Comic Books!

[Michael Blacklist]

Nothing much happening in the world of comics, but Comic-Con's coming up. Here's some panels of note thus far.

THURSDAY
7:00-9:00 Comedy Central TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel—Robert Smigel (Saturday Night Live) and Dino Stamatopoulos (Morel Orel) reunite to discuss the most groundbreaking show to ever hit (and subsequently disappear) from basic cable. Join the guys to relive the glory of the best show you barely remember. Room 6CDEF

FRIDAY
6:30-7:30 THE GOON- Q&A with Goon creator Eric Powell and Reno 911 writers and stars Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon about their new super secret super fantastic comics project! If you miss this panel, everyone will know more about this project than you and that maker you stupid and unattractive to women. Room 30AB

[aenemaTron]

They're letting Dino back into Comicon? Sweet!

[Jouster]

I finally read The Dark Knight Returns and was pretty underwhelmed. This is the same guy who wrote Year One?

("Hey, I just saw Heat!")

[willweldon]

I finally read The Dark Knight Returns and was pretty underwhelmed. This is the same guy who wrote Year One?

I still love that book, but I think a big part of it is because I don't like Superman, and I loved seeing him as a sad sell out.

*SPOILER FOR SOMETHING THAT CAME OUT IN THE 1980s*

When he's cradling Bruce Wayne's (supposedly) lifeless body and says "Don't you touch him"... still one of my favorite scenes in any comic I've ever read.

On the flip side, I'm impressed that Spiderman's "Brand New Day" can contain so many of my LEAST favorite scenes in any comic ever, week after week. The big selling point for me was Steve McNiven and Chris Bachalo on art more than any of the writers they assembled. Of course McNiven left while Bachalo is barely being used. The arc he did with Zeb Wells has been by far the best, and of course Zeb Wells isn't being used, either. I'm excited for the Dan Slott/John Romita Jr run coming up, but JRJR is gone after that. Back to Phil Jimenez...

I've been really worked up about how bad Spider-man has been since the quasi relaunch. The relaunch that still has me confused (how can he be in the Avengers if none of them know who he is? He almost married Mary Jane and she didn't know who was? Who thought bringing Bob Gale in would be anything but disastrous?). Straczynsky did some bad stuff, but at least his run was interesting.

I am too angry about Spider-man comics.

[KevinLee]

I finally read The Dark Knight Returns and was pretty underwhelmed. This is the same guy who wrote Year One?

("Hey, I just saw Heat!")

Yeah, It's an old one. But I didn't discover it until I was in my twenties. (Just like I dicovered America in 1492.)

I liked the juxtaposition of images when The Bat confronts Two-Face. Those two guys have got a lot in common. Harvey and Bruce.

[Jouster]

There were definitely some nice moments, but after loving Year One I was pretty underwhelmed by TDKR.

[Kentock]

There were definitely some nice moments, but after loving Year One I was pretty underwhelmed by TDKR.

I really love this book, but you are the third person I've recently spoken to who hasn't liked the book. So rather than argue it again, I'll list a couple things I love about the book.

-Use of news and other tv programming in a variety of ways (later stolen by Todd Macfarlane for Spawn)
-The layout is excellent.
-"The last one, hurts."
-Superman fight!

[littlegirltree]

Anyone gone to SPX before? We just had the HeroesCon here in Charlotte a few weeks ago and now I'm looking to head next to SPX for the 1st time. My husband is finally starting to take publishing his comics seriously and I want to keep up momentum before he loses interest/ambition.

[slapstickeulogist]

NERDS!!!!








(I'm going to NY Comic Con alone.)

[Scratch Lightning]

I still haven't read The Dark Knight Returns.

But if you're curious, The Dark Knight Strikes Back is a steaming pile. Just a complete misfire in every way.

[Michael Blacklist]

There were definitely some nice moments, but after loving Year One I was pretty underwhelmed by TDKR.

Have you read The Long Halloween? It takes a few cues from Year One and expands upon them. It takes place shortly after Year One and is much better than Year Two.

