The Girl Who Owned a City-NCCW

This is the graphic novel presentation of the YA novel The Girl Who Owned a City. 

The world has been decimated by a plague that has wiped out anyone that has gone through puberty.  All that are left are children.  Some of them are smart enough to scavange, while others are dying of starvation.  Gangs form up using numbers to make up for smarts and to take things from those that are able to scavenge. 

Lisa Nelson is fed up.  She decides if no one else is going to grow up and be responsible, it will have to be her.  She is going to take responsiblity and help those who can't help themselves, but to do so, she is going to have to protect herselves from the gangs. 

This was a pretty interesting graphic novel.  I am not sure if it is the full story of the novel or just the first of a series as it has resolution, but a greater threat was revealed in the pages and her confrontation with that was not explored in this volume.  I was drawn to it as a fan of the show Jeremiah from Showtime about 10yrs ago.  Where Jeramiah looks at things 10-15yrs later, TGWOAC looks at the immediate aftermath. 

I loved the artwork in this book, all the characters where distinctive.  The writing was crisp and the story didn't drag.  Overall it was a fun read, but falls more on the YA side of things.  My oldest also read it and liked it okay.  As the lead character is approx. her age, I thought she would like it a bit more than she did.  Check this one out.
 

Avengers Assemble-NCCW

This is going to be a surprise to a lot of people, but I don't really care about the Avengers.  I mean the new movie coming out looks cool but I never really got behind the comics.  I am pretty sure that the plan was to do a marvel version of the JLA and, for the most part, that is what they accomplished.  While both titles have had some great stories, a vast majority of their history has been bogged down with sub par teams filled with cast offs from other series.  I think the Avengers are more guilty of this than the JLA.  Another issue, is that when the team is good, it is filled with a bunch of heroes that have their own titles.  Of course I have not read every Avengers book and some of the second string lineups they had probably were able to produce some pretty good stories.  I am sure with a consistant writer that cares about the team, the book is just as good as any other.  I guess I just don't like rotating cast books.  I enjoy the X-Men and it always makes me mad when a new writer comes on board and shakes up the teams.  I don't know.  Fill me in on what I am missing.  Send me .CBRs of the important stories that will make me a fan.  Tell me why I should care about Luke Cage, Iron Fist, or the Wasp. 

Hisako/Armor - NCCW

Y: The Last Man- NCCW

Why not the last man, huh.  I have read the first two volumes of this graphic novel and it has my head spinning.  The implications of the story are huge.  I don’t think giving away the premise is a spoiler considering the title of the work.  Yorick is the only survivor of a plague that killed everything with a Y chromosome, seemingly instantaneously.  This of course caused all kinds of traffic and air accidents.  The world is flipped on its head. Yorick is the last man, but that doesn’t mean that he is safe. 

For a book about a world full of women, it does come across as a tad on the misogynistic side.  Women are unable to support the infrastructure.  There are a group of violent feminatzis that aren’t happy with even one man being alive.  The women all come across as incompetent, well except for that group in Ohio.  There are a couple of strong female characters, but even they seem to bend to Yorick’s will and leadership.  Is this the writer projecting, or is it a valid assessment of what would happen to society.  It seems like the series as a whole will be discussing this. 

They haven’t really talked about meat yet.  Pretty soon, it is going to be a world of vegan women. 

This one isn’t for the kiddies due to language and thematic, but my oldest picked it up and read it and liked it.  That is the problem with teaching kids to read.  They can read all the stuff you don’t want them to. 

The Walking Dead Vol. 1- NCCD

Huge fan of the Walking Dead TV show here, but for some weird reason, I have never read the comics.  Maybe it is because they started at a point in my life when I wasn’t really reading many comics.  Anyways, I saw the TPB of the first six issues at the library and couldn’t wait to dive in.  Fans of the show, it is quite a bit different.  I won’t ruin it for you, but people don’t die in the same order as they do in the series.  Kirkman does a really good job with pacing in the story and it reads pretty quickly.  The art is good and suits itself to the story very well. 

In other news, Marvel has announced that buying any paper comic will grant you an e copy of the book as well.  This is to be done with special codes and the magic of the internet.  You will have to have the marvel app to get the books and these apps are available for ios and Android.  There isn’t an app for unjailbroken kindle fires as of yet, but I am sure that there will be by the launch date in 06/12.

Optic Nerve 12- NCCW

This graphic novel is made up of two very different stories.  The first is about a man that has created a topiary/staccato line of art work that he calls hortisculpture.  The story follows him as he pursues what he feels is art, but the rest of the world finds ugly.  It is also a tale of being a husband and father.    The second story was my favorite of the two.  It is called Amber Sweet and it is about a college student that finds she is being mistaken for the star of an adult website.  It looks at how this affects her schooling, career, and relationships.  It also has the catharsis of her meeting the actual Amber Sweet. 

