by Sal Loria, Jan 14 2010 // 3:00 PM
Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! Superboy’s Adventure comes to an end, Daytripper continues to be trippy and the Rhino gets a happy ending that may actually stick. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
PULL OF THE WEEK:
Adventure Comics #6
DC Comics – $3.99 US
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Francis Manapul
Score: 9/10
Superboy has been trying to “find himself” and determine if he’s more Superman than Lex Luthor, since his genetic make-up is made from both of them. Unfortunately, it’s Luthor who finds him first and serves notice that for all his intellect and power, Luthor still has that nasty little streak in him.
Honestly, this has been a fun, engaging run by superstar writer Geoff Johns. Equal parts adventure (which works great with the title) and drama, all revolved around Superboy’s own identity crisis, this arc hit all the right buttons without coming across as preachy or whiny; a testament to the writer’s considerable talent of making relevant topics matter in the pages of a comic book.
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Posted in: Comic Reviews · Comics · Dark Horse Comics · DC · Marvel · Pull List · Vertigo
Tagged: Adventure Comics, Amazing Spider-Man, Blackest Night, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Captain America, Catwoman, Chris Claremont, daytripper, Don Kramer, Ed Brubaker, Eric Wallace, Fábio Moon, Fabrizio Fiorentino, Flash, Flash Rebirth, Francis Manapul, Gabriel Ba, Geoff Johns, Georges Jeanty, Ibraim Roberson, invincible iron man, jason aaron, Javier Pulido, Joe Kelly, Joss Whedon, Marcos Marz, Marvels Project, Matt Fraction, Max Fiumara, Peter Vale, Power of Shazam, Punishermax, Salvador Larroca, Steve Dillon, Steve Epting, Tom Grummett, Tony Bedard, Twilight, X-Men Forever
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by Sal Loria, Dec 21 2009 // 11:00 AM
With 2009 coming to a close, the challenge was to pick and rank the 10 best comics from the entire year. I’ve estimated reading approximately 1,500+ issues over that time frame, so obviously it wasn’t the easiest task to complete. Still, after much deliberation, these are my picks for the 10 best comics of 2009.
1. Jonah Hex #50
DC Comics
Writers: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Darwyn Cooke
Originally reviewed on December 3, 2009
Perfection. Defined as the highest degree of proficiency, skill or excellence, perfection is near impossible to achieve, especially when every comic ever printed is subjective in nature. You know, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and all that jazz. Still, when I thought about all the comics I’ve read this past year, this issue of Jonah Hex kept coming back to me. While not perfect (frankly, what is?), it’s pretty close.
A wonderful done-in-one tale following our “hero” as he diligently goes about his day job, in this specific case while hunting down 50 various bad guys who had it coming to them. A fine story on it’s own. Now add a dash of romance – or the bounty hunter’s version of it – to the mix, sprinkle in a little personal vengeance, and top it off with a jolting reminder of how cruel life can be, and you’re left with a portrait of a man who makes no excuses for who he is or what he does, life expectations be damned.
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Posted in: Best of 2009 · Comics · Dark Horse Comics · DC · Flickcast Presents · Marvel · Pull List · Vertigo
Tagged: Adam Kubert, Amanda Conner, Andy Diggle, Batman, batman and robin, Batman R.I.P., batwoman, Ben Caldwell, Best of 2009, Bing Cansino, Blackest Night, Brendan Fletcher, Brian Azzarello, Brian Stelfreeze, Civil War, Crisis On Infinite Earths, Cully Hamner, Dan DiDio, Daredevil, Dark Reign, Dark Reign - The List: Daredevil, Dark Reign - The List: Punisher, Dark Reign: The List - Amazing Spider-Man, Darwyn Cooke, Dave Bullock, Dave Gibbons, David Lapham, Deadman, detective comics, Eddie Berganza, Eduardo Risso, Fábio Moon, Fantastic Four, Final Crisis, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, greg rucka, Ivan Reis, JH Williams III, Jimmy Palmiotti, Joe Kubert, Joe Quinones, John Arcudi, John Romita Jr., Jonah Hex, José Luis García-López, Joss Whedon, Justin Gray, Kamandi, Karl Kerschl, Karl Moline, Kurt Busiek, Kyle Baker, Lee Bermejo, Madrox, Marco Santucci, Mark Millar, Marvel 1985, Messiah CompleX, Metal Men, Mike Allred, Neil Gaiman, Old Man Logan, Paul Pope, Peter David, Question, rick remender, Roberto De La Torre, Ryan Sook, Sean Galloway, Secret Invasion, Sgt. Rock, Siege, Steve McNiven, Sugarshock, Superman, Teen Titans, The Road Warrior, Thelma & Louise, Vinton Heuck, Walt Simonson, Wednesday Comics, X-Factor, Young Liars
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by David Press, Dec 8 2009 // 3:00 PM
The B
razilian “Wonder Twins” of comic art, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, give us their first Vertigo book in the form of Daytripper #1 this week. These guys have worked with top talents in the industry like Joss Whedon (Dark Horse’s Sugar Shock), Matt Fraction (Casanova), and Gerard Way (Umbrella Academy).
Here we have their first solo work in the tradition of Vertigo focusing on the small psychological things of daily life like “how does a down on his luck obituary writer get out of the shadow of his famous father?” Apparently the ending to the first issue is a twist for the fantastic, and not at all expected. I’d expect nothing less from these extremely creative guys. Anytime these guys come out with something new, I can’t snatch it from the stacks fast enough.
