Category Contributors

Feb 25 2014

The Unwritten Apocalypse 2

unwritten apocalypse 2Today, Patrick and (guest writer) Ryan are discussing The Unwritten Apocalypse 2, originally released February 19th, 2014.

Do you find me sadistic? You know, I bet I could fry an egg on your head if I wanted to right now. No, Kiddo, I’d like to believe that you’re aware enough, even now, to know there’s nothing sadistic about my actions. Maybe toward those other jokers — but not you. No Kiddo. This moment? This is me at my most masochistic.

Bill, Kill Bill

Patrick: People often accuse storytellers of being sadistic. How else could they put the characters we love through such torment over and over again? That’s a weirdly archaic question — one that you’d think readers would be over by now, but not caring about characters is a charge that’s still leveled against writers on a nearly constant basis. George R. R. Martin gets an absolute mountain shit for so liberally (and gruesomely) torturing and killing his characters, and Dan Slott spent the last year receiving death threats and fielding questions like “why does Marvel hate Spider-Man?” The not-so-secret secret is that Martin and Slott actually love their characters, and putting them through the wringer probably hurts the author more than the reader could possibly imagine. It’s a sacrifice to behead the noble lord you’ve invented, it’s a sacrifice to override a hero’s good essential nature when you’ve worked so hard to cultivate it. In the world of The Unwritten, where fictions are made reality (or… maybe the other way ’round…), that sadomasochist is right there in the narrative, and he refuses to let the suffering end.

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Feb 24 2014

Animal Man 28

Animal man 28

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Animal Man 28, originally released February 19, 2014. 

I’m sorry I was late, baby. I had to go to space.

Buddy Baker, Animal Man 28

Shelby: I feel like this quote from the latest issue of Animal Man perfectly sums up my experience with Buddy Baker in the hands of Jeff Lemire. Buddy’s defining characteristic has, for me, always been his connection to his family. Nowhere else have we seen someone forced to balance a spouse and family with being a superhero, occasionally having to go to space, etc. Mostly, Buddy’s balancing act has brought a lot of suffering to the Baker clan, so it’s nice to see our favorite family man finally get a real win.

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Feb 24 2014

X-Files Conspiracy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Today, Taylor and (guest writer) Aaron are discussing X-Files Conspiracy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, originally released February 19th, 2014.

Taylor: The crossover is deadly move in basketball. The quick change in direction shakes up the defender and often creates unique scoring opportunities for whoever employs it. Outside of the basketball court, however, the crossover enjoys a more dubious reputation. Countless times have two entertainment franchises created a crossover event to help generate buzz for each property, and countless times has this resulted in a complete and utter mess. I can’t blame publishers and studios for doing this though; it seems like a logical thing to do at first glance. Just take two things people like and mash ‘em together to create double interest! However, jamming two distinct franchises together is actually pretty hard, especially when each has its own distinct universe set up. That being said: what in the world can we expect from a crossover between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the X-Files?

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Feb 24 2014

Punisher 2

punisher 2Today, Spencer and Greg are discussing Punisher 2, originally released February 19th, 2014. 

slim-bannerSpencer: As Frank explains in Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads’ The Punisher 2, there’s a strata of villains too big for the cops to handle, but not big enough for the superheroes to take notice of. This is the league of villains the Punisher usually goes up against — the kind that can give him a proper fight — but it looks like all that’s about to change. Not only are the Howling Commandos on Frank’s tail, but the Dos Soles gang also has a powerful new weapon that’s out of Frank’s usual league; this is some definite superhero-level business Punisher’s got himself tangled up in here.

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Feb 21 2014

Daredevil 36

daredevil 36Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Daredevil 36, originally released February 19, 2014. 

Patrick: I haven’t been reading Marvel comics all that long — in fact, just as the New 52 got me into reading Batman and the gang, Marvel Now got me into reading Spider-Man and the gang. My constant-comic-discovering-buddy Drew pointed out something profound very early on: Marvel is much more interested in reconciling the superheroes with the secret identities than DC is. Which isn’t to say that there isn’t tension between Clark Kent and Superman or that there aren’t similarities between Barry Allen and The Flash, but Marvel heroes tend to lead two rich, full lives that grind against each other constantly. Such is the case with Matt Murdock — the guy even has a history of aggressively asserting that he’s not Daredevil. The finale to Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s phenomenal run (for now) sees Matt Murdock and Daredevil united as a single set of priorities, values, loves, vulnerabilities and friends. Continue reading →

Feb 21 2014

Wonder Woman 28

wonder woman 28Today, Scott and Shelby are discussing Wonder Woman 28, originally released February 19, 2014.

