Graphic Novel countdown pt X+1

[thebitterguy]

So, in my ever expanding effort to get evey good GN from the MPL (it bodes ill that the DC Archives they have include Kamandi, Blackhawk, and Black Canary; was there a fire sale of some kind? And by "fire sale", I mean Fires of Lameosity sale. Why the hell would Black Canary get an Archive? Did they give one to Lori Leramis too?) I got out the Absolute Hush book.

First off, although I doubted that Hush needed an Absolute edition, I change my mind now. The story is a super-awesome Batman story, containing all the classic/iconic batfoes, and not retreading the Batman/Joker situation in laborious depth for the nth time (no, really. One good fistfight is all it needs these days). It's a mystery, which is a shocker what with Batman being a detective and all, about Batman being stalked by a mysterious figure. Anyway, it works. They get a Superman appearance, there's Catwoman romance, red herrings, herrings which turn out to not be red, etc, etc.

The one thing that's impressive is the size. I'd never really read through an Absolute edition before, but having gone through this puppy I'm quite eager to get the Kingdom Come, Sandman and Final Frontier ones. The book looks absolutely gorgeous. Lee's work benefits from the larger size, as I'm sure Ross & Cooke's will as well.

I also got the first trade of Waid's Legion book. Interesting re-imagining, although the Levitz/Giffen years are what I remember best. Yes that includes the 5 years later stuff, too. It's interesting to see the Legion returned to a teenage state, although the teen rebellion phase thingy is neat. Waid's iteration of Braniac 5 is interesting, but seeing Cosmic Boy portrayed so Machiavellian is a twist. viktor_haag, you were right, the Micro Lad thing was really annoying. I burned through the book in about half an hour or so.

Got 300 a few weeks ago, too. Read it, and found it just as A) pretty and B) confusing as everyone else. Freedom loving Spartans, yadda yadda yadda. Although apparently the movie is horrid, at least according to one person.

Comments

[zatara2000.livejournal.com]

The Black Canary would get an archive because she's pretty much the greatest fucking heroine DC has (this side of Wonder Woman). Don't knock it till you read it.

So says the man thats so dedicated to the character he had her grafted on his fucking leg....

>:(

[thebitterguy]

If she's risen to the top, it's proof that DC needs to stop putting all their female characters into appliances, I guess.

[zatara2000.livejournal.com]

Besides Wonder Woman, can you name another DC heroine who has been around for 60 years?

[thebitterguy]

Mary Marvel. And she and Wonder Woman get the benefit of not being "x's girlfriend".

Oh, and Red Tornado.

[zatara2000.livejournal.com]

Yeah - but Mary Marvel doesn't count as an original character due to the fact that all she is is a female version of a male counterpart...just like Hawkgirl.

And yeah - Ma Hunkle is really one of the shining stars of the comic industry. Great example buddy.

[thebitterguy]

You asked a question. Don't complain if you don't like the answer.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Not been reading the Birds of Prey, hm?

[thebitterguy]

Nah, but I saw the show. C grade entertainment at best.

Recommending the Comics

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Gail Simone's been doing Good Writing Work on the comics.

[stop-no-dont.livejournal.com]

I think Canary's an example of a heroine that has risen through the ranks organically, from being merely her mother's daughter/Ollie's girl to a pillar of the DC hero community. She's every bit the "professional superhero" the new JLA needs, and I thought she was a damn good selection for it.

Hush was an enjoyable way to charge the Bat-batteries after the endless x-overs ("Murderer?", "Fugitive," et al). And it's always fun to see Bruce make Clark look like a simp.

[thebitterguy]

The next step in the "Batman could take out Superman! Way!" discussion was in fact my least favourite thing about it.

Batman's boots were my favourite.

[stop-no-dont.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's probably ludicrous from a logical standpoint. But Bruce punching out Clark is just fun for me as a fanboy. Way! What's your take on the current JLA lineup, by the way?

[thebitterguy]

I have no idea who's in teh current JLA lineup. I stopped reading after issue #2, because it was not good.

I do think it's good that they've got both of the DCU's black superheroes in it.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Only two?

