I must admit, this has been a bit of a busy week. I also came down with a heavy case of the aforementioned Pac-Man Fever, which has consumed all of my free moments with Halo 3 goodness. With first-day sales hitting a reported $170 MILLION dollars it would seem that I’m not alone either!
And yes, I did manage to pry myself away from the Xbox for a few hours thou (although I think I went to bed around four AM last night… not sure). I even missed picking up comics on Wednesday (but that’s a long story that has absolutely nothing to do with videogames), but what I plan on picking up this weekend can be found below.
Also, be sure to pick up the latest issue of Wizard Magazine (the one with the beautiful shot of the Dark Knight on the cover) – there is a positive review of our Nightmare Factory graphic novel in the ‘Bookshelf’ section!
ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER #7 (I get so much crap for saying this, but I LOVE All-Star Batman. If there’s ANYONE who is allowed a license to do anything he wants with the Batman character, that man is Frank Miller. Plus, I read that this book takes place in his Year One / Dark Knight Returns universe, which is really, really cool)
BATMAN #669
COUNTDOWN 31
COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE #2
GREEN ARROW YEAR ONE #5 (love that Jock art)
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #13
SPIRIT #10
SUPERNATURAL ORIGINS #5
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1
WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #3
BRIT #2
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #6
CABLE DEADPOOL #45
CAPTAIN AMERICA CHOSEN #2
CRIMINAL #9
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #9
PUNISHER MAX ANNUAL #1
SUB-MARINER #4
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #46
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #114 (hard to believe an ‘ultimate’ book is already over 100 issues… kinda defeats the whole ‘ultimate’ purpose, but the books are cool so who bloody cares, nah?)
X-MEN #203
ARMY OF DARKNESS FROM ASHES #2
BRODIES LAW ROAD TO REDEMPTION GN
HIGHLANDER #11
Later
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Pac-Man Fever
So I considered calling in sick today with a mean case of Pac-Man Fever. And by ‘Pac-Man Fever’, I mean that today is the long-awaited and much heralded release of none other than Halo 3. I’ve got the DT’s so bad I can barely type.
The Halo franchise has become such a juggernaut; the release hype for Halo 3 is reminiscent of the frenzy that accompanies a new Star Wars film. What particularly intrigues me about the Halo licensing empire is how they have expertly and adroitly embraced the comics/graphic novel world, particularly from a creative standpoint. Granted they have been producing licensed (prose) novels for some time, but their first foray into the graphic novel space was extremely well-handled, IMHO. Instead of just cranking out some quick-and-dirty book with no-name talent, they produced the book completely in-house and secured amazing artists, such as the legendary Moebius. In essence, the editors were careful to pay the proper respect to the Halo universe, a concept that I find is exceedingly important when working with titles on this level, be they film or video game. If you’re a Halo fan and haven’t picked up this book I highly suggest you succumb to the Fever yourself and pick up a copy.
While you’re at it, pick up 28 Days Later: The Aftermath and The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning – two other franchise titles done right with superb talent (man, I can never resist)!
Later
The Halo franchise has become such a juggernaut; the release hype for Halo 3 is reminiscent of the frenzy that accompanies a new Star Wars film. What particularly intrigues me about the Halo licensing empire is how they have expertly and adroitly embraced the comics/graphic novel world, particularly from a creative standpoint. Granted they have been producing licensed (prose) novels for some time, but their first foray into the graphic novel space was extremely well-handled, IMHO. Instead of just cranking out some quick-and-dirty book with no-name talent, they produced the book completely in-house and secured amazing artists, such as the legendary Moebius. In essence, the editors were careful to pay the proper respect to the Halo universe, a concept that I find is exceedingly important when working with titles on this level, be they film or video game. If you’re a Halo fan and haven’t picked up this book I highly suggest you succumb to the Fever yourself and pick up a copy.
While you’re at it, pick up 28 Days Later: The Aftermath and The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning – two other franchise titles done right with superb talent (man, I can never resist)!
