Showing posts with label Atoll Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atoll Comics. Show all posts

Friday, 13 November 2015

Atoll Comics Round 25

Or changes to my Top-Ten comics

Due to having an entertainment budget and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC as well as one trade paperback a week of my choosing.

A complication of this is that I am forced to drop an on-going title if I want to try reading a new on-going title, an act of very tough love. Being financially responsible is the worst.

I will be adding Doctor Strange and dropping Howard The Duck.



Why Doctor Strange: I have never read a great Doctor Strange comic, since I am apparently a Marvel Tourist, I am excited to climb aboard the Strange train and see if the current iteration will be my definitive take. I've read a couple issues and so far I am encouraged: the creative team clearly has a take for the character and there is evidence of a larger story preparing to spring on the comic. I also love the visual style of the comic: its chaotic, exaggerated style full of impossible clutter is fun to look at and seems like a great metaphor for the bizarre magical world of Doctor Strange. It's only been a couple issues, but it's been the most enjoyable of the new Marvel comics I've tried so I'm on board for the time being.


Why not Howard The Duck: Howard the Duck is a fun comic. It's goofy hijinks of a Space Duck and his shapeshifting lady friend in the Marvel world. I read a bunch of issues and had some fun. But... it seems like that fun is all there is to it? The comic hasn't really made that transition from a fun premise to a fulfilling story. Which is making it hard for me to sustain interest in the series. And if I feel like I need to make an effort to be interested in a comic, it's probably a sign that I shouldn't be reading it. So I guess my overall assessment of Howard the Duck was that is a fun comic to try, but probably not a comic you'll read longterm. 

Previously:
AC Round 24: Giant Days in and Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier
AC Round 23: Mockingbird in and Secret Six out
AC Round 22: Hank Johnson AOH in and Black Widow out
Atoll Comics Round 21: Black Canary in and Hawkeye out
Atoll Comics Round 18: Secret Six in and Wonder Woman out
Atoll Comics Round 17: Batgirl in and Batman out
Atoll Comics Round 16: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier in and Rocket Raccoon out
Atoll Comics Round 15: Rocket Raccoon in and Moon Knight out
Atoll Comics Round 14: Secret Avengers in and Avengers Assemble Out
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Monday, 26 October 2015

Atoll Round Up: Marvel #1s

Or a quick round up of some first impressions of comics I've tried recently

Doctor Strange #1
by Jason Aaron, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Mark Irwin, and Corey Petit; Marvel Comics

 I have never read a Doctor Strange comic that I've loved. I think this is mostly a factor of when I got into comics as an adult and the fact that I try not to read backwards into superhero comics too much (because that way leads to insurmountable madness). So I thought it might be fun to try the newest iteration of Doctor Strange. And it was fun: it provides a mostly light, weird comic full of magic based mayhem and a solid attention grabbing opening salvo. I'm curious enough to read more. In particular, I love the art of Chris Bachalo in this issue. His lively, chaotic but readable brand of cartooning packs in the weird and really breathes a manic life into the magical world of the sorcerous doctor. It is great looking and accomplished stuff. I will probably read the second issue.


Guardians of the Galaxy #1
by Brian Michael Bendis, Valerio Schiti, Rihard Isanove, and Corey Petit; Marvel Comics

 Well that was certainly a slick episode of comics. So slick that I almost didn't realize that comics happened. Like Doctor Strange, I have never really been a Guardians of the Galaxy reader, but the promise of a fresh starting point, some familiar Bendis dialogue (it has been a while and I'm jonesing), and a new lineup including Kitty Pryde and Ben Grimm (who I've always enjoyed Bendis' take on) made the idea of climbing aboard attractive. And... I don't know how I feel about this issue? A lot of stuff happened in a very efficient way meant to deliver a premise, introduce characters, provide some fun character moments, and end on a shocking twist. It was like episodic comics writing Science. It's really effective stuff. But... but it feels very... manufactured somehow? That in it's platonic delivery of marketable superhero team comics that it somehow felt corporate or cynical somehow. Which is such a stupid reason to not like something but at the end of the day it's a big part of my emotional reaction to this comic. I may still try the next issue.

