New Comic Book Day Megathread

[CalHab]

I think there's one more X-Men tie-in book coming. I agree Superior Four has been a bit of a misfire- it just doesn't have the humour or tone right, I think.

[CalHab]

Two series that I've been undecided on seem to be finding their feet a bit:

Hulk #3 (Cates, Ottley, Rathburn, Blee, Petit). Fair play to Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley for completely breaking from the Immortal Hulk run and for starting at a sprint, but the first two issues of this series were not good. I suspect I wasn't alone in thinking this, as this issue includes a very helpful catch up. With a few of my very basic questions answered, this was a lot more enjoyable. Hopefully this continues to improve, as I very nearly dropped it after the first couple of issues.

King Conan #3 (Aaron, Asrar, Wilson, Lanham). Poor Jim Zub got dropped from Conan way too soon, a character he clearly loved. I suspect this was to make room for the return of a bigger name, Jason Aaron. Still, at least Aaron had a good back-to-basics take on Conan in his last run. Unfortunately the first two he did the same dropped-in-the-middle-of-a-story trick that Cates tried with Hulk, with similarly disappointing results. He's finally got momentum with this issue, though, and also has a couple of good character moments, by Crom!

[CalHab]

Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1 (DeMatteis, Baldeón, Silva, Caramagna). A nice little bit of nostalgia (which Marvel have been doing a few of recently), this is set after all the clone shenanigans of the 90s. All very enjoyable, with just the right amount of Spider-angst. DeMatteis can certainly write a good Spider-Man, or clone Spider-Man.

[Link Prime]

King Conan by Crom!

Just as a complete and total aside <Frank Grimes exasperation> : Anyone else think that having Conan The Barbarian living in the present day Marvel universe and on a frickin Avengers team is the dumbest idea they ever heard? Anyone?
Again; Conan the Barbarian.

[CalHab]

Fortunately I've missed that. Yes, that sounds deeply stupid. John Constantine-as-a-superhero level stupid.

[Colin YNWA]

King Conan by Crom!

Just as a complete and total aside <Frank Grimes exasperation> : Anyone else think that having Conan The Barbarian living in the present day Marvel universe and on a frickin Avengers team is the dumbest idea they ever heard? Anyone?
Again; Conan the Barbarian.

Yep I mean I've avoided it all but it has had me scratching my head. Mind wasn't he in an Avengers Team with The Punisher - they must be kinda regreting that now!

[CalHab]

The Sword of Hyperborea #2 (Mignola, Williams, Campbell, Winter, Robins). A Hellboy spin-off following the history of the eponymous impractically shaped weapon. The first issue was partly in the Conan-inspired prehistoric Hyperborean Age, this is set during the Great War as a spy tries to infiltrate a cult. Laurence Campbell is typically great here, with some wonderful period details. Rob Williams' dialogue is great, which is often not one of Hellboy's strengths. Probably the best of the recent Hellboy spin-offs so far.

The Silver Coin #9 (Ayala, Walsh, Griffin). The silver coin passes on to a corrupt New York cop in the 70s. I'm really enjoying this. The premise is loose enough that the different creative teams have license to spin a tale that suits them, but still remain within the theme. This issue takes the opportunity to delve into some interesting social history about white flight, gentrification, and the role of the authorities in the exploitation of minorities and the poor, all while telling a compelling horror tale. A neat illustration of the power of genre fiction.

[Colin YNWA]

Lastest haul is by and large magnificent. We'll start with a couple of lower points and from there its a merry dance up the quality hill to the summit of glorious comics.

Venom 5 - arh I see RamV and Al Ewing will be interchanging across the two storylines. RamV doing the earth bound tale of Eddie Brook's son while Al Ewing is doing the time unbound interdimensional land of past Symibote kings ... er thing... well good as the writing is here the set up Al Ewing has is an almighty shrug. We'll see what happens to truly make the juxtapostion stories - related by family - work. The bits that did were when the high concept stuff touched back onto the more grounded story. It has places to go, just needs to get there.

