|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 9, 2021 8:35:32 GMT -5
Welcome to another edition of... OFF THE RACKSReal Readers means Real, Honest Reviews!  |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 10, 2021 13:20:35 GMT -5
Robin and Batman #1Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Dustin Nguyen Summary: Dick Grayson's first night as Robin goes terribly wrong as he sneaks off and follows Batman into the sewers and into the Croc's jaws!
Plot: Robin's first night is hardly a new story, it's a tale that's been told dozens of times since Dick Grayson was first introduced in the pages of Detective Comics # 38 way back in 1940 but whether your favorite retelling is Batman #38(1945),Batman #213(1969), Batman: Year Three (1989),Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet(1997) or Robin: Year One(2001) there is something in Lemire's telling for everyone. What I love the most though is that Lemire largely skips the more basic points of the origin like Zucco and the circus, relying instead that his readers know those basic details which allows him to move on tell his own story and although Killer Croc was traditionally tied to Jason Todd's pre-crisis origin the way Lemire ties him into Haley's circus works really well and I'm actually surprised its never been done before. On top of that the character moments that Lemire weaves through Dick's gauntlet are truly fascinating; the balance he strikes between the brooding young Bruce Wayne early in his career, the head strong dare devil that is Dick Grayson trying to prove himself worthy and an almost tragic Alfred torn between his love for Bruce and his disapproval of his quest is a delicate dance but the elements really sing here. And although we know what eventually happens, (they become the caped crusaders now and forever) there is enough nuance here that I'm excited to see just how we get there.
Art: I've long been a huge fan of Dustin Nguyen's art but he truly out does himself here with the duality he's able to bring to the story with his beautifully watercolored art. With his mix of bright primary colors for the school scenes with Dick Grayson and his heavy black and purple inks for the nights with Batman you get both sides of Gotham and neither one seems out of place. Every flick of Batman's cape hold's menace and mystery and Dick's bright colors are beautiful against the night. You really don't want to miss a second of this book.
Grade:10/10
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 10, 2021 14:49:03 GMT -5
Batman: The Imposter #2Written by Mattson Tomlin Art by Andrea Sorrentino Summary: Batman gains new insight into his hunt for his deadly doppelganger as the GCPD takes their investigation to the next level.
Plot: I'm going to start with the negative right out of the gate: I really hated Tomlin's character assassination of Alfred. The way he had Alfred totally abandon Bruce after the death of the Wayne's just felt like a really lazy way to write off a character Tomlin either didn't understand or want to include in his narrative...and in and of itself that's fine, it's his story, but the way it was done and its follow up line about hating butlers just felt callous and rubbed me the wrong way. That said, I really love the relationship Tomlin is building between not only Bruce and Leslie but also with Detective Wong; the struggle between Bruce's honest emotions and the selfish lengths he's willing to go to in order to accomplish his mission is just deliciously dramatic. On top of that the contrast between those quiet emotional moments and the brutal action scenes of Batman hunting down his double is really well done as with out that human side the action scenes soaked in their brutal realism would feel too dark and hopeless. All and all, if it weren't for the treatment of Alfred I think this would have been a near perfect book but even with that flaw it's definitely and excellent read and I'm really looking forward to its conclusion next month.
Art: I think what really made this comic work as well as it did was the brilliant page lay out done by Sorrentino. If you've read Gideon Falls(and shame on you if you haven't!) then you already know that Sorrentino's eye for negative space is second to none and it's a skill that is put to excellent use here with the darkness growing more and more as Batman's interrogation of Wesker becomes more intense which really said more about the interaction than any words ever could.
Grade:8/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 10, 2021 15:53:44 GMT -5
Pennyworth #4Written by Scott Bryan Wilson Art by Juan Gedeon Summary: Alfred continues to try and remember one of his last missions as a secret agent as he attempts to escape his abductor.
