tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36542463219632809072012-01-29T22:41:31.519-05:00Too many on-line reviewers focus on the negative. All they do is complain about stuff they don't like. This blog is about the things I do like.thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.comBlogger21851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-14973810943955784002012-01-29T21:37:00.000-05:002012-01-29T22:41:31.560-05:00

Produced by Tom Schnabel I had given Trance Planet up for lost years ago, and was very happy to rediscover it recently in my parent's house.  This world music compilation was a favourite of mine back in '94 or so, when I'd play the hell out of it at the used book store I was working at. Trance Planet collects music from around the globe that combines traditional, often spiritual music, with a

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-57721308424463647672012-01-29T13:14:00.000-05:002012-01-29T13:14:13.196-05:00

Written by Jeff Jensen Art by Jonathan Case This is one book that came as a bit of a surprise.  There hasn't been much of a tradition of 'true crime' in comics; crime comics abound, but graphic novels with journalistic weight behind them are pretty much non-existent. The writer of Green River Killer, Jeff Jensen, is the son of Tom Jensen, a detective who worked for over twenty years on the

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-13056341722391675152012-01-28T17:53:00.001-05:002012-01-28T17:53:44.159-05:00

Written by Mike Carey Art by Peter Gross and Vince Locke I thought that each of these .5 issues, which are being used to fill in the history of The Cabal, the organization that has been controlling the world's literature and making life difficult for Tom Taylor in the whole number issues of the series, was going to feature artists that are not normally associated with this book.  The first .5

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-66381300622441641152012-01-28T13:24:00.001-05:002012-01-28T13:24:19.499-05:00

Written by Cullen Bunn Art by Brian Hurtt I was pleased to see the news that Sixth Gun writer Cullen Bunn will be writing Wolverine after Jason Aaron leaves the title in a few months.  Bunn has really proven himself on The Sixth Gun as a writer of long-form stories that are creative in their treatment of familiar story elements and genre tropes, and, if Marvel's editors let him do his work, I'm

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-46197556617116395392012-01-28T13:13:00.002-05:002012-01-28T13:13:42.165-05:00

Written by Scott Snyder Art by Rafael Albuquerque I hope that all the people who are going on and on about how Scott Snyder's Batman and Swamp Thing are two of the best books coming out of DC since their relaunch are checking out American Vampire, his first on-going series.  It is similar to those two other series in that Snyder is providing fast-moving, character-driven stories that keep the

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-28495320809152885392012-01-27T22:20:00.001-05:002012-01-27T22:20:56.514-05:00

Written by Robert Kirkman Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn Every month I talk about how great this comic is, but I usually spend more time writing about the writing than I do the art.  I notice I have a tendency to do that with most comics, unless the art blows me away. The truth is, Charlie Adlard (with Cliff Rathburn on grays) has been doing an incredible job on this book since he

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-11967597746058750052012-01-27T09:29:00.002-05:002012-01-27T09:29:45.469-05:00

Written by Ed Brubaker Art by Cameron Stewart, Javier Pulido, and Mike Manley I'm still not sure how I missed out on Ed Brubaker's run with Catwoman back in the early 00's.  This trade collects eight issues of that run (from #12 - 19), and is broken into two stories. 'Relentless', the longer arc, has to do with the Black Mask seeking revenge on Selina for stealing his diamonds in the previous

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-63841794505936956282012-01-26T23:29:00.000-05:002012-01-26T23:29:13.421-05:00

Written by Richard Starkings and Rob Steen Art by Axel Medellin and Rob Steen It must be a lot easier to read Elephantmen in trade than it is to buy the semi-monthly issues.  This particular issue, which is the second part of the four-part 'The Killing Season' arc, has barely a single page that doesn't reference something from a previous comic.  Now, that is something I'm more than fine with.  I

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-43713994487073267762012-01-22T15:08:00.001-05:002012-01-22T15:08:40.561-05:00

Written by Mike Carey Art by Mike Perkins and PJ Holden This prestige format collection of three pieces that Mike Carey once published through Caliber came out in 2006, but I saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago, with a nice $1 price tag. I've been admiring Carey more and more over the last few years.  His Lucifer was brilliant, as is his Unwritten. I even found myself enjoying his

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-30723704681097972992012-01-21T13:23:00.000-05:002012-01-21T13:23:00.217-05:00

Written by Antony Johnston Art by Justin Greenwood In my opinion, some of the best news of the New Year is that Wasteland is back, and that the creators are committed to putting the book out on a monthly schedule again.  For the first year and a half of its existence, Wasteland was just about the most reliable independent comic published at the time, but something happened that caused artist

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-13102036504791116342012-01-21T11:05:00.001-05:002012-01-21T11:05:20.752-05:00

Written by Joshua Williamson Art by Seth Damoose Xenoholics has been a fun read, drawing a number of comparisons to Chew in terms of its brand of humour and subject matter.  This issue, I felt, fell a little flat, as it had a lot of plot to get through, and didn't have as much space for the character interactions and strange little moments that made the earlier issues work so well. Our group of

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-29525692104669347052012-01-21T10:56:00.000-05:002012-01-21T10:56:04.386-05:00

Written by Warren Ellis Art by Paul Duffield If you set aside all of the ruined, flooded England, post-civilization trappings of Freakangels, Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield's impressive and popular webcomic turned trade paperback series, you get an interesting study of twelve friends who try to do the right thing, and have a hard time maintaining their closeness with one another. The