A lot of readers don’t give the independents a shot.  So, I am saying go out and pick this one up.  It is good.  While the artwork is in a unique style it isn’t bad, but the characters feel like real people.  Let me know what you think. 

"Atomic Robo: Last Stop" needs your help!- NCCW

This is a pretty cool idea and it has some pretty cool incentives.  Check out the kick start page.  If you haven't read the graphic novels, they are a lot of fun and I would recommend them.  

Lady MechaniKa- NCCW

Steampunk is going strong in the cosplay world, but, in my opinion, there haven't been any very good fictitious representations of a steam punk world.  I have read a few novels set in the genre and a few comics as well, and haven't been impressed by either.  Don't get me wrong the genre is visually stunning, but there hasn't been any good writing to go along with it.  That is until I picked up issue zero of Lady Mechanika.  Lady Mechanika is also very visually stunning, both the comic and its namesake.  The world building is also good.  All steam punk takes place in a Victorian or  Neo Victorian setting where dirigibles and steam power coexist with amazing scientific breakthroughs and sometimes a touch of magic.  The worlds are more fantasy than science fiction.  Lady Mechanika seems to fit pretty squarely into the genre.  It sits there with somewhat of a fresh feeling to it.

The dialogue does not seem forced and the story seems layered and sets up a mystery and implied history right from the get go.  The character is an Enigma, even to herself.  I have read three issues and not very much has been revealed about her, but it works because the writer (also the artist, Joe Benitez) is fleshing out the world around her and giving the character and side characters texture.  Most comics will give you the origin story in the first issue, but Benitez is holding back and strengthening that mystery.
 It is a really good book and I would suggest picking it up.  It is an Aspen Comics title, so you may need to special order this through your comic shop, but most good shops should have an issue on hand.  I liked it and passed it on to my 10 year old to read and she also liked it.  Being with Aspen will give this comic some freedom to breath, but it might not get the distribution it would get with some other companies.  Hopefully people pick it up and a good buzz starts forming around the title. 

X-Men Schism

It isn’t every Wednesday that I can tell you that you should be reading an X-men comic.  This one is pretty good and if you haven’t picked up an issue of X-Men in a few years, it is a great place to catch up.  These are professor x-less X-men.  I think ole chuck is off on his honeymoon/retirement in the Shi’ar or something, but he hasn’t been running the show for a while.  Running the show would be Emma(white queen) via Scott(Cyclops).  Scott thinks he is in charge though. 

With around 200 mutants left on Earth, Scott sees Mutants on the verge of extinction and feels the need to protect mutant interest.  This sets the framework for Schism.  Wolverine starts getting all mentory on new girl and doesn’t like how Scott is running things.  When the new girl is very nonchalant about taking a life at 14 years old, Wolverine snaps and decides that kids should be allowed to be kids. 

I have always liked Logan and mostly always hated Scott.  I think I am in the majority with that sentiment.  Scott is just too type A for me, and for a guy that uncontrollably shoots a force beam out of his eyes, the writers and Scott himself seem to think of Scott as all powerful and God’s gift to mutantdom.  Wolverine, who they have pretty much made all powerful, is a lot more grounded.  Must be the age difference. 

Anyway, Schism was a pretty good story and had really good artwork.  As much as I love to hate Emma, I love to see her drawn well.  It was fairly well paced and the story had real implications and touched on philosophical ideals.  In other words it wasn’t just mindless battle scenes and Scott and Logan didn’t just shake and make up at the end.  This is the title that ended the Uncanny run(Uncanny was the longest running monthly title until that point, a distinction it held for exactly one month). Not to worry I am sure all the Marvel and DC numbering will revert back in due time. 

If you have been away from the x-books for a while, you should probably pick up Schism and check out what is going on.   

Thor- Movie Review NCCW

Thor was pretty good.  I say pretty good and not great for a reason.  It just didn't leave much of an impression.  I watched it a few weeks ago and almost immediately forgot it.  While watching it I enjoyed it though.  I am not a huge Thor historian, so I am not sure how close it is to the comic.  I am pretty sure that Thor is a God and not  just mistaken for a God, but actually a super advanced alien race.

Natalie Portman was in this movie along with Kat Dennings.  That was nice.  The guy that plays Thor does a pretty good job and confirmed my opinion that Norse gods would have British accents.

