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black and white,
there is . . .
Columns
Reviews
Original Material
[Editor’s
note: Due to the holidays, I didn’t think it’d be fair to
everyone to ask them to do a W.A.R. for this update.
To compensate for this, I’ll be doing a huge W.A.R. this time –
39 issues or so. This is
where I’d normally make some World War Joke but I’m nearing a
deadline, so maybe later ;) Either
way, thanks for all the feedback so far, keep it coming in.
Also, suggestions for anyone you want to guest review are welcome
also. Either email or post on
the board! - Cth]
Cth's
W.A.R. (Word Association Review)
Americas Best Comics 64 pg Special – Chockfull of heady goodness
The
Authority - Armageddon
Batman:
Detective (Officer Down 1) – 3
In the Back
Black
Widow (2 of 3) –
Face Off
Cap:
Universe X Special – Funeral
for a Friend
The
Coffin (2 of 3) –
Jacobs Ladder
Daredevil:
Ninja (2 of 3) – Paging
Mr. Jackie Chan
Deadenders
– So
long, farewell
Fantastic
Four
– IT RETURNS! Nostalgia
galore!
Fantastic
Four: Worlds Greatest (1 of 12) – Kirby
Furby
Hellblazer
– What
A Long Strange Trip It’s Been
Hellspawn
– Bitter
Pill To Swallow
Hitman
– Taps
Anyone?
The
Incredible Hulk – SuperSopranos
Hulk
Smash –
Hulk Smashed!
Jenny
Sparks (5 of 5) – Coincidence?
JLA
– Wicked
Witch
JLA
vs. Predator – The
horror! The horror!
Killraven-
Nostalgia
Take 2
Midnight
Nation - Storytime
Mindhunter
(AliensPredatorWitchbladeDarkness) – Where’s
Robocop and Terminator?
Peter
Parker - Tearjerker
Planetary
– League
of Extraordinary Homages
Powers
– Where’s
Dungeonmaster?
Promethea
– Triple
Word Score!
The
Punisher (11 of 12) – I
Did It All For Ma Gnucci.. Ma Gnucci
Red
Star – Ghost
Of Futures Present
Rising
Stars – Family
Reunion
Sentry/FF
– Waiting
for the other shoe to drop..
Sentry/Spiderman
– Pultizer
Prize Winning Photo
Sentry/X-Men
– Learning
To Fly
Strangers
In Paradise – She
Did WHAT?! He did WHAT?!
Thunderbolts
– Scourge
& Sacrifice
Tomorrow
Stories – A
Musical?!
Tom
Strong – Story
Arc!!
Ultimate
Spiderman – Teen
Tragedy
Ultimate
X-Men – Speeding
Reading and Terrorism Made Easy
Universe
X (5 of ??) – Rocket
Racoon?!
Young
Justice – Kirbee’s
Adventure or Kirby Furby
The
Blurbs
-----------
Americas
Best Comics 64 pg Special – Alan
Moore gives you the best bang for the buck..
a plethora of ideas in every issue!
The
Authority – Millar
tops himself with each issue. The
stakes are high and so is the action!
Batman:
Detective (Officer Down 1) – Rucka
continues to pull aside the curtain and show us how detectives really are.
Some of the best characterization in comics can be found within
these pages!
Black
Widow (2 of 3) –
Each issue reads like the page of a screenplay.. Scott Hampton drives this
home with his amazing visuals! A
great read!
Cap:
Universe X Special – Krueger
gives Cap what he’s always wanted and takes the reader on an emotional
ride that has to be experienced for yourself!
The
Coffin (2 of 3) –
Phil Hester shows he can write as well if not better than he draws.
Huddleson assists with some very cinematic visuals that give this
horror story a distinct atmosphere. Don’t
miss this series! Get it
before Hollywood does!
Daredevil:
Ninja (2 of 3) – The
team of Bendis and Hayes continue to give us the most fun Daredevil seen
in a long time. You literally
feel in the middle of a Jackie Chan flick reading this comic..
Deadenders
– Brubaker
delivers yet another superb issue, revealing another brick in the wall.
It’s never too late to enjoy this series, you owe it to yourself
to see what all the online buzz is about!
Fantastic
Four
– Pachelo and Loeb do what was previous thought impossible.. brought
wonder and nostalgia back to the title reminding everyone why this is
“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!”
Fantastic
Four: Worlds Greatest (1 of 12) – Larsen
shows his love of nostalgia with this “fantastic” series and is aided
by some of today’s best nostalgic artists.
It hasn’t been this great since Lee and Kirby!
Get in on the ground floor on the event of year from Marvel!
Hellblazer
– Azzarello
continues to show how much he thoroughly understands Constantine.
Dillion picks up right where he left off previously, showing his
true mastery.
Hellspawn
– The
team of Bendis and Wood write another penultimate chapter in this soon to
be missed series. Some of the
best urban horror storytelling seen in a long time.
Hitman
– McCrea
and Leach brilliant art and shadowing complement Ennis’s masterful
script in this chapter of the series closing arc.
You owe it to yourself to give this series a read..
The
Incredible Hulk – Jenkins
and Hotz give us another fun filled Sopranos inspired story.
