Two guys

Maze Agency

2005-06-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

Newsarama reports that IDW will reprints the first Maze Agency mini series by Mike W. Barr (one of the most way underrated Bat writers ever) and Adam Hughes. 25 bucks... A bit expensive but I'll be there! I have been expecting this for a long time.

Just another hint

2005-06-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Marvel is supposed to announce some rather big things in the convention season... 'Miracles' happen don't they?

Just a hint

2005-06-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Why bring back Donna Troy? Well maybe she will be the next Wonder Woman if the 'original' bites the bullet in Infinite Crisis ?

Or maybe she will be in a dead people team with Hal Jordan, Supergirl and Jason Todd ?

Byrned again

2005-06-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Even if Doom Patrol is doomed (and was from day one) it appears that 2005 may be a good year for Byrne artwise (he still write more BS on his forum that anyone at Newsarama but that's life). Blood of the Demon and Action Comics look very good and heart-warming for old fans of JB. And it seems that it's safer if he just pencils. He may plot but not write scripts and certainly not ink anymore.
Rumors have him on a Spectre book with Geoff Johns... I would have rather seen them on Flash as I think JB would be great on that book but this pair may work.

And now for something completely different

2005-06-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

In which I finally start to write something new...

Yesterday I read Astonishing Xmen 10 and Batman Dark Detective 2.

Although I still enjoy Whedon& Cassaday's Xmen I must say that so far the first 6 issues were stronger (their old stuff was better ;) ). The story remains well told but the pace is slower and I really don't buy the apparent death of the team. The art is still just incredibly beautiful.

Dark Detective is comic books as I like them. Integrated into continuity without relying on it too much, noding here and there to old stories and events and yet the book is readable by almost anyone. And the art is such a joy. Marshall Rogers remind us why he was a great Batman artist and why he IS still a great artist. He seems to be channelling Sprang's Batman in the Batcave scene and I really liked the way his art (and the lettering) changed for that sequence. The dialogues are a bit cheesy at times but nothing like Star Wars Episode 3 fortunately.

It feels good to read such good comics.... And to blog too, I really need more time to do that.

This week I'll get...

2005-03-09T00:49:00.000-08:00

After the smallest week in years (3 books : Det Comics, Lex Luthor by Azzarello (a pleasant surprise btw) and Intimates), things are still not back to normal :

BLOOD OF THE DEMON #1 : I still belong to the Byrne fan categories no matter what kind of BS he may say on his forum. I enjoy Doom Patrol and I'm looking forward to this book and Action Comics when he starts working on that. I have seen glimpses of art and it may be a good title.

NIGHTWING #105 : This is my favorite title these days, 'nuff said.

NEW AVENGERS #4 : the pacing is sloooooooowwwwwwwww and I have a hard time in trying to see where this book is going. It's enjoyable but tooooooooooooo long IMO.

GOTHAM CENTRAL #29 : I'll be there 'till the end with this one. It has been in my Top 5 since the beginning.

Once again a small week but I just read Astonishing Xmen 8 and the Man who laughs...

And so I'm back

2005-03-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

One week of vacation, extra workload and at least 15 comic books behind. What's going on ?

A few comments here and there tho :

Now it can be said, DD jumped the shark by issue 50. Bendis has not been the same since that. All plots look forced and even if the cool dialogue is there, something is missing.
With the last 3 issues of Amazing Spidey, it also can be said : Spiderman has totally been retconned and redefined by JMS and Axel Alonso : retcons on his origin, his relationhip with Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, major overhaul for Aunt May, for Peter's career and all that in less than 3 years. Remember Spidey 3 years ago ? No matter what people may say, JMS has done more for this character than anyone since David Michelinie or Roger Stern.
Judd Winick is writing the most interesting Batman since No Man's Land.
Nightwing Year 1 is classic material. Dixon and Mc Daniel shouldn't have left this book.
Flash Ignition is one of those extra streched stories. I hope Johns has done better since that as it's definitely a letdown in his run.
JLA Classified 4 : return of Geffen, De Matteis, Maguire, Rubinstein and Lappan : life is sweet.
Astonishing Xmen and Phoenix Endsong are really good, the best Xmen in at least a decade save from some Morrion stuff and a few Jim Lee stories. But they really make me feel like nothing happened between the classic Claremont + Byrne/Cockrum/Smith era and last year. Not that I mind after all ;).

Boy I missed writing!

