General Comicbook Talk, Reviews, etc.

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

Then I read Captain Atom #82, the old Charlton series with some great Ditko art. It was bonkers. First appearance of Nightshade. They fought a ghost. It was fucking rad.

Love the old Charlton Ditko's. When i was a kid i had some of the Captain Atom's and Blue Beetle/Questions, i think they were re-prints from Modern. Thankfully, DC put these out through the Archive Editions.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Love the old Charlton Ditko's. When i was a kid i had some of the Captain Atom's and Blue Beetle/Questions, i think they were re-prints from Modern. Thankfully, DC put these out through the Archive Editions.

Earlier this year I managed to track down originals of the 1967 Blue Beetle series #'s 1-5 and Mysterious Suspense #1, which, to the best of my knowledge, if the entirety of Ditko's work on the question. I was pretty excited to get those.

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

Wowsers, that's ridiculously awesome.

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

Roll up some tobacco and sit for a spell, it's time for Western Tuesday!

CAATINGA
Art and story by Hermann Huppen

"In the late 19th century northeast Brazil was taken over by a phenomenon of banditism known as Cangaí§o, and the bandits themselves called Cangaceiro. They lived away from the coast in the dry arid desert land filled with thorny vegetation called Caatinga, or the White Forest. This story follows one mans journey to lead the Cangaceiro."

The first time I read this the greater essence of the story was lost on me having no idea about the Cangaceiro and Brazil's history. In 1953 a film titled "O Cangaceiro" debuted in Brazil and soon the rest of the world knew the story of the Cangaceiro. Luckily the back of the book has an essay that gives some perspective and history to the tale, and includes a few sketches by Hermann as well. Hermann's art is always worth the price of admission and this book might be one of his most gorgeous that I've read. You really feel how tough the desert is, and how beautiful it is too.

This English language edition comes from Graphitti Designs, and as such is really expensive for a single 48 page graphic album (as the time of this writing it's still available on the Graphitti Designs website for $70(!)). It looks great, however and includes a signed and numbered tip in plate of the cover art by Hermann Huppen.

This is set in another subgenre of westerns, those that are set outside of the US, either north in Canada (TRENT, THE MAN FROM THE GREAT NORTH), or in South America (TEX: PATAGONIA, CAPE HORN). People often forget that while the US was, err, taming* it's own frontier, so were our neighbors to the north and south. They look and sound like American westerns but they are informed by their own histories and landscape. They still usually involve horses and gun totin' guys with large hats.

*genocide

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

the 1967 Blue Beetle series #'s 1-5 and Mysterious Suspense #1, which, to the best of my knowledge, if the entirety of Ditko's work on the question.

Looks like that's it. Just checked The Action Heroes Archive i have, and the only other Question story is a B&W 8 pager with art by Alex Toth from '75.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

the only other Question story is a B&W 8 pager with art by Alex Toth from '75.

That's from Charlton Bullseye #5, I believe. I still need a copy of that one.

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

A RECKLESS BOOK: FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
Writer: Ed Brubaker, Art: Sean Phillips

Brubaker and Phillips continue their latest series RECKLESS! This time Ethan Reckless gets caught up in a romance and a missing person job that leads to him straight to a California Satanic Cult!

I liked this book better than the first but so far they have both been great. The next one is out in the Fall and Brubaker promises it'll be different, as if it needed a hook. I already have my copy pre-ordered.

Once again Ed and Sean nail that west coast satanic cult thing. It treads similar ground as parts of FATALE crossed with CRIMINAL. I know they said there'd only be three RECKLESS books but I can read these into the sunset just fine. Jacob Phillips colors are starting to grow on me but man I miss Bettie Breitweiser.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I got that last weekend but haven't had time to get to it yet.

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

I thought it was fantastic.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I thought it was fantastic.

First volume was excellent so I'm looking forward to getting to it soon. They're a great team, those two.

