Hey Kids! Comics!
Apr. 4th, 2003 06:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ealgyldenOne of the biggest problems with where I currently live is that I’m in the country (good thing) and I have no local comic shop (bad thing. But it’s a good life when that’s considered a big problem). When I was still in the city, my LCS was on the edge of Chinatown, so once a week or so I could make a comics/Pocky/other shiny-objects-or-snacks expedition. Plus, I got to hang out with other comic geeks for a little while- I was good friends with Claire, the manager of the shop, and we had mucho fun teasing her employees and loyal customers about superheroes, gender inequalities in the comics’ world, lousy art ("Are her boobs the size of her head? And where's her ribcage?"), gaming, and other nerdly good things. Now I’m stuck ordering my books and that’s not as fun. Easier to put off too. These comics all came out between January and the middle of March, and it’s only half of the books I have on my list. All my Crossgen comics and everything that’s come out since are still waiting. Sigh. Best of the bunch? Hawaiian Dick, Comic Book Heaven and The Sandwalk Adventures.
Oh, and I meant to do this all in one post, but as you see, I talk a lot. So this'll be two parts, quick picks here and the rest after midnight (I'm always up anyway, might as well do something constructive).
Starting with my quick picks:
Charm School #7- My favorite lesbian witch/vampire/bad fairy love triangle comic continues the “Will Dean drag-race despite Bunny’s fears?” plotline. I always love Elizabeth Watasin’s art, and Charm School is my favorite romance comic on the market (out of a very small field, admittedly). Fairer Than is sexy as hell, but Bunny and Dean are such a sweet couple that I hope she doesn’t succeed in breaking them up. Bunny apologizes for kissing Fairer Than (who isn’t in this issue, since she’s off preparing for the duel with Dean), Dean admits she would want to race even if she weren’t feeling threatened by Fairer Than, Dean and Lucius race, and… it’s over ‘til next issue. Which is my only real complaint about Charm School- each issue feels a bit short. I wouldn’t mind as much if it were a monthly book, but it isn’t, and the plot is creeping forward so slowly. I love Elizabeth’s work. I’d buy anything she did without hesitation, and I’ve given at least five sets of the Elizabeth-heavy issues of Action Girl as presents. But Charm School can be frustratingly thin at times. Beautiful, but too quick a read.
Age of Bronze #16- Thetis and Peleus have a big, nasty public fight, Achilles is a brat (again), Telephus gets healed, Odysseus continues selling the war to the troops, Agamemnon gets even more tense, and Patroklus is still the best boyfriend in the ancient world. As always, interesting, classy, unique work from Eric Shanower. Which makes it tough to talk about- it's about the Trojan War, everyone should read it, and it's consistently good. That's about it (though that's quite a bit, really).
Hammer of the Gods: Hammer Hits China #1- Odin gets bored and heads off to China for a break. When he doesn’t come back, Modi is enlisted to find him. Tyr and Skogul make cameo appearances (I assume Skogul will have more to do next issue. Hope so, anyway). Beautiful character design on the (unnamed) Chinese Wind Goddess, but I think anyone who didn’t read the first mini-series would be pretty lost. No one’s really introduced and the pacing seems a bit abrupt. Still, nice to see a new HoG mini.
Private Beach #6 and 7- David Hahn is insane. Or at least his comic is. So weird. But fun, I’ll admit. Issue 6 was the usual mix of “neat!” and “huh?” but the half-hinted-at aliens/ conspiracies/ magic-8-balls-and-more plot seems to be gaining speed. Issue 7 is a road trip in a classic car, a perfect fit for these characters. Quirky fun until the end, when it all goes “huh?” again.
Three Days in Europe #3- So, ze plot thickens, hohn hohn hohn. Kicky romantic comedy with British rock stars, French art thieves, and a American couple divided by the English Channel. Jill resents being in the tabloids thanks to Pete Dollar and Jack’s gotten himself into a bit of a fix thanks to his, ah, lower brain. Tsk, tsk, Jack. This comic is like the mutant child of Charade and, oh, how about Two for the Road. I can’t wait until Jack and Jill reunite. Should be something to see.
Cheat- The last two graphic novels I’ve bought have been about relationships going badly (this one and Andi Watson’s Dumped). Nice work from Christine Norrie, but a depressing read. Still, I’m glad I got it. I just hope the next GN on my list (J. Torres’ Days Like This) is more cheerful.
The Red Star vol. 2 #1- What the hell? Did I miss something? I’ve bought every issue of this comic, and it still feels like I skipped a couple of chapters in a book. Not a satisfying issue (although there are some beautiful shots of both Maya and Urik looking stressed).
