wizard is Oz: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Why I Buy: One Nerd's Pull List Part 5

Every Monday I share my 48 issue pull list, justifying why I buy each comic and throwing in some interior art. This week is the final instalment, as i look at X-Factor, Wasteland, Fables, Hellblazer, Saucer County, Sweet Tooth, The Unwritten, and three books I've recently added to my list - Alabaster Wolves, Ragemoor and Smoke and Mirrors.

This week, we count down the top 5 most pointless resurrections, as voted by members of the facebook group.
The rules stated that any character, from any book and any publisher counts, but each character only counts once, even if they've had more than one resurrection.
As always, the very nature of lists means that absolutely no one will agree with it, but feel free to voice your opinions in the comments.
See the countdown HERE.

Renaldo's Reviews: AvX vs #1, New Avengers #25, Uncanny X-Men #9-11, Battle Scars #6, Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #1-9

AvX vs #1 –

Aaron is his usual deft self here. His guile is properly bemused as he paints the obvious underdog Magneto into a hole…but Erik pulls a few aces from his sleeve to shock Stark a bit. Limitless resources or not, Aaron delivers quite solidly here…and I thought it was Fraction writing for a while. It was pretty impressive coupled with Kubert’s nifty art schemes. Aaron’s aptitude for snarky yet un-cheesy dialogue and Kubert’s apt style make an enthralling read. It shows that even Magneto realizes that biting off too much than they can chew will be a profound way to

Supercrooks #1-2 –

It’s Ocean’s Eleven with superpowers. It literally is. I don’t see anything creative or original here from Millar but it’s still a decent read. Yu on art is win as usual but I hope it doesn’t teeter like Superior did at the end. Other than that, the real action hasn’t started as yet. The kill has been identified. A group of supervillains leave America and come to Spain to rob a target…who turns out to be a prominent…the most prominent...villain of all time. It’s simple and fun. Seeing this caper pulled off should be a doozy but can’t help missing the originality a bit!

Star Wars: Blood Ties – Boba Fett #1
Apart from having a great cover, I think that the insides were even more amazing. Few comics outside of the big two rarely, completely take me in. From the moment that the first panel hit, my attention was grasped and never let go. I really loved the pacing of the book. Granted it has the simplest of storylines , the most basic of plots, a revenge fantasy, but still, it was enjoyable. The art for the book was well done too. It sort of reminds me of the work of Ariel Olivetti, if not better.

On the Cover: Lee Bermejo

Self-taught American artist Lee Bermejo got his start in the comic book industry in 1997 as an intern for WildStorm. His career has gone nowhere but up, working on such books as the Award Winning Joker withBrian Azzarello and the recent successful Graphic novel Batman: Noel. Bermejo's covers are uncannily detailed. They are hyper-realistic, while maintaining a drawn, comic book style. Check out a showcase of his work after the jump!

Every Monday I share my 48 issue pull list, justifying why I buy each comic and throwing in some interior art. This week I cover my Image stack, which is quite hefty: Chew, Fatale, Hack/Slash, Infinite Vacation, Invincible, Memoir, Morning Glories, Peter Panzerfaust, Pigs, Prophet, Rebel Blood, Saga, Savage Dragon, Thief of Thieves, Li’l Depressed Boy, Walking dead and Whispers.

Review: Star Wars Dark Times: Out of the Wilderness #5

One the most interesting books in the Star Wars universe closes another chapter of its story. These characters are quite possibly the most diverse and interesting group of beings I’ve ever had the privilege to read about. With the culmination of the Out of the Wilderness arc many questions are answered and new ones arise setting the stage for their next adventure.

Randy Stradley is managing to bridge the gap here with these characters telling a story that manages to resonate outside the Star Wars

I was a big Image fan back in the day. Still am actually. When I heard that Image was going to be relaunching a handful of the Extreme Studios books, I was hesitant. But with each new series that has started up, the more my faith in these books have grown. So far the creative teams have been pretty top notch. Bloodstrike is the over the top action book that is just fun to read. It is not life changing, but it is really enjoyable.

BPRD for my money is one of the best on-goings out there. Yes I know that this is a mini series. But it is an ongoing series of miniseries. All interconnected, some more so than others. But I have yet to read a BPRD mini that I didn't like on some level. Mignola and crew always manage to pack as much goodness into these issues as possible.

The creepiness is amped up in this issue.