List of possible purchase for this week

2005-02-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

God! One week and no new post. Where was I? Well the fact that my shop still hasn't received any new book for 10 days explains a lot of things...

So here's my pull list :

BATMAN THE MAN WHO LAUGHS : I'm a big fan of Brubabker's Batman. And now that he is Marvel exclusive it's too good an opportunity to pass.
FABLES #34 : it's one of those stories that Willingham does between two storylines. I never feel like reading them but they are always fun in the end.
FLASH IGNITION TP : I'm sure that my shop will NOT get this as I forgot to order it. Yet I want to read the continuation of Johns' run. Well miracles happen sometimes, don't they?
GOTHAM CENTRAL #28 : Now that Bru's gone, I wish that DC will not kill this book. But is there a writer to support Greg Rucka ?
NIGHTWING #103 : I just looooooove Dixon's Nightwing. I haven't been this pleased by this book for quite a long time.
MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN #11 : This book is fun to read but I just wish the mastermind had been somebody else than Norman Orsborn. So overused.

This week is gonna hurt and the next one will be worse.

STAN LEE ON 60 MINUTES

2005-02-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

Wednesday's edition of CBS's 60 Minutes featured a story about Stan Lee's recent court victory over Marvel. Recently there had been some small steps made in the direction of crediting artists like Ditko and Kirby for their creative contributions to the Marvel Universe and not just their ability to draw. But this show set back those efforts by 50 years. I'm used to Stan forgetting to mention that anyone else, besides him, had a hand in the creation of those comic book icons. I don't think he has any evil ulterior motive in this, it's just Stan being Stan. It can drive a fanboy nuts, but I still like Stan at the end of the day.

But the reporting on Stan's victory was totally misleading. 60 minutes gave the impression that the court had ruled that Stan deserved a boatload of money because he had created these characters. And reporter Bob Simon spent his entire time asking Lee what it FELT like to "Hit the Jackpot!" CBS news, and I use that term loosely, was going at this story in the same way that they report on someone who has won the lottery.

The entire point of why Stan sued Marvel was ignored or glossed over. Stan, unlike Kirby or Ditko, had signed a contract with Marvel several years ago covering many aspects of his association with them. One of the points of the contract was that he would receive a percentage on any profits generated by movies made using Marvel characters such as Spider-man, Hulk etc. When the Spider-man movie was a hit, Marvel did not pay Lee per the contract. That's all. The court did not rule that Stan had created anything. It just said that Marvel had not lived up to it's end of the contract.

But you wouldn't know this from the CBS story. The scary thing is, are all the stories that you see on 60 Minutes this misleading? When they do a story on terrorists making dirty bombs or the ice caps melting due to the hole in the ozone, are these reports as totally misleading and ignorant of the actual facts as this report was?

I don't begrudge Stan his money. And it would be great if he gave some of it to the Kirby estate. But if he doesn't, that doesn't make him a bad guy. Bob Kane and Will Eisner were artists who were smart enough not to be taken advantage of by the "System". Other artists were not. Stan Lee was good at self promotion. Artists tend to be introverts who would rather spend time alone at their drawing board rather than sucking up to their boss or giving interviews to Sunday supplement mags.

Todd McFarlane is a smart business man and an artist. So fanboys like him, right? Wrong! Fanboys seem to dislike him because of his success as a businessman. Artists just don't seem to be able to win for losing.

Random thoughts on recent readings

2005-02-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

JLA Classified 1-3 : It's better in one sitting. I like Morrison's JLA, because it has a Silver Age style (or a Classic JLA style) with the big menace and the epic format and yet some touches of weirdness in the dialogues (there is a pricelles exchange between Wonder Woman and Aquaman in issue 3).
WE3 #3: I didn't know what to expect from this mini. Morrison has written a powerful and quite strange story. Issue 3 was quite powerful and the final of the 3 cyber-enhanced animals is quite touching. It's quite corny but it made me feel like hugging my cat. And I did. Yeah it's corny.
Powers ? 8 ? (latest one..) : Bendis is back at writing a terrific cop story. I had missed that and the book did too IMO.
Nightwing 101-102 : why did Chuck Dixon ever left this book (I know the answer but...). It feels good to read him again. And even if I like Devin Grayson's writing, she will never top Dixon on this book. The art by Scott Mc Daniel is quite a nice touch too. Bring back this team on this book.