Plot: This reworking of the KBBeast as a cold war threat uncovered by Alfred during his tenure with Mi6 continues to be a thrilling spy romp. I love the fast paced action and its mix of espionage, mystery and sci-fi tropes really keeps you guessing where its all going. While this book started out as a tie-in to the tv show it's definitely shaken off the stigma of those kinds of media cash ins as its a fun story that can be easily enjoyed on its own merits with out any kind of fore knowledge needed. It's just a solid, straight forward action romp with some nice bits of flash backs that provide a fun history for Alfred before he was just Bruce Wayne's butler. I'm really interested in how this all ends, not only with Alfred's abduction but the fate of the KGBeast prototypes, and betrayal of Alfred, each story is compelling and it'll be great to see how they tie into eachother.
Art: Gedeon has a fun, cartooned style that really fits the fast paced action story well and the bright colors give it a fitting almost pop art style that really evokes the aesthetic of classic bond films it was based on.
Grade:8/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 10, 2021 18:57:52 GMT -5
The Thing #1Written by Walter Mosley Art by Tom Reilly Colored by Jordie Bellaire Summary: Cursed by an evil spirit named Mot the ever loving, blue eyed Thing finds his already troubled life even more filled with woe. Plot: Walter Mosley of Easy Rawlins fame jumps into the world of the Fantastic Four with this fantastically nostalgic Thing tale. I have to say that I was pretty blown away by this, I've long been a fan of Mosley's hard boiled detective stories and while they've often had a wry humor about them in places I didn't think he was capable of delivering such a fun comedic romp like he did here. It's just fantastic from start to finish and just might be one of my favorite "funny books" because rather than just delivering gags it has a real story to it; it's just that it's a story about a series of errors for the Thing giving it a kind of classic Hollywood comedy feel where the Thing moves from scene to scene only to be bamboozled by something new each time. In a time where every story has to be "important" and seemingly has to last at least twelve issues it's a real breath of fresh air to get a book that simply wants to have fun. Art: Reilly brings in so much of the wonderful silliness that filled the comics in years gone by in The Thing #1 with his bright, open style. It's a stylish, yet simplistic look that is truly excellent at conveying both action and emotion in equal measure. On top of that the color pallets chosen by Bellaire are just stunning, the way they are able to transition from bright, primary colors to flat grays in the scenes with Mot and then blue hues as Thing becomes sad and isolated are simply magical and no color ever feels out of place. The whole thing has the warmth of a classic Disney animated feature, which really highlights the whole retro feel the book is going for. Grade: 20/10 I mean, just look at this picture of the Thing coming back from fishing and tell me why you haven't ran out and picked up this book:  |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 11, 2021 21:27:58 GMT -5
The Thing book was not really on my radar, but it is now... that's a great couple panels (maybe the trade, though).
Not sure if a couple of these are last week (didn't get to the store last week):
Batman the Adventure Continues Season Two : I really enjoying the 'Mayor Mayhem' story... even if the bad guy reveal was pretty easy to figure out... it's been a great story so far and I almost hope the bad guy wins to set up future stories better.
Justice League Infinity #5: I feel like I should like this, but it's just not doing it for me. Maybe I'm having multi-verse overload? I'm all for interesting elseworlds that are doing something different like Dark Knights of Steel, but just shuffling which characters are good guys, and standing in different races and genders just doesn't do it for me. Still, I do love the animated series style art, and there's hope there could be an interesting ending.
Frontiersman #2 : I'm still not sure where this book is going, but I think I'm going for the ride. So far, its like the first 80 pages of an epic fantasy novel.. there are interesting bits, and the world building is good, but I've no idea what the story is. Still, based on the writing and the back matter, I feel like the writer should be her chatting with us. Maybe he's just better at it than most, but his blurbs seem really true and heart felt... I don't usually feel that way. anyone else reading this?
