This episode we talk with Ben and Justin, KY locals, about a comic project they're working on turning the normal way of comic publishing on it's head.
Link: http://www.blueprintsaintsmagazine.com/
Episode 124 - Just Let Us Make Our Magazine!
Editor's Note: Had to tweak the audio levels a bit to keep the volume down, just warnin ya.
The guys: Chris H, Josh P, Chris K, and Kelvin, catch up on comic talk and discuss shenanigans-laden personal experiences on porno sets. One the comics side of things we talk about Battle for the Cowl, Prelude to Blackest Night and all things Green Lantern, and a little Deadpool action in there too.
Writer/Artist: Steven T.Seagle & Tim Sale
The Amazon was originally published by Comico back a decade or two ago and thankfully has been given new life by Dark Horse with it's republishing of the short mini-series.
I'll be honest with you before somebody gave me this comic a week or so ago, I'd never heard of "The Amazon" and after reading this first issue, I think it's a shame.
The story essentially starts off backwards.A finished article and journal sitting in panel, preparing for the journey about to be taken. Our narrator's story is told via excerpts of this article and thru pages of his journal written whilest he was down in the Amazon. Thru the course of the story you learn Malcom C. Hillard, reporter, had been sent down to the Amazon to investigate the disappearance of an American worker off a logging site set deep within the Amazon rain forests. Hillard eventually talks to some of the missing worker's co-workers to find that they believe an Amazonian spirit had taken Robertson (the missing worker) and that all sabotage at the site was due to this spirit. After making his way to the site the next day Hillard talks with the foreman there, getting little to no information from the foremen telling him that the spirit rumors are just that, rumors. As Hillard leaves he sees two men in the distance around a bulldozer and a crane, running towards them he sees one of them briefly, a white man with tribal looking paint across his face. A couple days later news of a bulldozer and crane being busted are relayed to Hillard and he can't help thinking the man he'd seen on briefly fleeing the bulldozer earlier was in fact the missing Robertson.
The story itself, so far, is alright. I think if you go into this first issue expecting a comic you need to change your mindset though. Upon first read, this issue is very VERY slow. The best way I can use to describe the tonality and pacing for this issue is, it's like reading a normal book more or less, doesn't mean I didn't like it, rather I just appreciated the story on another level. TIm Sale's artwork as always was good. A side panel with Robertson in the leaves, eyes showing, watching Hillard, though formulaic and overused in many comics, was illustrated still quite well by Sale and is one of many of those standard panels in this first issue that stand out more then one would usually expect.
Overall this first issue of The Amazon wasn't half bad. I think if your looking for a comic of the non-Super-heroy type, this would be something worth picking up and maybe giving a shot.
B-
Strange Side Note:The illustration of Hillard bares a striking resemblance to our Mr Heltzel
This episode Dan's back and we discuss Battle for the Cowl, Exiles, Flash: Rebirth #1 and more.
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Salva Espin
Colors: Anthony Washington
Publisher: Marvel
I'm guessing that this is the fourth volume Exiles..if I don't include the original Malibu Comics run, just the one where Juggernaut, Reaper, and Siena Blaze were on....maybe I shouldn't count that one either. Anyway, this is a fresh start to a very very familiar story.
For some unknown reason Morph (assuming it's the same Morph from the original series) is now the Timebroker and has gathered six new Exiles to go on missions hopping from world to world. They are to fix what isn't supposed to be broken in these different Earths. I'm sure if you've read Exiles before this all sounds like the same idea. Well, it really is. Morph gives Blink, who doesn't act like the Age of Apocalypse Blink the Tallus that states what their missions are and they go off to find a world where Magneto rules and Wolverine drools...errr is dead.
The five new characters are Panther, Forge, Beast, the Witch, and Polaris. They all seem really bland and boring. Forge did die a pretty heroic death in his world though, so I have hopes for him. I think the problem I had with Parker's writing is that they all sounded the same. They read more like teenagers and I hate to say it, but they sound like they belong in the Marvel Adventures book series. I figure with a revamp that Parker would take this opportunity to introduce some new elements to the series and give us a fresh start. But, it's all the same just with new faces and different goals.
