brothers Image Comics $14.99 US (Paperback) **** (out of five) Beautiful naked women: good. Beautiful naked, homicidal women: bad. The Luna Brothers — Jonathan and Joshua — are back with the hot new follow-up to their great debut, Ultra: Seven Days, and this time they’ve upped the ante. Sure there’s the same clean art, solid storytelling, great characters and, well, yeah, beautiful women, but make no mistake, this book is a thriller. When Ethan Daniels rescues a wounded, naked woman from the side of the road one night after a particularly rough day in Pennystown (pop. 65), he figures his luck has changed. But after one night of exactly what Ethan hoped would happen with a naked girl, happening, things quickly take a turn for the worse. The mysterious (and still naked) girl somehow manages to duplicate herself. And again. And again. And again. Ethan’s shock over this turn of events gets turned up 10 notches when “the girls” burst out of his house and go feral on any woman they see. Mixing humour, horror and humanity in a great package, Girls is a bizarrely good read.