Action Comics #1036 At last, the War World story starts! It's a bit of a fizzle though... just Clark and his Authority team getting to Mongol and the arena. (It feels like the last issue of Superman and the Authority should have come out before this, but whatever)...I still have hope, but this was pretty disappointing. The main highlight was Apollo and Midnighter's snarky comments in the background. There a backup with Guardian taking down a kid causing cyber trouble that was a fine one off, but I was annoyed it was taking up space I wanted for more of the main story.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 22:37:00 GMT -5
The Thing #1Written by Walter Mosley Art by Tom Reilly Colored by Jordie Bellaire Grade: 20/10 I mean, just look at this picture of the Thing coming back from fishing and tell me why you haven't ran out and picked up this book: because it's a 6 issue series, so can trade wait. . and at $4.99 an issue? NOPE. . not gonna happen. especially when there is zero doubt in my mind that I'll be able to pick up the collected trade for less than $5 next year at a Con or via HamiltonBooks.com |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 12, 2021 6:34:04 GMT -5
The Thing #1Written by Walter Mosley Art by Tom Reilly Colored by Jordie Bellaire Grade: 20/10 I mean, just look at this picture of the Thing coming back from fishing and tell me why you haven't ran out and picked up this book: because it's a 6 issue series, so can trade wait. . and at $4.99 an issue? NOPE. . not gonna happen. especially when there is zero doubt in my mind that I'll be able to pick up the collected trade for less than $5 next year at a Con or via HamiltonBooks.com 4.99 isn't a terrible price for the sure joy it brought, it really is worth the price of admission. On top of that is the notion that we get the comics we pay for, so if excellent books like this don't sell well then and crappy events do...guess what they're going to do more of? |
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Nov 12, 2021 8:18:57 GMT -5
because it's a 6 issue series, so can trade wait. . and at $4.99 an issue? NOPE. . not gonna happen. especially when there is zero doubt in my mind that I'll be able to pick up the collected trade for less than $5 next year at a Con or via HamiltonBooks.com 4.99 isn't a terrible price for the sure joy it brought, it really is worth the price of admission. On top of that is the notion that we get the comics we pay for, so if excellent books like this don't sell well then and crappy events do...guess what they're going to do more of? I typically would agree with you, but there is a difference, at least for me, between ongoing and limited series. This is a planned six-issue run. Marvel is going to print them regardless of sales and then put out a TPB of them. They will monitor the sales of the individual issues as well as note how the collected edition does and plan future actions accordingly. I would rather see a shift for stories like this to a one-time book rather than a six-month slog. By its nature of being a self-contained story, it should, in theory, read better in one or two sittings, not over the course of half a year. As for ongoings, yes, we get what we pay for, and if we don't support quality, then it won't survive. Marvel looks at the month-by-month figures and makes a decision if they should keep it going, because they can cut the run short at any time without much trouble, and certainly not like the issues that cutting a limited series short would cause. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2021 9:19:59 GMT -5
4.99 isn't a terrible price for the sure joy it brought, it really is worth the price of admission. On top of that is the notion that we get the comics we pay for, so if excellent books like this don't sell well then and crappy events do...guess what they're going to do more of? I typically would agree with you, but there is a difference, at least for me, between ongoing and limited series. This is a planned six-issue run. Marvel is going to print them regardless of sales and then put out a TPB of them. They will monitor the sales of the individual issues as well as note how the collected edition does and plan future actions accordingly. I would rather see a shift for stories like this to a one-time book rather than a six-month slog. By its nature of being a self-contained story, it should, in theory, read better in one or two sittings, not over the course of half a year. As for ongoings, yes, we get what we pay for, and if we don't support quality, then it won't survive. Marvel looks at the month-by-month figures and makes a decision if they should keep it going, because they can cut the run short at any time without much trouble, and certainly not like the issues that cutting a limited series short would cause. Sales on the single issues is what pays for the creator costs of the book and sales of the collected edition is where the profit is made on the book. OGNs do not sell appreciably better than collected editions, so in the end are much less profitable for the company because the creator costs have to come out of book sales not single sales but the OGN book generates no more revenue than the collected edition does in book form, so the collected edition winds up being more profitable for the company as a whole than the OGN model. Other companies can realize better sales on OGN, but the customer base of the staple of characters that buy Marvel and DC products have been trained to buy singles and stubbornly hold on to the idea that singles as the way comics "are supposed to be done" and so do not support OGNs with their buying dollars because a large portion of the audience for these characters simply won't buy comics in collected or OGN editions. Other genres, other publishers do not face this type of consumer resistance to the OGN format, and in fact, much of the audience for comics outside the big 2 prefer OGN to serialized periodicals, but the old school super-hero squad of Wednesday Warriors simply won't make the switch, so the OGN is not really a viable alternative to the mini right now and won't be unless the customer base is willing to do make the switch in enough numbers that the revenue balances out to make it viable. And for every consumer like you who would prefer them to do something like this as an OGN, there seems to be 10 people buying the mini who wouldn't touch it if it were an OGN instead. -M |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 12, 2021 9:29:50 GMT -5
