Comics for June 21, FL June 28

[dvandom]

                    Dave's Unspoilt Capsules and Awards
         The Week's Picks and Pans, plus Awards of Dubious Merit

Standard Disclaimers: Please set appropriate followups.  Recommendation does
not factor in price.  Not all books will have arrived in your area this week.
Yay, grading exams all afternoon.  Rants, Capsules can be found on my 
             homepage, http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/Rants 


First Looks:
     My comics shop subscribes to the First Looks program, in which a
selection of titles from DC, Marvel and Image for the next week are shipped a
week early for preview purposes.  I usually have time to read some of them
while the comics are sorted, although they don't always arrive on time.

June 28:

     eXiles #83: Marvel - Okay transitional story from Bedard, so-so art from
Casey Jones.  Mildly recommended.  $2.99/$4.25Cn
     Invincible #33: Image - A bit scattered, largely by intent, but doesn't
drag.  Okay art from Ottley.  Mildly recommended.  $2.99/$3.50Cn
     American Way #5 (of 8): DC/Wildstorm - Misleading cover.  Anyway, with
things having gotten Very Bad last issue, now it's time to show glimmers of
hope, and that is indeed what happens.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.00Cn


Capsules:
     Short, relatively spoiler-free reviews of books I actually bring home
(as opposed to reading in preview form in the shop or online).  If I get a
book late due to distributor foulups or whatever, I'll put it in the Missing
section.

     Gold Digger: Throne of Shadows #2 (of 4): Antarctic Press - Ehn.  A
couple of new bits, otherwise a repeat of the fight-and-run of last issue.
Very mildly recommended.  $2.99/$4.05Cn
     Gold Digger Tangent #1: Antarctic Press - A collection of GD-verse
webcomics, with some formatting issues due to Perry settling into the idea of
webcomics (and then playing around with infinite canvas).  Fun stuff,
though.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.05Cn
     52 #7 (of 52): DC - Well, last week the Booster plot looked like it
might go somewhere interesting, but this week it goes someplace boring.  The
other plots this issue are okay, but no great shakes.  Mildly recommended.
$2.50/$3.50Cn 
     Shadowpact #2: DC - Your basic "heroes lose the opening round" schtick,
but with some interesting Blue Devil stuff.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.00Cn
     Conan Book of Thoth #4 (of 4): Dark Horse - Well, it ends.  Mostly
avoids the narration mode this time as the climax kicks in, which is good.
Mildly recommended.  $4.99
     Conan #29: Dark Horse - Mike Mignola takes over writing for this issue,
as "special guest writer".  Cary Nord continues with the art.  Part one of an
adaptation of "The Hall of the Dead", tying it into the ongoing plotline.
Good barbarian action and some good weirdness.  Recommended.  $2.99
     Dork Tower #34: Dork Storm Press - And, with the storyline on a major
cliffhanger, it's a perfect time to break away and do an amusingly scholarly
treatment of the history of gaming.  :)  There's also another Kobolds Ate My
Baby supplement, it's getting to the point I may have to actually buy that
game.  Recommended.  $3.49
     Dr. Blink Superhero Shrink #3: Dork Storm Press - Numerous vignettes as
usual, although no real insights into Dr. Blink's background this time.  Also
has a few Dork Tower strips and Mutants & Masterminds 2e stats for several of
the characters featured in the vignettes.  Yay!  Recommended.  $3.49
     Gargoyles #1: Slave Labor Graphics - This picks up with an alternate
take on where the story went in the Goliath Chronicles, after writer Greg
Weisman had "left Disney to pursue other opportunities," which is "I don't
want to get sued" language for being canned so the company could take the
show in a different direction.  The opening arc is familiar to anyone who saw
the opening eps of Goliath Chronicles (which was about all I ever saw, as the
local affiliate started jerking it around on the schedule).  Hedgecock and
Terrell do a good job of evoking the darkness of the series's look without
being murky.  Recommended.  $3.50
     Marvel Adventures Avengers #2: Marvel - Another excellent story from
Parker and Garcia.  Occasionally drifts into mugging for the camera sort of
camp, but never too far.  Strongly recommended.  And Hulk was too winning.
$2.99/$4.25Cn 
     Giant-Size Hulk #1: Marvel - Got this for the new Peter David story, in
case it wasn't obvious.  :)  It's the Defenders versus the Hulk shortly after
the events of Champions #16, where they're about to meet President Car...er,
Clinton.  Pak's story is another "Banner and Hulk argue on the mindscape" and
compares rather unfavorably to the reprinted "Hulk: The End" that rounds out
this volume.  Still, a very good new story and a very good old story make
this one Strongly Recommended.  $4.99/$7.00Cn
     The Champions Classic TPB v1: Marvel - Collects Champions #1-11,
strongly implying we'll get a v2 with the rest of the series and some related
stories in other titles.  I'm basing this review on a quick skim, since late
comics combined with needing to finish grading an exam tonight mean I won't
get to read it in full until later.  Anyway, like most full color reprints of
pre-computer-coloring works, it looks a bit off, but the art itself is a nice
cross-section of 1970 Marvel talent.  As is the writing, for that matter.
And if you've been enjoying the various 1970s Essentials collections
(i.e. Power Man, Iron Fist, Godzilla, Nova), you'll want this one too.
Recommended.  $19.99/$32.00Cn

Gone Missing:
     Stuff that came out some places this week and that I wanted to buy, but
couldn't find for whatever reason, so people don't have to email me asking
"Why didn't you review X?"  (If it's neither here nor in the section above,
though, feel free to ask, I might have forgotten about it!)

     Current list as of 6/21:

     Still missing Keif Llama V2.1 and Big Max #1 (argh), Five Fists of
Science.  Add Tales of the Champions #4 and Fallen Angel #6, which Diamond
didn't ship to my store.


Awards:

Best Book: Tie between Marvel Adventures Avengers #2 and Giant-Sized Hulk #1

"I Wonder If Next Issue They Fight And Run Some More While Learning A Page
     Or Two Worth Of Revelations?" Award to Gold Digger: Throne of Shadows 
     #2 (of 4)

"Has She Considered Contacts?" Award to Gold Digger Tangent #1

"Quickly, To The Bat-Closet!" Award to 52 #7 (of 52)

"I'm Gonna Curse You So Hard, Your Entire Family TREE Will Feel It!" Award
     to Shadowpact #2

"Kalanthes And Conan Have Many Shared Experiences, Eh?" Award to Conan
     Book of Thoth #4 (of 4)

"Frog, Toad, Whatever" Award to Conan #29

"Role Those Bones" Award to Dork Tower #34

"So, What IS 'Spank' In Latin?" Award to Dr. Blink Superhero Shrink #3

"If I Had A Hammer" Award to Gargoyles #1

"Top Hat, Green Tie, And Tails" Award to Marvel Adventures Avengers #2

"All You Mortals Run Together" Award to Giant-Size Hulk #1

"With Warren Around, At Least Rampage Doesn't Have the Dumbest Outfit
     In Los Angeles" Award to The Champions Classic TPB v1

   Dave Van Domelen, "Not bad as look! Hulk winning!" - Hulk, not winning, Marvel Adventures Avengers #2

Comments

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

Arggh! I got no Dr. Blink.