Archive for the 'Comics' Category
May 12th, 2016 by James Mentch
Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Astonishing Ant Man) and Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Quantum and Woody Must Die) first teamed up back in 2013 with the sleeper hit The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, a book that had a good run but was sadly cancelled after 17 great issues. Superior Foes focused on some of the Z-list villains that plagued Spider-Man on a regular basis and showed us exactly why their plans never really worked out, while providing some great laughs at the same time. Thankfully the creators have teamed up once more for another hilarious look at criminals who are very bad at crime with The Fix. Continue reading ‘The Fix #2 (Comic Book Review)’
May 12th, 2016 by James Mentch
Warning: if you aren’t yet caught up on Southern Bastards you may want to do so before reading on, there are some spoilers from early in the series ahead. (Seriously, though, if you’re not caught up on this book do yourself a favor and go read them all RIGHT NOW!)
Jason Aaron (Scalped, Doctor Strange) and Jason Latour (The Expatriate, Spider-Gwen) announced their book Southern Bastards back at the Image Expo in July of 2013 to much excitement. Up until this point Aaron had been tied to Marvel in an exclusive contract, and the idea of him returning to the world of creator owned content was something to look forward to. After all, this is the man responsible for Scalped, one of the best crime stories to come out of the last decade. Soon after, we were treated with a book that not only lived up to the expectations set forth by Scalped, but actually surpassed it in every way. Continue reading ‘Southern Bastards #14 (Comic Book Review)’
May 2nd, 2016 by Gabriel Bloomer
Weavers is a new comic book from Simon Spurrier, the writer of the Eisner nominated The Spire and Cry Havoc, and recent newcomer, Dylan Burnett (Interceptor). It’s a story about a young man who found himself in the wrong place, at the wrong time, as many of our favorite heroes are wont to do. Sid inherits the supernatural spider that once dwelt inside and empowered a high-ranking member of the Weavers crime family by virtue of being the nearest living thing after a bombing, a bombing that presumably was meant to kill the Weaver and anyone close enough to perpetuate the power imbued by the spectral arachnid. You see, nobody gets to choose who is or isn’t in the family, the spiders choose, and whoever they choose is a made man. The boss sends his daughter, Frankie (who has the power of suggestion, the ability to make people feel, think, or experience, things of her choosing), to test Sid’s loyalty and resolve. Continue reading ‘Weavers #1 Comic Book Review’
April 24th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
The release of the graphic novel Who Killed Kurt Cobain was recently announced at the Emerald City Comicon. This book, written by Nicolas Otero, will be published by IDW, and where better to make such an announcement than Seattle, Cobain’s old stomping grounds. The book, slated for release this October, is told from the perspective of Boddah, Cobain’s child hood imaginary friend (real in the sense that Cobain truly did reference this character throughout his life). While it’s clearly a fictional work, it’s also largely based on true events. Upon initially hearing this news I was immediately and enthusiastically excited about it, because this is Kurt Cobain we’re talking about. To this day, well after his death, he’s still a rock god, a timeless, revered legend. Then, after a little bit of time and consideration, I started to get nervous.
Continue reading ‘Who Killed Kurt Cobain? (Comic Announcement)’
April 14th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
It seems safe to say that Star Wars, The Force Awakens, which currently tops the U.S. box office record, was seen by plenty of folks. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a spoiler that will not at all ruin the movie in any way shape or form. C-3PO, the obnoxiously worrisome sidekick to R2-D2, has a red arm. You couldn’t miss it in the movie, because 3PO goes out of his way to point it out. What we didn’t know until now was why. Star Wars C-3PO is a one off, single issue comic telling the tale of how 3PO acquired his crimson appendage.
Continue reading ‘Star Wars: C-3PO, The Phantom Limb (Comic Review)’
April 12th, 2016 by Gabriel Bloomer
Well, ladies and gentlemen, another week is upon us, and with it comes a load of great new comic books. We’ve got everything from Vikings, anthropomorphism, and WWII fantasy, to far-future (or past) sci-fi, superheroes, and Victorian-steampunk-kaiju. There are four new #1s this week, as well as the start of a new story arc, and two exciting arcs that are wrapping up. April is off to an epic start and it doesn’t look to slow down next week, either. I know it can’t last, so let’s just ride it for as long as we can. Without further ado, or lily-gilding nonsense, I present my top picks for the week of April 13th, 2016….. Continue reading ‘Weekly Comic Book Recommendations 4/13/16 (Comics)’
April 10th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
It’s no surprise that Marvel has rebooted the Black Panther series. After all, they have their blockbuster movie, Captain America: Civil War, coming out May 6th, which will be introducing T’challa, the Black Panther, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not at all uncommon for Marvel to hype looming movies by pushing related video games, action figures, and comics leading up the release date. Sometimes these endeavors are more about raising awareness, and of course, making a buck, which can unfortunately compromise the integrity of the project. I’ve seen it many times before, which is why I’m so happy to report that Black Panther isn’t just a marketing device. It’s an ambitious, original, top notch book which has quickly become a must read for me.
