Gord's Comic/Graphic Novel Blog

Reviews of graphic novels and comics

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

New Comic Day: 6/30/10

Last week I only picked up 1 title , I was only going to pick up 1 this week but its 'new comic book day' and I want me some comic books to read so I decided to pick up a few more including the highly anticipated Wonder Woman #600 , Death of Dracula #1 , and Secret Avengers #2.

1. Wonder Woman #600 DC comics - Dont worry NO SPOILERS ! 


First let me state that I am not a diehard WW fan , I dont collect her comics and dont know everything about her. I think she's fricken epic and Im always up for some narley harsh wicked Wonder Woman comics. #600 is a collaboration of short stories by various teams of writers , artists , inkers, editors...

introduction by Lynda Carter

story 1:  Valedictorian by Gail Simone , art: George Perez
 I liked this best I think. It was one of those "was that good and I dont know it or was it bad and I cant tell" kinda episodes .
story 2: Fuzzy Logic by Amanda Conner
 Conner does both the writing and the art. I liked this one least , the story with Power Girl and WW was too girly , I thought WW was going to tell her what brand on tampon to pick up.
story 3: Firepower by Louise Simonson , art: Eduardo Pamsica
 Superman makes his appearance to help battle Nikos Aegeus , this one totally felt like an episode of Super Friends but with awesome art. It was a fun chapter.
story 4: Sensational Wonder Woman by Geoff Johns , art: Scott Kolins
I liked the art style here for this particular spot  , not sure how I'd feel if an entire series was done like this. Story was a little hokey but thats what these anniversary issues are about. Celebrate the legend.
story 5: Main: Couture Shock by J. Michael Straczynski , art: Don Kramer. 
The concluding story is the main story arc that will continue forward. This is where we see Wonder Woman's new look in action. Really nice action sequences and ok start to a era of WW. 601 will be very interesting.
    DC did a good job with their big three anniversary issues (BM700 , SM700). They were good reads with lots of goodies, if I didnt baby my comics I would  love these 3 issues as bathroom reads! I felt WW600 was the best of the three. As a casual fan and reader of WW comics , I really enjoyed the variety of stories , the different art styles , writing styles , the various pin ups of the princess of bad ass; Which leads to the "controversial"  new look:

My review on costume: 1.5/5. Blehs: Jacket look is dated and boring for the legend , black leggings is blasphomy and the new tiara is just not gay enough. Mehs: Body suit is ok but is it an improvement? , the  battle bracers are alright too. Hell Yeahs: she looks good in a fight dressed like Debbie Gibson.

my favourite pin up:by Greg Horn

Recommend: Yes. Pick this up and enjoy an old school style comic book read.Tons of fun.

Noob friendly: Yes. This is a perfect jumping on point if you want to join in on a new Wonder Woman run. There's no actual #599 .. they ended vol.3 (#44 is the 599th WW comic) and are returning back to vol.1 , its a reload for a new era.

Price/Value: 4.99/ Solid value. John Travolta may disagree that there's  $5 comic books worth its tag but gawd damn!  this one comes close.
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2. Death of Dracula #1 ( written: V. Girschler , art:G.Camuncolli) MARVEL comics- No Spoilers
 This is the prelude to the upcoming X-men #1  that will depict a major war between the X-Men and vampires.

This is the story of Lord of the Vampires , Dracula , his sons Janus and Xavus and the sect of vampires he rules over. Basically members of the vampire elite council , its like a mob meeting except with different groups and species of vampires including Dracula's sons Janus and Xarus , the latter whom feels Dracula is holding back their potential to rule earth. Unknowing to Janus a contingent of sects led by Xarus plan a coup to overthrow Dracula and take the vampire empire into a new world.