 (Also, holy jeebz has Bendis gotten good at frictionless comics episodes!)

Invincible Iron Man #1
by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, Justin Ponsor, and Calyton Cowles; Marvel Comics

 It has been a while since I've last read an Iron Man comic: I loved the Matt Fraction and Salvadore Larroca run on the comic and have more or less quit the character following their departure to savour their "ending". It's a thing I do. Anyway, I like Iron Man and I have liked Bendis, Marquez, and Ponsor comics in the past, so trying this comic was a no brainer. And this was another comic that was very slick and which didn't quite work for me. The art in this comic is gorgeous, a brightly cinematic, sumptuously appointed world of bold layouts. But at the same time, these same sumptuously appointed, bold layouts didn't always work technically and sometimes ended up being hard to navigate. The story was likewise very well composed with Bendisian quips and wit (which is an excellent fit for Stark) and a well devised comics machine that delivers story, action, ominous portents, and a few great character moments. Unfortunately, this same story really brings Tony Stark back to his ground state as a smart jerk, which is more or less the place I first found him as a character, which is a total bummer. I mean, it makes a lot of sense to centre a character in a familiar place for a semi-reboot and it's probably wise to make that new character resemble his portrayal in other, more widely appreciated media, but it really doesn't spark my interest in a reader. So I will be passing on this series.


Captain America #1
by Nick Spencer, Daniel Acuna, Joe Caramagna; Marvel Comics

 What a miserable first issue of a comic. Captain America #1 reads like an essay about the premise of the series with accompanying illustrations. Which is a shame because Daniel Acuna is one of my favourite artists, just absolutely pure style coupled to clear storytelling. I picked this comic up to see shiny Acuna artwork, and instead got pages and pages of explanation of the premise of Sam Wilson, the progressive Captain America who will use the internet to fight social injustice (which is a fucking sentence that gets across the crux of what CA #1 spends the entire issue saying). The wordiness of Captain America #1 is also a shame because the premise (see last sentence), is actually pretty good: in a vacuum, separate from execution, I would read that comic. Especially with Daniel Acuna artwork. But the finished product didn't work and premiering in a glut of good, new comics means I do not have the time and money to invest in a series figuring itself out.


Karnak #1
by Warren Ellis, Gerardo Zaffino, Dan Brown, and Clayton Cowles; Marvel Comics

 The premise of Karnak #1 is that Karnak, who is one of the Inhumans gifted with the ability to see the weaknesses in things and people, is now some sort of religious leader leading a cult seemingly shaped by his power. While the actual beliefs of this cult are still pretty nebulous, they seem to  hold a broadly reprehensible philosophy. Karnak apparently is tasked with helping some people and is apparently going to be a weird, alien asshole about doing it. Which is all to say that Karnak #1 is kind of amazing. Warren Ellis does crazy person authority figure like few others and the art team of Zaffino and Brown have turned in a dark, uncouth looking comic that screams troubling, crazy space asshole. I would be surprised if this does't eventually end up on my pull list.
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Monday, 12 October 2015

Atoll Comics Round 24

Or changes to my Top-Ten comics

Due to having an entertainment budget and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC as well as one trade paperback a week of my choosing.

A complication of this is that I am forced to drop an on-going title if I want to try reading a new on-going title, an act of very tough love. Being financially responsible is the worst.

I will be adding Giant Days and dropping Bucky Barnes: The Winter Solder.