The rest of the week is fairly light. The other book I’ll be getting is Invincible Iron Man, in which we finally come to figure out how Thor and Captain America “reboot” Tony Stark. I think I’ve exclaimed enough how much I love this book, and to say the least Fraction and Larocca have not slowed down at all.
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Posted in: Comic Previews · Comics · Dark Horse Comics · DC · Indie · Marvel · Recommendations
Tagged: Comic Recommendations, Comics, daytripper, dennis calero, Fábio Moon, Fred Van Lente, Gabriel Ba, invincible iron man, Matt Fraction, vertigo comics, x-men noir
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by Sal Loria, Nov 12 2009 // 12:00 PM
Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! We’ve got a lot off good issues to get through, so let’s get to it. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
PULL OF THE WEEK:
S.W.O.R.D. #1 – Marvel Comics – $3.99 US
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artists: Steven Sanders, Jamie McKelvie
Score: 9.0
Spinning out of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s seminal Astonishing X-Men run, S.W.O.R.D. is the new title focusing on the organization entrusted to ensure that alien invasions are kept to a minimum. The Sentient World Observation and Response Department’s co-commander, Abigail Brand, has enough on her plate as it is, but having Henry Peter Gyrich – yes, THAT guy – as your co-commander simply can’t be a good thing.
After making a name for himself with the critically acclaimed Phonogram series, Marvel thought that writer Kieron Gillen would be able to handle the launch of a new, ongoing series that has a lot of ties to it, and boy were they right. The juggling parallels between what Agent Brand must endure and the various plot threads that Gillen must keep going wasn’t lost on me; in fact, I’d say it only added to the story’s flow. Imagine Men In Black done up right.
So new that he could be considered a rookie, artist Steven Sanders is anything but. Sharp, clean pencils fill this issue from cover to cover, and while his interpretation of how Beast looks takes a little getting used to, ultimately it’s nit picking on an otherwise near-perfect comic. His rendition of Gyrich, especially, should be noted, as the character has never looked more dick-ish.
About as entertaining as an issue can be, this first issue manages to draw you in with quirky moments – Beast’s lovesick commentary, Lockheed’s binge drinking – and stunning revelations – hello, Kitty! – made this an incredibly easy selection for our Pull of the Week.
OTHER PULLS:
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Posted in: Comic Reviews · Comics · Dark Horse Comics · DC · Image Comics · Marvel · News · Pull List
Tagged: Amazing Spider-Man, Astonishing X-Men, B.P.R.D. 1947, Batman/Doc Savage, Blackest Night, Booster Gold, Brian Azzarello, Charlie Adlard, Dan Jurgens, Dark X-Men, Deadpool, Don Kramer, DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI, Emma Rios, Eric Canete, Eric S Trautmann, Fábio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Hellboy, Jamie McKelvie, jason aaron, Joe Kelly, John Cassaday, Joshua Dysart, Joss Whedon, JSA vs Kobra, Kieron Gillen, Leonard Kirk, Mark Waid, Mike Mignola, Mike Norton, Norman Osborn, Paul Cornell, Phil Noto, Phonogram, Punishermax, Robert Kirkman, S.W.O.R.D., Skottie Young, Steve Dillon, Steven Sanders, Strange, Walking Dead, X-Men Origins: Iceman
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by Sal Loria, Oct 22 2009 // 3:00 PM
Welcome to The Pull List Comic Reviews! It was a great week for comics as every issue got a really good score, including a surprising (for me, anyway) Pull of the Week. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
PULL OF THE WEEK:
Sugarshock – Dark Horse Comics – $3.50 US
Writer: Joss Whedon Artist: Fábio Moon
Score: 9.5
Being the lead singer and guitarist of a band can require quite the juggling act, but what if one of those tasks involved saving the Earth? Luckily for us Earthlings, Dandelion has it all under control… somewhat. You see, her band, Sugarshock, has been requested in a battle of the bands, except there are no bands, and they’ll be battling to the death with the planet’s future on the line. Will they save the day or fall between the cracks into obscurity, or worse?
This isn’t your ordinary band, however. The drummer goes by Wade, who also happens to be an alien princess who looks human and can’t say “no” to groupies. Her “mystically enhanced bodyguard,” L’lihdra, doubles as the band’s other guitarist and the bassist is Robot Phil, which pretty much says it all. If there ever was a more rag-tag team of misfits, I’ve yet to see it.
I don’t know where to even begin with this issue. Originally appearing on MySpace’s Dark Horse Presents anthology in 2007, the three-part story is collected here along with Fábio Moon’s sketchbook and Editor Scott Allie’s notations, making for a nice, complete package. In other words, this is as close to perfect as I’ve seen since I started writing the Pull List Comic Reviews. Joss Whedon, who has always had a firm grip on female leads, inflects his usual witty banter but ups it to a whole new level. His characters are, in some cases, out of this world, and you can’t help but fall in love with every single one of them.
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Posted in: Comic Reviews · Dark Horse Comics · DC · IDW · Image Comics · Marvel · Pull List
Tagged: Alex Kurtzman, Blackest Night: Superman, Brian Michael Bendis, Christos N Gage, Cory Walker, Dark Avengers, David Messina, Fabian Nicieza, Fábio Moon, Invincible, invincible iron man, James Robinson, Jimmy Palmiotti, Joss Whedon, Justice League of America, Mark Bagley, Matt Fraction, Mighty Avengers, Mike Deodato, Power Girl, Ramon Bachs, Robert Kirkman, Roberto Orci, Salvador Larroca, Star Trek: Nero, Sugarshot
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