The Human Target 5 - seems odd to say this was a little oblique, Tom King does that really well, indulging in his nods that you'll eventually see as knowing. I was a little tired when I read this and it came across as a bit obtuse. A re-read I suspect will sort that out. Beautiful comic still!

Time before Time 10 - speaking of re-reads this remains a great comic but I think I need one to keep all the different strands and time skips aligned.

My Bad 4 - this one sums up my ebb and flow on this comic. Its bloody brilliant, but do we really need another telling parody examining Batman and The Joker.... but it bloody brilliant and is more about what we as a society have become.

Step by Bloody Step 1 - I'd completely forgotten I'd ordered this but when I saw it in my haul looked at the art and the fact that Si Spurrier was the writer I was glad I did. It superb and the art is stunning, if at times a little fussy to truly support the wordless storytelling with complete success. Its an entirely different experience though and well, well worth checking out. With cleaner storytelling this would have been top if the pile.

Speaking of clearer storytelling Usagi Yojimbo - Lone Goat and Kid 2 shows what a master Stan Sakai is. I'm reasonably sure if there had been no words to accompany the section of this comic that outlined the ancient art of paper making - a few details about the specifc materials and challenges aside - I've have known just as much about what as going on. Oh and a comic that has a good 5 pages dedicated to the anicent art of papermaking and using the same paper to make kites and still be entirely engrossing Stan Sakai is an absolute masterclass... not quite sure why this isn't comic of the haul?

Black Hammer - Reborn 9 ARH cos this comic really drives this glorious epic towards conclusion. Its does a fantastic job and clearly stating - look this is were we are. Here are the pieces in play and then BAM , here's where we are going and here's why you need to keep reading. Compelling stuff... so why isn't this book of the haul?

Well What's the Furthest Place from Here 4 amazes me that this is only issue 4 and yet I'm so engaged with these characters and their world. Its also, unlike some above, so clear and well crafted I don't need anything to enjoy the single issues but am utterly dragged into the ongoing plot entirely. So this one book of the hau...

oh well no cos The Goon 14 see Eric Powell come back to doing what he does best and what he does best is the very best comics. Sardonic and yet with a warmth, compelling, exciting and hilarious and with the best art in comics (with apologies for Gregg Smallwood above and a couple of 2000ad's finest). Just pure joyful comics. Still not book of the haul as that goes to...

well two comics as they are so contrasting.

Monkey Meat 2 is a surrealist masterpiece. Utterly like nothing I've read yet so rooted in its examination of modern society. Absolutely magnificent... and deceptively just a great big fight as well!

and

The Lion and the Eagle 1 Garth Ennis and PJ Holden doing what they do best crashing us back to earth with real situations, such real characters who you fall in love with almost as soon as you meet them. I'm utterly engaged and entralled. And in the almost surreal leaves of horrors exposed in the tale have me utterly on tenderhooks as I read. Just a astonishing piece of comics craft.

You really all should be reading at least ALL of these comics. If the ones I have a whine about have much to offer.

[CalHab]

Elektra: Black, White & Blood #2 (David, Ewing, Smallwood, Land, Reis, Leisten, D'Armata, Caramagna). The second issue of the anthology series, this collects three stories by David & Land, Smallwood and Ewing & Reis. The David and Land one is a fairly forgettable piece about another assassin. Land gets a bit of stick for his use of references. Its quite jarring here, so I can understand why its unpopular with some readers. The Ewing and Reis piece is a nicely done and concise piece based on a clever conceit. I enjoyed that. The Smallwood piece is kind of aimless but unfortunately is probably more notable for the cack-handed intervention of Marvel editorial, which altered some of the art. It's badly done. I can understand why Greg Smallwood is so upset.

[Proudhuff]

Step by Bloody Step 1 - I'd completely forgotten I'd ordered this but when I saw it in my haul looked at the art and the fact that Si Spurrier was the writer I was glad I did. It superb and the art is stunning, if at times a little fussy to truly support the wordless storytelling with complete success. Its an entirely different experience though and well, well worth checking out. With cleaner storytelling this would have been top if the pile.



