Comic Books

Two things about this ad for the tiny, magnetic, underwhelming Triple-Flips board games: First, I think we might be seeing (or reading) a gay young man’s first tentative attempt at a homosexual pass in the first panel of the second row. He’s at camp, he’s with a friend who’s “out of this world,” he quickly retracts the awkward compliment — just saying. Nothing wrong with that, and I’m certainly not trying to impose slashfic paramaters on something that may or may not be there. Second, the Triple-Flips are a bit deceptive with their ad, in that they imply you can flip from alien invasions, shark attacks and wild west shenanigans in one package, yet the listing at the bottom (sorry for the rough scan quality) indicates that there are themes for each Triple-Flip. MISLEADING. Someone call the Better Business Bureau of the 1980s. After inventing a time machine, of course.

Click here to view the embedded video. Aaron Haaland of A Comic Shop of Florida writes; Hey Fandom! It’s me Aaron for A Comic Show’s NEW COMICS NOW and I’m totally geeking out to Green Lantern #20! But I talk about other comics this week, I swear! First I tackle the Man of Action, Joe Casey, and review both his new book Bounce and Sex #3. The guy has a unique voice and I like seeing it on his own creations more than his DC/Marvel writing. It feels like he’s trying a Mark Millar type sex-and-drugs indy buzz book thing, time will tell if it works. Marvel has Superior Spider-man and Inferior Deadpool. Otto and Wade together is as fun as you imagine it to be! I’m so ready for Superior Spider-month! Uncanny Avengers #8AU gives some Remender Havok in the Age of Ultron. Young Avengers #5 ended the first arc quite nicely; this book has bottled the magic you see from time to time with teen teams. Batman Li’l Gotham #2 was freaking fun. This is a Harley, Ivy, Catwoman girl’s night out. Justice League #20 came out with a surprise guest star and the underdogs vs Despero. But really, you know I just want to talk Green Lantern! I loved Geoff Johns’ final issue epic and I apologize for sounding like a giddy little fanboy, but it filled me with fanjoy! Seriously, I’ve been hounding Johns to bring back G’nort for years. I even mentioned it was the one thing he didn’t do for me in my From Johns to Venditti video. Yup, G’nort’s in a couple panels! It’s not a spoiler, just a little aside, but it meant the world to me. Also, most anything else I could mention is a spoiler, every beat was bad ass. Kyle’s book was also very touching with the reunion of him and his deadbeat daddy and another reunion that I didn’t see coming. Thanks for watching, and thanks Geoff Johns for giving me and Guy our dog back! A Comic Show – Bounce, Sex And Green Lantern

As you’ll know if you’ve been reading my posts about this film, I’ve been waiting for more information on just the thing this Pacific Rim featurette details for us – the curious mind-melding piloting technology that they’re calling “The Drift.” Click here to view the embedded video. You saw Rob Kazinsky there, an Eastenders alum who was originally cast in The Hobbit but quit for “a health issue.” How curious to have him turn up here on Guillermo’s next projet – though, yes, I was glad to see him, and that he seems well. You know, Pacific Rim looks more interesting to me every day. Video: Guillermo Del Toro Introduces One Of Pacific Rim’s Big Sci-Fi Ideas, “The Drift”

Posted On Today at 06:18:37 pm EDT by Blargh [Reply] [Quote] [New] Okay, I get it. You haven't liked this specific resurrection story. But I'd hate it if that became some type of mandate that resurrection stories are banned. I'm sure you can rack your brain and find at least one or two resurrection stories you enjoyed, or a character being resurrected that later lead to a story you enjoyed.

Posted On Today at 06:15:26 pm EDT by Blargh [Reply] [Quote] [New] Quote:Are people speculating that he's been with Jenine or has that been revealed? Link in the OP is all the information available. My guess is there's a whole lot of mysticism going on in Scarlet Spider and that might have something to do with it. Kingpin's Hand gangsters have made appearances in Scarlet Spider, and they kind of have a knack for raising people from the dead. The Jackal has been popping up in Slott's Superior and Yost's Avenging, so that might be it. Kraven and Ana are still lurking around, finally having left the Savage Land and are now in Houston, and they know a thing or two about coming back from the dead. But it could be totally something else.

Posted On Today at 06:02:17 pm EDT by Jim M [Reply] [Quote] [New] He jumped in the way of the glider, it was his choice. He died a hero. If jumping into danger and throwing your life on the line to save your brother does no constitute a hero then I don't know what does. That's just my opinion anyway, but I am curious to see how they explain this one. I won't hold my breath that's for sure, but I am curious. Has anything been revealed about his return, how he survived and where he's been? Are people speculating that he's been with Jenine or has that been revealed? That would be pretty interesting, at least it would fit nicely since the same time Revelations happened, so did that tale with Kaine, Ben, and Jenine (sp?). It would make for a hell of an epilogue to it all, but still, like I said, I won't hold my breath. Edit: But the way they wrote Revelations, it seems they didn't want a back door since he turned to dust. I think it was really to prove without a shadow of a doubt that he was the clone all along to put it to rest, but it also made it so they would really need to stretch the imagination to bring him back, or get rid of that hero scene entirely which was one of my all time favorite memories of him and made me enjoy his older stories in a newer light with even more respect for the hero he truly was. He sacrificed his life, to allow a clone of himself to live for his babies sake and his one love at one time. That's too incredibly selfless for words to..just can't do it enough justice trying to explain it. Given marvels recent history this decade, it's likely they would cheapen that whole scene the way they did ASM 400 to bring Aunt May back by making that ending in revelations just be another clone (at least it wouldn't be a clone actress but still). I'd hope they put more thought into it than something so simple and obvious but..it will be interesting to see who was right.