Its setting up the whole vampires vs mutants war. Shit Im not a vampire guy but I liked it , Im interested in the whole Marvel world of vampires now. They set it up pretty cool.

recommend: yes if you plan on collecting the new X-Men series. Its also a decent read for a stand alone 2 part series.

noob friendly: yes. This is the beginning of an epic 6-10 month story arc so jump on board now if mutants vs vampires intrigues you.

price/value: 3.99/ It was a full 48 pages , good read , I would say definitely a $4 comic , good value.
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3. Secret Avengers #2 (writer: Brubaker , art: Deodato) MARVEL comics - No Spoilers 
Another solid issue of Secret Avengers. Simply put this series is easily fullfilling my 4 issue trial.. Im fully imbersed into this arc.

The team is on Mars looking for NOVA whom wasnt responding from his recon mission. The team does some digging literally and discovers a little more to the whereabouts to their serpent crown and Nova.

What can I say? Im liking this oddball mash up of Avengers. Moonknight , Black Widow , Valkerie , Nova , Steve Rogers , Beast , War Machine , Ant Man. THey go to Mars to start some shit , they run into some bad mother fuckers ... Im having a good time. I anxiously wait for #3..

recommend: Yes. Its a espionage superhero series , currently in space , action ,...etc

noob friendly: If you start from #1 it is. If I could only recommend one title for somebody looking to get into the Avengers , Secret Avengers would be one of the titles. 

price/value: 3.99/ O.K. value I guess. All Im saying is Secret Six is a $3 comic and thats as good if not better than the Avengers. $4 comics can at least be 40+ pages.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Weekend Paperback Pick up: 6/27/10 part II

UPDATED:I just read...

 Walking Dead vol.6 'This Sorrow Life' by Kirkland , Adlard 
SPOILER ALERT!
After last issue I was distraught , angry , frustrated , ... Kirkland was pulling my emotional strings like the good puppet I've become. 

When Governor offered Michonne to fight in the pit with her own sword back I just knew she was gonna off the other guy's head and she did like a ripe melon. I wasnt sure where they go with it after that but  they tackled her and subdued her again back to her cell. Fuck but damn that felt good for Mich.

One of Governor's body guards , Martinez , comes to rescue Rick with the help of Glenn. I thought the doctor was going to be the one who breaks Rick out but I also was expecting this scenario too. Glenn , Rick , Martinez and Alice 'the nurse' go rescue Michonne next. Martinez is leading the way .. and this whole escape is going easy...too easy.You can kind of smell whats happening but like the survivors you rely on hope.

They go get the Doctor and they make their escape... except for Michonne whom cant leave until she gets her payback. The group carries forward  ,just outside the compound the Doc immediately gets taken out by zombies. Wasnt expecting the doc to get it here.. I thought he would make it back to the prison. 
Back to Michonne... best payback EVER. This is what I was waiting for with giddy eyes!

So after having to endure 4 days of brutalized rape , Michonne went to pay Governor a visit and boy did she ever. Adlard pencilled this scene slow and methodical just like Michonne was planning on mutilating , torturing and brutalizing Governor. She had her way with him in horrid , bloodshed of carnage beyond anybody's warped imagination. By the time his guards came , he was left in a pool of blood missing limbs , eyeball , tortured beyond recognition but when she left he was still alive techinically and so was his zombie daughter.

Michonne caught back up with Rick and co heading back to the prison , I wasnt expecting this scene.. the prison over run by zombies again. The court yards full , the fence wide open , ..nobody in sight. Turns out everybody except Otis was ok they were all hiding , they had to clean out the prison again.. so a couple pages of good ol Zombie stomping. I was a little suprised that they killed Otis without prominence , felt like they were building him up for some kind of betrayal on Tyreese , Michonne .. with his racism.
After a few days Rick notices Martinez had disappeared and this was the other scenario I suspected .. the planted mole. He was to locate the prison , recon Rick's colony. Rick in an instinctive surge he went after him in the RV , found him and rammed him  with the RV. Rick confronts the paralyzed and dying Martinez. They argue their cases which turns out to be the same case.. survival for yourself at all cost. Rick discovers he has become a product of the world they now reside in... a killing machine , all to protect he and his family at all cost and its not even on his conscience. One of the themes Kirkland deals with .. the loss of humanity , where it goes or how it evolves... Rick Grimes is now a shadow of the guy whom appeared in the first page of volume.1.