Stuff I'll get this week

2005-02-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

DETECTIVE COMICS #803 : Lapham has definitely something in mind and the dark turn is promising.
INTIMATES #4 : I still want to know where this book is going.
DAREDEVIL REDEMPTION #1 (OF 6) : just a quick look for Gaydos art.
NEW AVENGERS #3 : It still doesn't really feel like Avengers but it remains fun.
SHANNA THE SHE DEVIL #1 (OF 7) : just a look there too. 7 issues is waaaaaaaay too much and the fact that it's no longer a Max books makes it less interesting.
X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG #2 (OF 5) : too Photoshop-y for me but nice to look at.

Well I may have missed a thing or two but I feel it's going to be a slow week.

Waid vs Johns

2005-01-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

Well I have now read almost 20 issues of Geoff Johns run on The Flash. And I have also read most of Mark Waid's run on the same title. Honestly I thought that nobody could top what Waid had done. But Johns has proven that he is quite a writer because instead of following Waid's approach he switched the focus.
Waid was all about Wally West and all the speedsters in the past and future. Waid has built a timeline starting in the early 1900's and finishing sometimes in the 27th century. That was one of his main assets on the book.
Johns lives in the now. He focuses on the supporting cast, the Rogues, and doesn't seem to care about the future. He has clearly blurred a few lines written by Waid about the possible Flash future and now the book is in 'everything is possible' mode.

I have difficulties in finding which one is my favorite writer but for comic fans both create a massive dose of fun and entertainment. Currently I read Johns' Flash in trade but I find it harder and harder not to jump into the monthly format bandwagon again.

Flash editions are available widely on Amazon and they are well worth reading.

Comic book stuff I wish I could relive

2005-01-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

The first time I saw John Romita's Spiderman- I was 4, it blew my socks off.
The shock when I read Gwen Stacy's or Phoenix's death and the real sadness I felt.
The headache while trying to understand DC pre-Crisis multiverse.
My first contact with Neal Adam's Batman.

More will come

The basement tapes talk about blogs

2005-01-25T01:20:00.000-08:00

Among other interesting things, in the latest Basement Tapes at CBR, Joe Casey and Matt Fraction give their view of what blogs should be :

"So, uh, I dunno. Blogs. Blogs are awesome when someone, somewhere, for whatever reason, decides to soapbox it and throw their two cents out there just to see what happens. Unconventional perspectives and ideas, unencumbered by the need for hits, ad dollars, approval, endorsement, or anything other than pure communication. And it seems to me that there are a lot more women in Blogopolis than in the pages of Wizard or The Journal, which is good.

Blogs are thoroughly un-awesome when they talk about blogs, talk about people talking about blogs, talk about each others blogs, or mimic each others blogs because that's what all the other blogs are doing. Blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs.

Food for thoughts indeed.

Going to Paris

2005-01-14T05:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'll be in Paris to meet friends, hang around and buy comics. I expect to get a lot of missing issues and a lot of trade paperbacks I have never located here like Fallen Angel, Invincible, Noble Causes and others.

REM live

2005-01-14T05:24:00.000-08:00

I saw REM in concert in Marseilles 2 days ago. What a slap in the face! I was not a huge fan but now I am. The performance was stunning from the first track (a great kick-off) till the obvious and wonderful Man on the moon to finish the show. I had a blast!

SUPPORT GRAVE DIGGER, please?

2005-01-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

Please support this book(by buying it). It really is GREAT! Bug your local comic book shop owner until he(or she) buys it.
http://www.rorschachentertainment.com/comics/gravedigger/grave.html

What I may get this week

2005-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

FABLES #33, is it me or did this book has slightly lost of its original appeal?
GOTHAM CENTRAL #27 : best DC book.
NIGHTWING #101 : Chuck Dixon, Scott Mc Daniel, Nightwing Year 1. Yeah!
WONDER WOMAN BITTER RIVALS TP : I liked the first Rucka's trade, I'll try this one.
DARKNESS SUPERMAN #1 (Of 2) : just a glance for the laughs.
WANTED #6 (Of 6) : started well then slipped, I expect a great finale.
MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN #10 : quite the contrary, this books gets better every issue.
PULSE #7 : Bendis is becoming his own crossover. I don't read Secret Wars and the appeal is slightly lost for me. The first 5 issues were just fabulous tho.
SPIDER MAN HUMAN TORCH #1 (OF 5) : could be fun.
STORMBREAKER THE SAGA OF BETA RAY BILL #1 (OF 6) : ditto.
That Geffen / De Matteis / Maguire book whose names is lost so far.