Why Giant Days: Giant Days is a direct market, paper comic that spun out of the Giant Days webcomic, a periodically recurring storyline/sub-universe of the Bad Machinery/Scary Go Round world of John Allison. While the overall fictional universe of John Allison's comics is pretty vast and convoluted, Giant Days is pretty easy to get into: it features one of my favourite Scary Go Round stars gone off to college with a new cast of shiny oddballs as they have undergraduate hijinks. Giant Days is written by John Allison and drawn by the very talented Lissa Treiman and coloured by Whitney Cogar and features the trademark wit, sitcommery, and endearing characters that has had me reading the Allison webcomics for years (and years... and years...). Giant Days is just endlessly charming and funny, both in the haha and the oh... way. It's a nice, fun breath in any pull list. 

I've actually been reading Giant Days for a while now on what is basically the down low. It was originally slated to be a six issue mini-series and I thought I would just happily dabble with the series in issues a bit before deciding to review the entire thing as a trade paperback. Fortunately, Giant Days seems to have evolved to a bigger limited series and then again into a full ongoing, which is great and means I need to stop lying to myself and my wife and admit that it's one of my ten, and only ten ongoing comics.


Why not Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier:  This is another comic that has recently ended. The comic which featured Bucky Barnes as an Earth defending space assassin who fell into a psychedelic love and drug and interdimensional plot on an alien world was pretty fun. The story was weird and interesting, maybe a bit trite at times, and searingly, gloriously earnest. BB:TWS also featured some truly remarkable artwork. I am not someone prone to putting up comic or sci-fi art on walls, but if I were going to put up a poster it would be interior art from this comic. (Or I guess, paint the side of a sweet van, BB:TWS art would also be really great for that.)  It's totally beautiful and rad. It's also a great example of just how smart and and animated painted artwork can be when coupled to innovative layouts. It's technically a very interesting comic. Ales Kot and Marco Rudy really delivered a funky comic experience, and I'm glad I read it.

Previously
AC Round 23: Mockingbird in and Secret Six out
AC Round 22: Hank Johnson AOH in and Black Widow out
Atoll Comics Round 21: Black Canary in and Hawkeye out
Atoll Comics Round 18: Secret Six in and Wonder Woman out
Atoll Comics Round 17: Batgirl in and Batman out
Atoll Comics Round 16: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier in and Rocket Raccoon out
Atoll Comics Round 15: Rocket Raccoon in and Moon Knight out
Atoll Comics Round 14: Secret Avengers in and Avengers Assemble Out
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Monday, 5 October 2015

Atoll Comics Round 23

Or changes to my Top-Ten comics

Due to having an entertainment budget and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC as well as one trade paperback a week of my choosing.

A complication of this is that I am forced to drop an on-going title if I want to try reading a new on-going title, an act of very tough love. Being financially responsible is the worst.

I will be adding Mockingbird and dropping Secret Six.



Why Mockingbird: I think a good description of why I'm reading Mockingbird at the moment is encapsulated in this bit of dialogue: "I'm not going to shoot anyone darling. I'm a biochemist...I wouldn't even know how to fire this thing." which is said while Bobbi Morse clearly demonstrates familiarity with a firearm. As an actual biochemist, this particular bit of dialogue tickles me, but as a more general comics reader this snippet I think showcases the wry, playful wit that runs throughout Mockingbird #1 and makes it fun to read. It's playful and smart and I like it. I'm curious to see what it will develop into in a longer format espionage story. The one caveat of my recommendation at this point is I'm not completely sold on the artwork: while it features clear storytelling and has a distinct style, it doesn't quite have the facial acting needed to nail every joke and doesn't really innovate. But it is early days yet, and I'm willing to see give the creative team a chance mesh and completely win me over.



Why not Sectre Six: Secret Six was a comic I was hoping would become playful and smart and a comic I would like. But, even with a substantial chance or the series to find it's voice... it's just not clicking for me. A past iteration of Secret Six, one of my favourite comics, was a heartfelt look at a group of amusing sociopaths who went on morally complex adventures. It was sometimes challenging, bizarrely warm, and absolutely hilarious. This Secret Six just never worked for me. The characters in the series seem somewhat slapped together and lack the maniacal edge and chemistry needed to make the series work. On top of this, Secret Six has suffered from art inconsistencies: the final issue in the current story arc in particular, which featured a fill-in artist suffered from especially poor storytelling and really didn't jive with the aesthetic of the main series artist. If there is one thing that kills my interest in a comic, it's when a story conclusion features subpar artwork. All that said, I've found that Gail Simone comics often have rocky starts but eventually find their stride. I'm hoping Secret Six finds its voice and a more consistent art team and that I get to try it again in a few months.