It ends with Rick dealing with the before mentioned self realization talking to Lori. Then Rick calling for an emergency meeting with everybody to notify that this other colony will be coming someday and will be heavily armed. .. to be continued.
SPOILER OVER!

That was everything I was wanting and expecting... I am one happy camper now. Everything is back to normal in Walking Dead universe.

The pacing of the last two volumes was high intensity , I was on the edge my seat throughout.. I cant tell you how many shout out loud moments I had. Though the story arc is still left open for down the road the short end of this story arc was mind copulatingly awesome with a side order of Oh Hell Yeah!

The story arcs are getting more intense by the volume and the consequences are getting bigger.

recommend purchase:  buy this series online from Amazon.ca , much cheaper than buying from a store. 

Weekend Paperback Pick up: 6/27/10 part I

Wednesday is new comic day , and I like to read my graphic novels on the weekend  so I figure Ill blog trade paperbacks on the weekend and new comic book pick ups on wednesday. I picked up a few titles at Haggle Day at Metropolis Comics (Walking Dead v.5-6 , Y The Last Man v.3) but I only read 1....


1. The Walking Dead vol.5 ' The Best Defence' TPB

SPOILER ALERT!

Wow. After a somewhat subdued vol.4 only after a chaotic vol.3 , Kirkland kicks up the intensity a few notches again. It starts out from where we left off , some in house drama and lingering feelings , everybody going on with every day life at the prison. Rick and Glenn spot a crashing helicopter , so they with Michionne decide to recon the crash site. They get there , problem is somebody beat them to the survivors and it wasnt zombies.

They trek to the nearest town and discover a small colony of survivors  run by a seemingly level headed nice guy named "Governor".. this turns 360 almost immediately as he doesnt waste time after leading the three into a private room , he gets to the point to telling the three that they will be zombie food for their colony's entertainment.
From here the reader along with the characters suddenly forget all the shit problems they had with each other and realize how fucking bad it could really be. Glenn sitting in his cell repeating himself " I wanna go home , I wanna go home".. he wasnt even part of the fucking problem back at home. Goddamn.

We learn a little more about the governor , that his daughter has zombied up and he now has to feed her human remains while caring for her like things were "normal". He also has an odd collection of "living" zombie heads that he just sits and stares at for entertainment. You also see how the colony treats the Governor as their protector and friend , they look up to him like everybody use to with Rick. Gives a little understanding of The Governor but doesnt change my desire to cut off his balls and face rape him with a crobar. Fuck I hate this guy.

Fuck twat shit cuntrod. This guy just pissed me off like I havent been this pissed in awhile. The asshole cuts off Ricks' right hand , rapes the shit out of Michionne and beats Glenn for pleasure though I thought some weird banjo deliverance scene was on the horizon. This guy is just a fucking pyscho asshole clearly lossed it.
We do get introduced to seemingly a new character that of course is the colony doctor whom despises the Governor too. This character's role appears a little predictable. Here's my guess before I read on: Doc will help Rick escape while Gov and crew go to attack prison.. they overthrow remaining guard and scurry to the prison to help. Big battle.. many characters killed , Rick and co arrive to turn the tide of the battle.. .Michionne gets her revenge on Governor with brutal slaying. Prison defence is down , ruining safe haven , ... Rick's group has to regroup and move on again... End of prediction.

Great little scene at the end to fuck with my mind when they had Tyreese wear the riot gear after making you think it was Glenn. Fucker. Now , Im fucking on the edge of my seat waiting for vol.6 which I will attend to sunday night caz I fucking need to know...

SPOILER OVER! 

Since I didnt review volumes. 1-4 Ill just make a general comment on the series thus far.


I picked up Walking Dead vol.1 for 10 bucks , recommended to me by many critics but specifically two horror fans whom called this "the greatest zombie story every told". I had to check this out. 


