Monthly Archives: February 2010

Game Tape

by Matt

Wednesday has come and gone. The heroes have fought their battles and villains have hinted at things to come. Now it’s time to review the game tape…
This was a mostly good week for comics. Two Jeff Parker books will give anybody that warm and fuzzy feeling. We’ll start there then.

Spider-Man 1602 #5 was the end to the mini. It’s actually the only spin-off to the Gaiman series that I’ve read. I seem to recall that Jesse wasn’t so keen on the incorporation of so much Spider-Mania, but the development of the “pumpkin” bombs here was nice.  The best part of this series for me was seeing Osborne. Long before he became an all powerful NSA adviser and head of S.H.I.E.L.D/ H.A.M.M.E.R., Norman was my favorite of Spider-Man’s villains. Here we see why: he’s unrepentantly self-serving and despicable. The guy can’t help but torment Peter. Nothing else really matters. Jeff Parker brings this out in the grotesque character here.  Speaking of grotesque, Otto’s smile is not something to cherish. Turns out being part octopus turns your frown sideways. Yikes… In addition to the great characterization, Parker neatly wraps everything up into a tight bundle. Villains are dispatched; hope is promised, and everything seems to reset itself to something we recognize as Marvel U continuity.

You’re probably all sick of hearing how great we think Jeff Parker is. I’m not going to make this another love letter to the man. Instead, I give you evidence. Here are some quotes from the book that should make you want to rush out, break into a comic book store, and read Avengers vs. Agents of Atlas #2.

“I make my own rules, Mr. Name-everything-after-myself.”

“I’m just gonna bite you again, Hoss.” (As a side note, I feel compelled to incorporate “Hoss” into my daily vernacular.)

“Because his armor is filled with more machinery instead of boozy millionaire, bum!”

Oddly enough (not really) the best lines in the main story all belong to Ken Hale.

The best line of the book is in the back-up story, and it belongs to Mr. Lao:

“Not just any dumplings. These are made from the rarest of sea creatures. A shame they can only be prepared by evil chefs.”

Moving on, Justice League of America #42 was miles and away more readable than the last one. This one wasn’t playing clean-up from “events.” It’s much of what I would expect from a Robinson helmed book. The dialogue is fairly sharp; there’s a great respect for the past; there’s a respectful treatment of ideas that seemed trapped in their own time. It also looks like we might finally get some answers to why Green Arrow and the Shade are thick as thieves.

Remember Dr. Impossible? Yeah, he was pretty forgettable back at the beginning of this series. Here, Robinson takes him and brings in other reverse New Gods (Earth – 3 perhaps?). Throw in some interesting moments inside Donna Troy’s head…I know those ideas shouldn’t go together…and we’ve got a book that’s quite readable. All this in spite of the fact that it’s missing Wally, Roy, and Garth to round out the Titans. It’s faster and sharper than anything Robinson’s written lately.

I also picked up GI Joe: Cobra II #2, and it continues to tell a good story. The more I read, the more I like Chuckles. For the longest time, I thought he had to be some sort of joke. Here’s a guy whose only special skills seemed to be wearing a Hawiian shirt and being blonde. In the same way that Dr. Mindbender got a revamp, Crystal Ball (speaking of GI Jokes) gets a new look and purpose. It works here. Well done all around. Worth getting in trade it you like Joes.

Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers was pretty good too. Apparently there are Decepticon’s scarier than Megatron.

That’ll wrap things up for this week.

It came from the mailbox

by Matt

Missing the first two issues of the new Muppet Show book here in town, I ordered the first one from the internet. It’s everything Jesse said and more. Roger Langridge continues to to demonstrate brilliance regarding the style of the Muppet Show. Anybody that’s going to make a running gag by paraphrasing Oscar Wilde is working on a whole other level of genius that we mere mortals can not touch.

The real gem in my package was Gumby’s Summer Fun Special.