Continue reading ‘Black Panther #1 (Comic Review)’
April 5th, 2016 by Gabriel Bloomer
Welcome to my new weekly column featuring my pull-list (the comics to which I subscribe and have set aside for me at my local comic shop, for the uninitiated) and recommendations, titles that might not float my proverbial boat, but might be interesting to some of our readers. Every Wednesday a load of new comics is delivered to your local comic shop (or Comixology, if you prefer reading digitally). This Wednesday is no different, except that there is a lot of great content being released this week. As such, I’ll be skipping the recommendations and going straight for the juiciest morsels. Let’s get to it! Continue reading ‘Weekly Comic Book Recommendations – 4/6/16 (Comics)’
March 21st, 2016 by Shohan Cagle
In the days leading up to
Batman Vs. Superman, some of us here at whysoblu wanted to discuss our favorite Batman and Superman comics to recognize and appreciate the storied history of these characters. So without further ado…
It’s probably one of the best comic books ever written and quite possibly the perfect batman story. Pretty much every other story that features the Batman doesn’t have a definitive ending. They usually wrap up with him saving the day and continuing as the savior of Gotham. With THIS story, without spoiling anything, it comes to a very satisfying conclusion that I challenge ANY bat-fan to turn their nose up at it! The Dark Knight Returns, which was written by Frank Miller, came out before Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film so this was the first time anyone had ever seen a darker take on the character. Before this most folks had an image of a smiling Batman in a blue and black outfit. Frank Miller showed us just how damaged and deranged someone would become after witnessing their parents death and devoting their entire lives to righting the wrongs of the world around him.
Continue reading ‘Countdown to Batman v. Superman – Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Comic Review)’
March 21st, 2016 by Wes Middleton
In the days leading up to Batman Vs. Superman, some of us here at whysoblu wanted to discuss our favorite Batman and Superman comics to recognize and appreciate the storied history of these characters. So without further ado…
All Star Superman was such a breath of fresh air for me. I honestly though that I genuinely didn’t care about Superman anymore. Don’t get me wrong, when Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster introduced this iconic hero, it forever changed the world of comic books, and it did so for the better. For that, I will be forever grateful, but as new comics and new characters emerged, the golden boy of comics faded into the background, and I was okay with that. After all, one of the most difficult characters to write has to be one with near omnipotent powers. Here’s a guy who shrugs off bullets, can fly around the planet, and blast laser beams out of his eyes. While it may be fun to see somebody who can do everything, the immediate issue is why bother writing it? If he can beat any foe, if he’s powerful enough to overcome any obstacle, what drama is left? This is why I love All Star Superman, because it goes back to the roots, and found a new way to tell a FANTASTIC story. Continue reading ‘Countdown to Batman Vs. Superman: All Star Superman (Comic Review)’
March 20th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
In the days leading up to Batman Vs. Superman, some of us here at whysoblu wanted to discuss our favorite Batman and Superman comics to recognize and appreciate the storied history of these characters. So without further ado…
A Death in the Family, written by Jim Starlin (Infinity Gauntlet), and illustrated by Jim Aparo (House of Mystery) was my first trade paperback, so needless to say I read it like a thousand times. Sometimes I would re-read certain pages, or even panels, because they were so powerful, and I just wanted to experience them again and again. The trade paperback format would come to be a major factor in the comic industry, but these single issue originally came out in 1988 and 1989, and at that time there weren’t nearly as many trades available. To have one was to have a real treat, and I made sure to capitalize on that. I’m not exaggerating when I say this book was on my bedside table for probably two years. So what (besides having it collected) was so good about it? A great many things.
Continue reading ‘Countdown to Batman Vs. Superman: A Death in the Family (Comic Review)’
March 19th, 2016 by Gregg Senko
As we are coming closer and closer to the release of Batman v Superman, it is always important to pay homage to where these two caped heroes came from. No, I’m not talking about Krypton and Gotham, but the comic book pages from which they were spawned. Before they were in on screen in a $250 million film, they were in 25-cent comics (or $3.99 today) duking it out with armed thugs determined to thwart the justice and the American way. The next few days a few of us writers here at Why So Blu are taking a look at some of our favorite titles from either character.
