Focused Totality: June 2006

Friday, June 30, 2006

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

The Leading Man and Love The Way You Love

"New mainstream", thy name is The Leading Man. Launching this week from Oni Press, this miniseries from the Battle Hymn team is about as high-concept as you get: dashing Hollywood A-lister makes escapist action movies while secretly being a top espionage agent. If there hasn't already been a movie or T.V. series with this hook already ... I can't imagine why. While it's not Player-level Hollywood cynicism, Moore does mine some nice comic moments from the setup: in a culture where actors' private lives are for public consumption, keeping any secret is a tricky thing. The art is snappy and clean, and is perfectly in keeping with the tone of the book. It's not about kitsch, it's not about a postmodern wink-wink-nudge-nudge, it's not about homage. This very straight-up action fun, with wit and snap to separating it from a Hart To Hart episode. It seems almost out of place in the Oni lineup - feeling much more like an AiT/Planet Lar "HBO On Paper" book - but that's probably neither here nor there. Just don't skip it because you think you know what an "Oni book" is.

If you are looking for that prototypical "Oni book", look no farther that this week's other Oni Press debut: Love The Way You Love. An amerimanga of romance and rock bands, this fits squarely in alongside Blue Monday or Scott Pilgrim. Jamie S. Rich hits all the marks, and starts to develop some interesting characters in this first volume. Rebounding off a painful breakup, budding rock superstar Tristan Scott happens to notice a beautiful girl at the airport. When she shows up at his gig that night on the arm of her fiancee who's there to sign the band, it appears to be fate. Marc Ellerby's art is wonderful, almost a streamlined Matt Groening, and he is able to swing back and forth from comedy to romance on a dime. One of my few problems is a point made in the book that all these characters are under 21, and that feels a bit off to me, like a forced point. Perhaps it's manga convention, but it rings false when set in the U.S. Excellent fun, though. I'd especially recommend this to fans of Nana, who might be looking for something else working that delicate balance of music and romance and comedy.

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This Week's Releases: June 27, 2006

Due to pleasantly unexpected schedule changes, I'll be hitting 2005 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Winning Night Flight Comics a bit late this week. Those waiting in breathless anticipation for this week's senses-shattering "52 on 52" will, unfortunately, remain breathless until Friday.

I'm showing the Big Two lots of pecuniary love this week, and I am sure they are appreciative. Though plagued by delays, Young Avengers still tops my list of Marvel books these days, so I greet 12 with mixed emotion. I'm happy to get a new issues, and to see this arc resolve ... but I hate to say goodbye as it goes on some sort of hiatus.

Oni Press sees two debuts this Wednesday: Moore and Haun's The Leading Man, and Love The Way You Love from Jamie S. Rich and Marc Ellerby. With foresight granted by the Oracle At PDF Preview, expect some thoughts on these late today or tomorrow - in any case, before you head to purchase your goods.

There are times I wonder if all these bloggers - including your humble Totalitarian - posting their shopping lists is worthwhile. Then something happens like today, where I read Jog, and it puts a new book on the list: Babel #2. I haven't read #1, but I think I'll figure it out.

I am attempting to scale my purchases back, or at least stay even as I get drawn in to Civil War. That means I'm dropping Hawkgirl and Moon Knight from the lists, though I can certainly see how you might enjoy them. I feel a bit bad about Hawkgirl: I really ought to support Chaykin and Simonson, but just feel like title's treading water, with Chaykin looking dated and Simonson ill-adapting to the current decompressed climate. Before you say it: yes, I am neglecting two living legends while gleefully partaking in multiple Civil War tie-ins .... I know I'm killing comics.

52 #8
Action Comics #840
Batman #654
DCU: Brave New World #1
JLA Classified #23
Solo #11
Supergirl And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #19
Amazing Spider-Man #533
Civil War: Front Line #2
Fantastic Four #538
New Avengers #21
Nextwave: Agents Of H.A.T.E. #6
Runaways Vol 2 #17
Wolverine #43
X-Factor #8
Young Avengers #12
Babel #2
Leading Man #1
Love The Way You Love #1

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Monday, June 26, 2006

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Radio Silence ...