For those that don’t know, I’ve been preaching the Gospel of Gumby since I discovered the Bob Burden series from a couple of years ago. It was consistently the weirdest, trippiest book on the market. Here are some high lights: Gumby is turned into a Golem and is forced to join a circus; He and Pokey eat too many crayons and go on a psychedelic journey inside of Gumby to purify is body of the poison; The ghost of Johnny Cash saves the day. Reading these books is as close to LSD use as I am likely to get. The good thing here though is that there are no bad trips or infusions of vitamin C. Did you ever find something that was so good that you couldn’t really explain how good it was? That’s how it is with Gumby. You can find the issues cheaply on-line.

So you’re probably asking yourself why pick up Gumby’s Summer Fun Special? Well, it’s written by Bob Burden so it’s got that same wildness (more even since it was written in 1987 and everything was weirder in the ’80′s). Surprisingly, it’s also drawn by, get this, Art Adams. It’s no hyperbole to say that this book has everything: a suicidal next door neighbor, strange whistles from many planets, a family of robots, aliens, a werewolf babysitter, astronaut bears, pumpkin eaters, pirates, an Avon lady, and Gumby. Hard as it may be to believe, this all makes sense within the story. The story doesn’t get you, the art will. Adams makes the prettiest looking Gumby comic allowed by law.

Don’t take my word for it, check it out yourself!


This Week’s Comics

by Jesse

It looks like Diamond may have moved their list of new releases.  Either way, it’s out.  Here’s what I’m looking at.

AVENGERS VS ATLAS #2 (OF 4) - How many different ways can I say that Jeff Parker’s Agents of Atlas books are the best comics on the stands? Apparently only one.
BATMAN #696 - Whatever.  Why can’t DC keep this book interesting???
GREEN LANTERN #51 - Having just read issue #50, for once I feel like I’m up to speed for a new issue!
STARMAN OMNIBUS HC VOL 04 - I feel like Starman would have benefitted from Absolute Editions rather than just thick hardcovers (especially for $50!), but these are pretty nice.  Plus, it’ll let you get all caught up for Matt’s Annotations.
WEEKLY WORLD NEWS #2 - I really enjoyed the first issue, so I’ll be picking this up.  Ed Anger, Bat Boy, PhD Ape, and the cloud that looks like Satan.  How can you go wrong?


So that’s it for me.  What are YOU getting?

This Week’s Comics — Again??? Really, Diamond?

by Jesse

Well, it’s that time of the week again.  Diamond is experiencing technical difficulties.  When this week’s comics are posted, This Week’s Comics will be posted.

Still, I managed to read some good stuff this weekend, so some reviews are in order.

Siege #1-2 - It’s probably somewhat telling that I haven’t read most of Marvel’s output in the past couple years. Between snoozer events and Bold New Directions That Will Change EVERYTHING!, I just haven’t
been that interested in what is essentially the asshole-ization of the Marvel U.  I’ve been keeping up with the broad strokes, but not the details.  So if Siege is going to change all of this and lead to a Brand New Day, then I’m all about Siege.

The scene set as Siege opens is fairly unrecognizable to me. Asgard is hovering twelve feet above Broxton, Nebraska, there are two Captain Americas, Thor is back but apparently not doing much, Iron Man is holed up someplace, injured, and Nick Fury is paired up with a bunch of kids I can only assume are the Secret Warriors.

Norman Osborn and Loki set up a series of events that lead to Volstagg creating a huge incident like the one that opened Civil War.  This gives Osborn the excuse he needs to lead an attack on Asgard and dupe
Ares into forging the plan.  Once Ares discovers the treachery, he fights The Sentry in the most gratuitously violent display I’ve ever seen in a mainstream comic (but correct me if I’m missing something egregious).

Despite not knowing where we are or how we got there, I enjoyed the book.  Olivier Coipel’s art is stellar, and Brian Michael Bendis is telling a concise, action-packed story without the wordy repetitiveness of some of his earlier work.*  And in only 4 issues!