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-92225388857784505962012-01-20T22:40:00.000-05:002012-01-20T22:40:36.571-05:00

Written by Bill Willingham Art by Rick Leonardi, Ron Randall, P. Craig Russell, Zander Cannon, Jim Fern, Ramon Bachs, and Adam Hughes Every once in a while in Fables, we get the equivalent of a clip show.  In this issue, Willingham works with a number of highly talented artists to give us a few short stories about some of the lesser-known characters that make up the gigantic ensemble cast of

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-35424490344345127652012-01-20T22:12:00.000-05:002012-01-20T22:12:13.538-05:00

Written by Brandon Graham Art by Simon Roy I think I may have just found my new favourite monthly comic.  By now, everyone knows the story - Rob Liefeld is relaunching his old Extreme line of comics, known for god-awful art and stories, filled with shoulder pads, pockets, giant guns, anatomically impossible women, and an utter lack of feet.  A lot of these comics were popular for a little while

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-86896380969407636012012-01-19T22:42:00.000-05:002012-01-19T22:42:04.101-05:00

Written by David Lapham Art by German Nobile I definitely lost faith in this mini-series somewhere in the second half, but David Lapham pulls everything together very nicely for this issue's conclusion.  Junius, called Felix, has been both plotting to kill Caligula, the mad emperor, and assisting him in his depravities.  It's been hard to say just why Felix has acted the way he has, except to

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-78824275616877200852012-01-19T21:18:00.001-05:002012-01-19T21:18:33.597-05:00

Written by Nick Spencer Art by Joe Eisma This issue of Morning Glories has thirty pages of story in it, for $2.99.  That alone should be enough of a reason to make it my favourite comic this week, and if this week's issue of Wasteland wasn't only $1, it would be the best deal.  Still, let's look at this in perspective.  This issue is like getting one and a half issues of The Avengers, for half

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-39271761908458523482012-01-19T20:43:00.001-05:002012-01-19T21:18:51.528-05:00

by The Orb I recently discovered a cache of CDs that I thought long lost while helping clean out an old TV stand at my parent's house over the holidays.  The pile of CDs (maybe twenty or twenty-five in number) were all sealed away some twelve or more years ago, and I thought it would be cool to write about my thoughts when listening to them after such a long time.  Therefore, I'm resurrecting my

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-45248556551774346502012-01-19T20:00:00.001-05:002012-01-19T20:00:29.236-05:00

by Nate Powell There are some stories that can only be told in comics, and Nate Powell's Any Empire is a perfect example of that.  His story, about childhood in the outer fringe of suburbia in the 80s, is about as impressionistic as a story can be.  I feel like I missed out on some of the nuance, but still enjoyed the originality of Powell's vision a great deal. Lee is a solitary, self-absorbed

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-78579452931246839092012-01-18T22:33:00.003-05:002012-01-18T22:33:43.485-05:00

Written by John Layman Art by Rob Guillory Only John Layman could come up with a plot as twisted as the one that sportswriter Don Frank has concocted in this issue of Chew.  We know Don as the former boyfriend of Amelia Nitz, Tony Chu's girlfriend.  Last issue, he and a group of his friends kidnapped Tony, and the reason is brilliant. You see, Tony's a cibopath - when he eats something, he

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-6460522708295148212012-01-17T20:58:00.002-05:002012-01-17T20:58:50.701-05:00

Written by Jean Dufaux Art by Philippe Delaby Ancient Rome has long held a fascination for me, but not to the extent that I've ever made a concerted effort to study it.  Instead, I've just sort of gleaned my knowledge from TV shows like Rome, movies like Spartacus(the TV show of the same name doesn't interest me), or comics like David Lapham's Caligula.  Therefore, my knowledge base is

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-56731704354878752502012-01-16T21:50:00.000-05:002012-01-16T21:50:04.536-05:00

by The Stepkids When I was trying to decide what to get at the music store one day, I asked the owner what this sounded like.  I have a wary respect for Stones Throw Records and their output - most of it I love, but when I don't like something in their catalogue, I really don't like it. Anyway, the store owner said it's a little like The Free Design, and that sold me on The Stepkids.  The band

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-41976563482712587302012-01-14T22:43:00.001-05:002012-01-14T22:43:23.288-05:00

Written by Sam Humphries Art by Dalton Rose There's a great deal to like about Sam Humphries and Dalton Rose's self-published, and self-distributed comics series Sacrifice, but a big one for me is that I don't know when a new issue is going to appear in my pull-file.  I just got the first issue last week, and suddenly the new one is here!  Sacrifice is a very cool comic.  It's about a guy who

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-27202076569131893852012-01-14T16:35:00.000-05:002012-01-14T16:35:07.701-05:00

Written by Donald Westlake Adapted by Darwyn Cooke When I started reading The Outfit, the second of Darwyn Cooke's adaptations of Richard Stark's (really Donald Westlake's) crime novels, I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened in the first one, The Hunter.  I remember enjoying Cooke's work, but storywise, nothing stayed with me. Reading this volume, I can see why.  Westlake's

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-61966663768122381682012-01-14T15:54:00.002-05:002012-01-14T15:54:37.830-05:00

Written by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft Art by Attila Futaki I've been a supporter of this series from the beginning, despite the fact that it can, at times, strain credibility to the breaking point.  I've thought that writers Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft had a little more leeway in their depiction of a couple of kids in Depression-era America as being a little naive because, let's face it, they