Friday, June 23, 2006

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ScatterThoughts: The Books Of June 21st

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T.G.I.F.: June 23, 2006

Thursday, June 22, 2006

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Focused Linkblogging

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

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52 on 52 #7

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

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Continuity

A few months ago, Larry Young made some waves.

This is, in itself, in no way surprising. When a wave appears, Uncle Lar's often involved in the making. We know this.

However, this particular wave was unique: an entire graphic novel being given away for free at the same time it's dead-tree version was being solicited in Previews. It was a decision that provided a spark to continuing discussion about the future of comics distribution, and certainly gathered some buzz for the title.

But what of Continuity itself? Beyond the splash of internet distribution, how does it hold up as a graphic novel, now that it's to hit stands in analog form? I personally can't cope with reading comics on a computer monitor, so I gave up on the PDF version of Continuity perhaps a quarter of the way in. So when a preview copy arrived of the print edition, I relished the chance to settle down and read it the old-fashioned way.

Distribution and marketing methods aside, Continuity is a fascinating OGN that moves a step past AiT's "HBO Of Comics" high-concept domain while still holding on to enough of that "new mainstream" energy to provide an interesting blend of the best in comics. Certainly, the "hook" is there: in a drugged-up hypercommercial dystopia, a pregnant girl tries to stay awake because she fears her dreams can change reality. It's classic Philip K. Dick material, as reality gets rewritten under your feet.

But what really makes Continuity shine is a relentless focus on the personal. The book's opening seems like we've see it before: explodo satire of American consumer culture. The genius here lies in keeping that world as setting, not as subject. The point of Continuity isn't the high-concept of a dream that rewrites reality, that's just a devious hook to explore a very complex character who's reality reflects her own fears and desires. Alicia stands at the center of her reality - as do we all - and it's her dreams and nightmares that shape the book. It reminds me of the work of one of my favorite writers, George Saunders who plays with much the same concepts of commercialism run amok to examine fragile human souls. Continuity isn't "clever" - it's messy and organic and human. It's a black and white indy comic about a tortured teen's attempts to escape her life as an outsider, almost a prototypical "art" comic. Using action and sci-fi concepts as extended metaphor, Jason McNamara and Tony Talbert have really come up with something that transcends the navel-gazing traditional "art" comics, while avoiding the shallowness that can sometimes plague the "new mainstream". It's sharp and complex, and hopefully the buzz of internet release will get some people to take notice of this little gem.

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This Week's Releases: June 21, 2006

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's trip to 2005 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Winning Night Flight Comics. Hackneyed or not, big summer events like 52 and Civil War make me want to get to the store early. This week doesn't have much in the way of crossovers, but just so happens to be packed with some of the best series in today's mainstream.

I remember enjoying the old Flash TV series, and letting those writers take the helm on a mysterious new Flash series sounds cool. All-Star Superman, of course, sets me a-tingle with anticipation as each issue so far has been a feast of fun. Though the snark abounds all across the WeboComicsBlogoNet, put me down for Eternals in a big way. Ultimates 2 ... well, this issue is where the feces will hit the wind-making device, and I can't wait to start in on the home stretch of maybe my favorite series today. And then there's more: Manhunter, Astonishing X-Men, Captain America, The Black Coat and more. What a great week of comics.

It's a week full of some really tremendous releases, but Casanova takes the cake as the most interesting book on the docket. Jog's already seen it (and liked it), and that's often good enough for me. Add on that it's in the "Fell format" of 16 pages for $1.99 ... and then add that Fraction and Ba simply couldn't stop creating until this two dollar pop single weighed in at a valueriffic 32 pages. Buy it for value alone.

Also of note is Continuity, from AiT/Planet Lar. It was released for free in PDF format, and now's the time to see if that move pays off. I should have a review up in a few hours, but I'll head to the punchline: if you like heartfelt sci-fi, you should buy this book.

