A new 3 Chicks Review Comics is up! Sue and I do an advance review of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga #1. We also talk about Grace Randolph’s Supurbia #1. And then there’s a “magical question bonus round!”
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Been just swamped over here, folks, but wanted to link to the last two weeks of CBR Reviews.
“Faith Erin Hicks’ “Friends With Boys” is her best work to date, an engaging beautifully illustrated black and white coming of age story about a girl going to her first year of public school after years of home schooling and the recent disappearance of her mother. Hicks story is surprisingly bold. While on the surface it’s a simple story of a girl named Maggie, her three older brothers and their strange family situation (her mother has just left them), there’s a bizarre supernatural element that pays off in unexpected ways…”
“Fairest,” Bill Willingham’s latest “Fables” spinoff series with art by Phil Jimenez promises a lot of beautiful ladies with its title and Adam Hughes cover, but what you’ll find inside is a bit surprising. While the title and the cover suggest this issue will be focused on Briar Rose, we spend most of the issue meeting Ali Baba (Prince of Theives) and his non-genie of the lamp, Jonah…”
“Although “Green Wake” #10 unfortunately brings the series to a close, Kurtis Wiebe does an excellent job of making it feel as if this was his plan all along. Morley gets to the heart of Green Wake quite literally in this final issue and makes a risky decision with ramifications for all the citizens of Green Wake, past, present and future. Wiebe has a very specific vision for “Green Wake” and you can feel his uncompromising devotion to it as his tale draws to its conclusion. He unravels his mysteries nicely but rarely says anything outright — both a strength and a weakness…”
“Grace Randolph and Russell Dauterman’s “Supurbia” #1 is very interesting. It’s hard to know if it can deliver on all its promise, but this first issue is a bizarrely intriguing blend of traditional superhero comics and “The Stepford Wives,” with a dash of “The Real Housewives” series from Bravo thrown in for modern flavor. Randolph’s idea is lots of fun, focusing on the “women behind the supermen.” If they were less interesting women it could have been a disaster, but Randolph chooses her cast well, which helps to offset the idea that these women (and one man) are not the actual superheroes of the story, even if they are the stars…”
“Christos Gage and Karl Moline wrestle with a massive roster of characters as the entire “Runaways” cast guest stars in “Avengers Academy” #27. Looking for help locating Old Lace, their lost dinosaur, The Runaways come knocking at Avengers Academy and quite naturally get into a fight. The fighting scene is expected; given superheroes too frequently default to fists first to settle disagreements. Plus, The Runaways have been treated poorly by the superhero community in the past and the Avengers Academy students aren’t the most level-headed group out there…”
“Angel & Faith” #7 is the first issue of the series that hasn’t really hit the mark for me. It’s still a solid book, but it’s just not ringing true enough to give it the emotional punch of the first arc. Christos Gage has a good handle on both Angel and Faith’s voices and personalities, enough so it was clear to readers something was going on with Angel’s personality and that continues here. However, on the plotting front this feels a bit weak. The second installment of this new arc, titled “Daddy Issues” is set up to parallel both Angel and Faith’s relationships to or as fathers…”
“Avengers” #23 is not a bad comic book, but given the stakes and the players on the field it should be so much more. In this issue, The Avengers attempt to escape the clutches of Norman Osborne’s H.A.M.M.E.R. while Viper negotiates with the U.S. Government, using the kidnapped Avengers as their bargaining chip. Brian Michael Bendis finds some great funny moments for his characters in this issue, the kind of good chuckles that make comics fun. Unfortunately, beyond those funny moments and a decent escape scene toward the end, there is so much missed opportunity and the issue is ultimately disappointing…”
As always likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all my CBR Reviews here!
So, I’ve begun writing columns for Lit Reactor, a really great site for writers (and readers) that’s full of wonderful columns, as well as resources for writers. I’ll be primarily writing about comics, tag teaming it with another columnist. However, I’ll also be writing a series of essays about my experiences with my novel and getting an agent, so for those of you interested in that aspect of my work, those pieces might be something a little different.
My first piece, titled 10 Graphic Novels For The Literary Minded went up today, so check it out now. Next week will see the first installment of my essay about publication (or lack thereof!). So follow Lit Reactor on twitter, and keep your eyes peeled for my pieces.