I typically would agree with you, but there is a difference, at least for me, between ongoing and limited series. This is a planned six-issue run. Marvel is going to print them regardless of sales and then put out a TPB of them. They will monitor the sales of the individual issues as well as note how the collected edition does and plan future actions accordingly. I would rather see a shift for stories like this to a one-time book rather than a six-month slog. By its nature of being a self-contained story, it should, in theory, read better in one or two sittings, not over the course of half a year. As for ongoings, yes, we get what we pay for, and if we don't support quality, then it won't survive. Marvel looks at the month-by-month figures and makes a decision if they should keep it going, because they can cut the run short at any time without much trouble, and certainly not like the issues that cutting a limited series short would cause. Sales on the single issues is what pays for the creator costs of the book and sales of the collected edition is where the profit is made on the book. OGNs do not sell appreciably better than collected editions, so in the end are much less profitable for the company because the creator costs have to come out of book sales not single sales but the OGN book generates no more revenue than the collected edition does in book form, so the collected edition winds up being more profitable for the company as a whole than the OGN model. Other companies can realize better sales on OGN, but the customer base of the staple of characters that buy Marvel and DC products have been trained to buy singles and stubbornly hold on to the idea that singles as the way comics "are supposed to be done" and so do not support OGNs with their buying dollars because a large portion of the audience for these characters simply won't buy comics in collected or OGN editions. Other genres, other publishers do not face this type of consumer resistance to the OGN format, and in fact, much of the audience for comics outside the big 2 prefer OGN to serialized periodicals, but the old school super-hero squad of Wednesday Warriors simply won't make the switch, so the OGN is not really a viable alternative to the mini right now and won't be unless the customer base is willing to do make the switch in enough numbers that the revenue balances out to make it viable. And for every consumer like you who would prefer them to do something like this as an OGN, there seems to be 10 people buying the mini who wouldn't touch it if it were an OGN instead. -M I'd buy it in either format, if it came out all in one lump sum? Sold. Six issue mini? Sold. A good story is a good story no matter how its packaged in my mind. So why buy it now when I know it will eventually be collected? Because why deny yourself the fun? I say again, just look at that image of Ben smiling in his fishing waders and try to come up with a good reason this book isn't in your hands? I don't think such a reason exists...unless you hate fun  |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2021 10:06:08 GMT -5
Sales on the single issues is what pays for the creator costs of the book and sales of the collected edition is where the profit is made on the book. OGNs do not sell appreciably better than collected editions, so in the end are much less profitable for the company because the creator costs have to come out of book sales not single sales but the OGN book generates no more revenue than the collected edition does in book form, so the collected edition winds up being more profitable for the company as a whole than the OGN model. Other companies can realize better sales on OGN, but the customer base of the staple of characters that buy Marvel and DC products have been trained to buy singles and stubbornly hold on to the idea that singles as the way comics "are supposed to be done" and so do not support OGNs with their buying dollars because a large portion of the audience for these characters simply won't buy comics in collected or OGN editions. Other genres, other publishers do not face this type of consumer resistance to the OGN format, and in fact, much of the audience for comics outside the big 2 prefer OGN to serialized periodicals, but the old school super-hero squad of Wednesday Warriors simply won't make the switch, so the OGN is not really a viable alternative to the mini right now and won't be unless the customer base is willing to do make the switch in enough numbers that the revenue balances out to make it viable. And for every consumer like you who would prefer them to do something like this as an OGN, there seems to be 10 people buying the mini who wouldn't touch it if it were an OGN instead. -M I'd buy it in either format, if it came out all in one lump sum? Sold. Six issue mini? Sold. A good story is a good story no matter how its packaged in my mind. So why buy it now when I know it will eventually be collected? Because