Later
Friday, September 21, 2007
Leavin On A Jet Plane
The 28 Weeks Later DVD comes out shortly, and on said DVD are two animated shorts from the 28 Days Later: The Aftermath graphic novel. The movie is AMAZING (and again, I say that as a fan and not the studio hack that I truly am), but the animated graphic novel featurettes have been receiving a nice amount of love as well. Check out these review excerpts!
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/9728
The most intriguing features are two bonus short films. Essentially a Anamatic interpretations of the Fox Atomic's 28 DAYS LATER Graphic Novels, the first, STAGE 1: DEVELOPMENT, is a 7-minute look at the history of the creation of the rage virus by Cambridge University scientists. The second, STAGE 3: DECIMATION is a much shorter look at a vigilante solider fighting a one-man war against the infected on the streets of London. The artwork, in a sometimes slick, sometimes sketched, comic book style along with the voice over narration provides for a very cool supplement and easily the best feature this DVD has to offer?aside from the film of course. These final two extras typify what great bonus materials should be?an extension of the film that enhances the viewing experience. I really hope we see more of this type of thing on future releases.
http://dvd.ign.com/articles/819/819354p2.html
But the "Aftermath" offerings are different. They're unique. These cleverly-produced, stylized, cinematic graphic novels provide background on the development of the virus previous to the start of the first 28 film. And it's not that this is such an evolutionary idea - it's not. But the approach and the music and the integration of live-action film into these well-drawn inserts is masterfully handled. These are visceral 10-minutes shorts that deserve your rapt attention.?
http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?sectionId=4&articleId=7678
THE AFTERMATH: Stage 1: Development: This short featurette shows the conception of the Rage virus, which turns out to be developed by several rather unscrupulous scientists. This adheres to the old adage that it's cheaper to tell something in an animated form than it is to film it. This little vignette isn't strictly animated, it's more a series of illustrations from renowned artist Steve Niles, who has collaborated with the likes of Clive Barker, Richard Matheson & Harlan Ellison. This isn't really up to much, merely trying to provide an explanation for the events depicted in such a hugely popular movie - a similar thing was attempted when a comic book prelude to Night of the Living Dead was created in the early to mid nineties. This featurette is really hard work, like sitting through a Monkey Dust sketch without the jokes.
THE AFTERMATH: Stage 3: Decimation: This is similar to the previous featurette, but the style is completely different - Stage 1 was more dialogue-driven, whereas Stage 3 relies on visuals much more. The only difference is that this one is fantastic stuff - the style of the illustrations are completely different to the Stage 1. The story is engaging and gripping on both and visceral and emotional level. Steve Niles was the writer and Nat Jones was the illustrator on this one. Great work.
I'm off to Colorado now!
Later
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/9728
The most intriguing features are two bonus short films. Essentially a Anamatic interpretations of the Fox Atomic's 28 DAYS LATER Graphic Novels, the first, STAGE 1: DEVELOPMENT, is a 7-minute look at the history of the creation of the rage virus by Cambridge University scientists. The second, STAGE 3: DECIMATION is a much shorter look at a vigilante solider fighting a one-man war against the infected on the streets of London. The artwork, in a sometimes slick, sometimes sketched, comic book style along with the voice over narration provides for a very cool supplement and easily the best feature this DVD has to offer?aside from the film of course. These final two extras typify what great bonus materials should be?an extension of the film that enhances the viewing experience. I really hope we see more of this type of thing on future releases.
http://dvd.ign.com/articles/819/819354p2.html
But the "Aftermath" offerings are different. They're unique. These cleverly-produced, stylized, cinematic graphic novels provide background on the development of the virus previous to the start of the first 28 film. And it's not that this is such an evolutionary idea - it's not. But the approach and the music and the integration of live-action film into these well-drawn inserts is masterfully handled. These are visceral 10-minutes shorts that deserve your rapt attention.?
http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?sectionId=4&articleId=7678
THE AFTERMATH: Stage 1: Development: This short featurette shows the conception of the Rage virus, which turns out to be developed by several rather unscrupulous scientists. This adheres to the old adage that it's cheaper to tell something in an animated form than it is to film it. This little vignette isn't strictly animated, it's more a series of illustrations from renowned artist Steve Niles, who has collaborated with the likes of Clive Barker, Richard Matheson & Harlan Ellison. This isn't really up to much, merely trying to provide an explanation for the events depicted in such a hugely popular movie - a similar thing was attempted when a comic book prelude to Night of the Living Dead was created in the early to mid nineties. This featurette is really hard work, like sitting through a Monkey Dust sketch without the jokes.