Hsu and Chan #1- Hysterical, in that geeky-gamer-lives-on-ramen-and-Coke way. I laughed my way through the whole thing, and promptly recced it to the one Dork Tower fan I know. The radioactive hamster was just adorable.
So I've got Blue Monday, Mutant, Texas, Sandwalk Adventures, Comic Book Heaven and Hawaiian Dick left. Keen.
Oh, and I meant to do this all in one post, but as you see, I talk a lot. So this'll be two parts, quick picks here and the rest after midnight (I'm always up anyway, might as well do something constructive).
Starting with my quick picks:
Charm School #7- My favorite lesbian witch/vampire/bad fairy love triangle comic continues the “Will Dean drag-race despite Bunny’s fears?” plotline. I always love Elizabeth Watasin’s art, and Charm School is my favorite romance comic on the market (out of a very small field, admittedly). Fairer Than is sexy as hell, but Bunny and Dean are such a sweet couple that I hope she doesn’t succeed in breaking them up. Bunny apologizes for kissing Fairer Than (who isn’t in this issue, since she’s off preparing for the duel with Dean), Dean admits she would want to race even if she weren’t feeling threatened by Fairer Than, Dean and Lucius race, and… it’s over ‘til next issue. Which is my only real complaint about Charm School- each issue feels a bit short. I wouldn’t mind as much if it were a monthly book, but it isn’t, and the plot is creeping forward so slowly. I love Elizabeth’s work. I’d buy anything she did without hesitation, and I’ve given at least five sets of the Elizabeth-heavy issues of Action Girl as presents. But Charm School can be frustratingly thin at times. Beautiful, but too quick a read.
Age of Bronze #16- Thetis and Peleus have a big, nasty public fight, Achilles is a brat (again), Telephus gets healed, Odysseus continues selling the war to the troops, Agamemnon gets even more tense, and Patroklus is still the best boyfriend in the ancient world. As always, interesting, classy, unique work from Eric Shanower. Which makes it tough to talk about- it's about the Trojan War, everyone should read it, and it's consistently good. That's about it (though that's quite a bit, really).
Hammer of the Gods: Hammer Hits China #1- Odin gets bored and heads off to China for a break. When he doesn’t come back, Modi is enlisted to find him. Tyr and Skogul make cameo appearances (I assume Skogul will have more to do next issue. Hope so, anyway). Beautiful character design on the (unnamed) Chinese Wind Goddess, but I think anyone who didn’t read the first mini-series would be pretty lost. No one’s really introduced and the pacing seems a bit abrupt. Still, nice to see a new HoG mini.
Private Beach #6 and 7- David Hahn is insane. Or at least his comic is. So weird. But fun, I’ll admit. Issue 6 was the usual mix of “neat!” and “huh?” but the half-hinted-at aliens/ conspiracies/ magic-8-balls-and-more plot seems to be gaining speed. Issue 7 is a road trip in a classic car, a perfect fit for these characters. Quirky fun until the end, when it all goes “huh?” again.
Three Days in Europe #3- So, ze plot thickens, hohn hohn hohn. Kicky romantic comedy with British rock stars, French art thieves, and a American couple divided by the English Channel. Jill resents being in the tabloids thanks to Pete Dollar and Jack’s gotten himself into a bit of a fix thanks to his, ah, lower brain. Tsk, tsk, Jack. This comic is like the mutant child of Charade and, oh, how about Two for the Road. I can’t wait until Jack and Jill reunite. Should be something to see.
Cheat- The last two graphic novels I’ve bought have been about relationships going badly (this one and Andi Watson’s Dumped). Nice work from Christine Norrie, but a depressing read. Still, I’m glad I got it. I just hope the next GN on my list (J. Torres’ Days Like This) is more cheerful.
The Red Star vol. 2 #1- What the hell? Did I miss something? I’ve bought every issue of this comic, and it still feels like I skipped a couple of chapters in a book. Not a satisfying issue (although there are some beautiful shots of both Maya and Urik looking stressed).
Hsu and Chan #1- Hysterical, in that geeky-gamer-lives-on-ramen-and-Coke way. I laughed my way through the whole thing, and promptly recced it to the one Dork Tower fan I know. The radioactive hamster was just adorable.
So I've got Blue Monday, Mutant, Texas, Sandwalk Adventures, Comic Book Heaven and Hawaiian Dick left. Keen.
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Date: 2003-04-04 05:29 pm (UTC)You big tease!
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Date: 2003-04-04 07:07 pm (UTC)