This week is gonna hurt ! In bold are the books that I'll buy, I'll just flip thru the others.

Rolling with the punches

2005-01-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

J. Hues column is back this week at Silver Bullet Comics. It's one of my favorite columns ever and it's very funny. Check it out.
Be sure to give a look at his strip which is always very funny too.

John Byrne art contest

2005-01-10T05:18:00.000-08:00

JB did an art challenge on his forum. He gave his fans the possibility to ink one of his old FF stories from his fanzine days. It's a fun quite Kirby-ish story. Well you judge.

Robert Deniro

2005-01-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to an interesting essay on the career of actor Robert Deniro. Is he still a great actor or has he sold out for the money?

http://observer.com/pages/frontpage5.asp

Changing its mind - random critiques

2005-01-09T02:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Dave Lapham is writing an interesting Batman in Detective Comics. I finally read Det 801 and 802 and this darker approach is quite worth reading. So I may not be reading THIS title on autopilot after all.
Hell, Mark Waid has made me buy a Legion book, something I had never even considered.
I have always liked Greg Land since his first Nightwing mini series 8 years ago. Phoenix endsong looks great but maybe too polished or too computerized. Yet the story is quite promising.
Much more disapointing is the follow-up of the Sins Past story in Spectacular Spider-Man. Nice art but the plot is weak and sometimes almost stupid... This story and the whole What if mess makes me wonder if the editors still have a real function at Marvel as it is clear that continuity is no longer important but also logic sometimes...

What if

2005-01-09T02:16:00.000-08:00

Marvel released 6 one shots under the old What if concept. I bought the hype, I couldn't wait. I read frantically when I got the books and was inevitably disapointed. The only good story is the FF what if written by Karl Kesel (the art by Paul Smith is always a wonderful surprise), Peter David provided a good Hulk What if, and Ed Brubaker gave a nice even if incoherent twist to Spidey . The Brian Bendis stories have proven that he has officially jumped the shark as he is not even able to respect his own continuity in DD and Avengers. And frankly does he own the rights to Luke Cage ? So why does he keep on having him on every effing book he writes these days ?
And the Claremont story, well let's just forget it as it was simply inane.

Read The Fourth Rail critics, they are not as harsh but I agree almost completely.

Death of Will Eisner

2005-01-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

Comic book genius Will Einer is dead as reported by Newsarama. It's just sad.

John Byrne on his last convention appearance

2005-01-04T05:32:00.000-08:00

In his not so frequent column over at UGO.com, John Byrne (currently on Doom Patrol, soon on Demon and Action Comics) explains that he is done with conventions and now prefers to exchange with his fans on his forum. Weird. Well the forum will still provide the usual madness.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

2005-01-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

Possibly the best movie of 2004. And a killer OST with a pure cover of Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes by Beck. Get the DVD now.

Books I'll get this week (sorta)

2005-01-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

You should know that for around where I live, you don't get your new books on Wednesdays, more on Tuesdays of the following week, sometimes earlier but not that often... This being said, here's what I'll try to get according to Diamond listing and the arrivals of my local shops:

BREACH #1 (will give a look)
DETECTIVE COMICS #802 (reading on autopilot, the Bat books are going to disappear from my purchase list sooner or later)
INTIMATES #3
NEW AVENGERS #2
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #23 (just a glance I think, as it's obviously too early for a Sins Past sequel)

God, how long has it been since last issue of Liberty Meadows?

Wizard TOP 5 for 2005 : obnoxious comments

2005-01-03T05:58:00.000-08:00

The latest Wizard produced 121 reasons to look forward to 2005 :

1) Batman Begins : OK the trailer looks good but will that be the top event of 2005 by year end? Doubtful.
2) DC all Stars : Do we need a new Ultimate line ? Why not reboot the whole continuity filled DC books and forget about it? The bottom line, it looks like fine comics...
3) House of M mini series by Bendis and our Olivier Coipel : looks fun but same comment than for #1.
4) Bryan Singer on the Superman flick and Ultimate Xmen. Mucho hype and nothing else for the moment. I still wish he had done X3 instead.
5) Astonishing Xmen : Here's hoping that Cassaday will not fall behind and THIS may be #1 by year end.

To all things a beginning

2005-01-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Happy new year and welcome to the two guys blog, hosted by eltini and the Red Oak Kid. It will be filled by random thoughts, reviews of stuff we like (comics, musics, book, movies) and it will be updated whenever we can!