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Wonder Woman #5

“The world we live in is one in which most artists have to have a fill-in issue several issues into their run on a comic. It’s an unfortunate reality, but if it’s going to happen, it’s nice when editorial is smart about it. “Wonder Woman” #5 is the perfect example of a smart fill-in issue.

With Zeus out of the picture, Poseidon makes his move, and Diana, rather than fight the angry god, turns his attention toward Hera in a clever bit of plotting that raises the book far above your typical “hero punches villain” trope…”

Ultimate Spider-Man #6

“Ultimate Spider-Man” steps up as the second book I read this week with a fill-in artist that transcends what is often a terrible mis-step in a comic by picking an excellent artist in synch with the book’s style, tone and very essence.

In “Ultimate Spider-Man” #6 we see Miles doing legitimate solo crime fighting as he saves a woman being robbed. Things do not go so well (although he is ultimately successful) and it’s clear Miles has a lot to learn. That goes for more than just fighting, as he deals unsuccessfully with the police, reporters, and fans (and non-fans). He’s also learning when to exit before you almost get unmasked in broad daylight…”

I’ll have one more review coming this weekend (for a GREAT book) but I thought I’d get these up now.

I also did reviews last week for: Batwoman #5, Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #5, and X-Men Legacy #260.1

As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all my CBR Reviews thus far, here!

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Last week’s Cover(s) of the Week are a tie between Buffy & Batwoman (don’t tell DC Women Kicking Ass…she’ll be mad!)

First up, Steve Morris’ truly excellent Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #5.  Look at those colors, absolutely fantastic.  Love the text integration as well, so smart:

And then there’s Batwoman #5 by J.H. Williams III.  Absolutely stunning – and as I discussed when it came up in Drunk Cover Solicits a few months ago, there’s so much more there than meets the eye at first glance.  It’s beautiful if you don’t look deep, but if you take the time, it’s incredibly complex and interesting.  Actually, I’d say that about both these covers.  Excellent work gents.

I’m not going to do a post for Panel Of The Week for last week (too busy/tired/lazy) but this definitely would have been one of the picks, also from Batwoman #5 and J.H. Williams:

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Hey Kids…in case you missed the announcement on twitter, I was on Audioshocker this week to guest host “A Podcast With Ross & Nick”…it was incredibly fun (as I’ve learned guest hosting always is when you can just walk away and someone else does all the heavy lifting for you!)/ Also, because I apparently can’t shut up, it was really damn long.  But worth it!  We talk about Batman, creator responsibility versus fan entitlement, the existence of talent, and a few other things.  Both Ross and Nick also try to make me sing…apparently this is going to be a “thing” with me.  Let it go people, it’s never going to happen!

So head on over and check it out!

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A new piece up on She Has No Head! today about the opportunity DC has now that they’ve acquired the rights to adapt The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Let’s not waste it now kids!

Update! This post was picked up by Jezebel, check it out!

Update 2! Now it’s been picked up by The Huffington Post…INDEED!

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A new 3 Chicks Review Comics, the Best of 2011 Cast is up today.  Head on over to CSBG and check it out!

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Two new reviews are up on CBR:

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1

“My kingdom for more superhero comics by Brian Wood. Don’t get me wrong, I still want all his great independent, creator-owned, non-superhero stuff (since I’m greedy), but the plain fact of the matter is that the superhero world is a better place with Brian Wood writing stories in it. “Wolverine and The X-Men: Alpha & Omega” #1 is a great comic, the kind we need stacks and stacks of…”

X-23 #20

“The penultimate issue of “X-23” is another great one, the kind of outing that makes you thoroughly depressed that it is the next-to-last issue and not just “issue #20.” However, pairing up Marjorie Liu and Phil Noto again this month and next (with #21 due in March) is a wonderful way to end the series if it has to end, as they have showed the true potential of this book, and how much it will be missed from the Marvel comics landscape.
..”

As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can read all my CBR Reviews thus far here.

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Very cool, very creepy offering, and a great illustration all around from Sean Phillips for Image’s new Fatale #1:

 

So over on She Has No Head! I mentioned that two categories, “Best Cover” and “Best Single Issue” were incredibly hard to decide this year thanks to an influx of great stuff I had trouble deciding between.  As a result I decided to do a top 25 “Best Single Issues” for 2011 on 1979.  As I noted on She Has No Head! there are some notable absences here, largely due to gaps in my reading. Off the top of my head I’d say the most glaring absences are DMZ, Scalped, and Daredevil, all of which I am significantly behind on. Because I have written about almost all of these issues elsewhere, I’m not going to do paragraphs on each of them.  You can find detailed CBR Reviews for 17 of the 25 below at this link.  And if you have questions about any other titles I didn’t do reviews for, just ask and I’ll be happy to talk about them in the comments.

All that said…these are my “25 Best Single Issues of 2011″…

025.  THE RED WING #1 by Brian Hickman, Nick Pitarra, and Rachelle Rosenberg

024.  HELLBOY: THE FURY #1 by Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, and Dave Stewart

023.  WOLVERINE & JUBILEE #1 by Kathryn Immonen and Phil Noto

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So over on She Has No Head! I mentioned that two categories, “Best Cover” and “Best Single Issue” were incredibly hard to decide this year thanks to an influx of great stuff I had trouble deciding between.  As a result I decided to do a top 30 covers for 2011 on 1979.  As always with these cover posts, I stick to Saddle Stapled North American releases, since that is what I have the most access to, and because I don’t feel a monthly comic should be rated against a graphic novel or trade.

Without further ado…these are my “30 Best Covers of 2011″…

030.  HELLBOY: THE FURY #1 – Mike Mignola

So simple and yet so effective.  When you have a character as wonderfully designed as Hellboy you really just need the confidence to let him command the page, and Mignola obviously has that.  With a limited Black, Red and Grey-ish white color palette, single figure (with a big ass axe) and a lot of white space you have powerful imagery that also creates amazing positive and negative shapes.  Gorgeous stuff.

029.  AVENGERS ORIGINS: VISION – Marko Djurdjevic

The limited color palette with a big swath of yellow and a small pop of red is inspired.  Almost as much as Djurdjevic’s use of wonderful simplified graphic elements and shapes with ah highly rendered and realistic figure.  A cover absolutely deserving of Vision!

028.  JOHN CARTER: A PRINCESS OF MARS #3 – Skottie Young

This is wonderful on so many levels.  The composition has such energy and creates such great shapes, both positive and negative.  The size and complexity of the tentacles while still remaining graphic and simple – how in places it devolves into just basic shapes is wonderful.  The color choices, as always with a Young cover are inspired and subtle.  Huge bonus points for it being one of the first tentacle covers I’ve ever seen in comics that doesn’t feel “kinda rapey”.

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Head on over to She Has No Head! for a write up of some of the bests and worsts of 2011!

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