Previously
AC Round 22: Hank Johnson AOH in and Black Widow out
Atoll Comics Round 21: Black Canary in and Hawkeye out
Atoll Comics Round 18: Secret Six in and Wonder Woman out
Atoll Comics Round 17: Batgirl in and Batman out
Atoll Comics Round 16: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier in and Rocket Raccoon out
Atoll Comics Round 15: Rocket Raccoon in and Moon Knight out
Atoll Comics Round 14: Secret Avengers in and Avengers Assemble Out
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Monday, 14 September 2015

Atoll Comics Round 22

Or changes to my Top-Ten comics

Due to having an entertainment budget and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC as well as one trade paperback a week of my choosing.

A complication of this is that I am forced to drop an on-going title if I want to try reading a new on-going title, an act of very tough love. Being financially responsible is the worst.

I will be adding Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra and dropping Black Widow.


Why Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra: Background characters are one of my favourite things about fiction. I mean, you never get to see it, but you can imagine that despite their shallow portrayal they must have complex lives beyond their role in the story. This is especially true of henchmen, those anonymous people who join nefarious organizations and are just endlessly beaten or killed. It's just such a hapless role that picturing these minions as well rounded people is ridiculous and existentially kind of poignant. Hank Johnson, AOH, mines this comedic tension to make what is so far a really fun sitcom comic that explores the friction between a blue collar Hydra henchman's work and personal life. The first issue is a super tight issue that delivers a comic packed with wonderfully constructed jokes built deployed by Team Hydra (Mandel, Walsh, and Wilson) with impeccable timing. I am not sure the premise necessarily has the legs to be a comic I read indefinitely, but for now HJAOH is one of those rare gems of a genuinely funny action comic.


Why not Black Widow: Black Widow is a comic that has run out of premise. The main arch of the comic told a story, wrapped it up, and now it is living on in an unnecessary Secret Wars after life and... I've just run out of interest with it. Early issues of Black Widow presented a slick, espionage comic that existed in the world of Marvel with an interesting take on it's title character. Unfortunately, I never felt the series really changed gears into a wholly satisfying story beyond the initial exploration of the premise. The quality of the artwork -Phil Noto was great- kept me going on the title much longer than I would have based on the story alone and kept me reading the book to it's natural conclusion. Now that the issue is tying-in and seemingly killing time until the post event world or whatever (Marvel, I don't even know anymore...) I'm just not interested in reading more of this comic. And so it's time to move on to the next thing.

Previously
Atoll Comics Round 21: Black Canary in and Hawkeye out
Atoll Comics Round 18: Secret Six in and Wonder Woman out
Atoll Comics Round 17: Batgirl in and Batman out
Atoll Comics Round 16: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier in and Rocket Raccoon out
Atoll Comics Round 15: Rocket Raccoon in and Moon Knight out
Atoll Comics Round 14: Secret Avengers in and Avengers Assemble Out
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Monday, 3 August 2015

Atoll Comics Round 21

Or changes to my Top-Ten comics

Due to having an entertainment budget and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC as well as one trade paperback a week of my choosing.

A complication of this is that I am forced to drop an on-going title if I want to try reading a new on-going title, an act of very tough love. Being financially responsible is the worst.

I will be adding Black Canary and dropping Hawkeye.