Rebel Blood is the new supernatural horror book from image, the first issue started off great with an interesting plot and amazing complimentary art. This issue was a perfect extension of the last leaving me with just as many questions and completely interested in where Alex Link and Riley Rossmo are going to take this story.

In the first issue there were a lot of factors which left me questioning what “reality” was and what was going on in the main protagonist,

I have only been reading The Goon for a short while, I started about two weeks ago reading four issues in quick succession. Since I’ve read about ten issues and I really think this comic is something special and unique. There is a level of pretension within the comic industry and I feel this issue in particular pokes a lot of fun at that especially within the superhero comic genre.

The story is on point as Eric Powell takes a satirical jab at today’s superhero comics.

Creator Roundup

This week, Dan Hipp has some bubblegum, Jim Rugg draws with pens, Joe Hill pushes product, Ben Templesmith is a freak, Eric Canete gets raunchy, Neil Gaiman plays with bees, Bryan Lee O'Malley answers some fan questions, Beck Cloonan teases Wolves, Mike Allred teases IT Girl, Peter Nguyen draws Spidey and MJ, Brian Wood talks Massive and Coleen Coover chews.

Random Meme...

Renaldo's Reviews: Manhattan Projects, Steed and Mrs Peel, No Place Like Home, Resident Alien, Reset, Ragemoor, 3 Story, Near Death

The Manhattan Projects #2 –

Pitarra’s art is in stark contrast to the guile we’re accustomed seeing Hickman to at Marvel. I’m not bashing it…I love its rugged and dogged nature. There’s a grit that fits perfectly with Hickman’s script as he plots the Americans garnering an eclectic group of scientists as they pave the way forth for total domination. This is not as deft as issue 1 but it is still enjoyable. The cast Hickman concocts is remarkable as usual with Einstein conjuring a delectable yet sinister charm.

On the Cover: Brandon Graham

Brandon Graham's background is in Graffiti writing in Seattle, and it shows in his work. Urban and fresh, Graham's quirky style makes his art instantly recognizable. His thin, crisp lines and simple colours contrast perfectly with fun detail - you always notice something new. Check out a showcase of his covers after the jump!

Reviews: Steed and Mrs Peel #4, Irredeemable #36, Manhattan Projects #2

Steed and Mrs Peel #3

For the most part, I have professed my love for this series.....
This issue though, sees some chinks in the armor.
While the art is still spectacular, it is pretty distracting how the artist drew the villains for the issue looking almost exactly alike.

Review: Resident Alien #0

Resident Alien #0, previously published in Dark Horse Presents, was an interesting first issue. The premise is that, at some point, an alien crashed on our planet, but due to his mental abilities he has been able to hide himself from the human populace by appearing human. He has taken the guise of a reclusive doctor in a small town. When the town's doctor is murdered, he is asked to look at the corpse and assume his duties in this one stop light town.

With last months cliffhanger and it's jump a few years into the future, I was eagerly awaiting this issue. While it is a bit of a slow start, it has all the right hooks to bring me back for the next issue. With the opening scene of Sully's child, who has been raised by apes, kidnapped by some unknown human group., we get some great action done by Carlos Magno. The rest of the issue slows itself down and we see more of Voice Ayla, dealing with ape politics and discovering that the human she has been raising like a son has been kidnapped. There is also Sully trying to do all she can for her human resistance by attempting to get weapons from a foreign power.

Another month (give or take), another Super Dinosaur. This book has gone from being pretty good, to really good! As the plot continues to develop and the characters continue to grow, the book becomes more and more compelling.

This issue flashes between three stories happening concurrently. Dexter Dynamo and the evil Max Maximus escaping prison, Derek talking to an imprisoned Reptiloid, and Super Dinosaur leaving on a mission only to have one of Bruce Kingston daughters follow SD through the

This issue is a great follow up to the previous. While I was unsure how the second of four would play out I believe the creative team on this book kept the pace and managed to peak my interest even more into “Ragemoor,” its inhabitants, and the forces working within.

We are brought back to castle “Ragemoor” with a haunting poem tying us back to the previous issue relating to Anoria and her new place within the castle. It seems she has a new admirer, Tristano, a “poacher.”

Wow, why have I not been in tune to this world? I am really happy that I decided to review these issues and ventured into Michael Turner’s world of Fathom. I found the characters and story engaging and inviting. New readers can certainly read these issues even without reading the first volume.