Scott: What works out for one person often effects someone else negatively. Recently, I was getting ready to go on a long trip, so I lined up a subletter to stay in my apartment. It was going to be perfect. Until, that is, she got an offer to house-sit somewhere else and backed out of our deal. It worked out well for her, but it left me scrambling. What I’m trying to say is, never celebrate a plan until it’s complete, because it can always be derailed by someone else’s plan. I’m not trying to advocate Murphy’s Law or anything, but as Wonder Woman 28 teaches us, most plans are foiled, and even when your goal is within grasp it can still blow up in your face.
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Feb 20 2014

Red Sonja 7

red sonja 7

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Red Sonja 7, originally released February 19th, 2014.

Shelby: I’m going to be real with you guys for a second. We’ve all had days where nothing seems to go right, and, speaking as a lady of grace and refinement, sometimes all you want to do is eat, drink, and get laid. Sustenance, a little booze to take the edge off, and a warm body to keep you company those cold Chicago nights can really do wonders for a shitty mood. As Gail Simone and artist Walter Geovani kick off a new arc in Red Sonja, our favorite devil warrior finds herself working a job she hates just for the paycheck, and looking for some creature comforts to get her through to the weekend. I think that’s something we can all relate to.

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Feb 20 2014

Harley Quinn 3

Alternating Currents: Harley Quinn 3, Drew and SpencerToday, Drew and Spencer are discussing Harley Quinn 3, originally released February 19th, 2014.

Drew: When someone accuses a joke of “going too far,” they tend to mean that it is offensive — that it has left the concept of good taste behind in the pursuit of a bigger laugh. But offensiveness isn’t the only metric of taste. Indeed, I would argue that even the most family-friendly humor can take its core concepts “too far,” neglecting to cultivate the expectations that jokes are designed to subvert. Taken too far, scenarios become unrecognizable, characters become unrelatable, and irony curdles into nihilism. It’s the reason I can’t really get into Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! — I’m unable to form a frame of reference for why it’s even supposed to be funny, making the experience little more than a parade of one-note awkwardness. I found myself feeling the same things as I read Harley Quinn 3, as the series continues to stretch its own rules to the breaking point. When absolutely anything is possible, it’s hard to be surprised by a punchline. Continue reading →

Feb 19 2014

Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 2/12/14

round upLook, there are a lot of comics out there. Too many. We can never hope to have in-depth conversations about all of them. But, we sure can round up some of the more noteworthy titles we didn’t get around to from the week. Today, Patrick, Drew and Shelby discuss Red Sonja: Berzerker, Winter Soldier: Bitter March 1, Nightwing 28, Legenderry: A Steam Punk Adventure 2, and Green Lantern Corps 28. 

slim-banner4Patrick: Written by Nancy Collins and drawn by Fritz Casas, Red Sonja: Berzerker bears very little resemblance to the Gail Simone and Walter Geovanni series to which I subscribed. The story follows the unlikely friendship between Sonja and a polar bear that she rescued from some viking hunters. After years of living and hunting together in the woods, Sonja leaves her friend and returns to “civilized” society, only to discover that every man wants to degrade, fuck and enslave her. There’s an unnerving amount of sexual harassment and female oppression in this issue — Sonja’s always able to defend herself agains her oppressors, but every single interaction is colored by sexual threats, assumptions that she’s a prostitute and/or liberal use of the word “bitch.” And these shitty dudes keep bringing up the “if you don’t want this attention, why are you dressed like that?” argument, which mirrors the victim-blaming pervasive in our current culture. Collins seems so hell-bent on expressing this idea, which is odd as the whole point of the issue is the relationship between Sonja and this bear, which shows up in the final act to help her escape like the 10 billionth gladiatorial arena scenario Sonja’s found herself trapped in. It’s a muddled story, that tries to make too many points, many gracelessly. But hey, Casas draws a damn cute polar bear cub, so maybe it’s worth it for that. Continue reading →

Feb 18 2014

Astro City 9

astro city 9Today, Greg and Shelby are discussing Astro City 9, originally released February 12th, 2014.

Greg: I don’t know where I stand on free will versus fate. Sometimes the idea of everything happening for a reason brings me comfort; sometimes the idea of me being the only author of my universe does. This type of unsettled philosophical flip-flopping (phlip-phlopping?) may suit me in my regular life just fine, but in fiction, we often demand clear lines drawn in the sand. While this latest issue of Astro City may not be this specific (probably wisely), it does delineate what it wants to do stronger than previous Winged Victory issues, to highly effective results.

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