I can't say I loved the art either. Espin has a simple style that you can tell he is still perfecting. Characters vary in look and size from panel to panel and he adds very little to keep me interested in the already bland story. The cover by Bullock reminds me of Mark Pacella from the 90s and that isn't a good thing. The variant cover shown here really makes no sense. Since the only appearance Wolverine makes in the book is as a decapitated corpse. Way to boost those sells. I'll keep reading in hopes the stories and characters grow on me, but this is really a bad start since I had high expectations after reading Agents of Atlas. D
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney
Covers: Ron Garney, Olivier Copiel, Alan Davis, and Adam Kubert
Colors: Jason Keith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
It's been a long time since I've done comic reviews other than the manga with Melanie and Tommy. I guess I got really burned out on saying the same crap about Daniel Way fucking up Wolverine or Geoff Johns treating each character with love. So I figure let's go back to the drawing board and pump out some reviews again. After all it is partly the reason why Dan and I started the site. We just got tired of reading kiss ass review after kiss ass review. Why not start with a new ongoing series starring my favorite character: Wolverine?
Weapon X is a new ongoing series (hellz yeah! Wolverines needs more than 7 books a month!) by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. The first issues introduces the idea of more people like Wolverine running around as killing machines. The twist this time is that it isn't the Weapon X program turning people into assassins, but Blackguard. All this information comes from ex-mutant and ex-badass Maverick. Now Wolverine, with a brand new costume has to search for these assassins.
Not much of a start, just a simple story that could have been told in Wolverine or better yet Wolverine Origins, since Weapon X is such a big part of Logan's past. But I'm not Marvel and I'm sure they have good smart people making the calls when the new Wolverine movie is about to come out. I see nothing new in this first issue; new Wolverine villains with claws! Apparently Blackguard thinks it’s a good idea to enhance the claws by making them glow in the dark. That would surely make it easier to sneak up on your target. What I did like about the issue is that it read like the classic stories of Chris Claremont or early Larry Hama. A self contained story centered around Wolverine without going too deep into his past or catching readers up with his current convoluted status.
I do like the way Aaron writes Wolverine, although I doubt Logan would chop a mugger's hand off; everything else sounded like the bub using Wolverine we all love. What I don't get is the Spanish line: "Me Cago en Diez" Which literally translates to "I shit on ten!" Not sure if the guy is counting down to his crap time or if he is shitting on Grant Morrison's Attack on Weapon Plus story, cause I'm with you on that one Spanish cannon fodder! The art by Garney reminds me of the late John Buscema. It's very sketchy but man he can really set the atmosphere of the threat that Wolverine will be facing. Stop buying Wolverine Origins and don't even think about pre-ordering that Dark Wolverine story; As far as good Wolverine stories are concern this is probably the only place you are going to find one. B
At the movies with About Heroes West Coast! This episode: Robocop! Have a listen, Leave a comment, Creep!
E-mail West Coast About Heroes at Chris at Aboutheroes dot com
We want to hear your suggestions for movies we should cover and comments about movies we've already done, or just send us some love!
Battlestar Galactica: Echoes of New Caprica
Authors: Emily Salzfass, Richard Hatch, and Mike Wellman
Art: Chrissy Delk, Christopher Schons, and Anthony Wu
Cover: Udon with Christine Choi
Publisher: Tokyopop
Quick! Someone take my geek badge away….for I have not seen the last five episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Luckily enough these three stories are set around the time of Season 3 of the popular Sci-Fi channel series. The first thing that caught my eye was that gorgeous cover by Udon Studios with beautiful colors by Christine Choi….I wonder if she is related to Brandon. The first story is Teacher’s Pet and it tells the story of Laura Roslin teaching the children of New Caprica while the insurgents and the Cylons are in midst of battle. With informants everywhere it’s only a matter of time before she has to protect her children with her own life. Shelf Life is the second story that is written by Richard Hatch (Apollo in the original BSG series). It focuses on Tom Zarek who is put against the wall when friends of his could be collaborating with Cylons. In the third and final story: Visitation, Kara Thrace finds her false daughter Kacey in Galactica. However, Kacey is living in squalor in the Shantytown. Now comes the question of what to do next and what is she is willing to risk to get her Kacey out. My biggest gripe is the artwork. While the three artists did their job telling a story through a series of good sequential art; for some reason I just don’t think they paired up the right artist to the story. I can’t imagine anyone other than Battlestar fans enjoying these three stories, but if you are a fan of the series I would definitely check these out, but don’t read them until you have seen season 3 of the show. B
Black Jack volume 4
Story & Art: Osamu Tezuka
Translation: Camellia Nieh