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-41051460609264402952012-01-14T12:48:00.003-05:002012-01-14T12:48:54.160-05:00

Written by Mike Carey Art by Peter Gross and MK Perker I really can not complain about this comic these days.  As Tom Taylor moves closer to finishing his conflict with The Cabal, the stakes get progressively higher, and the story steadily becomes more exciting. In this issue, the newly-reinvigorated Tom (thanks to some digital-era Tinkerbell hand clapping) sets off to confront The Cabal before

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-38455161993217430192012-01-14T12:42:00.000-05:002012-01-14T12:42:07.953-05:00

Written by Nate Cosby and Ben McCool Art by Breno Tamura There is a lot about Pigs that I find interesting and which compels me to come back issue after issue, but at the same time, I really wish this series would hurry up and have a lot more happen in each issue. Pigs is about a KGB sleeper cell that was planted in Cuba back in the 60s, and which now comprises the children of the original cell

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-10972911475950193952012-01-13T22:44:00.001-05:002012-01-13T22:44:38.485-05:00

Written by Nathan Edmondson Art by Mitch Gerads The comparisons between this title and Greg Rucka's Queen and Country, or the TV show The Unit are pretty easy to make, but that doesn't mean there isn't a place for this comic on the stands.  As a fan of war comics, and espionage, when it's done correctly, I am finding myself really getting into The Activity, which chronicles the missions of a

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-16408321905889362902012-01-12T23:07:00.000-05:002012-01-12T23:07:14.025-05:00

by Joshua Luna I've really come to enjoy the work of the Luna Brothers.  I've read their works backwards, starting with The Sword, then Girls, and not that long ago, their first series, Ultra. Long before that, I'd enjoyed their Marvel work on Spider-Woman, but they didn't write that.  Anyway, I have really grown to appreciate their pacing, original plots, and above all else, the strong

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-49773121220650316002012-01-11T22:45:00.002-05:002012-01-11T22:45:48.453-05:00

Written by Jason Aaron Art by RM Guera I don't know how to talk about this issue of Scalped without talking about how it ends, except in rather vague and general terms.  I will say though that that has to be one of the coolest endings to a comic I've seen in some time, and it comes as a huge pay-off for almost five year's worth of reading (and loving) this series. The issue opens where it ended

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-91813188733066760972012-01-11T21:29:00.000-05:002012-01-11T21:29:18.416-05:00

Written by Brian Wood Art by Declan Shalvey Change is not an easy thing to accept for many people.  It is especially difficult when that change is coming on the tide of history, and the way things have been for a long time is not going to be possible as the way things will be.  That idea is at the core of Brian Wood's Icelandic Trilogy, the final arc in Northlanders, his Viking comic. This

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-63238120416434167392012-01-10T20:24:00.000-05:002012-01-10T20:24:12.197-05:00

by The Weeknd I don't think it's possible to be any hotter in the music industry than Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd, is right now.  Especially when you consider that he hasn't given any interviews, appeared on any crappy late night talk shows, signed to any record labels, or even attempted to sell his music, choosing instead to release it for free on his website. Echoes of Silence is the third free

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-54011319761118793542012-01-08T15:07:00.002-05:002012-01-08T15:07:48.035-05:00

by Naoki Urasawa after Osamu Tezuka, with Takashi Nagasaki I'm glad that I made good use of Boxing Day sales to track down the remaining volumes in this series, because I find that each new volume I read ramps up the level of tension and my interest in this series. Pluto is a re-make of a classic Osamu Tezuka Astro Boy story (which I've never read), although told in a longer, much more complex

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-58687865156021872512012-01-07T16:43:00.000-05:002012-01-07T16:43:07.575-05:00

by Tetsu Saiwai A friend suggested that I read The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography and I'm glad I did.  I've always had a passing interest in Tenzin Gyatso and the struggle of his people, and I was familiar with his story, but I'd never read a biography of him before now. Tetsu Saiwai's manga begins with the death of the previous Dalai Lama, and the search for his resurrected spirit.  Once

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-73431528073819608832012-01-06T19:33:00.000-05:002012-01-06T19:33:09.943-05:00

by The Roots Every time I've heard the statement over the last few years that 'hip-hop is dead', I've always thought of the perfect counter-argument, which is The Roots.  This ever-changing group has done more than anyone to advance and evolve the genre of hip-hop, while also transcending it with every new album.  And then they go and release Undun, which has to be considered their masterpiece.

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-80871735237959871362012-01-06T17:01:00.000-05:002012-01-06T17:01:29.447-05:00

Written by Ed Brubaker Art by Brad Rader, Cameron Stewart, Rick Burchett, Michael Avon Oeming, and Mike Manley I don't often buy trades of superhero comics.  If I am interested, I usually buy them as they come out, or in cases where I've missed a particularly good run, I'll pick up back issues at sales or in used bookstores.  Ed Brubaker's run on Catwoman is something that completely slipped

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-53995944553269776452012-01-06T12:38:00.001-05:002012-01-06T12:38:52.638-05:00

by Carla Speed McNeil Finder has been my favourite comic book discovery of 2011.  Carla Speed McNeil's series has been around for years, but was completely under my radar until Dark Horse began collecting the series in the Finder Library series, serializing new adventures of main character Jaeger in their new Dark Horse Presents monthly anthology comic, and published the new graphic novel Voice.