I was hooked and sinkered after volume.1 by volume.2-3 Im 100% invested into Rick Grimes and everybody in his life at this point. Amazing experience. I really care about all the characters and the relationships between each. By volume.3  I am heart broken , ecstatic , stunned with all the ups and downs of this magnificent story. 

Tony Moore draw and create the original , Charlie Adlard took over since and Adlard hasnt skipped a beat. Its penciled in black & white , it captures the mood and tone of the book better than if it was colour.


The question most asked is " what makes this different from other zombie stories?" .. its the focus on the characters and their relationships. The heart of the book isnt the zombies nor the action , its the humanity and where its going , how much is left , does it even exist. You realize that the biggest monsters in a world of monsters are humans themselves.

Im not even a zombie fanboy but I am for this series , this didnt disappoint at all. Amazing and I cant wait to keep going. 


recommend: hells yeaz!! its survivor horror , drama , zombies ... best zombie story ever told.


noob friendly: yes , preferably if you start from beginning .. and its worth it to start from day 1. 


series: on going , current 6/26/10: vol.12 tpb , #73 comics
  
prices/value:  Excellent value , I highly recommend buying online from Amazon.ca , you'll save a bundle on TPB/HCs





Wednesday, June 23, 2010

New Comic Day : 6/23/10

wednesday is new comic day. Today and next wednesday will probably be the slowest new comic day all year. Only 1 comic pick up and a graphic novel.


comic:
1. Avengers #2 (Bendis , Romita Jr.) : not rating yet.
I  dont want to critique too much of a comic book series only two issues in. I will say so far so good. Of the many various Avenger titles under the Heroic Age this is a good one.


 recommend: Yes. 


noob friendly: Yes , if you start from #1. Its a great time to jump on board with The Avengers


price/value: 3.99/ I wish marvel would add some pages for their $4 titles via their "directors cut" editions.
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graphic novel:
2. Runaways ' The Good Die Young' (Vaughn , Alphoma) part 3/3 marvel comics:
rating: 5/5
review: Wowzers. Epic conclusion to volume.1 of this Epic series. Uh-May-Zing.

spoiler alert*:
When the mystery of the traitor mole was introduced there were 6 suspects , but to me there's no way Molly was the mole despite her parents ensuring she's more than capable , Molly was asleep in her room when the mole dropped the first note in the bathroom.  I also crossed off Nico , Chase and  Gertrude for their own reasons. So it was down to Karolina or Alex for me.. so even though I had it on the radar its still a faptacular shock when it happens. Knocked my socks off!

Lets go back to the start of this issue. They first reveal the origin of the Pride which was good , and the legend of the Gibborm and the the Gibborm's agenda which was pretty bad ass in my opinion. Then within The Pride there was decension and betrayal on the horizon as you would guess with any evil org.. There was so much happening and just like a Seinfeld episode it was leading to one finish but it never felt confusing nor did it feel out of control. Vaughn intertwined everything together astutely smooth like buttah. So many ups and downs with so many "Awe" moments ; you'll be shouting various explicits as you read through like I did.

"NO FUCKING WAY".. were my exact words when they revealed the mole and realized who the mastermind of the whole series of events was " FUCKING EPIC" ...
and of course you with a story of betrayal and mistrust you need a little redemption moment ....


spoiler over*...

    The Good Die Young was brilliant , such a perfect and  incredible end to the 1st volume. Vol.1 as a whole is awesome . You buy into the protogonists and invest into them immediately , you indulge into their individual personas and the relationships they build with each other. By the time you get to the end , you really care for these kids and what happens to them.

   For the antagonist Vaughn does a masterful job in frustrating you as the reader , but not that you get mad at yourself nor the characters , he directs the blame onto the villians so elegantly. Just brilliant in how he creates this landscape with so many obstacles for our young heroes to go up against all at the doings of the antagonists , the parents. Weaving in the "mole" plot was done so nicely , it created a suspensful cliffhanger and kept you as a reader on your toes throughout. 