Thanks everyone!
Tags: comics!, lit reactor
A new 3 Chicks Review Comics is up!
In this episode we review two great Dark Horse books – Conan The Barbarian #1 by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan and the new B.P.R.D. by Mignola, Arcudi, and Harren. We also interview the lovely Faith Erin Hicks about her new book Friends With Boys. Sue picks Chick of the Week and we both chat about a variety of things, including the craziness that came out of my last She Has No Head! column. Check it out!
Tags: 3 Chicks Cast, 3 Chicks Review Comics, comics!, podcasting, she has no head!
So here are a few CBR reviews I didn’t link to from last week and this week. Enjoy!
“Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw’s “Wolverine & The X-Men” #6 continues this excellent series with the same high energy and confident storytelling we’ve seen in the first five issues. Aaron has made his book an action packed and wild ride never skimping on character development. He does more with character in a few lines than most writers can do in pages. It’s a deft skill to never sacrifice character development for plot while simultaneously never sacrificing plot for character development…”
B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death #1
“B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death” #1 by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and James Harren kicks off another fantastic mini-series with a story focused on Agent Johann Kraus. Like all Mignola’s excellent books in the Hellboy universe, “The Long Death” stands nicely on its own for both veterans and new readers, making it a powerful beginning to a must-read mini…”
“Winter Soldier” #2 by Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice is a wonderful noir espionage mix with a breakneck pace. It’s a story playing to both Brubaker and Guice’s strengths as writer and artist and the result is an exciting new book for Marvel. Brubaker is at his best in this issue with effortlessly cool dark and dirty spy capers. James and Natasha fit the roles of espionage agents perfectly and Brubaker has a great handle on both their voices. The premise for the book plays to both Brubaker’s and his characters’ strengths and the concept is firing on all cylinders…”
“Birds of Prey” #6 by Duane Swierczynski and Javier Pina is a good comic book but a step down from what we’ve seen for the past five issues. It’s unfortunately timed, as this issue seems like the penultimate issue of the first arc. Swierczynski’s “Birds of Prey” has been a rollicking ride full of jumps forward and backward in time, tons of mystery, action and a beautiful amount of character development — including the introduction of a fantastic new hero in Starling. Unfortunately, this issue feels like a misstep as too much of the mystery is unloaded through info-dump talking heads. It’s never ideal from a storytelling point of view and feels completely counter to everything Swierczynski has done thus far…”
Some CBR Reviews from last week, and this week. A lot of 4 stars in here!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #6
“Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Nine” #6 is a bold comic. Full stop.
The people in charge of this book — creators, editors and behind-the-scenes puppet masters (that’s you, Joss Whedon) — deserve huge credit for tackling the sensitive and controversial subject of abortion with unflinching honesty and realism. Like many fans, I worried when Buffy was revealed to be pregnant in last month’s issue. I worried that the creators would avoid the potentially polarizing “A-word” as even an option. Instead, they did exactly the opposite, attacking the topic head on and devoting an entire issue to Buffy considering all her options, including abortion…”
“My interest in reading a”Conan The Barbarian” comic is right around zero (despite secretly being a fan of the movies). However, when you tell me that comic is going to be written by Brian Wood and drawn by Becky Cloonan, I suddenly have a completely different idea of what that Conan The Barbarian story might be like. I was not disappointed…”
“Terry Moore continues to pile on the mysteries and body count in his latest comic “Rachel Rising,” a dark horror-based story following a woman who may or may not be dead. In this issue, Rachel spends some time with her Aunt Johnny, her best friend Jet, and Dr. Siemen, who has been invited to dinner because he signed the papers that got Rachel out of the morgue. Siemen is also the only person with an actual theory on Rachel: she’s no longer Rachel but Ma Malai, a.k.a. The Angel of Death. Meanwhile, Zoe, the young girl who killed her sister and buried her in the same dry riverbed where Rachel woke up days ago, has been checked into a hospital and then assigned to a foster family with evil intentions…”
“A great anthology is worth its weight in gold, largely because any anthology is going to be a certain amount of hit and miss. With creators like Mike Mignola, Brian Wood, Evan Dorkin, Jill Thompson, Duncan Fegredo, Kristian Donaldson, and Dave Stewart involved in “Dark Horse Presents” #8, it’s no surprise that this is issue is far more hit than miss..”