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-31456352533122958252012-01-05T22:31:00.001-05:002012-01-05T22:31:51.554-05:00

Written by Sam Humphries Art by Dalton Rose I really do shop at one of the best comic stores in North America.  They were one of the handful of stores to sell this comic, which most shops got a couple of weeks ago.  Since we are in Canada, and our shop chose the least expensive shipping method (so they could make money selling the comic at cover price - a crazy notion, no?), it only arrived in

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-63740498551578784832012-01-05T21:49:00.000-05:002012-01-05T21:49:00.835-05:00

by Jeff Lemire It's been a while since we've last seen Gus, Mr. Jeppard, or the other cast members of this series.  For the last three months, we've been given a story set in Alaska almost one hundred years ago (with guest artist Matt Kindt) which has helped establish a little more of an historical connection between what we know of Gus's world and the past. Now, Jeff Lemire is back to drawing

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-76125291461561117522012-01-05T21:05:00.001-05:002012-01-05T21:05:46.918-05:00

Written by Chris Roberson Art by J. Bone I was pretty surprised to find that Michael Allred hadn't drawn this issue of iZombie, and that the art was instead provided by a talented artist from my hometown - J. Bone.  I've been familiar with Bone's work for years, but haven't read much of his output (I've stayed away from the DC 'all-ages' work that he is best known for).  I love the work that

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-7673297620254107892012-01-05T20:38:00.000-05:002012-01-05T20:38:05.163-05:00

Written by Ed Brubaker Art by Sean Phillips Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, especially when working together, are two of the most lauded and respected creators making comics these days.  Their work on Sleeper, Incognito, and the sublime Criminal has received tons of praise over the last ten years or so, and deservedly so. I'm not sure what caused them to publish Fatale through Image Comics

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-44469321571428284502012-01-04T22:39:00.000-05:002012-01-04T22:39:10.632-05:00

Written by S. Steven Struble Art by Sina Grace I'm wondering if it's not time to start switching to reading this book in trade.  I like The Li'l Depressed Boy, but I'm getting a little frustrated with how little actually happens in each issue of this comic. Case in point:  this month, LDB and Drew make their way home from the concert they spent like 3 issues going to.  They have breakfast and

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-75878500503211141832012-01-04T20:50:00.003-05:002012-01-04T21:27:36.765-05:00

Written by Matz Art by Gaël de Meyere I guess there aren't a lot of ways that this series could have ended - even in today's world, let alone the future, it is very difficult to go up against a corporation and get a favourable outcome.  Our hero, Douglas Pistoia and his friends have exposed Multicorps as war criminals, and are on the run when the issue opens. This issue sags a little, as do

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-35014425950838431492012-01-03T18:11:00.004-05:002012-01-03T18:12:34.409-05:00

by Tom Waits Basically, you either love Tom Waits, or you don't.  Anyone who has looked over the types of music I usually write about on this site would perhaps be surprised to see that Ol' Tom is one of my favourite musical artists, but there is something so appealing about most of his music, and I've been listening to him for close to twenty years now, having first been introduced to him by a

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-76050421194865307082012-01-03T14:07:00.001-05:002012-01-03T14:07:32.221-05:00

Written by John Wagner Art by Vince Locke It's pretty much impossible for a comics fan to have read everything.  I saw this recent Vertigo Crime reprinting of the old Paradox Press title A History of Violenceand was more than a little surprised to realize I'd never read it before (nor had I seen the moviedirected by David Cronenberg, despite the fact that I went through a huge Cronenberg phase

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-27899472771910935032012-01-02T17:19:00.002-05:002012-01-02T17:19:56.429-05:00

The Poetry & Jazz of Langston Hughes I've been reading Langston Hughes pretty much my whole life.  He's one of the essential poets, and his work is easy to understand when introducing poetry to young people.  I've only rarely been blown away by anything he's written, but I do have a tremendous amount of respect for his place in the American canon, especially his place in the history of

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-52059932733447881202011-12-31T15:09:00.000-05:002011-12-31T15:10:16.465-05:00

by Nate Powell Swallow Me Whole is a pretty surprising and powerful book, that leaves itself open to interpretation in a number of ways.  The book revolves around Ruth, an adolescent girl who lives with her mother, stepfather, stepbrother Perry, and her infirm grandmother, who everyone calls Memaw. Mental illness runs rampant in this family.  Memaw is kind of senile, although she hints at

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-18564894370980903962011-12-30T21:10:00.002-05:002011-12-30T21:10:59.133-05:00

by Kashmere Stage Band Listening to this stuff, you would never come to the conclusion that you are hearing a high school band, unless you read the liner notes.  The Kashmere Stage Band was the greatest high school band in America for a number of years running starting in 1972, when they started winning national competitions. The band was directed by Conrad O. 'Prof' Johnson, who passed away a

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-44073321969737808742011-12-30T16:50:00.002-05:002011-12-30T16:50:40.601-05:00

Written by Mike Carey Art by Peter Gross and Dean Ormston The .5 issues of this book are being used to tell us something about the Cabal, the group of people who have been shaping and using literature, and literacy, for their own purposes for as long as man has been writing things down.  In the previous .5 comic (they alternate with the whole number issues, which tell the current events

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-8536486538633166792011-12-30T14:22:00.001-05:002011-12-30T14:22:58.838-05:00

Written by Brian Azzarello Art by Eduardo Risso Now that the characters and situation are established, this series is really starting to take off. Orson is a 'spaceman', a genetically modified human designed for space exploration who now goes from salvage job to salvage job trying to make enough money to pay for his virtual sessions with a call girl, and to buy drugs.  On his most recent

