Buys
A number of purchases this week, actually, most of them DVDs: No Country for Old Men, coming off its Oscar wins; Gattaca, about time I retired my old tape and this Special Edition is it; Adaptation, because it was cheap and I've given up hope of a better edition; and Dr. Strangelove, another tape I've wanted to retire for a while. As for comics, well, you'll see below, but Jeffrey Brown's Incredible Change-Bots finally made it into my collection.
"Accomplishments"
I never really discuss the single issues I read here, but this was a big week for polishing off trade paperbacks. First up is Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters, which sadly didn't star very many of the originals, or even the second person to bear their names. Instead, we have something that wants to be Nextwave, but isn't quite as funny. It's still a perfectly crazy political thriller with glitzy art that grew on me as I flipped the chapters. I'm now looking forward to the second mini-series.
Up next: DMZ volume 3 - Public Works. Vertigo still produces the kind of series I really want to buy in trade and lend to other people, and DMZ is certainly one of their top titles. Public Works isn't quite as affecting as the first two volumes, focusing less on the common man and instead on an Iraq-like rebuilding effort stymied by terrorists. It's still excellent and as ever, harrowing for our protagonist Matty.
As previously mentioned, Incredible Change-Bots fell into my hands, and while I was rather nonplussed by Jeffrey Brown's Clumsy, and am not a Transformers fan by any stretch of the imagination, I loved loved loved this. Like everyone else, apparently. From the roll call of featured robots to the very end, every page has something to recommend it. Sometimes, it's a joke, and sometimes a bit of nostalgia, or often just the charming artwork. Brown's naive style is surprisingly up to the challenge of drawing vehicular transformations, and who'd have thought coloring a book with markers would actually be appealing? My favorite Incredible Change-Bot? Balls.
The big "accomplishment" though is finishing Showcase Presents Aquaman vol.1. At more than 500 pages, this monster was still a joy to read. Nick Cardy's artwork is dynamic and always original, but I still liked Ramona Fradon's cleaner, more cartoony undersea world. But the key to the success and charm of the Silver Age Aquaman is this: Octopi. I'm not kidding. Topo quickly became a favorite and I always liked stories with armies of octopi a lot more fun than those without. Liked it all so much, this week is going to be Aquaman Rocks Week. I'm going to reprint old Aquaman reviews from a previous, now deleted site, but some new material as well, so I hope you'll dive in with me.
Outside of comics, role-played last Monday. I ran a "stone age" that got flipped on its head when white anthropologists showed up at the players' unmapped enclave. I had planned for both peaceful and violent resolutions and was pleasantly surprised that they went for peace. Indeed, the most memorable fight was one for political control of the tribe when the chief showed himself to be less than reasoned.
As for my Unauthorized Doctor Who CCG, only managed a few cards, all from Utopia. I'm hoping to design more throughout the week.
Someone Else's Post of the Week
You know, I could probably put one Absorbascon post in this section every week, but this time, I really have to. Scipio's carefully culled all possible clues from the Martian Manhunter's Showcase Presents to figure out what city he operated in during the Silver Age. I personally love his conclusion. Check out: Where in the World is the Martian Manhunter?
A number of purchases this week, actually, most of them DVDs: No Country for Old Men, coming off its Oscar wins; Gattaca, about time I retired my old tape and this Special Edition is it; Adaptation, because it was cheap and I've given up hope of a better edition; and Dr. Strangelove, another tape I've wanted to retire for a while. As for comics, well, you'll see below, but Jeffrey Brown's Incredible Change-Bots finally made it into my collection.
"Accomplishments"
I never really discuss the single issues I read here, but this was a big week for polishing off trade paperbacks. First up is Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters, which sadly didn't star very many of the originals, or even the second person to bear their names. Instead, we have something that wants to be Nextwave, but isn't quite as funny. It's still a perfectly crazy political thriller with glitzy art that grew on me as I flipped the chapters. I'm now looking forward to the second mini-series.
Up next: DMZ volume 3 - Public Works. Vertigo still produces the kind of series I really want to buy in trade and lend to other people, and DMZ is certainly one of their top titles. Public Works isn't quite as affecting as the first two volumes, focusing less on the common man and instead on an Iraq-like rebuilding effort stymied by terrorists. It's still excellent and as ever, harrowing for our protagonist Matty.
As previously mentioned, Incredible Change-Bots fell into my hands, and while I was rather nonplussed by Jeffrey Brown's Clumsy, and am not a Transformers fan by any stretch of the imagination, I loved loved loved this. Like everyone else, apparently. From the roll call of featured robots to the very end, every page has something to recommend it. Sometimes, it's a joke, and sometimes a bit of nostalgia, or often just the charming artwork. Brown's naive style is surprisingly up to the challenge of drawing vehicular transformations, and who'd have thought coloring a book with markers would actually be appealing? My favorite Incredible Change-Bot? Balls.
The big "accomplishment" though is finishing Showcase Presents Aquaman vol.1. At more than 500 pages, this monster was still a joy to read. Nick Cardy's artwork is dynamic and always original, but I still liked Ramona Fradon's cleaner, more cartoony undersea world. But the key to the success and charm of the Silver Age Aquaman is this: Octopi. I'm not kidding. Topo quickly became a favorite and I always liked stories with armies of octopi a lot more fun than those without. Liked it all so much, this week is going to be Aquaman Rocks Week. I'm going to reprint old Aquaman reviews from a previous, now deleted site, but some new material as well, so I hope you'll dive in with me.Outside of comics, role-played last Monday. I ran a "stone age" that got flipped on its head when white anthropologists showed up at the players' unmapped enclave. I had planned for both peaceful and violent resolutions and was pleasantly surprised that they went for peace. Indeed, the most memorable fight was one for political control of the tribe when the chief showed himself to be less than reasoned.
As for my Unauthorized Doctor Who CCG, only managed a few cards, all from Utopia. I'm hoping to design more throughout the week.
Someone Else's Post of the Week
You know, I could probably put one Absorbascon post in this section every week, but this time, I really have to. Scipio's carefully culled all possible clues from the Martian Manhunter's Showcase Presents to figure out what city he operated in during the Silver Age. I personally love his conclusion. Check out: Where in the World is the Martian Manhunter?
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