52 #7
All-Star Superman #4
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1
JSA Classified #13
Manhunter #23
Robin #151
Shadowpact #2
Superman/Batman #27
Casanova #1
Astonishing X-Men #15
Captain America #19
Eternals #1
Giant-Size Hulk #1
Iron Man #9
New Avengers #20
Ultimates 2 #11
Conan #29
Black Coat: Call To Arms #3

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Monday, June 19, 2006

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Focused Linkblogging

Friday, June 16, 2006

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Why Marvel Can't Reboot

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T.G.I.F.: June 16, 2006

Thursday, June 15, 2006

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The Great Spoiler of '06

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

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52 on 52 #6

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

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This Week's Releases: June 14, 2006

I'm hoping to get down to 2005 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award Winning Night Flight Comics nice and early this Wednesday, the better to avoid Civil War spoilers. I understand a big development got accidentally leaked last week, but I've not heard it yet. As we all know, the WeboComicsBlogoNet doesn't talk Marvel, and the only comics messageboard I frequent is Millarworld, where they tend to be really good about spoiler stuff. So I have no idea what's happening, and look forward to being freaked out.

Strangely, the book I'm most looking forward to seeing this week is Thunderbolts. It was one of my favorite series when I was last reading comics, and I remember that first shocking issue like it was yesterday. I was sort of surprised to see it still running when I returned to comics, and I've been considering picking it up but wanted a good jumping-on point. Civil War seems to provide that point, and Jim Roeg's praise of the latest issue sealed the deal. It should be fun to check in on these characters after a long time away, see what they're up to.

52 looks like it should be a fun week - literally. That's the best looking cover for the series so far, isn't it? And it looks like we're getting The Great Ten this week, which I greet with open Morrison-loving arms. Ursa Minors also drops this week, and I am sold on the high concept: "It's Seinfeld, but with Bear Suits. And ninjas. And cussing." Dan Slott can be hit-or-miss for me, but I have high hopes for Marvel Westerns: The Two-Gun Kid.

I continue to buy various books while "making up my mind", and relay need to make a decision. American Virgin, Checkmate, and Firestorm: The Nuclear Man are three such titles that are hovering on the edge of my pull-list and need a strong issue before being pushed off that selfsame edge.

52 #6
American Virgin #4
Checkmate #3
Crisis Aftermath: The Battle For Bludhaven #5
Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #26
JLA Classified #22
Superman #653
Supermarket #3
Fear Agent #5
Civil War #2
Marvel Westerns: The Two-Gun Kid
Thunderbolts #103
Ursa Minors #1

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Monday, June 12, 2006

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Focused Linkblogging

Monday, when I work my way though all the items I've marked in my Bloglines account as stuff I want to mention ....

I am much overdue in mentioning the great Comic Book Resources writeup of Jason Rodriguez' upcoming Postcards anthology. It's going to be a battle for Jason publicity-wise. He's really reaching outside the Direct Market Fanboy with a book about antique postcards ... but if the dice come up right, he'll hit it big and attract audiences from in and out of comics fandom. The Direct Market will be interested in this based off the amazing talent he's assembled, and props to CBR for getting the word out, even if antique postcards falls outside their normal jurisdiction.

Comic Book Commentary has moved, and what would a blog celebration be without a giveaway contest?

Happy One Year Blogoversary to Jim Roeg! Hard to believe it's been a year since what I've come to think of as 'The Class Of June '06" all started up at about the same time: Jim, myself, Zilla, Kurt ... am I forgetting someone? According to the Official Blogger timeline, shouldn't we all start bitching about how Comic Blogging's turned to shite, and the Golden Age Of The WeboComicsBlogoNet is over?

(I'm also glad I finally got a chance to see X-Men 3 this weekend, as I can finally read Jim's essay entitled "Deconstructing Brett Ratner's X3 (2006): How to Fuck It All Up and Betray Your Principles Without Really Trying".)

Is the blogosphere lopsided? Scipio's prompted a pretty interesting discussion on the DC-centric nature of the blogosphere, and the comments section has advanced some interesting theories, including my suggestion that Marvel discussion seems to center around messageboards. I'm not even sure I fall on a DC/Marvel spectrum at all, at least in terms of posts here at Focused Totality.