I love conflicts of interest. I love the sound they make as you run up towards them and they smack you in the face. So anyway, William Christensen of Avatar, Bleeding Cool’s owners, sent me the first three issues of inks of the new Absolution series by Christos Gage and Daniel Gete and asked me to write about them, whatever I thought. Thankfully I like them. When we last left the series, John Dusk had had his sins found out. A super-powered policeman with a Green Lantern power set, working alongside a number of others, he had turned Dexter-style serial killer, murdering those who slipped through the system or for whom a prison sentence would not have seemed fit punishment. He was found out, he was captured, he was tried and… he was freed. By one of his co-workers. So now what? Absolution Rubicon. The moment where you pass the point of no return. We open in a court case, with leading criminals getting their cases overturned because they relied on evidence gathered by Dusk which was now tainted. So they get to walk Scott free. And then John Duck kills them. And that’s where I thought this comic was going until all the criminals suddenly decide they like staying in jail. But that’s when the comic shifted, because a power play between politicians over who is in charge, why the rule of law matters to some more than other, and the moral compromises made by all sides, some with beneficial effects, some not. And because this is Avatar, a decision is made, the consequences of which sees soldiers ripper apart and their bodies strewn up on a fairy chain for display. Sometimes it’s a good thing just to see the art without the colour added. Seriously, I’m eating here. It’s also a pleasure to see the unencumbered line of Gete, who gives us some remarkable “acting” scenes, so much character portrayed in the body language of people who are, well, just standing there. No short cuts here, the characters live and breathe on the page. There’s also the matter of Happy Kitty, who is Hit Girl turned up to the max and thrown through Japanese pop culture. Which, in this case, means a young girl swinging samurai swords with panty shots. The comparisons with Hit Girl are amped up in this second series, as she is inspired by Dusk to join him. Oh and we also get a Batman analogue by way of The Punisher called The Urban Legend. And we have our own Trinity, just without a Superman. Because we have that in a really big bad guy. And that’s the balance we have. Three bad guys trying to be good guys, condemned by the powers-that-be but appreciated by their underlings. And a Superman, destroying everything, yet sanctioned by the guys on top. It’s a power play. And because this isn’t the DCU, no matter how much it resembles it in part, anything can happen. And probably will. Absolution Rubicon #1 is published in full color by Avatar Press in June. Crossing Absolution Rubicon

Green Lantern #20 “The run started with Hal and Sinestro and kind of continued that relationship, which only got stronger when Sinestro became a Green Lantern again and he and Hal were forced to team up. As I was building towards this next confrontation involving the land of the dead, Hal returning from the dead again and Sinestro and him having another change in their relationship, it just felt like the right time to go. Once I got through this next phase of Hal and Sinestro’s relationship and how it went all the way back to ‘Rebirth’ and then to this point, to me, that was the right time to move on. The story decided it. I think the last issue has a lot of stuff in it that puts an exclamation point on everything we did on the run. [...] [Hal has] sacrificed his life, and now he has to find his way back again. It started with a ‘Rebirth,’ it ends with a rebirth. It just felt right. Hal is a character who lives for the day and he’s so full of life, death can’t stop him. It was exactly the right storyline to go out on with him.” – Geoff Johns, talking with Comic Book Resources about his nine-year run onGreen Lantern, which comes to an end Wednesday