[thebitterguy]

I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. But #0 was kind of promising.

[viktor-haag.livejournal.com]

Got 300 a few weeks go

I suppose it should really be pointed out that "horrid" (based on the linked review) doesn't necessarily equate to "badly made".

I may just be willing to sit through 90 minutes of right-wing, neo-con propaganda because of my interest in the production design.

But I wouldn't count on it.

And I'm not sure that I find the right-wing, neo-con propaganda as typified by this film (as the reviewer claims) is any more fundamentally objectionable than the recent spate we've seen of morally repressive, nihilistic, despairing, blut-porn as typified by tripe like Hostel, Wolf Creek, et al. Or Fox News or CNN, come to that.

Perhaps now would be a good time to suggest that a viewing of 300 (or Sin City, come to that) be paired with a viewing of Fellini's Satyricon? Or Bertolucci's The Conformist?

We might get a more balanced portrayal of the depredations of decadence and dangers of unity-without-thought as a result...

[madmanofprague.livejournal.com]

Hostel actually seemed kind of tame from what I was expecting.

[viktor-haag.livejournal.com]

Fair enough; my experience of the genre is not tremendously wide.

[sixteenbynine.livejournal.com]

It was tame as far as gore or "extreme" violence, etc., etc., but its sheer offensiveness and deeply unpleasant streak of xenophobia was the biggest turn-off about it.

[stop-no-dont.livejournal.com]

Wow, just read that review and I'm even more leery of watching 300 now.

[mightygodking.livejournal.com]

OH NOSE DIFFERING OPINIONS

The story is a super-awesome Batman story

It's a thinly-veiled excuse to have Jim Lee draw his fanboy-spasm-inducing "action" drawings plus some cheesecake shots of Catwoman and Poison Ivy, with the added attraction of Jeph Loeb's trademark overdone, stilted Batman interior monologue. The "mystery" is seven issues of "hey everybody ignore the new character that just got introduced at the same time as this MYSTERIOUS NEW VILLAIN." The plot is basically every contrivance Loeb can come up with to throw every major Bat-character into one story (and some of them are ridiculously weak excuses - the entire Superman sequence, for example), the dialogue is hackneyed, boring crap, and the characterizations are bullshit. (Yes, Batman NEARLY LOSES IT AND KILLS THE JOKER for the seventeenth fucking time.)

It's a terrible, terrible comic. You should have bought Absolute New Frontier instead, dude.

[thebitterguy]

Well, thank God I didn't actually buy it.

[thebitterguy]

I will also point out this is the first Batman book I've read since the Dark Knight books.

Besides, it's a Batman book. When has the dialogue NOT been hackneyed? Really, I'd like to know.

[kynn.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I can take comic opinions seriously from someone who doesn't know how to spell the name of Lori Lemaris. What's next, you'll talk about the Pruple Death Ray??

[thebitterguy]

ZOMG! I am the suxxor!

Yeah, I could never spell her name right.

[brand-of-amber.livejournal.com]

I didn't find 300 confusing. I just found it stupid and bad.

Oh, and pretty. But that only makes up for stupid in... no, I should stop now before I get into trouble.

[thebitterguy]

Well, confusing or stupid and bad. I was just confused as to why Spartans were talking about democracy and reason.

[brand-of-amber.livejournal.com]

Or why Xerxes was a pierced African neo-tribal?

I mean I get why the Spartans were all democratic and manly and violent and brutal but still reasonable and philosophical and homophobic and stuff -- that's Miller jacking off all over the page with his many-macho-manny-man-man bullshit and combining it with the old "the West is the land of reason and freedom and those scary Towel Heads are superstitious slavers and evil dumb fucks who couldn't possibly beat us menly men in a real fight" issue.

But then some things were just freaking weird.

[crashing-angel.livejournal.com]

Let me wipe the drool off first before I continue.
I bought both Hush Part 1 and 2 a few weeks ago. After the first two pages, I was in love. Hush has to be one of the best storylines, ever. The art is beautiful, the story had me flipping the pages quickly, and all the characters played a part.
I want to gear up to get Absolute Hush, and your good notes is really pushing me to start saving.