Not A Linkblog, But Not A Post Of It's Own: Yesterday, I'm at a family gathering. My sister-in-law, who is as far removed form the comics scene as one could get, asks: "So what's this I heard about Batwoman?"

.... That's marketing.

Of course, I don't know what good it all does. If she wanted it, she'd need to find a comic shop and then wait six weeks for the issue to hit. Could've timed that better, DC.

Friday, June 09, 2006

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T.G.I.F.: June 9, 2006

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Civil War: Front Line #1

I don't mind being manipulated. Most art manipulates - good art manipulates well. I don't mind being led by the nose, and I don't mind it if the seams sometimes show. Sometimes, it's fun to be sucker-punched, to fall for the bait and swallow the hook. Allan Heinberg's debut on Wonder Woman this week manipulated me: setting me up to take each fall, making my emotions jump through hoops, cleverly using my expectations against me. There's a point where it's fun.

And there's a point where it's offensive.

Look no further than this week's debut of Civil War: Front Line for the "offensive" part of the equation. On the whole, this ancillary series does just what was intended: flesh out and give some depth to Marvel's main event, Civil War. As Civil War is written by Mark Millar, it will deliver oodles of badass action, kicking last-page cliffhangers, sharp character beats, and half-baked politicizing. "Detail" and "richness", however, aren't Millar's strong suits and the job of painting the wider effects of the Superhuman Registration Act has fallen to Paul Jenkins. His lead story of two reporters coming at the Act with opposing politics is interesting enough, though it seems heavily dependent on continuity. I know Ben Urich, of course ... I get the impression I should know Sally and her history, but she's a mystery to me.

The biggest problem I have with the lead story in Front Line is how imbalanced it is. Marvel's made a point through their Civil War press junkets that there is a debate here, something past a simple good/evil, with arguments to be made on both sides. Jenkins barely pretends a wink at impartiality, setting up Crusading Lefty versus Venal Conservative in no uncertain terms. I suppose t's hard to blame him: once Captain America took a side (early in Civil War #1) the debate was essentially over. He's the moral voice of the Marvel Universe, and anyone who opposes him is simply wrong. Jenkins follows along, giving lip-service to the concept of true debate, but the whole thing reads a bit like an NPR piece on a fiction debate until the final reveal, that ends up giving the issue more storytelling punch than I expected.

That's not where I got offended, though. One-sided debate is tiresome and disappointing, but it's not that unexpected. There are also some backups: a tale of the last surviving New Warrior that takes a small look at the triggering tragedy's aftermath (gorgeously illustrated by Steve Lieber), and another tale that attempts to link the fiction Superhero Registration Act with the very real Japanese Internment Camps of World War II. The text of the piece is largely that of an anonymous poem written by an internee, and it's contrasted with scenes of a father trying to explain to his child why their country is imprisoning them.

It's also contrasted with images of Spider-Man feeling sad and swinging around on his web a bit.

Allow me to repeat: we have the Internment Camps mixed with images of Spider-Man feeling sad and swinging around on his web a bit

It seem to bears little relation to the story (there are no Superhero Internment Camps being proposed in Civil War), and feels wildly inappropriate and tactless. Using the pathos of a firsthand account of one of America's most shameful incidents to lend depth to Spider-Man? It's heavy-handed, self-important claptrap that just about sent the book flying across the room. I suppose there's a chance that someone is reading along and suddenly discovers this bit of history for the first time - and that would be a good thing. I know as a kid that Claremont's use of the Holocaust in X-Men educated me somewhat about those horrors, or at least grounded it in a way beyond history class. There's even, in my mind, a tasteful way to have made this analogy and introduced this history ... but it doesn't feature Spider-Man feeling sad and swinging around on his web a bit. Let the story stand on it's own, but don't lead me by the nose to somehow correlate the plight of unjustly imprisioned Americans with an angsty Spider-Man.

Not only is it cheap manipulation, but it cuts off the Civil War debate at it's knees. All those "I'm With" banners can be thrown away, because Jenkins makes his point too baldly: you're with Captain America, or you're with those who imprisoned Japanese-Americans. It's as manipulative as the right-wing journalism Jenkins is attacking with his portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson, and if this smash-bang summer crossover starts to become a soapbox, I'm out.