    Adriano Alphoma compliments BKV to a tee , the art designs and frame work is impeccable , they are the Hall and Oates  of graphic novels. Loved the look of all the characters , very subtle and yet very stylish and fitting to the characters.. all of them. The design of the Gibborms and their underwater lair was fantastic , he captured the scale of it all.

Bryan K Vaughn is a savant , just an ass kicking savant. Superb story telling , superb character building , just an amazing overall experience. This novel is funny , its full of suspense , its action packed , its intense when it needs to be , its dramatic when called upon , its subtly intimidate when you want it to be ,.. it has everything you need for an entertaining joy ride.

Give this graphic novel a chance.. please!!!

recommend: Ita Vero!! which is latin for "Fuck Yeah!" well something like that. Its a super hero , teen drama , suspense

noob friendly: no , not this particular issue.  I recommend starting from the beginning. Go pick up the 1st graphic novel "Pride and Joy"  part 1/3 , 'Teenage Wasteland' part 2/3 and 'The Good Die Young" is part 3/3 of volume 1. There's 3 volumes overall ; think of each volume like a season for television.

price/value:  You will not regret this. I recommend shopping Amazon.ca to see if they have them. Completed series 13 TPB volumes
Soft Cover Digests (6 issues) - $12. I dont like these because of their small stature they squish everything into small pages though it's convienant for travel. Most readily available.

Trade Paperbacks(6 issues) - $17  Considered the standard Graphic novel format. I like this format best , they feel and look like a comic and are affordable.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Comic Book Update: Birds of Prey


Lazy sunday but there was no Chronicles of Narnia on so I picked up a couple comics. I figure since Im dropping a few titles I have room on my read/pull list to add a title. I added DC's 'Birds of Prey' #1 and #2 under their 'Brightest Day' run. I wasnt going to touch it but two things caught my attention , A) Gail Simone is the ass woop'n writer whom also does Secret Six the only DC title Im into and B) secondly BoP has been getting solid reviews. It just started so I figure lets get on board while the gett'n is good.

So far so good. Bottom line is Im hooked , I cant wait to see where this goes. I dont even really know the characters  but the action  and pacing is so great it keeps you glued to the pages. Dialogue and bantering is standard. The art is faptastic (Benes and Melo), love the frame of Huntress kicking cop in the face! check'er out...
Bad.Ass.


team members: Black Canary , Oracle , Huntress , Lady Blackhawk,  Hawk and Dove

recommend: Yes , its a kick your feet up and enjoy the ride kind of read.

noob friendly: yes  , I jumped on board and I dont feel horribly lost or confused. There are optional recommended reads from Gail Simone's BoP run from the previous volume that will help fill in any gaps. You can pick up via trade paperback. 


series: on going...

price: 2.99 , still readily available off the rack. You'll have to look a little deeper for #1 but its still out there I got mine today.

DC pull list:
Secret Six
Birds of Prey

drop list:
The Heralds marvel 
Age of Heros marvel

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

New Comic Day: 6/16/10

My Comic Book Website

June 16/10

I only picked up a few titles today:
comics:
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1. New Avengers #1 marvel comics(Bendis , Immomen) .-  

Refrain from rating a new series. All Avenger Heroic Age titles have had a solid start. NA is no different. Doctor Voodoo and Dr.Strange appear in this and something is a brewing with the sorcerors whatchyamacallit amulet and the Avengers have to intervene.

If you like the others you'll like this one , if you havent picked one up yet.. check out any one of the Avenger titles caz if you like one you'll like all.

team members: Luke Cage (leader) , Iron Fist, Spider-Man , Wolverine , Thing , Jewel , Ms.Marvel , Hawkeye & Mockingbird

noob friendly: not really  , complete noobs with zero knowledge of anything? it would be difficult to follow but It could also work in your favour too I guess. You gotta start somewhere right?

series: on going... current #1(6/23/10)

price/value: 3.99..Despite being a good comic , I cant sit here and say this is the best 4 bucks you'll spend at the comic book store. I read they're expanding the Avenger titles to 40 pages next month so maybe the value will improve. 