Continue reading ‘Countdown to Batman v Superman – Batman: Earth One’
March 18th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
In the days leading up to Batman Vs. Superman, some of us here at whysoblu wanted to discuss our favorite Batman and Superman comics to recognize and appreciate the storied history of these characters. So without further ado…
Reign of the Supermen holds a special place in my heart. I know this might be kind of a cheat, picking a cross title story arc as one of my favorite Superman stories, but it was a collaborative, cohesive event. Also, it’s technically not about Kal-el, but is undoubtedly a Superman story. It’s interesting, I’ve actually found that many of my favorite Superman stories don’t center around the man himself, but more on that later. Enough with the disclaimers, let’s get to why this series made the list.
Continue reading ‘Countdown to Batman Vs. Superman: Reign of the Supermen (Comic Review)’
March 8th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick (Pretty Deadly, Captain Marvel), illustrated by Valentine De Landro (X-Factor), and put out by Image Comics, Bitch Planet shines on every level. Now heading into its 8th issue, due out April 6th, it has already cemented itself as a must read. The book is centered around a futuristic interstellar women’s penitentiary. To say the inmates have it rough is to put it very lightly. They are, however, allowed to play a brutal game called Megaton which has similar objectives to football or rugby, but with much more violence allowed. This outlet is utilized to demonstrate their indomitable perseverance and might. Continue reading ‘Celebrate International Women’s Day with Bitch Planet (Comic Review)’
February 27th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
It was 50 years ago that the legendary Stan Lee, architect of Marvel Comics, described to the equally legendary Jack Kirby, visionary pioneer of comic art, his idea about a Demi-god character called Galactus. Stan was bored with their rogue’s gallery of defeatable, under ambitious villains. He wanted a threat of galactic proportions. He devised the massively gigantic Galactus, who fed off the energy of worlds as he traversed the cosmos.
It was only happenstance that Jack Kirby casually tossed in some images of a silver being on a surf board blazing a trail through the stars for Galactus. Jack’s reasoning was that any being as powerful as Galactus would not wander space alone, hoping to find his next meal. Surely, he would have an agent, a herald, if you will, to scout ahead. Stan was so taken with the imagery of this noble enigma that the spot light actually transferred away from the planet devourer to this unexpected new character. They decided to call him Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, and he blazed into Marvel history in Fantastic Four #48, back in 1966. Continue reading ‘Silver Surfer Celebrates 50 Stellar Years!’
February 24th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
This review is regarding Jeff Lemire’s Old Man Logan which came out 1/27/16, not Mark Millar’s original Wolverine: Old Man Logan, nor Brian Michael Bendis’ Old Man Logan: Secret Wars.
Back in 2014, when Marvel decided to “kill” Wolverine, I was honestly glad. I knew they’d never throw away such a golden egg permanently, after all, the vast majority of characters don’t stay dead in the Marvel universe for long, especially not cash cows like Logan. Moreover, I was relieved to see less of him in the books for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Wolverine fan, in the same way Raphael is my favorite turtle. I love the angry, dangerous, plays by his own rules type hero, but there is such a thing as too much, and Wolverine passed it a while ago. Imagine my surprise, then, when I picked up this book new Wolverine book, and found it to be a blast.
Continue reading ‘Old Man Logan (Comic Review)’
February 2nd, 2016 by Wes Middleton
Cry Havoc has arrived, written by Simon Spurrier (Six Gun Gorilla, Marvel Zombies), and illustrated by Ryan Kelly (Local, Star Wars), this much anticipated issue one does not disappoint. Image comics has a reputation for putting out fantastic creator owned titles. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have series like the Walking Dead or Saga, among many others, so it stands to reason that when they strongly advertise a new series, it behooves a comic junkie to expect great things. Such was the case with Cry Havoc, which puts a literal twist on Shakespeare’s quote “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.”. Image knew they had promising material, and have been wisely hyping comic readers for some time. Now it’s here, and hot damn, did they hit the mark yet again.
Continue reading ‘Cry Havoc (Comic Review)’
January 27th, 2016 by Wes Middleton
Ol’ Wade Wilson, the merc with the mouth himself, is going to have a banner year! This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Deadpool comic book, which has stood out as one of Marvel’s fan favorites for years. Don’t believe me? Go to any comic convention worth its salt, and count how many Deadpools you see walking around. This occasion will be celebrated by releasing a special anniversary issue, Deadpool #7, due out next month. It’s building up to be a book you won’t want to miss. We’re promised not only our standard excellence from the current team of Gerry Duggan on scripts, Scott Kobush on art, and Nick Filardi on color, but Marvel is also bringing back former Deadpool creators to deliver an all-around Deadpool life time achievement style roast! I can hardly wait.
Continue reading ‘Year of the Deadpool’