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-78991250676243467092011-12-29T22:39:00.000-05:002011-12-29T22:39:03.403-05:00

Written by Brian Wood Art by Riccardo Burchielli What a perfect way to end a long-running and complex series.  I feel like DMZ didn't receive enough attention over the last few years.  It's been as good as other lionized Vertigo series like Y the Last Man, but has never developed the same sort of vocal, loyal fan base (although we know they are out there - this comic has had remarkably stable,

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-1564890392700698062011-12-29T20:23:00.001-05:002011-12-29T20:23:29.999-05:00

Written by Scott Snyder Art by Rafael Albuquerque It's great to see Rafael Albuquerque back on American Vampire.  I enjoyed Jordi Bernet's recent work on the title, but Albuquerque is the artist who caused this book to catch my eye in the first place, and things feel right when he's working on it. With this new arc, 'Death Race', we move into the 1950s, and we meet Travis Kidd, a young and

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-8048037593387488722011-12-29T17:20:00.000-05:002011-12-29T17:20:31.018-05:00

Written by Brandon Seifert Art by Lukas Ketner I thought that the first volume of Witch Doctor was a very cool comic - it posits a world where doctors investigate, diagnose, and treat infections and chronic conditions that we usually ascribe to magic.  Things like vampirism, changeling babies, and the other things that populate horror stories all have a medical basis in this comic, although Dr.

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-17549156891548704172011-12-29T15:10:00.000-05:002011-12-29T15:10:06.152-05:00

Written by Felicia Day and Sandeep Parikh Art by Becky Cloonan I came very late to The Guild, Felicia Day's web TV show about a group of strangers who have bonded over an online fantasy game, but once I finally watched it, I was quickly hooked.  Dark Horse published a comic book mini-series a couple of years back (which I haven't read yet), and then started creating a series of one-shots focused

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-20675986347609220192011-12-28T14:38:00.002-05:002011-12-28T14:38:47.868-05:00

by Terry Moore I know I'm very late in coming to this comic, but I'd never thought it would interest me before, for much the same reasons that I've never read Love and Rockets.  It just never seemed like my thing, but I really enjoyed Moore's Echo, and I'm always looking to expand what 'my thing' is when it comes to comics. These Pocket Editions are a great way to read Strangers in Paradise. 

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-20768915664288237512011-12-24T13:48:00.001-05:002011-12-24T13:48:27.312-05:00

Written by Joshua Williamson Art by Seth Damoose It's now very clear that there is a lot more going on in Xenoholics than there seemed at the beginning of the series.  This book is basically about a group of people who enjoy being abducted by aliens, who had formed a support group.  The professor who ran their sessions went missing, and then a government agent dressed all in white came after

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-70263966548999928612011-12-24T13:23:00.003-05:002011-12-24T13:23:48.865-05:00

by Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the Afrika 70 I love the Knitting Factory re-releases of classic Fela Kuti albums.  They combine two LPs onto a single CD, and reproduce the original album covers, front and back, with a paper insert that explains a little about the different tracks and the circumstances around their writing and recording. This particular CD contains Shuffering and Shmiling & No

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-42004978315044481852011-12-23T20:13:00.002-05:002011-12-24T17:36:59.509-05:00

Written by Nathan Edmondson Art by Mitch Gerads I loved Greg Rucka's Queen & Country (which I was admittedly late to discover). I also got into the TV show The Unit for a while.  This new comic (I'm not sure if it's a mini-series or an on-going; Image is pretty bad about telling us things like that) fills the gap that those two forms of entertainment has left. The Activity is about a

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-73456479088276121982011-12-23T19:52:00.002-05:002011-12-23T19:52:54.052-05:00

Written by Bill Willingham Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, and Dan Green Ah, the Christmas issue - proof that time really does move forward in comics.  This is an extra-sized issue, something I didn't notice until I was more than half-way through and started wondering how Willingham and company had packed so much into one comic. Anyway, the Fables return to the Farm just

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-78182089260904275982011-12-23T17:49:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:49:01.226-05:00

Written by S. Steven Struble Art by Ed Tadem, Lindsay Jane, Sina Grace, Jose Garibaldi, Chris Fenoglio, Zach Trover, Kristopher Struble, Jim Mahfood, Kanila Tripp, Roman Muradov, Justin Stewart, Sam Kieth, Jim Valentino, Scott Morse, Evan DiLeo, and Jamie McKelvie I've been getting a lot more enjoyment out of the Image series The Li'l Depressed Boy than I expected.  Each issue has an

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-1602105956697933352011-12-23T17:30:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:30:20.805-05:00

Written by Will Pfieifer Art by Jill Thompson The Vertigo Resurrected series, like the DC Comics Presents series, really is a great idea.  A mini-series like Finals, from 1999, doesn't have enough of an audience to warrant receiving a proper trade paperback, but this less-expensive format, similar to Dark Horse Presents, is perfect to bring some attention to some pretty decent comics. Finals is

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-53783169748522930592011-12-22T23:05:00.000-05:002011-12-22T23:05:03.792-05:00

Written by Mike Mignola, Andi Watson, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, MJ Butler, Stan Sakai, Tony Puryear, Brandon Graham, Felipe Melo, and Carla Speed McNeil Art by Mike Mignola, Andi Watson, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Mark Wheatley, Stan Sakai, Tony Puryear, Brandon Graham, Juan Cavia, and Carla Speed McNeil There are some new members to the the exclusive Dark Horse Presents library this month.