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2. Black Widow #3 marvel comics(Liu , Acuna) ***1/2 -

A very good series so far , I picked up #2 on a whim and havent looked back since. I picked up #1 as well , and this is a fast paced , cloak and dagger story with lots of suprises , suspense and action. Writing is good its got me guessing and wanting more. The art is solid as ever , Black Widow looks amazingly sexy in one frame , a few pages later she looks bad ass , a few pages over she looks timid ,.. excellent pencilling. There's more to come , Im fully entrenched into this arc and cant wait for #4.

recommend:  Yes , this is a balls to the wall series so far. Its a superhero , esponiage , mystery , suspense , ...

 noob friendly: yes , you can jump on from #1 and not skip a beat. I do suggest jumping at #1 though which is still readily available off the rack , 2nd printing is due soon.

series: on going.. current #3(6/23/10)

price/value: 2.99 .. great value. Its just a fun book to get into. 


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graphic novel:
3.Chew vol.2 'International Flavor'  image comics(Layman , Guillory) ***** -

Chew is my favourite new series out in the market("new" in comic book terms , came out in 2009). Chew is just gross out , knock your socks off , edge of your seat , laugh out loud fun . Chew vol.2 is funny , smart ,  dark and twisted and did I mention funny? Writing is whimsical , the art is piercing , and as various comic critics put it "its like Guillory and Layman are soul mates caz their work go perfect together" and its 100% true. Chew is a required taste (excuse the pun) but if you take a bite dont be suprised you'll crave more!

recommend: Yes to the highest degree. Its a comedy , crime mystery , gross out , suspense ,... must see.

noob friendly: hell yes. You can jump on from any starting point of a new story arc but just get Chew TP vol.I 'Tasters Choice'

series: on going ..current #11 (updated 6/23/10)

pricing: comics $3 each except #1 1st printing = $100 and #2 =$16. Trade paperback vol.1 =$10 , vol.2= $14

Friday, June 4, 2010

Blog Update: 6/2/10


Jun.2/10 Vlog Ep.4 'Nerding Out' from Gord Locke on Vimeo.


I blog about my return into the world of comics. Which btw I know Ill get FAQ'ed 

how were you in the "industry" ? 
My brother use to own a comic shop between 93-96 Comic Creations on 41st and KNight. I was part of it of course. Well , being retailers we helped distribute comics and graphic novels therefore we were "part" of the "industry".

Why did you quit? 
like all my old hobbies caz I was in my early 20s and girls and booze was more important.


Did you try to get back into it at all?
Yes , 2004 , right before the release of Revenge Of The Sith I went to go buy General Grievous' comics but they were sold out so I didnt bother after that. 

What did you collect before? 
Marvel mainly but I wasnt even that dedicated. I was more into value collecting , I would buy comics in hope it goes up in value rather than just reading and enjoying a good comic book.

Did you read anything at all during your hiatus? 
Very little , but I did get into watching Justice League and Teen Titan cartoons. Absolutely loved them. I had a general knowledge of all the Super Hero movies.

What are you reading now?
read my blog and you'll see my pull list and such week to week. Right now Im catching up on a lot of back issues and titles for some graphic novels like Walking Dead , Runaways , Y The Last Man, ...etc I have a lifetime of material to catch up with. 

general comments:
    After a 15 year hiatus , I was thinking about getting back into comics caz I was caught up in the Avengers hype. so I wanted to read The Avengers. Well , it turns out the Avengers were relaunching 4 new series and a mini series right that week. I took that as a sign.. the week Secret Avengers #1 was released , Avengers #1 the week before.. I didnt think twice , I was at the comic book store the very next day to get me some comics and get back into this wicked shit.

I really miss the nerdyness of a comic store , its so awesome.

About Me

My photo
My name is Gord and I blog comic and graphic novel reviews for Horror Happy Hour. Im just a passionate fanboy since the glorious 80s. Im not a writer as you can tell with my butchering of the engrish language just love geeking it up with comics. Horror Happy Hour is a devoted group of horror enthusiasts started on Facebook , website to come.. and I do the comics commentary. Woot woot