“Fatale” #2 is prettier and cooler than any single comic has a right to be. It’s also smart and engrossing and oh so good. If only more comics could be as good as “Fatale”. . .
In this issue, we learn more about the mysterious Josephine as the issue continues to take place in the past. We learn Josephine’s connection to Nicolas’ godfather, Dominic Raines, and the supernatural hints begin to come, including what allows Josephine to never age. The story of Josephine, Raines, Walter and the mysterious “Mr. Bishop” unfolds, like any great noir crime story, with delightfully dark complications. This issue ends on a great cliffhanger (that I will not spoil) which is just unexpected enough to keep you wanting more. Lots more…”
As always likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all my CBR Reviews thus far here!
A new 3 Chicks Review Comics is up on CSBG. 
Inside this episode we review Faith Erin Hicks’ Friends With Boys, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Fatale #2. Ross Campbell joins us to talk about Glory and his creator owned work Wet Moon and Shadoweyes – among other things. Chick of the week is a lady who has impressed me to no end with only 5 issues under her belt!
Tags: 3 Chicks Cast, 3 Chicks Review Comics, comics!, podcasting
Some CBR Reviews from last week’s comics in case you missed them!
“Like a great song building towards a powerful crescendo, “The Walking Dead” has always had an impressive ebb and flow when taken on the whole. But sometimes, with a long month between issues, the ebb can feel a bit too long, so it’s nice when even an issue with a lot of ebb still resonates so powerfully.
In this issue, a stranger has come to the community and offers a lifeline in the form of introducing Rick’s community to a larger network of communities which could include trade routes and who knows what else…”
“With new writer Joshua Williamson on board for “Voodoo” #5, I decided to give the book another try.
In “Voodoo” #5, Voodoo is on the verge of completing her mission when she’s intercepted by a Daemonite in disguise. Williamson throws a lot of what amounts to Daemonite racism and bravado around with little actual action. The result is that Voodoo is able to easily kill him. As she moves to complete her mission (and prove herself to the disbelievers that felt a half breed such as herself couldn’t be trusted) she notices a file with her name on it and, curiosity being what it is, she opens it up. Meanwhile Agent Fallon and Black Jack head to an underground lab because Agent Fallon has had an idea we’re not privy to. In the last pages, it’s revealed that the Voodoo we’ve been following is a clone, and another Voodoo (it’s unclear if she’s the original) is prisoner in a basement lab somewhere. Clone Voodoo is shocked, as clones usually are. ..”
“I, Vampire” continues to be a unique offering of the new DCU, and the way that its vampire war ties in to the universe at large has great potential. Seeing the book effortlessly work in Batman this month should leave readers even more excited about what’s to come. In this issue, Batman finally learns of the vampire war and ends up confronting Bennett, John Troughton and Tig as they try to chase down Mary Queen of Blood and save a series of her latest victims before it’s too late…”
As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all of my CBR Reviews here.
Tags: comics!
And inside this episode we review Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin’s Princeless #3, and an Advance Review of Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell’s Glory #23. We also talk about the hotly contested Wonder Woman #8 cover, which is stirring up a surprising amount of controversy. We then have an interview with the wonderfully charming and incredibly talented Duane Swierczynski, who’s writing one of our favorite DC books – Birds of Prey! Lastly, we give Chick of the Week to the late Kim Yale, and discuss Sue’s efforts to revive the Kim Yale Award which sadly became defunct with the dissolving of Friends of Lulu last year.
So head on over to CSBG and check it out. You can also subscribe via iTunes at the link on CSBG!
Tags: 3 Chicks Cast, 3 Chicks Review Comics, comics!, podcasting
This was a great damn mini-series…if you missed it, definitely pick it up in trade. Great stuff.
“The worst thing about “Legion of Monsters” is that it’s not an ongoing series. Thanks to fantastic work by Dennis Hopeless, Juan Doe and Wil Quintana I felt more love and investment in these characters than I do for most characters I’ve read about for three times as long…”
As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can find all my CBR Reviews thus far here.
Tags: comics!