Look, 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, we discuss Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bebop and Rocksteady Destroy Everything 4, Aloha Hawaiian Dick 3, and Bitch Planet 8. Continue reading
Category Patrick Ehlers
Marvel Round-Up: Comics Released 6/22/16
We try to stay up on what’s going on at Marvel, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of Marvel Comics. Today, we’re discussing Doctor Strange 9, Gwenpool 3, Ms. Marvel 8, Power Man and Iron Fist 5, Rocket Raccoon and Groot 6, and The Ultimates 8.
The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw 11
Today, Patrick and Spencer are discussing The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw 11, originally released June 22nd, 2016.
Patrick: Writer Kurt Busiek is one of the strongest world-builders working in comics today. Astro City weaves so much lore, both borrowed and invented, into its narratives that the series feels like a meditation on decades of character — and publisher — history. That amount of history (implied or otherwise) is sort of part ‘n’ parcel with the genre; superhero comics are increasingly reliant on a history shared by the readers, the creators, and the characters. There’s a slightly different approach in the fantasy genre, and worlds like Middle Earth and Westeros have evident history, even if it’s impossible for us to seek out back-issues showing it. The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw takes kind of a third track, implying a great history while also relying on the reader’s assumptions about genre and mythology to make us fill in the gaps, slowly and uncertainly, on our own. Continue reading
DC Round-Up Comics Released 6/22/16
How many Batman books is too many Batman books? Depending on who you ask there ain’t no such thing! We try to stay up on what’s going on at DC, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of DC Comics. Today, we’re discussing Detective Comics 935, The Flash 1 and Wonder Woman 1.
The Mighty Thor 8
Today, Taylor and Patrick are discussing The Mighty Thor 8, originally released June 22nd, 2016.
Taylor: What exactly makes someone heroic? I know, I know – that’s a trite question when talking about a genre that asks some version of that question virtually every day. Still, I think it’s important. By confronting this question we consider what society counts as good and honorable and whether or not we live our lives according to those standards. This question is thrown around often enough that we tend to take these standards at face value and don’t consider their deeper implications. For example, if you take a stand for something you believe in, most would say that’s heroic. However, if the stand you’re taking is for something reprehensible, is the deed still heroic? The Mighty Thor 8 has your answer.
Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 6/15/16
Look, 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, we discuss Star Wars 20, Descender 12, Jughead 7, Lazarus 22, Lumberjanes 27, The Spire 8 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bebop and Rocksteady Destroy Everything 3. Continue reading
DC Round-Up Comics Released 6/15/16
How many Batman books is too many Batman books? Depending on who you ask there ain’t no such thing! We try to stay up on what’s going on at DC, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of DC Comics. Today, we’re discussing The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade 1, Green Arrow 1, Green Lanterns 1, Justice League 51, New Suicide Squad 21, and Superman 1.
Marvel Round-Up: Comics Released 6/15/16
We try to stay up on what’s going on at Marvel, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of Marvel Comics. Today, we’re discussing All-New Inhumans 8, Amazing Spider-Man 14, Astonishing Ant-Man 9, Black Widow 4, Civil War II 2, Deadpool 14, and Uncanny Inhumans 10.
Continue reading
Klaus 6
Today, Patrick and Michael are discussing Klaus 6, originally released June 15, 2016.
Patrick: My mother used to teach first grade, and just about every Christmas, there’d be some little shit in her class that insisted on telling all the other kids that there was no such thing as Santa Claus. Since she was their teacher – their trusted source of ALL INFORMATION – the question would eventually make it up to her. And never in private: kids would interrupt a math lesson to ask “is Santa real?” Now, if you don’t already know my mother, you should know that she’s got a kind of Midwestern / German stoicism that’s practically blinding and she’s got almost 40 years of experience avoiding difficult conversations with children. So she’d turn the question back on them: “some people believe Santa Claus is real and some do not – what do you believe?” And, naturally, the kids that are the most hurt by the notion that Santa could be made up chose to believe. My mother hasn’t crushed any little hopes, but she also hasn’t been dishonest either. She allows the power of the myth to be it’s own magic, just like Grant Morrison and Dan Mora do in Klaus 6.
Though, that’s probably where the similarities between Morrison and my mother end… Continue reading
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 59
Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 59, originally released June 16th, 2016.
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning — So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Drew: Symbolism can be a potent tool for any artist, but its easy for a symbol to feel contrived, forcing the audience out of the work. We seek out and create meaning everywhere we look, so there’s no need for a writer to make those symbols too obvious. Curiously, Gatsby’s green light — perhaps the most famous symbol in all of American literature — is explained openly within the text. The reason we don’t reject this explanation as too on-the-nose is that it is Gatsby’s interpretation; that is, he recognizes and interprets the symbolic nature of the green light within his own life. In this way, Fitzgerald isn’t ignoring our ability to create meaning, but celebrating it by giving us a compatriot on the page. We’re looking for meaning, but so is Gatsby. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 59 offers an almost opposite approach to its symbols, emphasizing intention over interpretation, distancing the audience from the text in less-than-flattering ways. Continue reading
Retcon Punch 