The world today, particularly the comics community, seems so cynical. We like our stories to be realistic and gritty. Our characters sensible and deep. We’ve left whimsy and flamboyance to our children because we appreciate supposedly better things. We’ve grown up. But last year saw the launch of a comic book series which showed us that stories can be whimsical and gritty; that characters can be flamboyant and deep. A series that refused to grow up and taught us to believe in fairies again. From Image Comics’ sister company Shadowline, that series was Peter Panzerfaust, a World War Two reimagining of Peter Pan, by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins. In the first volume, we were introduced to the magnificent, larger-than-life eponymous hero and his struggles in Nazi-occupied France via the remembrances of one of the elderly Lost Boys (a group of French orphans Peter takes under his wing). It was a glorious, old-fashioned adventure; fun, but unafraid to show harsher realities. In that vein, and very much in keeping with superhero tradition, this second volume sees Peter face this version of his classic nemesis: Kapitan Haken, AKA The Hook. Peter in the rain Indeed, this volume gets very dark. While it does serve to amp up the peril, it is a little disheartening to see the wonder drain out of Peter. If that was writer Wiebe’s intention, he succeeded, but failed to really draw anything from the radical change in tone. It feels like darkness for darkness’ sake. And while I was enraptured by the first collection, I did feel that Jenkins’ artwork was a little underwhelming. Here, even moreso. He captures landscapes and scenery perfectly, evoking the spirit of the narrative, but his figures seem awkward, stiff and are often difficult to tell apart. I realise that specific criticism on a WW2-era book has unfortunate connotations, but I assume it’s purely coincidental. Moving on… These story differences could, I suppose, be put down to the change in narrator. The framing device of the story, which is more interesting and expanded here than in the previous volume, sees a man — hinted to be Peter’s son — tracking down the Lost Boys in the present day and interviewing them about their experiences. Last time it was Tootles, here it is Curly. Despite my criticisms, the series is not out of pixie dust yet. While dark thematically, the character of Haken is superb. He is very much a time-transplanted Captain Hook — while not as theatrical as that role usually is, you can see signs of him reigning it in, only unleashed in anger at Peter. Curly also makes for a better audience surrogate than the flavourless Tootles. He is more actively involved in the plot, pretty much serving as Peter’s second-in-command. Although he is narrating and could thus be lying, I suppose. But that uncertainty just adds to the whimsy. Peter’s relationship with Wendy is explored more; we see that, in his bleakest moments, she is there for him as an equal with her own tragic past. It never feels forced, as it could easily do. Other elements from Peter Pan are brought in here, such as the fierce Tiger Lily and her “Braves” — French resistance fighters. It is a clever reinvention, and she quickly becomes one of the strongest characters in the series (sadly, most of the Lost Boys and Wendy’s brothers aren’t up to much). And the framing story I mentioned early is becoming more and more intriguing. Just when you think you know a classic story, they make you wonder how it’s all going to end. While Hooked strays a little far from Neverland, there’s no denying that this is one of the most inventive, enjoyable, and powerful series out there right now. Kapitan Haken

So when we last left off, I had just finished explaining about cosplay preparations for shopping, construction, and actually making a custom costume for a convention. This post will cover what to do after preparing. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Let’s run through a quick refresher (for the full article, click here to check it out). ONE: Pick a Character. Not just which one, but which version and how accurate the costume will be. TWO: Gathering Reference Images. Pictures of character and costume from as many angles as possible. THREE. Multiple Lists. Helping to organize what you need and what you need to do, including any tutorials or things you think you might need to learn. So you have all your research completed. The next step is to get everything you need! Step Four: Purchasing Buying everything should seem so self-explanatory that it doesn’t require a step description, but there are some ways to go about it to help both your finances and your sanity. these things come in BATCHES. If you plan far enough in advance, you can wait for discount sales. Stores like Michael’s and JoAnn’s have massive weekly sales and joining their mailing lists gives you access to a ton of coupons, especially around major holiday weekends (though not exclusively). Some of them will be store-wide or even a percentage off your total purchase, like 40 or even 50% off! I try to make an effort not to buy anything full price at these stores, because chances are if it’s full price this week, next week it won’t be. This changes when you’re under a time constraint, of course, but if it’s possible, it can help save you a lot of money. Also be aware of which stores in your area accept competitor coupons. This is something I’m not so good at, but it can be wholly successful if you’re willing to put a little time into figuring it out. Thrift stores and discount stores like Wal-Mart have a lot of options for cheap clothes that might be something you can modify to look like what you want. I also like to plan shopping days mid-week, if your schedule allows for it. That way the stores are less crowded and it takes less time to get what you are looking for. There are a couple of ways you can purchase things, and neither are better than the other per se, it’s just about finding what works for you. You can buy everything in one or two days, hitting up multiple stores and checking things off on your list, which sometimes saves time because you’re not making so many trips. You could also break it up by the pieces you’re making and shop for them individually, which is often financially better. What I do is mark off what I need and where, but also when I need it. For example, when making an Iron Man costume a few months back, I knew I needed craft foam, cheesecloth and modpodge first. I wasn’t sure yet what kind of spray paint or sealant I’d need, so even though it was on my list, it wasn’t something I needed right away, so it was pushed to the bottom. swatches to match snaps & zippers Something to keep in mind as you shop: carry swatches of your fabrics with you. Swatches are little scraps of fabrics and they’re important for matching colours, like if you needed a red helmet to match a red shirt, you’d bring the red shirt to the store, right? Same goes for fabric. You might hit up multiple fabric stores on your search for the perfect ones, and having swatches of what you’ve already purchased ensures you’re not going to buy something that clashes or doesn’t completely match. Step Five: Beginning Assembling Easier said than done, right? Let’s break this down in to sub-steps, if you will. so many fabrics….. Here are all your items in one giant pile on your table. Maybe a bit overwhelming? Break down how you want to start the costume. Are you the kind of person that would like to tackle the hardest thing first and get it