why deny yourself the fun? I say again, just look at that image of Ben smiling in his fishing waders and try to come up with a good reason this book isn't in your hands? I don't think such a reason exists...unless you hate fun Next time you go to your new lcs or your old one and are striking up a conversation with the owner/manager, ask them how many of their regulars would buy the monthly titles if they weren't monthly periodicals but OGN instead? When I was helping out at the lcs, we did a survey, and fully 2/3 of our pull customers stated flat out they wouldn't buy stuff if it wasn't coming out as monthly periodicals. The attitude was I want to read comics not "books" and if it doesn't come out as a monthly it is not a comic book and I don't want to buy it. The third that didn't didn't have that attitude were the portion of our pull customers that bought mostly indy rather than Marvel/DC. Obviously there has been some change in the customer base since then, and it was one store so not a representative sample, but there is a significant portion of the super-hero audience that is resistant to stories in any other format than the monthly periodical, enough so that not putting the book out as a monthly first isn't a feasible strategy for a profitable project. Right now, I think for super-hero comics, that the monthly/collected dynamic is a symbiotic relationship in the current market. Either alone does not generate enough revenue for super-hero projects to be profitable, the company needs the revenue from both to make it work. Until that dynamic changes, and one or the other format generates enough revenue on its own to be profitable, or until the direct market as a whole changes its distribution model, we're going to be stuck with that hybrid model. Publishing plans have to take market realities into account of they just become wishful thinking. At the same time, they need to work to shape the market reality and customer perceptions/expectations, but that takes time, labor and capital investment, things that I don't think either Warner or Disney is willing to put into the comic publishing business currently so they live with what the market reality is. -M |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 12, 2021 19:24:12 GMT -5
I think it's a matter of control... when you guy a single issue, even at $4.99, you can say 'that sucked, I'm not buying the rest' and you only invested $5. If it's straight to trade, it's $15, $20, $25 in one go, so people are more likely to take a flyer on the single issue.. even if you disregard the not insignifgant inertia of the average comic buyer.
OTOH, if that all they offered, people would have no choice, and maybe it'd be more non-Wednesday Warrior friendly? No one is taking that risk any time soon, but I'd love to see it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2021 19:41:02 GMT -5
I think it's a matter of control... when you guy a single issue, even at $4.99, you can say 'that sucked, I'm not buying the rest' and you only invested $5. If it's straight to trade, it's $15, $20, $25 in one go, so people are more likely to take a flyer on the single issue.. even if you disregard the not insignifgant inertia of the average comic buyer. OTOH, if that all they offered, people would have no choice, and maybe it'd be more non-Wednesday Warrior friendly? No one is taking that risk any time soon, but I'd love to see it. There is still a choice, the choice would be to not buy it at all. There is a portion of the Wednesday Warrior crowd (not sure how big it still is but it was fairly prominent when I was on the other side of the counter) who if not given the option of buying it as a floppy single won't buy it at all. They only want their comics in a form that they can bag and board and put in their long boxes to continue their runs and collections and consider it a personals betrayal by the publishers to their years of loyalty and investment in the company (an investment that only consisted of buying their product) if the product is not offered in the format they want it in, i.e. the format they have been buying since they started buying super-hero stories. It's not a matter of investment vs. risk in the price of the format, they straight out will not buy it in any other format and if that option is not offered will not buy it at all. This hardcore bunch is getting smaller (mostly because they are aging out or dying off sadly, but there are a number of younger fans who have taken up their gauntlet), but they still make up a significant portion of the direct market consumer base, and losing their dollars will still hurt the bottom line viability of projects. However, they are not big enough in and of themselves to make a project viable any longer. That is the catch-22 comic publishers are facing in the current market. They cannot make both factions of the audience happy and if they chase one segment they will lose the other, but they need both to keep sales on products large enough to make them viable. It really is an untenable position. -M |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 15, 2021 18:28:38 GMT -5
Do they still after 37 restarts though? I definitely see that mentality in the past (and mistakenly shared it at times) but at this point it's hard to even know what the 'real' series is in some cases.
To your point, though, if they have to chase one demo or the other, the younger 'buy the whole story at once' group is the one they SHOULD cultivate, and with both Marvel and DC being owned by huge megacorps now, they can such up a loss for a couple years for long term gain.
I mean, are comics actually making any money anyway? Or are they really just IP farms and an easy way to protect copyrights and trademarks.
|
|
