Jul 26 2013

Hawkeye Annual 1

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Hawkeye Annual 1, originally released July 24th, 2013.

Patrick: My favorite comedic bit in any issue of any comic I’ve ever read is conversation Clint Barton has with his buddy Grills about his superhero identity. “Hawkguy?” “Hawkeye.” It’s so endearing that most of us just call the character Hawkguy now and smile on the inside. So, when this issue sees a nervous Kate Bishop accidentally introduce herself as “Kate Hawkguy, Bishop,” it’s hard not to draw immediate comparisons to the very mentor she’s trying to distance herself from. Lucky for Kate (and for us), she’s only inherited his most charming character traits. Continue reading →

Jul 18 2013

Avengers 16

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Avengers 16, originally released July 17th, 2013.

…times infinity!

–Schoolyard Traditional

Drew: Infinity is an incredibly abstract concept. By its very definition, it is beyond comprehension. It is often treated — especially by children — as just a really big number, something you could multiply yesses by or supersede by adding one to. Infinity might simply be the next step in a logical progression, from hundreds to thousands to millions and so on, usually following shortly after “bazillion.” Adults are a little less prone to these misconceptions, but I can’t claim to have any true understanding of what it would mean for something to be infinite. That is, until I started reading the interminable prelude to Marvel’s Infinity event, which doesn’t feel “big” as much as it does “endless.” Continue reading →

Jul 16 2013

Hawkeye 12

Today, Drew and Spencer are discussing Hawkeye 12, originally released July 10th, 2013.

Drew: What is it that excites you most about a narrative? Or, what element of a story is so important to you that you might overlook other issues? Obviously, there’s a baseline for quality, but in a pinch, some of us might excuse weak plotting if the character work is good, or flat characters if the story is exciting enough. For me, that magic element is form. I’m willing to excuse wrote plotting or stiff characters as long as the story is told to me in a new way. Hawkeye has never suffered from either of those problems, but its recent discursive plotting and focus on seemingly every character except Clint has the potential to bore plot- and character-philes. Its form, on the other hand, has been absolute crackerjacks. Issue 8 kicked of a series of issues — each from a different perspective — that have revisited scenes time and again, each offering a different perspective on the events. It’s part Roshomon, part A/B plotting, creating a hybrid form that keeps each episode emotionally satisfying, all while weaving an incredibly dense chain of events. Hawkeye 12 adds Barney Barton to the mix, mining a great deal of pathos from the brothers’ childhood. Continue reading →

Jul 15 2013

Young Avengers 7

Today, Spencer and Patrick are discussing Young Avengers 7, originally released July 10th, 2013.

Spencer: Teenagers are a tricky bunch to write. They speak, think, and communicate in their own unique ways, and it’s glaringly obvious when adults try to imitate these patterns without knowing what they’re doing. Fortunately, Kieron Gillen isn’t a writer who falls into these traps. Gillen has a remarkable knack for writing teenagers, and this is more apparent than ever in Young Avengers 7, where he uses these kids’ relationships (and social networking accounts) to show us how the team has progressed since we last saw them.

Continue reading →

Jul 9 2013

Avengers 15

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Avengers 15, originally released July 3rd, 2013.

Drew: I have a buddy who doesn’t like Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films — but it’s not because he doesn’t like fantasy. In his mind, the story is a too simple escalation of “then they fought an even bigger villain” repeated ad nauseam. He has a point: that narrative is particularly focused on building to the final boss battle, but I’d argue that that focus is exactly what prevents each encounter from feeling routine. We understand the importance of Frodo’s quest, so there’s actual tension to be garnered from any obstacles that might pop up along the way. More importantly, having that goal laid out offers direction after each villain is defeated — there’s none of that “wander around the woods until you find something else to fight” RPG bullshit. Unfortunately, Avengers 15 lacks that kind of focused direction. Continue reading →

Jul 2 2013

Hawkeye 11

Today, Ethan and Shelby are discussing Hawkeye 11, originally released June 26th, 2013.

Ethan: Heroes often have a fundamentally different way of perceiving the world than the rest of us – a unique challenge for the artists who have to bring them to life in comics. We’ve seen Iron Man’s in-suit view, cluttered with dozens of HUD displays showing vectors, power levels, and incoming angry phone calls. Spider-Man suffers an attack of Wavy-Line-Halo when he’s in danger. Daredevil’s world of radar-sense is one of the most foreign: wireframe surfaces instead of color, ripples of information spreading from source to receiver. In Hawkeye #11, artists Matt Hollingsworth and David Aja gives us our first close look at one of this title’s new heroes, along with his fascinatingly alien way of experiencing his surroundings. Lucky, the Pizza Dog, is pretty out of this world. Continue reading →

Jul 2 2013

Young Avengers 6

Today, Drew and guest writer Julien are discussing Young Avengers 6, originally released June 26th, 2013.

Drew: I used to think jobs were for grownups. Now I understand that jobs are for everybody — careers are for grownups. That may sound like a stupid distinction, but anyone who’s heard twenty-somethings ask each other about their jobs will understand that young people aren’t as ready to be defined by their jobs as teachers, mailmen, bakers, or any other characters from Richard Scarry books. This is just as true in the superhero world; Clark Kent might be happy to call himself a reporter, but his younger counterparts are still questioning their course in life — hell, many of them can’t even stick with a single name (I’m looking at you, former Robins). I’m used to seeing that uncertainty addressed in the overt angstiness we often associate with narratives featuring teens, but Kieron Gillen gets a great deal of mileage by toning it down to a more relatable level in Young Avengers 6. Continue reading →

Jun 21 2013

Avengers 14

Today, Mikyzptlk and Spencer are discussing Avengers 14 , originally released June 19th, 2013.

Mikyzptlk: We are now 14 issues into Avengers and its been one hell of an…interesting ride. There’s been plenty of highs and a few lows, but throughout the series there has been the promise of the Infinity event. This event has kept my interest quite high for this series, but I might be nearing my limit as truth be told, I’m itching to get to the big event already. Fortunately, this issue does enough to keep me sated as they use the cast of the Avengers in some pretty creative ways while presenting some more intriguing mysteries. Continue reading →

Jun 11 2013

Avengers 13

Today, Drew and Spencer are discussing Avengers 13, originally released June 5th, 2013.

In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!

— Homer Simpson

Drew: Conservation of both matter and energy are such fundamental concepts, we sometimes take them for granted. Or misunderstand them completely. Folks may choose to ignore the water cycle or how they keep gaining weight, but we’re generally pretty keen to the notion that systems have inputs and outputs. Of course, fiction allows us to break these rules, leading to notions of perpetual motion and unlimited energy — but what if we took those for granted, too? What if the boundless energy of an alien race of children distracted us from the fact that they don’t eat? What do you do when your kids start violating the laws of thermodynamics? In Avengers 13, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer explore this idea, throwing in a bad guy for good measure. Continue reading →

Jun 4 2013

A + X 8

Today, Scott and Mikyzptlk are discussing A + X 8, originally released May 22nd, 2013.

Scott: Some would describe A + X as “fluff”, but that’s not entirely fair. These ten-page stories featuring one Avenger and one X-Man teaming up have no choice but to get to the very root of what the characters are all about. It’s fun for comic nerds because it shows how these characters, who wouldn’t normally be paired together, are able to compliment each other. It’s also great for new readers, looking for a quick way to familiarize themselves with several characters and decide whether they want to pick up their titles. Sure, A + X is just for fun and has no bearing on any other stories, but it provides a surprisingly good summary of Marvel’s characters.