The first thing I noticed was the beautiful artwork on both covers and interiors they almost work together seamlessly, something that doesn’t

I’m sure this premise has been done before; it’s a typical science fiction trope, the idea of revisiting your past and experiencing events with different outcomes. In this case it is done in a rather serious manner, don’t let Bagge’s quirky art distract from that. There are comedic releases but I think the story is done rather well and if I had to classify this as a comedy it would certainly lie with the black comedy distinction.

Matt Kindt's graphic novel '3 Story: The Secret Files of the Giant Man is a charming an emotional tale about Craig Pressgang, a man who suffered from such a bad case of giantism he grew 3 stories tall. It is an amazing piece of visual storytelling, and I encourage everyone to check it out. This One shot issue is a series of short stories, originally published in MySpace Dark Horse Presents, that go hand in hand with Kindt's Graphic Novel. These stories are brief snippets of Craig's life, told from the point of view of people he has touched in some way throughout his interesting life.

Any comic that begins with Francesco Francavilla, Ends with Joe Kubert School graduate Luke Radl and is stuffed full of Steve Niles, Evan Dorkin, Tim Seely, Neal Adams and a host of other amazing creators is OK by me. Reading Dark Horse Presents is akin to going to the candy store. you get there, and there are so many great colours and flavours, you just want to try a bit of everything. You like some more than others, but they are all good. In Dark Horse Presents 11, we are treated to 10 delicious and beautiful tales that tantalise the taste buds of our imagination.

Creator Roundup

This week, Dan Hipp sends a postcard, Jeff Smith loves Amazons, Jamie McKelvie defends, Bryan Lee O'Malley opens his sketchbook, Sean Phillips draws an iron jaw, Jeff Lemire welds underwater, Ben Templesmith draws a droid, Eric Canete draws a dragon, Joe Hill plugs Terry Moore, Jeff Parker gets his Buffy on, Colleen Coover does Queen and Country and Andy Khun channels the power cosmic.

Every Monday I share my 48 issue pull list, justifying why I buy each comic and throwing in some interior art. This week I cover my DC, Dynamite and IDW pick-ups, including All-Star Western, Animal Man, Batwoman, The Flash, Swamp Thing, Bionic Man, a Game of Thrones, Locke and Key, Memorial, Road Rage and Star Trek.

Renaldo's Reviews: AvX #0-1, AvX Infinite, Avengers: X-Sanction #4, New Avengers #23, Avengers #24.1

AvX # 0 –

Bendis and Aaron didn’t raise my pores and give me what I needed to know. Basically, this a long PSA for Scarlet Witch still being hated and Hope being…an enigma. Cho’s art is a nice reprieve from some lax storytelling but one thing ropes me in…the final page. The effect of the Phoenix and the ties between it and Hope…and Wanda…seem a bit too mouth-watering to avoid. Also, having an Iron Fist tie-in later on is enough fodder to have me interested. I think I’ll be partaking but with low expectations. (6/10)

No Place Like Home #1, 2 –

This is my favourite book of March. I love Angelo’s ghoulish yet sentimental feel while Jordan’s art is grisly yet telling as can be. They fit each other perfectly. Dee investigates the death of her parents in Kansas under duress and such dire circumstances are not bereft of mystery and intrigue. With a WIZARD OF OZ spin, I didn’t expect to see the flying monkey monstrosity emerge so early but with the other elements from the tale yet to be woven, I cannot wait to see the threads spun.

On the Cover: Dustin Nguyen

Dustin Nguyen has worked with such writers as Dan Abnett, Joe Casey, Judd Winick, Scott Lobdell and Ed Brubaker. He's covers extend the style of his interior work - watered down ink shadings sharply contrast the strong compositions. Enjoy a showcase of his work after the jump!

Talking Trades: Severed HC

Severed is the story of a boy who runs away from home in search of his biological father. The things he encounters and the harsh world he must navigate often dramatic with a horror twist in the form of a shark toothed traveling salesman who has a taste for the flesh of the innocent.

The presentation of Scott Snyder’s shadowy suspense wrought words paired with Scott Tuft’s beautiful art bring together this creepy story each adding a layer to the suspense and horror.

It’s like ‘V for Vendetta’ but packs more violent a punch. Opal leads the crusade and with Anzio rescued by Simon’s rebellion…Orchid and company are at a crossroads. Ways out of this mess are limited and the rebels are faced with testing times. How to escape the lair of a certain diabolical despot…whose origins are revealed in a realistic yet underwhelming tale? That aside, the story evokes enough sympathy for the revolt while encompassed in Jackson/Hepburn’s gory and primal action panels. There’s a lot at stake here and Morello’s raging story shows just why the machine he’s created here is provocative and enjoyable.