THE AFTERMATH: Stage 3: Decimation: This is similar to the previous featurette, but the style is completely different - Stage 1 was more dialogue-driven, whereas Stage 3 relies on visuals much more. The only difference is that this one is fantastic stuff - the style of the illustrations are completely different to the Stage 1. The story is engaging and gripping on both and visceral and emotional level. Steve Niles was the writer and Nat Jones was the illustrator on this one. Great work.
I'm off to Colorado now!
Later
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I Need A Vacation
Where to begin… I’m really tired today. I’m also really happy. Allow me to elucidate. It’s Wednesday. If you’re taking the time out of your day to peruse my ramblings than you surely know that Wednesday means New Comics Day, which is like a mainline of pure awesome straight to any fanboy’s geeky little heart (mine included). Not sure if I’ll make it to Comics Ink tonight since there is drinking to be done, but below is my pull list for the week. We’re also less than ONE WEEK away from the release of Halo 3… I’m not sure the English language contains the words to properly express my excitement. I think I feel a case of Typhoid Fever coming on as well. Cough, cough - I think I may be out of the office next week.
Here’s my pull list. No Nightmare Factory reviews this week, but do scroll back to my previous posts to catch some of the love we’re getting for that rad book. We also have a few really cool events coming up, but more on those later.
CRIMINAL MACABRE MY DEMON BABY #1 (love that cover… nice work Timmy B!)
UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE #1 (hell yea. not a huge my chem romance fan, but love the artist)
BATMAN LOBO DEADLY SERIOUS #2
EX MACHINA #30
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY WEDDING SPECIAL #1 (don’t laugh)
HELLBLAZER #236
HIGHWAYMEN #4 (still digging this series – do pick up this book; you won’t be sorry)
SUPERMAN BATMAN #40
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS PARALLAX #1
REPO #4
SPAWN #171
CAPTAIN AMERICA #30
IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #12
NEW X-MEN #42
WORLD WAR HULK #4
30 DAYS OF NIGHT BEYOND BARROW #1
30 DAYS OF NIGHT RED SNOW #2
Later
Here’s my pull list. No Nightmare Factory reviews this week, but do scroll back to my previous posts to catch some of the love we’re getting for that rad book. We also have a few really cool events coming up, but more on those later.
CRIMINAL MACABRE MY DEMON BABY #1 (love that cover… nice work Timmy B!)
UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE #1 (hell yea. not a huge my chem romance fan, but love the artist)
BATMAN LOBO DEADLY SERIOUS #2
EX MACHINA #30
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY WEDDING SPECIAL #1 (don’t laugh)
HELLBLAZER #236
HIGHWAYMEN #4 (still digging this series – do pick up this book; you won’t be sorry)
SUPERMAN BATMAN #40
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS PARALLAX #1
REPO #4
SPAWN #171
CAPTAIN AMERICA #30
IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #12
NEW X-MEN #42
WORLD WAR HULK #4
30 DAYS OF NIGHT BEYOND BARROW #1
30 DAYS OF NIGHT RED SNOW #2
Later
Monday, September 17, 2007
It’s Monday Again?!
Seriously, this has to stop; I love the weekends too much. This weekend was a nice one, as I had a bit of down time to both a) school n00bs on GoW b) catch up on my comics reading. Read and loved the following: JSA #9 (that scene where the crew races alongside a fire engine… wow), Casanova 8&9 (loving ‘season 2’), Black Adam #2 (…wow), Booster Gold #2, and a few others. All and all, a great weekend to be sure.
There were two nice / new Nightmare Factory reviews posted over the weekend as well; I really love this book. Give ‘em a look!
Pop Syndicate (4 stars!)
http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/the_nightmare_factory/
Blog Critics Magazine
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/09/15/135345.php
Later
There were two nice / new Nightmare Factory reviews posted over the weekend as well; I really love this book. Give ‘em a look!