Why Black Canary: DC comics seems to be committed to telling fun, idiosyncratic comics that I actually want to read. Black Canary is pretty much a poster child for this movement: fusing talented, fresh creators with a fun new direction and the freedom to tell a new story. Specifically, this iteration of Black Canary sees the sonic-voiced, martial artist as the lead singer of a rock band on the run from thugs from Canary's past and nefarious forces who would abduct their enigmatic lead guitarist. It's the kind of concept that is absolutely perfect in theory. In practice, the comic is still a little uneven in the plot and clearly still finding its legs. Fortunately Annie Wu and Lee Loughridge are on art since they are super talented favourites whose partnership is seemingly perfect for the hijinks and character interaction featured in the comic. Between the promise of the concept and strength of the art, Black Canary is worth giving a chance.


Why not Hawkeye: Because Hawkeye is over. Hawkeye is a comic, that for me, epitomizes what can be done with episodic, mainstream comics. It was wildly original, technically brilliant, and thoroughly entertaining. It was built of complete episodes that locked together to tell a tense, emotionally riveting, and extremely fun story built around it's own culture of in jokes, catch phrases, and long reaching pay offs. Hawkeye is a comic that was just about perfect from its effortless feeling first issue to it's clinic of a final issue; pound for pound the best comic that either Marvel or DC published during the time I've been writing this blog. So much so that Hawkeye changed the way I read and write about comics and what Atoll Comics has become. It's also, I think, a comic that made room for the movement towards idiosyncratic, styllish comics like, well, Black Canary. I am love this comic, and I'm going to miss it. Bro. 

Previously:
Atoll Comics Round 18: Secret Six in and Wonder Woman out
Atoll Comics Round 17: Batgirl in and Batman out
Atoll Comics Round 16: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier in and Rocket Raccoon out
Atoll Comics Round 15: Rocket Raccoon in and Moon Knight out
Atoll Comics Round 14: Secret Avengers in and Avengers Assemble Out
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Friday, 12 June 2015

Atoll Comics Round 20

Or changes to my Top-Ten comics

Due to my spouse seeing how much I spend on comics and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be super-selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC as well as one trade paperback a week of my choosing.

A complication of this is that I am forced to drop an on-going title if I want to try reading a new on-going title, an act of very tough love. Being financially responsible is the worst.

I will be adding Howard The Duck and dropping Secret Avengers.


Why Howard The Duck: mostly because it’s something different. Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones are two creators that I’ve always enjoyed as slightly idiosyncratic. Chip Zdarsky in particular has an oddly earnest and just, uh, odd sense of humour that seemed like it would fit well with an oddball premise like an alien duck-man (man-duck?) trying to fit into a world of disgusting ape creatures by working as a down-n-his-luck private investigator. I also thought he would bring the funny. And so far Howard The Duck hasn’t disappointed being an amusing weird comic filled with duck puns. Which has made for a fun change of pace in my pull list. I do wonder, a little bit, if Howard The Duck has the staying power to be a comic I’ll read longterm, or if it is a fun premise I’ll enjoy for a while before moving on to something else. Still, for now, fun stuff.



Why not Secret Avengers: because Secret Avengers is over. This is another comic that had its moment in the sun, told its story, and finished it in a satisfying and enjoyable way. Ales Kot, Michael Walsh, Matt Wilson, and Clayton Cowles delivered a consistently uncouth, often funny, and deeply earnest comic filled with some really powerful moments and some really smart comics.  I will miss this book both as a reader and as an art critic. I’ll also deeply miss Secret Avengers take on MODOK whose combination of brilliance, insanity, and passionate sincerity has been a revelation and something, in a way that I find kind of worrying, I found myself really relating too. So goodbye Secret Avengers, goodbye noble Science mutant!

Previously:
Atoll Comics Round 18: Secret Six in and Wonder Woman out
Atoll Comics Round 17: Batgirl in and Batman out
Atoll Comics Round 16: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier in and Rocket Raccoon out
Atoll Comics Round 15: Rocket Raccoon in and Moon Knight out
Atoll Comics Round 14: Secret Avengers in and Avengers Assemble Out
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