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

Agreed. I've loved everything they've done. Although I didn't care as much for some recent stuff. MY HEROES AVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES didn't do much for me. And I felt similarly ho-hum on BAD WEEKEND and CRUEL SUMMER. I thought maybe I finally reached a saturation point with them and just had my fill. But I found PULP to be a great return to form, one of my favorite things they've done. And the RECKLESS books have continued to be great as well.

I do have to say I'm not a fan of Jacob's Phillips' coloring. It's not bad but it's a huge step down IMO from Bettie Breitweiser who's work I just adore. And it doesn't come close to their collaborations with Dave Stewart or Val Staples.

I just reread the second half of Brubaker's Captain America run too, the Super-Soldier Commander Rogers issues and the Secret Avengers books by Brubaker. I skipped all that stuff the first time because it looked less espionage driven and more regular goofy super heroics, which it is. But boy does Brubaker know how to write and that stuff really sings. I took some pics and I'll post them and some more thoughts on it in a bit.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I haven't read ANY of Brubaker's superhero stuff. I have a good friend who swears by it, so it has been on my radar. Not enough time in the day...

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

I love most of Brubaker and Phillips's stuff, particularly Fatale, Criminal and The Fade Out. I haven't kept up with them these last few years though. I need to rectify that toot sweet I see! Reckless looks terrific.

I've read a fair bit of Brubaker's super hero stuff and pretty much always loved it, The Winter Soldier and his Catwoman stuff I especially loved.

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

I haven't read ANY of Brubaker's superhero stuff. I have a good friend who swears by it, so it has been on my radar. Not enough time in the day...

I love most of Brubaker and Phillips's stuff, particularly Fatale, Criminal and The Fade Out. I haven't kept up with them these last few years though. I need to rectify that toot sweet I see! Reckless looks terrific.

I've read a fair bit of Brubaker's super hero stuff and pretty much always loved it, The Winter Soldier and his Catwoman stuff I especially loved.

I can't recommend enough these comics, some of the best ever, IMO:

Captain America > Winter Soldier > Super Soldier > Secret Avengers > Marvels Project > etc. - It's a lot to take in with multiple series and one-shot and whatnot, but it is all great. It broke me on modern superhero comics because nothing else is this good. The best Captain America comics, IMO. Arguably the best superhero comics ever created which puts them in running for best comics ever.

Daredevil - You can start with the Bendis run but really I think it's fine to dive right in here. Incredible artwork by Michael Lark. The best Daredevil comics, IMO. Darker than Captain America and boy does he put Matt through the ringer, but neck and neck as far as quality goes.

Immortal Iron Fist - He co-writes it with Matt Fraction. Maybe not quite as good as his Captain America and Daredevil runs but only by a hair. Wonderful art by David Aja.

Gotham Central - Co-written with Greg Rucka. If you only read one run on this list I'd pick this.

Sleeper - His first long run with Sean Phillips. This comic still continues to blow me away at it's manic inventiveness. It's a Wildstorm comic but you don't need to know anything going in. It's about an ex-villain who goes undercover into the greater villain underworld. Still one of my favorite works of theirs. There's a 4-issue prelude series that leads into it called POINT BLANK which I believe is now collected with the rest of Sleeper. POINT BLANK is my favorite single work by Brubaker, the art is by Colin Wilson.

Incognito - Another early collaboration with Sean Phillips about a supervillain in the witness relocation program who's starting to get tired of his office job. Set in a cool universe with pulp heroes. Underrated, IMO.

I've only read parts of his Catwoman run cause every time I turn around the volumes go OOP. And I've never read his X-Men. I'd love to hear someone's thought's on his X-Men run, I never read anything good about it.

I'm so excited for anyone who hasn't read these. You have so much joy waiting for you! It looks like a lot but once you read it all it doesn't feel like enough.

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

A RECKLESS BOOK: FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
Writer: Ed Brubaker, Art: Sean Phillips

Wishlisted