Publisher: Vertical
As you probably know by now….I have never been disappointed by Tezuka’s Black Jack series. Sometimes I find it difficult to review Tezuka’s work because after all the man is the God of comics and how do you criticize perfection? I guess the only left for me to do is try to talk people into purchasing these wonderful books. Like the previous three books, this volume is oversized with 14 different stand alone stories. By far Pinoko Love Story really touched my heart. It’s so cruel that Pinoko is trapped in that little girl’s body while being in love with the doctor. The Thieving Dog made me cry and anyone with a pet will feel the same way I did when I finished that beautiful story. Tezuka's storytelling is mastery in hindsight, because while reading I forget my troubles because I am completely enthralled by the drama, sadness, and excitement. Black Jack is a complex individual; he is a man who professes to care only about money but who is deeply concerned for the well-being of all his patients. Camelliah Nieh does a stupendous job with the translations making the characters sound so real and as true to the Japanese as possible. I literally read the book from cover to cover twice and have passed it around to other friends to get them to read comics. A
Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking vol.1
Story & Art: Koji Kumeta
Translation: Joyce Aurino
Publisher: Del Rey
I really wasn’t sure what to think about this book when I glanced at it. I think the only things that came to mind were: Man, that is one long title and that cover really does nothing for me. I have never heard of Koji Kumeta and I can see why he is Japan’s most brilliant satirist. There is so much satire humor in this book it really reminds me of a British sitcom. The plot is very simple; Nozumo Itoshiki is a schoolteacher who happens to be so depressed he sees the only way out of this hell hole is suicide. As a matter of fact that how we are first introduced to him when he unsuccessfully tries to hang himself from a tree. One of his students saves his life and that is the premise of the book, well part of the premise, each of his students in his class seems to save his life. They each seem to have problems too; anywhere from an over-optimist to a stalker. Even though he tears them down and belittles them, they still follow him in his pessimistic way of life. You may think that with a title focusing on negative thinking the characters would be bland, boring, and over the top pessimistic, but somehow through his dry humor Kumeta makes Nozuma a very likeable person and you warm up to his ways. Even the artwork started to make sense….sure it’s simple with lots of contrasts of black and white, but the style really sets the tone of the book. I was blown away by this book, I really wasn’t expecting anything special and after all these years I guess I still judge a book by its cover, so please don’t make the same mistake. Pick this book up and read it! A
Star Trek Ultimate Edition
Story: Chris Dows, Paul Benjamin, Wil Wheaton, Rob Tokar, Christine Boylan,
Luis Reyes, Mike W. Barr, and David Gerrold
Art: Makoto Nakatsuka, Steve Cummings, E.J. Su, Bettina Kurkoski,
Nate Watson, Jeong Mo Yang, and Don Hudson
Color: Michael Kelleher & Glasshouse Graphics
Publisher: Tokyopop
I think as far as the original Star Trek is concern I am familiar with the movies, two episodes, and that’s about it. City on the Edge of Forever and The Trouble with Tribbles are the only two episodes that I have seen from the original series. The collection in this novel is nothing but original Star Trek stories taken from the three manga released in 2006 and 2007. Not all the stories are collected in this edition just what the fans thought were the best from the original Star Trek manga trilogy. As extras you get a free poster, a forward by David Gerrold, a 16 color page prologue, and a preview Star Trek: The Next Generation Boukenshin manga. Some of the stories that were hand-picked by the fans on TOKYOPOP.com include Side Effects, Orphans and Til Death (Shinsei/Shinsei); Forging Alliances and Communications Breakdown (Kakan ni Shinkou), Art of War, The Humanitarian, and Bandi (Uchu). Some of the writers include David Gerrold, who wrote The Trouble with Tribbles and Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from Next Generation). The stories ranged from very intriguing to passable. Some of them just came off as really bad fan fiction and others were highly enjoyable. The same could be said for the artwork. The artists they have chosen for this collection don’t have a unified style, making it hard sometimes to keep characters straight from story to story. Some of the artists apparently have no idea what McCoy, Kirk, or Chekov look like; at least you can always recognize Spock, because of his ears. I’m sure fans of the series would get more out of this book than your average manga reader, but you don’t have to be a Trekkie to enjoy the stories. C+
On the fourth episode of West Coast: About Heroes...
Chris, Joshiebear, Chris K and Justin Quizon weigh in on the upcoming slate of Indie Comic-based movies. Also discussed: who they'd go gay for.
This episode we talk with Ben and Justin, KY locals, about a comic project they're working on turning the normal way of comic publishing on it's head.
Link: http://www.blueprintsaintsmagazine.com/
Episode 124 - Just Let Us Make Our Magazine!
Editor's Note: Had to tweak the audio levels a bit to keep the volume down, just warnin ya.
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