Hotz’s shadowy art adds just the right amount of urban crime feel
to this story, without being distracting.
Check out rising star Hotz’s art before he’s snatched up by
another title!
Hulk
Smash –
Ennis and McCrea show that Hitman isn’t a fluke. Ennis has an excellent grasp of military patriotism and what
it means when a soldier is faced with cowardice.
Jenny
Sparks (5 of 5) – Millar
gives us the final glimpse into the Authority’s past preparing us for
the future as we never expected to see.
JLA
– Brilliantly
inspired homaging to the fables and legends this arc owes its roots to.
Don’t miss the cinematic stylings of Hitch and Neary!
JLA
vs. Predator – Umm..
interesting take on the Predators if they were JLA’ers, unfortunately it
falls into many pitfalls and poor execution.
Killraven-
Lisner’s
debut shows why he’s the much sought after artist he is.
Lisner’s storytelling also exhibits a strong love of nostalgia.
THE FANS WANT MORE! Are
you listening Marvel? J
Midnight
Nation – Straczynski’s
storytelling skills are evident from page one.. If you’re not a fan of JMS, get this series, you soon will
be..
Mindhunter
(AliensPredatorWitchbladeDarkness) – A
perfect blend of each respective character’s background makes this
convoluted series actually work. Each
series’s atmosphere gets equal screentime, and is another great FOX
property crossover.
Peter
Parker – Paul
Jenkins understands characters. He
zeroes right in to the core of a character, pulls it out and makes you
empathize. He adds another
amazing scene to the Green Goblin/Gwen Stacy tragedy that’s
unforgettable.
Planetary
– Ellis
manages to surprise yet again with another twist on a familiar idea.
Another piece to the mystery of Elijah Snow is revealed, pick this
issue up if you’re a fan of early 20th century horror
masterpieces.
Powers
– Oeming
and Garrahy prove once again to be the best art team in comics today!
If you only read one series, this is the one you should be getting.
From the story, to the art, to the letters column, no space is left
unturned. See the series
everyone is raving about!
Promethea
– Guaranteed
to be the most ideas per page since Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.
Discover up and coming artist JH Williams III and see why his art
complements Moore’s script perfectly.
Each issue has to be absorbed/experienced and stays with you.
The
Punisher (11 of 12) – On
the eve of destruction, Ennis provides yet another hilarious
Tarrantino-esque fight in this eye-popping series.
Spread the word.. Punisher is back, he’s pissed, and better than
ever!
Red
Star – The
Red Star team chronicles another ominous issues in the great saga of the
Soviets. The other shoe drops
and more of the larger picture is revealed..
Another series that you MUST read if you’re not already!
Rising
Stars – JMS
weaves threads effortlessly and proves why he’s one of the industry’s
most sought after writers. Remember
Watchmen and Squadron Supreme? Ever
wish you got on at the beginning? Now
you can..
Sentry/FF
– Jenkins
excels at nostalgia, even when it doesn’t exist in the regular comic
universe. This story fits in
effortlessly in Marvel’s convoluted chronology and has a great silver
age feel to it.
Sentry/Spiderman
– See
why Jenkins is the perfect choice for writing Spiderman with this glimpse
into the Sentry’s past.
Sentry/X-Men
– Is
there any character Jenkins’ doesn’t understand? Another great addition to the X-Men mythos, chronicling what
it means to be a hero.
Strangers
In Paradise – Terry
Moore provides a perfect tying up of loose ends that’s both a tearjerker
and heartwarming. Hands down
some of the best writing in independent comic writing today!
Thunderbolts
– Niceza
continues his magic on this title, making it look easy.
Storylines are seemingly pulled out of nowhere and turn into
something else before our eyes. A very magical experience that you have to see to believe.
Tomorrow
Stories – Alan
Moore gives us another inspired look at fairy tales that you shouldn’t
miss!
Tom
Strong – Another
great storyline from the team of Moore and Sprouse. Tom Strong remains one of ABC’s best series when it keeps
to the larger storylines.
Ultimate
Spiderman – Bendis
and Bagley make you feel Peter’s loss right deep down inside.
You truly understand how Peter feels due to the spot on speech and
heartfelt depictions that the team provides.
Why not tell someone about this title today, they’ll be glad you
did..
Ultimate
X-Men – Millar
steps up to the challenge of crafting another reincarnation of the X-men.
Reminiscent of both Days of Future Past, and today’s headlines,
Millar gives the war between Xavier and Magneto a depth that hasn’t been
around for a long time.
Universe
X (5 of ??) – Krueger
continues to give us reasons for a Marvel Universe reboot and why he
should be the one to do it. Krueger
truly understands the core of each character he writes and weaves a
normally difficult cast effortlessly.
Young
Justice – Peter
David does the impossible, he makes a team of kids believable and
hilarious without patronizing. If
you’ve felt the characters were unbelievably portrayed in their own
titles, give this title a shot. Also,
a hilarious Darkside cameo in this issue!
Whew.. thanks for making it this far! Tune in next update when we might have some surprise guest stars! Until then, keep reading and posting your comments!
Cth
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