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-7218354090811959022011-12-22T19:39:00.000-05:002011-12-22T19:40:27.270-05:00

Written by Bernar Yslaire and Jean-Claude Carrière Art by Bernar Yslaire I vaguely remember writing an essay almost twenty years ago about the artist Jacques-Louis David and his role in helping construct the public image of the French Revolution.  My memory of this is very vague, and I do wish I'd kept my university essays, simply because it would probably be amusing to read it over now. Anyway

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-15680861231052533552011-12-20T20:38:00.001-05:002011-12-20T20:38:53.636-05:00

by Adrian Tomine Summer Blonde collects four stories from Adrian Tomine's Optic Nerve, each of which is a minor masterpiece of literary comics. In Alter Ego, a struggling writer obsessed with issues from his childhood that he hasn't been able to let go, enters into a strange relationship with the teenage sister of a girl he had a crush on in high school.  The writer lives in a different town,

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-71345997742275794662011-12-20T19:58:00.000-05:002011-12-20T19:58:10.422-05:00

by Zara McFarlane I'm not going to pretend to be even a little bit qualified to discuss jazz music.  I've not put much time into learning about it, and many of the genre's high points are not known to me.  I do know when I like something though, and I absolutely love this album. I was poking around the store where I buy my music - a much more difficult proposition since the best music store in

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-31056604614843662452011-12-19T22:38:00.000-05:002011-12-19T22:38:18.661-05:00

by Naoki Urasawa after Osamu Tezuka, with Takashi Nagasaki With each volume of this series I read, I find myself ever more drawn in to Naoki Urasawa's remaking of a classic Osamu Tezuka Astro Boy story. This third volume introduces a few new story elements. Where the first two volumes were primarily concerned with police robot Inspector Gesicht's mission to track down whoever or whatever is

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-89407004315896202502011-12-18T14:26:00.000-05:002011-12-18T14:26:18.761-05:00

Remixed and Produced by Madlib I feel like the Madlib Medicine Show ended up being a bit of a disappointment in the end.  The monthly schedule was abandoned a while ago, and the last few entries (particularly the 9th one) weren't all that impressive.  When I first heard this twelfth (and final?) disc, I didn't much like it at first.  With repeated listening it grew on me, but I still feel like

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-46595606217639155562011-12-17T22:47:00.000-05:002011-12-17T22:47:20.520-05:00

Written by Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan, and David Lapham Art by Mike Huddleston When I first heard about this project, a twelve-issue comics series featuring writing by David Lapham and art by Mike Huddleston, I was not very happy.  You would think I'd be over-joyed.  I have been a huge fan of Lapham for years, and have been very impressed with Huddleston over the last year, and yet, I was

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-34208407998934014782011-12-17T22:13:00.001-05:002011-12-17T22:13:45.381-05:00

Written by Robert Kirkman Art by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn How long has it been since we've seen some straight forward zombie killing in this comic?  How long has it been since Rick was just a supporting character for an issue?  When was the last time Michonne said more than ten words in a row?  Kirkman shakes things up this issue (possibly by quite a bit), and it makes for a terrific

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-18685171325740850862011-12-17T21:58:00.003-05:002011-12-17T21:58:49.376-05:00

Written by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft Art by Attila Futaki Jack and the creepy imposter salesman cannibal guy are on the road together, with Jack thinking that his friend Sam has abandoned him and stolen his wallet.  This gives Mr. Fisher (not his real name) a number of opportunities to teach Jack about what life on the road is like, as he takes him with him, Jack thinks, to record his music

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-73460932867456722212011-12-17T20:44:00.001-05:002011-12-18T13:33:34.162-05:00

Written by Nate Cosby and Ben McCool Art by Breno Tamura and Will Sliney Pigs is a very interesting comic.  It's about a group of Soviet sleeper agents who were hidden in Cuba to wait for orders.  The original members of the cell raised their children to carry on their mission, which has now actually begun. The core members of the group have come the United States to carry out their mission,

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-11035215129627516842011-12-17T10:47:00.000-05:002011-12-17T10:47:00.407-05:00

Written by Mike Carey Art by Peter Gross and MK Perker I find it hard to believe that there was a time when I was going to drop The Unwritten.  When the series started, it took a while before it found sure footing, or at least that's how it felt to me, who had never read or been interested in the Harry Potter books which this series owes so much to. Now though, The Unwritten has become one of

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-36296193487285754452011-12-17T10:21:00.001-05:002011-12-17T10:21:24.903-05:00

by Dany Laferrière I hadn't read Dany Laferrière in years.  I really enjoyed his work when I was in high school and university, but had more or less lost touch with him as a writer until I saw him being discussed on the New Yorker's website this summer (Junot Diaz, another amazing Hispaniolan writer was talking about him).  I figured it was time to track down some of his books again. Heading

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-65693164647903078772011-12-17T10:00:00.001-05:002011-12-17T10:00:24.083-05:00

by Sonny Liew I was a little surprised to see how many of the stories collected in this book I've read before, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of Sonny Liew's unusual comic.  Malinky Robot is about Atari and Oliver, two kids (actually, I'm not too sure what Oliver is; he looks a little like a wool-less sheep) who hang out in the city of San'ya, a post-urban sprawl of slums. The two

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-23004943325862604302011-12-16T22:54:00.000-05:002011-12-18T14:08:55.335-05:00