Conan is drunk with passion until his depth of perception comes abound with classy yet deceptive premonitions at the final few pages. It’s elementary a tool by a writer but one that Brian Wood pulls off with genuine skill. Wood is such a boss here…it isn’t funny. Conan lost his old crew to Belit but as fast as he fell for her beauty, she fell for his might and bravery. It’s a perfect match and one filled with a wide range of lust, support and an anchor of duty. Conan seeks purpose and his loins tell him where he should find this. Sad but true.

BKV lights-up the last page and it’s Runaways-style. I CANNOT WAIT FOR ISSUE #3. The decadence in parenthood here is pretty profound as he paints star-crossed lovers entwined and properly entangled in murky, unfamiliar territory. It’s a mangled wreck to see our protagonists on the run in a Star Wars/Trekkie fashion as they try to survive and protect their daughter. BKV’s dialogue is modern and a contemporary galactic thrill. The cosmic feel here is hyped and well-heightened with the superb Fonografiks design, complemented by Fiona Staples’ art. It’s an illustrious title with a lusty plot.

Bodenheim’s art reminds me of Nick Pittara and the coloring scheme/lighting layout of differing panels concurrent to each other is something I haven’t seen in a long time. It’s innovative and derivative of Hickman’s guile. The creative duo here matches perfectly and Hickman always manages to use artists to impress better upon his already exquisite-craft. It’s a thrill of a ride. Such enthralling duplicity set in the real world makes me wonder if I rather this book to Manhattan Projects…and I can’t decide. Both are yet to be deciphered but both are sublime.

This issue is mostly action. Which is really really fun. You get mobsters trying to kill Lobster Johnson. Johnson and his crew trying to kill the mobsters, and of course the seemingly unstoppable flaming man trying to kill Lobster Johnson. We still know very little about the motivations of the bad guys, but it seems like a lot of that will be answered in the last issue.

I unfortunately missed out on checking out the first 68 series. After hearing so many good things about it I decided to just jump right in with this new mini series. I am glad I did. The story is compelling, even for someone like me who has kind of been dropped into the middle of the story. All you really need to know about the book to dive in is that during the Vietnam war, not only did the troops have to deal with the Vietcong, but zombies as well.

With this issue we are introduced to a Chinese American Yam Kuen Yam,

With a strange twist of events (even for Buffy) things have gotten incredibly interesting for Buffy and the best part is that it was all implemented by one of her scoobies, Andrew Wells. As we’ve gone through the at times dramatic twists and turns that make up the plotline of “Buffy Season 9” I’ve come to assume nothing and to expect chaos. This issue just furthers that standpoint when thinking about where this series is going to take Buffy and her pals. This issue as a stand-alone may not be that great but if you look at it as part of the bigger picture it certainly ties up some loose ends and brings the end of the first story arc while starting the next.

Wow, I really am surprised at the quality of the books being produced by Dark Horse Comics lately. First they made the epic “Immortal” series and as soon as that’s finished “Alabaster Wolves” is on the shelves.

It’s another mini series with this issue being the first of five but I can tell already there is a great story being told. The art and writing are both griping and raw adding to the layered fantasy laced, dystopian future presented on the page.

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #5
I love the ending to this series. The story flowed very well and all loose ends were wrapped up. The quality of the writing and the art from start to finish were top notch.

I am excited to see what's next for agent Jahan Cross.

Creator Roundup

This week, Dan Hipp combines intergalactic menaces, JH Williams III previews a cover, Terry Moore talks it up, Fabio Moon is a matadoor, David Aja is a tease, Francesco Francavilla draws eggs and skulls, Peter David talks physics and bowling, Templesmith and Eric Canete draw different characters, Bryan Lee O'Malley answers some fans, Becky Cloonan goes gothic, Jim Mahfood goes Fear and Loathing, Phil Noto draws a young white queen and Sean Philips draws the fantastic Four.

On the Cover: Skottie Young

Chicago based artist Skottie Young's unusual style has earned him critical acclaim. His work on New York Times best selling adaptation of The Wizard of Oz series landed him an Eisner award. Heavily stylised anatomy and a quirky sense of humour dominate Young's work. It's dynamic and full of life. Check out a showcase after the jump!

Monday, April 30, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Friday, April 20, 2012

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Friday, April 13, 2012

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Thursday, April 5, 2012