May 2007
Before I give you my picks for May, here are a few words about Wizard World LA:
I wasn’t planning to go, but a friend mine scored free passes so I headed up to the LA Convention Center on Friday for a day at the show. While waiting for my friend to get me into the showroom, I thought I’d kill some time at the deserted Starbucks near the entrance. Well, almost deserted. Rob Liefeld got in line behind me and was just plain odd. He was muttering to himself and and then randomly yelling at the Starbucks staffers. It was at that moment that I realized that Liefeld is not right in the head. I finally understand his artwork though!
Friday was a good day to pick up cheap TPB’s (before the bins were picked clean by the Saturday crowd), but the prices for comic books were ridiculous. Some vendors were selling Captain America #25 for fifteen bucks, knowing full well that more first prints were on the way to retailers. I didn’t buy many comics, but I did fall for some variant covers. They seemed like such a great idea at the time but I when I got home I found myself thinking, “I already read these, why do I need the special covers?” It was kind of like being in a Vegas casino with a hundred bucks in my pocket and some time to kill. Magically, my money found it’s way out of my wallet.
My favorite thing to do at conventions is to talk with creators. My best encounter was with Bill Willingham (Fables) who was sitting down to read a Grimm Fairy Tales TPB for the first time. I said hello and he said he was about to check out what the competition was up to (Fables and Grimm have similar subject matter). I asked him about the future of his series, Shadowpact (DC’s most underrated book), and he said that he had several future scripts ready to go and there were no signs of cancellation, even though sales haven’t been stellar.
These types of chats with big name creators are something that WWLA will always have over the San Diego Comic-Con. Fewer attendees mean more of a chance to shoot the breeze with people in the industry. I had similar experiences with Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex) and C.B. Cebulski (Wonderlost), both cool guys who happily spoke with me about their work. You can read about all the big editorial revelations from Marvel and DC on Newsarama, but you’ll miss the fun of talking to these guys in person. They’ll sign anything for free and they may even draw a sketch for you if they’re not too busy.
Now that SDCC is being taken over by Hollwood, WWLA just can’t compete in the film and TV department. Their “stars” (especially on Friday) were Z listers like Lou Ferrigno, the little girl from the Addams Family (not Christina Ricci, the one from the old TV show), various over-the-hill models, etc. And you have to pay for their signatures?!? No thanks.
In the end, it was worth the trip. I walked away with the coveted WWLA variant of Captain America #25 and an armful of old TPB’s. Now I’m geared up for the big San Diego Geek-O-Rama.
Here is one book per week in May 2007 that should knock your socks off:
May 2nd:
Midnighter #7
(Wildstorm Comics, $2.99)When this series was launched with Garth Ennis (Punisher) on writing duties I was thrilled. The story started out with I bang, and then went nowhere. It was the first Garth Ennis book I’ve ever dropped from my pull list. Now, writing superstar Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) is handling writing chores and the title is back on my must-read list. I don’t think Vaughan is capable of writing a bad comic (his work on the downward spiral of a TV show that is “Lost” doesn’t count). The teaser for this issue in Previews magazine promises “all-out action.” It’s about time! Unfortunately this is just a one time gig for Vaughan, but I believe he can give this series a sorely needed kick in the pants. For more info, check out this article: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9275
May 9th:
Countdown #51
(DC Comics, $2.99)DC gambled on the weekly comic 52 and it paid off big time. They never missed a week and the multiple story lines never got jumbled. Most of the issues were in the top ten of Diamond’s sales charts. With too many creators to mention, Countdown (numbered in reverse order) will become the new weekly “backbone of the DCU.” The price is going up a bit, but if they can pull off another beautifully executed weekly title like 52, I don’t mind the forty-nine cent price hike. The big question is: Countdown to what?!? I’m sure we’ll find out over the course of an enjoyable year in the DCU. See if you can decode anything from DC’s cryptic promo-blurb: http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=7300
May 16th:
Uncanny X-Men #486
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Ed Brubaker’s first arc on Uncanny X-Men finally concludes with this pulse pounding issue. Brubaker has proven his versatility with this series. He can craft a compelling story with either mutants in space, street thugs, or Captain America. He can even pull off the resurrection of Bucky. People laughed at first (a lot of Bucky jokes were thrown around at DC panels at the San Diego Comic-Con that year), but now Bucky’s latest incarnation, Winter Soldier, stands on his own as a popular and believable character. Enough gushing about Brubaker, now back to the X-Men. The biggest achievement of this arc has been the elevation of Warpath from a D list hero to at least a high B. That’s saying a lot for only twelve issues. The one downside of this run has been the interlude issues about Vulcan, the “lost” Summers brother. They were fine, but they disrupted the flow of our heroes’ space adventure. I was a little skeptical of artist Billy Tan at first because his work has a slight manga flavor to it. However, I’ve grown to love this guy’s bold and distinct pencils, check ‘em out: http://www.billytanart.com/comics/
May 23rd:
Criminal #6
(Icon Comics, $2.99)This issue would be a great jumping on point for those of you who missed the brilliant opening story line. There’s a new badass in town, Tracy Lawless, fresh out of the military and back on the crime ridden streets he came from. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the team that brought us the classic Sleeper series from Wildstorm Comics, turn out their distinct brand of brilliant crime stories they have become known for. I highly recommend the first TPB of Criminal (released in May as well) but it is not required reading. Brubaker and Philips are treating their stories like short movies or novellas that have a beginning, middle, and end. The extras in each issue add to the bang for your buck, like articles about noir from a variety of writers, and best if all, NO ADS! It’s 32 pages of nail-biting content that will leave you wanting more. Check out the cover art: http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Criminal/Coward/CRIM006_cvr.jpg
May 30th:
Batman #666
(DC Comics, $2.99)OK, I know some of you are still pissed about the recent issue of Batman where Morrison wrote a little prose novel about the Joker instead of giving us the comic we were expecting. I honestly never finished reading it. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this issue will be a return to the classic words and pictures we short-attention-spanners look for in the world of comics. May’s book (note the demonic number) tells the possible future story of the alleged son of Batman. From Andy Kubert’s haunting teaser art with Gotham City in flames, it doesn’t look like things are going very well for Bat-brat. What happened to Bruce? Does the original horn-head Satan show up? Tune in and find out. Take a gander at the the fiery teaser art: http://www.comicartcommunity.com/gallery/data/media/276/BM_Cv666_solicit.jpg
Don’t forget, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day at Pulp Fiction!
Back in thirty,
Cory Johnson
cmjmusic@yahoo.com <TOP>