Written by Viktor Kalvachev, Kosta Yanev, and Andrew Osborne Art by Viktor Kalvachev, Nathan Fox, Toby Cypress, Andrew Robinson, and Peter Nguyen The longer the series runs, the more I find myself getting caught up in the twist and turns of Kalvachev and company's story.  Last month, most of the issue focused on Bruce Maddox, his trainer and lover Marcellus, and Clarence, the man that killed

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-73647240908990731922011-12-16T18:05:00.000-05:002011-12-16T18:05:21.939-05:00

by Michael Kupperman It's been a year and a half since Michael Kupperman last gifted us with an issue of Tales Designed to Thrizzle, his bizarre and self-indulgent anthology series.  I had really just discovered Mr. Kupperman at the time of the last issue (I loved his stuff in Strange Tales), and realize that I haven't read anything of his since, which is something I should take care of. This

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-40540636474231836602011-12-15T20:42:00.000-05:002011-12-15T20:42:08.925-05:00

by Phonte Phonte is one of the people in the music industry that I respect the most.  When Little Brother got their start, I found that his raps were by far the freshest and coolest part of the group, and for a while, I was in agreement with the throngs of people who heralded 9th Wonder as one of the greatest producers of the decade.  Then, as time went on, I found that 9th was starting to get a

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-70298561440742422522011-12-15T20:11:00.001-05:002011-12-15T20:11:22.478-05:00

Written by Matz Art by Gaël de Meyere I think Cyclops dragged a little somewhere in the middle, but this seventh issue was originally published as the first half of the last French issue, and there is a definite sense of momentum that propels the story now. Doug Pistoia is a world-wide celebrity, starring as the leader of a unit of Peacekeepers whose every movement is recorded and streamed live

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-29080282591213400482011-12-14T21:38:00.000-05:002011-12-14T21:38:07.531-05:00

Written by Scott Snyder Art by Jordi Bernet Scott Snyder's decided to finish off his 'Beast in the Cave' arc by dodging something that I expected since the end of the first chapter.  All along, this story has been telling us about series baddie Skinner Sweet and his adoptive brother Jim Book's time in the US Army, between the two men became bitter enemies.  They, and their unit, have been

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-14422308074987963192011-12-14T21:21:00.000-05:002011-12-14T21:21:25.862-05:00

Written by Jean-Pierre Pécau Art by Igor Kordey I really have no idea what's going on with Archaia, but it's nice to see that they are publishing books again, and it's always nice to see another issue of The Secret History. This is probably the most sprawling and complex comic I've ever read.  This issue alone takes place in Egypt, Soviet Russia, Hungary, and the US, with further discussion of

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-62393456857158667132011-12-13T19:43:00.000-05:002011-12-13T19:43:02.434-05:00

by Ross Campbell Every time I read a volume of Wet Moon, Ross Campbell's bizarre series about the relationships of pan-sexual college students in the South, I end up talking about how little I would expect to like a book like this, and yet I find myself completely drawn in and hooked by the story.  This volume was no different, but I did have my problems with it. To begin with, volume 5 is much

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-68371334089503812262011-12-10T21:49:00.001-05:002011-12-10T22:27:06.289-05:00

by Blu It's been a while since Blu released any albums, and then these two became widely available at the same time. Jesus has eleven tracks, produced by a number of different producers, with an even mix between known quantities and people whose beats I believe I'm hearing for the first time.  Hezekiah, Alchemist, and Madlib each provide a single track (Madlib's is the best), while the bulk of

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-34373314680900742082011-12-10T12:32:00.001-05:002011-12-10T18:16:39.676-05:00

by Terry Moore Echo comes to a very satisfying finish in this final volume. Julie and her friends confront their pursuers in a gigantic secret super-collider hidden under the snowy wastelands of Alaska, with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance. While much of this volume is spent portraying the action scenes needed to finish things off properly, it is actually the quieter

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-43168688239364117092011-12-10T12:23:00.001-05:002011-12-10T18:17:00.374-05:00

Written by Blair Butler Art by Kevin Mellon Heart is a surprise.  Normally, I would have no interest in a comic about the world of mixed martial arts.  The actual sport holds no interest for me, ranking somewhere around Nascar and scrapbooking on the list of pursuits I hope to never learn anything about, yet there is something very compelling in Butler and Mellon's story about a young man who is

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-71329565428784587132011-12-10T11:37:00.001-05:002011-12-10T18:17:32.067-05:00

Written by Kako, Ricardo Giasetti, Rafael Coutinho, Pam Noles, PEOV, Fábio Moon, Jeremy Nisen, Clayton Junior, Rafael Grampá, and Shane L. Amaya Art by Kako, Fabio Cobiaco, Rafael Coutinho, Bruno D'Angelo, PEOV, Fábio Moon, Jefferson Costa, Clayton Junior, Rafael Grampá, and Gabriel Bá Gunned Down is a collection of short Western comics drawn by Brazilian artists.  Why did the editor, Shane L.