The Lion and the Eagle 1 Garth Ennis and PJ Holden doing what they do best crashing us back to earth with real situations, such real characters who you fall in love with almost as soon as you meet them. I'm utterly engaged and entralled. And in the almost surreal leaves of horrors exposed in the tale have me utterly on tenderhooks as I read. Just a astonishing piece of comics craft.

This and this ^^^^

[CalHab]

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #3 (Zdarsky, de Latorre, Blee, Cowles). More of the Devil's Reign event, spinning off from the end of the last Daredevil run. This sees Elektra facing off against Kraven the Hunter. This seems like an odd choice of foe for Elektra, and I'm not sure why Zdarsky decided that the Hand would use him as a hitman. In any case, events from Devil's Reign #5 cause a nice emotional finale and there's a big reveal at the end. All very entertaining.

[CalHab]

Punisher # 1 (Aaron, Azaceta, Saiz, Stewart, Petit). A very brief recap of Frank Castle's origin story, with a double page of his greatest hits (including the prog's own Steve Dillon), and then we're into the explanation behind his snazzy new logo and baffling appearance in the Devil's Reign storyline. Now, I have to say that I find The Punisher a difficult character to enjoy. I liked the Ennis stuff best, but I find it derivative and it still retains many of the problems with tone that plague the character. This, on the other hand, is all over the place. Maybe Jason Aaron is trying to avoid the problems of previous series? But, in the process, he has added supernatural elements and basically eliminated Castle's character (such as it is). I have a morbid fascination to see where this goes from here, which might be the only thing that makes me pick up #2.

[Colin YNWA]

Punisher # 1 (Aaron, Azaceta, Saiz, Stewart, Petit). A very brief recap of Frank Castle's origin story, with a double page of his greatest hits (including the prog's own Steve Dillon), and then we're into the explanation behind his snazzy new logo and baffling appearance in the Devil's Reign storyline. Now, I have to say that I find The Punisher a difficult character to enjoy. I liked the Ennis stuff best, but I find it derivative and it still retains many of the problems with tone that plague the character. This, on the other hand, is all over the place. Maybe Jason Aaron is trying to avoid the problems of previous series? But, in the process, he has added supernatural elements and basically eliminated Castle's character (such as it is). I have a morbid fascination to see where this goes from here, which might be the only thing that makes me pick up #2.

Yeah I read this last night and enjoyed it for what it was, but didn't find what I was looking for from it, yet at least, we're only one issue in.

I've not read Punisher for years and have now real bond to the character, aside from thinking he's a great foil for Daredevil. I was particularly interested in this series as I was intrigued as to how Marvel were going to 'reclaim' the character from the right-wing nut jobs that have cooped him as a hero figure. Other rather villify him so they can have him but he's more clearly represented as the dangerous villain he clearly is.

This issue alone seemed just renforce the concept that he's a 'cool hard killers' for those who want to see him as such. I'm thinking Marvel don't believe that simply changing his logo will move the character on and the old logo is prominent here. if only too seemingly emphasisze its 'death'.

So yeah end reveal aside (which I assume is some sort of nasty Hand resurrection trick ala Elektra) this didn't really feel like a new Punisher take. We have time to get there so I'll stick with it.

[CalHab]

I agree that The Punisher sort of works alongside Daredevil or Spider-Man, as their strong moral core makes the point of how twisted Castle is. Where he goes off on solo stories, he basically becomes a right-wing military/power fantasy with a little hand-wavy "gosh he's bad" from the writer. Ennis fell into this trap, I think.

[CalHab]

The Human Target 5 - seems odd to say this was a little oblique, Tom King does that really well, indulging in his nods that you'll eventually see as knowing. I was a little tired when I read this and it came across as a bit obtuse. A re-read I suspect will sort that out. Beautiful comic still!

This has to be the most beautiful comic being published at the moment. Every issue is a delight.