July 2010

  • Sandman: Fables and Reflections

    By msarko on 7/29/10 11:29pm
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    Neil Gaiman's fiction is dark and disturbing, but it can never really be called misanthropic. Though precious few of his stories lack murderers, rapists, liars, thieves and cheats, all of them depict a core belief in goodness. This sets Gaiman's work above most other alternative comics, which tend to have a relentlessly bleak worldview. The sixth collection of Sandman comics, "Fables and Reflections", has a generally positive outlook on the virtues of humanity, even if its subject matter is downtrodden.



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  • Yes, I like sci-fi.

    By dfunzy on 7/22/10 11:40am
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    Stan LeeStan LeeThe San Diego Comic Con is underway. For those who do not know what the San Diego Comic Con is, its is an annual pop cultural event, a conference, convention, festival, fan performance art celebration. It is for fans who love comics, sci- fi movies and Tv shows, who love gadgets, gismos, and cool computer games. It is for the geek in us to speak -- speak? To scream with joy!

    More than 120,000 strong are gathered. As usual, G4 (TV cable channel) will be covering Comic-Con extensively.

    Featured on opening day at Comic Con was no other than he who is the rock star, he who is a legend, an American icon, he who is the godfather of the comic world, the creator of so many Marvel comics' fictional super heroes, he who is a real life hero, he who is a big draw at the 41st annual Comic-Con in San Diego -- Stan Lee. See the video.

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  • Sandman: A Game of You

    By msarko on 7/22/10 2:10am
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    Neil Gaiman created such a rich and expansive world with Sandman that he could have potentially continued the series indefinitely. Gaiman himself acknowledges this and has made it clear that his decision to end Sandman after a healthy 75 issues (plus a few extras) was a creative one. Just because the Sandman universe has the potential for literally as many stories as one can imagine doesn't mean it ought to go on forever. The variety and limitless bounds of Sandman serve a less mercenary purpose than just perpetuating the series. By having access to as many private worlds as there are characters, the comics can tell stories that don't star Dream himself. This stops the story from becoming a dull chain of foregone conclusions, seeing as Dream is depicted as being more powerful than even the gods of antiquity.



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  • Quickie Trade & GN Reviews

    By wrathamon on 7/20/10 11:47pm
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    Ghostopolis-Doug TenNapel just knows how to write a fun quirky story. I haven’t read a book by him so far that I haven’t liked and Ghostopolis is no exception. Following a terminally ill boy as he’s accidentally teleported to the land of the dead by an inept government agent, TenNapel just throws together random concepts and runs with them and gives you some great characters and fun dialogue along the way. I picked up the $24.99 HC since I always feel like I get my moneys worth from TenNapel, but there is a soft cover alternative. Either way, check it out for a weird look at the afterlife or if you just want to try something a little different. A

     

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  • Sandman: Seasons of Mist

    By msarko on 7/14/10 11:14pm
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    Neil Gaiman's stock and trade has always been representing famous myths in ways that make them interesting, relevant and, most importantly, unpredictable for modern readers. He doesn't always stray from stereotype, especially when there's nothing wrong with the original understanding of the myth. Rather, he picks and chooses those aspects of human legend that don't really serve the tone of his stories and turns them on their heads, or at the very least interprets them in an unusual way. "Seasons of Mist", the fourth trade paperback compilation of Sandman comics, goes into mythology overdrive, depicting some famous figures exactly as they've always been depicted and reinventing others radically. Gaiman wouldn't attempt a mythological deconstruction as vast and varied as this for another decade when he wrote American Gods.



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  • Harvey Pekar: 1939-2010

    By msarko on 7/12/10 7:34pm
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    Famed alternative comics icon and reluctant TV personality Harvey Pekar passed away today at the age of 70. His cause of death has yet to be determined, though at the time of his passing Pekar was being treated for prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife Joyce Brabner and their adopted daughter Danielle.



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  • Sandman: Dream Country

    By msarko on 7/8/10 12:28am
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    Several times throughout the Sandman series, Neil Gaiman took some time off from the main plot (or the closest thing the series ever had to a main plot) to indulge in some stand-alone stories that have little or nothing to do with Dream himself. These stories more often than not highlight how deep and malleable the Sandman universe was from the very start. They're stories about human nature and the consequences of desire, fun vignettes that display Neil Gaiman at his most imaginative and reverential. "Dream Country" highlights four stories from early in the series that alternate between funny, sad and delightfully strange.



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  • Weekly Reading Pile: Week of 6/30/10

    By wrathamon on 7/2/10 9:12pm
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    Action Comics #890- Now this here, this is good comics. When they first announced this book the writer was supposed to be Guggenheim, who honestly does absolutely nothing for me. Then they announced the change over to Paul Cornell, who totally won me over with his Captain Britain series at Marvel. Dracula has a base on the Moon and a giant cannon that fires vampires at Earth? Sold. So Cornell turning Action Comics into a series about Lex Luthor on a quest to hunt down the power rings from Blackest Night? Drawn by Pete Woods? Guest-starring the likes of Mr. Mind, Deathstroke, and Gorilla Grodd. Yes please, may I have another? A+


     

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  • Marvel VS Capcom 3: Who Would You Pick?

    By wrathamon on 7/2/10 12:29am
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    So with the release of the new Marvel VS Capcom 3 looming near, a friend asked me who I thought should be included in the new Marvel roster of characters. No matter what we’re going to end up with the basics like Wolverine, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Captain America. Deadpool has been added, and while I think that’s cool it was kind of a given considering the saturation the character has now across the movies and comic industry. Even money would have Venom , Magneto, and possibly Thanos showing up again. I did read that Dormammu is supposed to pop up, so that’s cool. Considering Marvel has hundreds of thousands of characters available to pick from though, it would be interesting to see some real new blood.


     


     Something A Little Different

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