I’m looking forward to seeing where this is going, but not nearly as much as I’m looking forward to seeing a cohesive Marvel Universe again.  I still don’t trust Tony Stark, though.  That bridge has been burned.

Blackest Night #6 – I think all of the reviews I’ve read about this have been fairly negative, but I didn’t mind it.  Sure, the “every ring can create one more” deus ex machina came out of left field, but at least it’s fairly interesting, even if I don’t really understand Nekron’s motivations.  Is it just bringing back everyone who’s escaped death?  How the hell is Barry figuring all this stuff out?  I can barely keep things straight from one issue to the other, although to be fair, that’s mostly my fault with the 3 month gaps between issues.

I don’t get all of the choices Johns made for who gets rings. The Atom is Compassion? The Flash is Hope?  Lex Luthor is Avarice? Why?  And why does Ganthet give himself a ring?  Doesn’t he channel the green power through his own body?

Still, the choice of Scarecrow for Fear was well-played. Of course I’ll have a complaint, though, and in this case it’s motivation.  I never recall seeing Scarecrow motivated by the desire to feel fear, and I’m afraid that this is just more of Johns looking to create order where none was necessary.  Dude, if it’s a Batman villain you can throw common sense out the window.  Those cats are all just batshit crazy (pun intended).

Hmm…Maybe I liked it less than I thought.  Expect more from me on the New Guardians (and who else SHOULD have gotten the call) in the next few days.

Green Lantern #50 - I suspect Matt may have posted his second GL #50 review specifically for me after I emailed him threatening to buy it. And I did.  It had some questionable moments in it (and confusing, since I haven’t been following every spin-off…Where did The Spectre come from???) but in all, I thought it was okay.  To be sure, this one book had more action in it than any issue of Blackest Night so far.  I completely missed the point behind releasing Parallax, and his beef with the Spectre, but other than that I thought it was a nice change of pace.  My only quibble is that they’re replaying this so shortly after having Kyle get possessed.

So, that’s what I’ve been looking at.  Hopefully we’ll get a look at this week’s books soon.  In the meantime, I’m going to start re-reading some Starman.

* It’s not that I mind the wordy repetitiveness, it’s just that I refuse to believe that every character has this same type of conversation.

Super Personals: The Hookup

by Matt

Ahhhhh… love is in the air. It’s Valentine’s Day and we’d be remiss in neglecting how the Cape and Mask set celebrate the holiday.

Naturally, the Kents have romantic plans, as do the Allens, Richardses, and the countless other couples in comics.
How about the singles?

Ah…they put out ads in trade papers. Looking for love isn’t any easier when you commit or fight crime and or have phenomenal powers. Below you’ll find some personal ads from folks you might recognize.

SGM looking for SF: You’ll think I’m a mind reader because I’ll be the man (or woman) you need me to be. Don’t really like evenings by the fire place: my love will keep you warm. We can eat cookies in my bed. Isn’t it time to go green?

SWF looking for SM: Squirrly girl looking for the right nut ; ) Must be an animal lover, but not afraid to go out with a girl in  a fur coat. Preferably someone in the Great Lakes area.

DOOM demands SF: Must hate RICHARDS! . . . should also be okay with scars, robot duplicates, and tats. No fat chicks.

SPM seeking SPF: Don’t let my super intelligence freak you out baby. I can get down and dirty flinging my feces with the best of them. Should be open to world domination and human subjugation.

SMODOK seeks SMODAM: Let me be your Mental Organism Designed Only for LOVE. After dinner and a movie, we can add a whole new meaning to “bumping uglies.” Too forward? Face it, I’m a head in a chair. Any move is too forward.

Random Links for Your Weekend

by Jesse

It’s been a while, but I’ve got a good batch this week.

*Also, now I feel old.

    Avengers Confidential!

    by Jesse

    Which ARMORED AVENGER has spent $30 BILLION IN R&D trying to develop a TRANSFORMING QUINJET?