More scenes of Captain America kicking a fighter jet's ass? Yes, sir. Sign me up.

More pathos and drama cheaply trotting out historical tragedy to make a point about superheroes? No, thank you.

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Wednesday, June 07, 2006

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52 on 52 #5

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Five Fists Of Science

Yeah, I'm a bit of a "Twainie". We actually prefer the name "Twainer", but I understand the confusion. I don't dress up as Twain anymore, and I don't do conventions. But I do have a real fondness for Samuel Clemens, who is one of the Great American Writers to this day. He's Oscar Wilde gone through the looking-glass: though different in almost every way, they were both showmen and masters of the bon mot. Too often, Twain is portrayed as his carefully cultured persona of the genial country wise man. We remember Hal Holbrook, not the devilish figure who set minds ablaze.

As a "Twainie", I approached Five Fists of Science with much interest, a dash of excitement and just a wee dram of dread. I love the characters involved, and the concept of rip-roaring Steampunk adventure. There was this nagging concern, however, that Matt Fraction would miss the Mark .... pun intended.

He didn't. In fact, Fraction's dead-on Twain not only is note-perfect, it really drives the book. He captures Twain's essential passion and showmanship and cunning and charisma, and uses his manic energy to propel the mad plot with such gusto that you pass the threshold from history to outright fantasy with little notice. With Twain's complexity as the hook, this story of giant robots battling Lovecraftian demons at the turn of the century makes perfect sense. Steven Sanders contributes to this by making his Twain a trifle younger than we might expect (and with devilish good looks), and keeps him in constant motion.

There are some mis-steps in Five Fists of Science: at times the coloring is so dark that the action and detail becomes hard to read, and the intercutting of the final action sequence moves from "fun" to "distracting" to "confusing" pretty quickly. On the whole, though, I wasn't disappointed in the least. As I wait on my preordered reprint of the sublime Howard Who? by Howard Waldrop, Five Fists Of Science gave me that blast of Waldropian fun I've been craving: well-researched historical figures and themes put in the blender, which is then set to "frappe".

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Tuesday, June 06, 2006

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This Week's Releases: June 7, 2006

Monday, June 05, 2006

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Elk's Run Lives!

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Reacting To Wizard World: Philadelphia

Manhunter gets saved.
Maybe I'm not quite the kiss of death I thought, as Manhunter gets a reprieve. It's great news, and writer Marc Andreyko is capitalizing on the news to do a money back offer.
You've never tried it? Why should you try it? Well, where do I start? How 'bout this: it's a damn fun book that I am proud to be a part of - hence, my long-standing money-back guarantee: "buy an issue of Manhunter and hate it? Send it to me and get your $2.99 back!

So why not try it? I'm talking to you, Jon.

Though between this and Spider-Girl, I'm already wary of a new trend of "cancellation notices as marketing". I guess it's cheaper than a Wizard ~~article~~ ad, though.

Batman Confidential and Superman Confidential.
These titles have been rumored a while, but the creative teams announced this weekend are pretty exciting. Andy Diggle's take on Batman should be great, and Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale on Superman? That sounds almost too good for a little monthly. I'm sure the talent level will degenerate eventually, but this sounds cool.

Marvel once again promises "Death To Teh Intarwub!!!"
Forget the pending threat of the two-tier Internet, it's Marvel that promises impending doom for the Information SuperHighway. It's a summer tradition! Last year they threatened to "crack the Internet right in half", and this year they have a new method of destruction.
Touching upon a topic from a previous panel, Brevoort said that with the last pages of Civil War #2 'your jaw will be on the floor, and the internet will be aflame.'

HypeMachineGo!

Absolute Sandman details announced.
$99 per book is certainly steep, but 20 issues in each sounds nice. A four-volume Sandman is going to be an awfully nice bookshelf addition. The example of the re-coloring is really fantastic, and adds more value. I'll definitely be bargain-shopping these, though.

Lee/Morrison Wildcats still coming.
It still sounds great, almost a year later. I have a hard time believing Lee can do this and All-Star Batman while hitting anything close to deadlines, however.