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-89515715499950243672011-12-09T22:49:00.001-05:002011-12-10T18:17:49.331-05:00

Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Matt Kindt With this issue, the three-part 'Taxidermist' arc comes to a close.  As with many conflicts and meetings between Europeans and Inuit people in the years before this story is set (exactly 100 years ago this week, I noticed), things get pretty bloody this month. The narrator, James Thacker, has traveled to Alaska to hunt for his missing soon-to-be

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-49603258826462389922011-12-09T21:43:00.001-05:002011-12-10T18:18:06.444-05:00

Written by Chris Roberson Art by Michael Allred Sometimes this comic can be accused of being a little slow moving, or having not much happen in any given issue, but neither accusation can be tossed at the title this month. In this issue, after spending a lot of time hiding out from the Dead Presidents (a government team of supernatural agents), Gwen is discovered.  Scott gets abducted by Amon,

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Written by Antony Johnston, Duncan Fegredo, Andy Diggle, Robin Furth, Mark Rutter, Mike Carey, Gavin Ross, Sally Jane Thompson, Will Morris, Raymond Mak, Amy Evans, Kristyna Baczynski, Matt Sheret, HP Lovecraft, Stuart Gordon, Alice Summerscales, and Sophie Kamlish Art by Charlie Adlard, Duncan Fegredo, D'Israeli, Frank Beazante, MD Penman, Gavin Ross, Jally Jane Thompson, Will Morris, Raymond

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Written by John Layman Art by Rob Guillory Month after month, Chew is one of the most satisfying comics on the stands.  This current arc, Major League Chew, is a little different from previous ones, in that the story directly continues from one issue to the other, whereas lately, each arc has been made up on done-in-one comics.  I like that, as Layman's story becomes ever more complex, that the

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Written by John Arcudi Art by Peter Snejbjerg The last twenty years have seen a long string of books like this, where a Superman character is portrayed as being evil.  Without giving it too much thought, projects like Mark Waid's Irredeemable, and Peter Tomasi and Keith Champagne's The Mighty (which shares an artist with this book) spring to mind, and I know there are many more. A God Somewhere

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by John Brandon It's been a while since I've read a novel that is so straight-forward and entertaining, while also beguilingly disturbing and haunting.  Citrus County is a portrait of a forgotten region of Florida.  Too swampy to be infested with tourists, and too out of the usual hurricane path to ever get on the news, this is a dilapidated, rather hopeless region in a state that has become the

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by Exile Exile is one of the best producers working in hip-hop today.  From his start as part of Eamonon, to his album-length collaborations with artists like Blu and Fashawn, he has carved out a name for himself as a producer who makes rapper-friendly beats that are also progressive.  Had he stopped there, he could have been one of the greats, but then he went ahead and released his masterpiece

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by Naoki Urasawa after Osamu Tezuka, with Takashi Nagasaki I'm starting to think that Naoki Urasawa could very well be my gateway into manga.  My previous forays into that realm have me with mixed success, but I really do love Pluto. This series is a collaboration between Uraawa and manga master Osamu Tezuka, in the same way that those Frank Sinatra Duet albums can be considered collaborations.

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by Carla Speed McNeil I don't understand how it is that until this last year, I'd not been aware of Finder.  The series has been around since 1997, and while self-published, and therefore maybe a little hard to find in all comics shops, it has garnered a great deal of praise.  Perhaps I had heard of it, but I'm sure I'd never seen it before Dark Horse released the original graphic novel Voice,

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by Ras G Ras G is one of those artists I'm not really sure how to categorize.  I think of him as being in the same general area of music as people like Flying Lotus, a madcap experimenter with loops and breakbeats, but his work is much gentler than Lotus's. Down 2 Earth has twenty-one tracks, but clocks in at only thirty-three minutes, making this a quick little beat tape project.  His beats

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Written by Bill Willingham Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Shawn McManus I'm never very sure what to do with Fables these days.  It's always an entertaining comic, but I often feel like something is missing, and this issue is a good example of that recurrent problem. There are two stories going on here this month.  Bufkin is a prisoner in the Emerald City, and is facing execution

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Written by Antony Johnston Art by Brett Weldele Amid the usual trickle, and sometimes deluge, of announcements about new graphic novels and comics series that have been heralded over the last year, one of the ones that most caught my eye was the expected return of Wasteland to a monthly schedule.  Wasteland has been around for a while, and was at one point the most reliable of monthly

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Written by Brian Azzarello Art by Eduardo Risso I don't understand why there hasn't been more discussion and hype for Spaceman.  Azzarello and Risso are an excellent team, and with this nine-part mini-series, they are doing something quite different from what they usually do. Spaceman is about Orson, a genetically engineered or modified person who was originally intended to travel to Mars. 

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Written by Gerry Duggan Art by Phil Noto The Infinite Horizon has been a very cool mini-series.  Sure, it's easy to just complain about how many years it's taken for the series to be completed (for the record, less than Gutsville and Pirates of Coney Island), but now that it has finished, and presumably will soon be available in trade for people who waited, or perhaps hadn't even been comics

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Written by Jim Demonakos, Kyle Stevens, Jim Zubkavich, Howard Taylor, and Zach Weiner Art by Joe Ng, Joel Carroll, Mike Luckas, and Ben McSweeney I really like the way that, between story arcs, Jim Zubkavich invites his friends over to play with his toys for a single issue.  This time around, there are four 'tavern tales', which give us some different views into the adventures of our two heroes.

thingslikeihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073151829696396635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3654246321963280907.post-33725171263821752882011-11-25T21:26:00.001-05:002011-12-17T20:56:00.528-05:00

Written by Cullen Bunn Art by Brian Hurtt Cullen Bunn has done a remarkable job crafting the story in this series.  He's taken what started out as being a mystical western comic, and shaped it into a story structured around ancient evils, and the orders that exist to combat or serve them.  In addition to the Sword of Abraham, a group of priests who have been working to keep the six guns under

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