[Grant Pardee]

I've never quite understood the love for The Long Halloween. Aside from the portrayal of Harvey Dent, it essentially reads like "what if Batman met the Godfather characters?" I like the idea of Batman vs the mob, just not in the way it was handled.

Plus the ending was stupid.

I really love this book, but you are the third person I've recently spoken to who hasn't liked the book. So rather than argue it again, I'll list a couple things I love about the book.

-Use of news and other tv programming in a variety of ways (later stolen by Todd Macfarlane for Spawn)
-The layout is excellent.
-"The last one, hurts."
-Superman fight!

Frank Miller's Batman is the only comic book Batman for me. I love Dark Knight Returns and Year One to death - the other highly recommended Bat books (TLH, Dark Victory, Killing Joke, Arkham Asylum, Hush, etc) fall flat for me. Some of them might be more interesting than others, but Miller seems to really get the character.

Other fun bits of DKR:

-"Something tells me to stop with the leg. I don't listen to it."

-Batman's weird rationalizations when he breaks his 'don't kill' code. "Rubber bullets. Honest." while blowing Mutants up, and then snapping the Joker's neck and imagining Joker did it himself (evidenced by Joker speaking in squiggly gray speech bubbles, which are reserved throughout only for Batman - except for this one moment when Batman is already becoming a little delusional thanks to gunshot/knife wounds)

-scary skeleton Superman in a nuke blast.



...ah, comic books.

[Michael Blacklist]

I've never quite understood the love for The Long Halloween. Aside from the portrayal of Harvey Dent, it essentially reads like "what if Batman met the Godfather characters?" I like the idea of Batman vs the mob, just not in the way it was handled.

Plus the ending was stupid.

I liked that someone took the seeds planted in Year One (Falcone especially) and went with it. The relationship between Gordon, Batman and Dent is my favorite part.

[willweldon]

This thread hasn't been used in forever, but I was wondering if anyone else has been completely underwhelmed by the major corss overs by the big two (Final Crisis and Secret Invasion). Secret Invasion has absolutely zero emotional resonance, and Final Crisis really doesn't hold up to what Grant Morrison is doing in Bat RIP. I used to think it was kind of cheesy*, but I miss Marvel Civil War all of a sudden.

*I did think Civil War: Confessions was one of the best mainstream comics written all last year, though.

[Michael Blacklist]

This thread hasn't been used in forever, but I was wondering if anyone else has been completely underwhelmed by the major corss overs by the big two (Final Crisis and Secret Invasion). Secret Invasion has absolutely zero emotional resonance, and Final Crisis really doesn't hold up to what Grant Morrison is doing in Bat RIP. I used to think it was kind of cheesy*, but I miss Marvel Civil War all of a sudden.

*I did think Civil War: Confessions was one of the best mainstream comics written all last year, though.

I wouldn't say I've been underwhelmed, just surprised that the best parts of each event are happening in the tie-ins: every issue of Mighty and New Avengers have been great, and Superman Beyond revealed so much that it's weird that it didn't happen in the main book.

[willweldon]

I didn't pick up Super-Man beyond due to poor word of mouth and budget constraints. Was Morrison at his Morrison-y best?

[Michael Blacklist]

Was Morrison at his Morrison-y best?

Much more than anything else Final Crisis related.

[Scratch Lightning]

I think that, aside from New X-Men, Grant Morrison writes indecipherable and overrated comic books. Either everyone else is just pretending to "get it", or they're all in on some huge Truman Show-esque prank on me.

There. I said it.

[erechoveraker]

I like All Star Supes and WE3, but other than that I totally agree. I'd say most of his X-men run was plagued with that indecipherable gibberish too, except for maybe the first 3-4 issues of the run. The last half, especially the last 2 arcs with Phoenix and Magneto were just total stream-of-consciousness nonsense. Boo.

[Ivan]

I think that, aside from New X-Men, Grant Morrison writes indecipherable and overrated comic books. Either everyone else is just pretending to "get it", or they're all in on some huge Truman Show-esque prank on me.

There. I said it.

If you like weird things then you understand Grant Morrison. I'm sorry you're such a square. Please return to Squaresville.