    Who is the JADE GIANT that often makes BOOM BOOM in his RIPPED PURPLE TROUSERS???

    Which LITTLE BIG MAN gets his jollies SMACKING AROUND the LITTLE WOMAN??? It's not Ray Palmer*!

    Which SHRINKING VIOLET was observed with a certain SPIDER NOIR STINGING EACH OTHER???

    Who is the NORSEMAN overseen GIVING ALE to underage girls at AVENGERS AUDITIONS???

    *Actually, it’s him too.

    Starry Eyed Surprise

    by Matt

    Jesse and I are both working on big projects related to the blog. We’re going to create separate pages for these projects, but we’ll link to them from LEMUR. Don’t worry, we’ll still keep things here running. Think of these side ventures as long running features for the LEMUR blog.

    I don’t want to speak for Jesse, but I’m going to be rereading Starman over the next three months and writing reactions/ annotations for the individuals. The idea is that those of you out there that haven’t read it will get hooked and start picking up the issues or trades. For those of you that own the issues or trades already, here’s a chance for you to go back and enjoy them with us.

    The new Starman page should be up later this afternoon with a post on issue #0.

    Game Tape

    by Matt

    Wednesday has come and gone. The heroes have fought their battles and villains have hinted at things to come. Now it’s time to review the game tape…

    First let me begin by saying that I have had a nagging suspicion that I was unfair to Mr. Geoff Johns and Green Lantern #50. I pulled it out of the To Be Filed stack and reread it Monday. No worries. It’s still crap. A bunch of useless punching on the Zombie Spectre. A bit of alternate whining, rambling, and blustering. A “big” reveal spoiled if you bothered to look at the cover. Absolute waste of a book. I think I mistranslated the nagging suspicion as being too fair to Johns. I should have been much more apoplectic in my response.

    Soooo… this week:

    Honestly, I’m not getting a whole lot out of Morrison’s Batman and Robin. It’s not bad, but it still reads as a place holder for Bruce’s further adventures. After some nifty concepts in the last issue, we get a weak payoff here. You know what Morrison doesn’t write well? People beating the crap out of each other for pages. You know what we get with issue #8? People beating the crap out of each other for pages. We do hop in the Wayback machine to see something related to Bruce’s true whereabouts. We also see someone die within spitting distance of a Lazarus Pit. So what?

    On the other hand, Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man continues to be really solid.  Each individual arc focuses on a single member of the Sinister Six. Each arc is crafted in such a way that you don’t really notice that the creative team is building toward something huge and uncomfortable for everyone’s favorite wall crawler. I’m still really liking this slow build. This concluding issue to the Mysterio arc was quite satisfactory. The banter hits the right notes. Mysterio’s motives hearken back to the days when uncomplicated greed was the only motivation a criminal needed for developing a gimmick. It’s been a well crafted gem. Where else are you going to find the line, “Muppet head kick! hee yah!”? The art’s been nice too. It’s an interesting blend of Romita Sr. and Jr. It takes the best of both of them. Anyway, if you can find it cheap, it’s really worth picking up.

    I should have known better; I really should have known. It’s just that I’m a sucker for a book with a clothed monkey on the cover (I bought that Dr. Fate book with Detective Chimp on the cover solely on the strength of the Bolland cover). I suspect Jesse had this in mind when he posted the cover on Monday. That the monkey is holding two automatic pistols is just that extra bit of catnip for me. The origin story is silly; outside of being bloody and violent, it’s straight from Marvel’s (pre-FF) Silver Age. Hit-Monkey probably wouldn’t survive as a series; it’s a little too gimmicky. Still, it was a fun first issue. Definitely worth getting from the bargain bins. I wouldn’t recommend spending the full price for this one unless you’re ga ga for monkeys with guns.

    I also picked up Booster Gold. It was okay. X-Men Forever was yeoman’s work too; Claremont continues to shine here without Wolverine.

    What I didn’t get were the two Muppet books. Damnation.