Pop Syndicate (4 stars!)
http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/the_nightmare_factory/
Blog Critics Magazine
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/09/15/135345.php
Later
Friday, September 14, 2007
Inching Towards the Weekend
Man oh man; what a Friday it’s been. If I didn’t already have plans to go out carousing this eve I would be completely content to head home and read my current favorite book, Matt Fraction’s Casanova. I, for one, am very happy how this guy has blown up of late; I’ve been a fan of his ever since his book “Last of the Independents” (if you haven’t checked it out, do try and track down a copy). Casanova is one of those books that just plain makes me laugh out loud – it’s very much in the vein of Ellis’ work (such as his vastly under-appreciated ‘NextWave’), in that the book is inherently self-referential in the way it plays with the conventions of comic books, but it also manages to incorporate my favorite field of study (quantum mechanics), which always scores big points in my book. Casanova is in the midst of a new story arc, but I definitely recommend that you pick up the first trade first so that you know what the heck is going on.
Back to a bit of Fox Atomic Comics: if you missed it, the fine folks over at Aint It Cool News posted an excellent review of The Nightmare Factory! An excerpt is below, but HEAD HERE (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34010) to read the full review!
From the review: “There isn’t a story in this book that doesn’t have the highest amount of professionalism added to it. Fox Atomic really has put together a special compilation and this is by far the best book the company has published to date.”
That’s all for now boys, girls, and who/whatever else is out there. More next week. As always, be excellent to each other.
Later
Back to a bit of Fox Atomic Comics: if you missed it, the fine folks over at Aint It Cool News posted an excellent review of The Nightmare Factory! An excerpt is below, but HEAD HERE (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34010) to read the full review!
From the review: “There isn’t a story in this book that doesn’t have the highest amount of professionalism added to it. Fox Atomic really has put together a special compilation and this is by far the best book the company has published to date.”
That’s all for now boys, girls, and who/whatever else is out there. More next week. As always, be excellent to each other.
Later
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Aint it Cool News Reviews The Nightmare Factory
Yesterday I mentioned that I would soon be posting a non-Nightmare Factory related blog. I lied. All for a good cause, however: the fine folks over at Aint It Cool News have just posted an excellent review of The Nightmare Factory, and I want to share the goodness! An excerpt is below, but HEAD HERE (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34010) to read the full review!
From the review: “There isn’t a story in this book that doesn’t have the highest amount of professionalism added to it. Fox Atomic really has put together a special compilation and this is by far the best book the company has published to date.”
BUY ONE!
*ahem*… sorry, I have Turrets. Speaking of buying comics, being that it’s Wednesday I guess I only half-lied… below are my picks for the week!
FEAR AGENT LAST GOODBYE #3
BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #2
BOOSTER GOLD #2 (be sure to get this book; it’s great!)
COUNTDOWN 33
DMZ #23 (i love DMZ)
FABLES #65
GREEN LANTERN #23
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #9
SUPERMAN #667
BAD PLANET #3
CASANOVA #9
WALKING DEAD #42 (what is this book weekly now?!)
DAREDEVIL #100
LONERS #5
NEW AVENGERS #34
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #11
THOR #3
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #113
X-FACTOR #23
Later
From the review: “There isn’t a story in this book that doesn’t have the highest amount of professionalism added to it. Fox Atomic really has put together a special compilation and this is by far the best book the company has published to date.”
BUY ONE!
*ahem*… sorry, I have Turrets. Speaking of buying comics, being that it’s Wednesday I guess I only half-lied… below are my picks for the week!
FEAR AGENT LAST GOODBYE #3
BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #2
BOOSTER GOLD #2 (be sure to get this book; it’s great!)
COUNTDOWN 33
DMZ #23 (i love DMZ)
FABLES #65
GREEN LANTERN #23
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #9
SUPERMAN #667
BAD PLANET #3
CASANOVA #9
WALKING DEAD #42 (what is this book weekly now?!)
DAREDEVIL #100
LONERS #5
NEW AVENGERS #34
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #11
THOR #3
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #113
X-FACTOR #23
Later
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