Overall it was a pretty good movie that just didn't have much impact.  Consider it a prequel for the Avengers movie.  While pretty safe for all ages, my girls, 10 &7 lost interest.     

All Star Superman: The Movie-NCCW

As much as I don’t like Grant Morrison and really hate a lot of Frank Quitely’s stuff, I actually enjoyed All Star Superman.  I thought that both the writing and the art were great.  It was with enthusiasm that I picked up the movie version of the comic and was not let down there either.  It captured the spirit of the comic.  I did regret that two of my favorite stories were missing (the Jimmy Olsen one and the Clark says goodbye to his father one).  But, neither of those would have really fit into the flow of the movie.  It was a good movie and my kids really enjoyed it as well. 

NCCW: Wonder Woman

Nice classical look here.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 

Vampirella-NCCW

It is the last New Comic Content Wednesday before Halloween.  Today's installment will be one of my favorite  horror inspired comic character; Vampirella.  As a teen there was a certain aspect of the character that drew me in.  The comic was first published by Warren Comics in 1969 and almost continually since.  I found the character in the Harris years.  It is currently published by Dynamite.  In the 90's there was a direct to video movie starring Talisa Soto.  Enjoy the pics.  

EC Comics- NCCW

Warning, this post has not been approved by the Comics Code Authority!  EC Comics made its money on horror comics and the comics code killed the company.  Below a some great covers from a few of their titles.

Marvel Zombies- NCCW

Before there were black lanterns or even red lanterns, before there was Zombie Land, there was Marvel Zombies.  It wasn't riding the coat tails of the zombie craze, it was at the forefront.  This one is old enough that I am going to throw out spoilers.

The basic premise is simple; what if zombies infected superheroes.  The answer provided by the comic is super zombies causing global devastation in their quest for ever more food.  Most companies would have went safe here and infected some lesser heroes to have the big names come in and safe the day.  Marvel infected the big names and just when you thought the next big name would save the day, he/she is infected as well.  It looks as Reed Richards' scientific mind is the only hope. While researching the virus, Reed falls in love with the beauty and simplicity of it and infects himself.  The series ends on a familiar note.  The heroes of the marvel Universe teaming up to face Galactus, to make him a zombie as well.

Naturally, I had some questions.  Wouldn't Wolverine's healing factor stave off infection?  Couldn't Colossus just stay in his steel form to prevent infection?  How can you bite something that intangible like Kitty Pryde?  The comic obviously works around these issues as it infects everyone.  If you want to know what your favorite marvel character looks like undead, this is the place to go.  

Black Lanterns-NCCW

October is upon us and that means we get to do scary stuff all month long.  I will be revisiting my Your Blog Horrifies Me Award, this year with categories.  Make sure you send me links to any sites you think are full of Halloween Fun.  Be sure to tune in next Friday for a horror themed announcement.  On to our comic content of Black Lantern pics.  Black Lanterns were dead heroes and villains from the DC universe that were brought back with power rings.  

Hearts and Minds- NCCW

As always I encourage everyone to post comic book content on Wednesdays.

I was able to pick up the hardcover trade of G.I. Joe: Hearts and Minds when Borders was in their final throws for about $3 after tax.  Yes true believers, for the price of a single issue, I got the hardcover trade.  As of writing Amazon has an edition for $10.

This book was penned by Max Brooks.  Yes, that Max Brooks.  It covers different members of Cobra and Joe singularly.  I think each issue of the comic was split in two and covered two characters.  It goes into the character's motivations or back stories that leads to them being either Joe or Cobra.

I thought it was a pretty good book.  It is very light on dialogue and really narrative in general.  Brooks put a lot of faith in his artist to convey what he wanted and I think it worked.  It looks into why a person would become a terrorist, what drives them.  You aren't going to see Duke or Cobra Commander.  This book takes a look at some of the characters that you wouldn't get to know otherwise.  One of the stories is even dedicated to random faceless Cobra troopers.

If you like G.I. Joe, you should enjoy this book, but I don't think it is a prerequisite.  You could go into this book just knowing that Cobra is a terrorist organization and Joe is an elite group of the military and fare pretty well.  It is appropriate for anyone that can actually read it.  Give it a shot.  

Dark Tower Comic- NCCW

Happy Birthday, Stephen King!  You are 64 years old today.  As it is Wednesday I will bring him into the new comic content fold with his Dark Tower Series.  I have not read the comics but I have read the first three books.  The art from the comic is gorgeous.  Below you will see some of these images.

Comic Book Call to Arms-NCCW

Please enjoy this picture of Batman Vs Wolerine

For the past few months I have been posting new comic book content on every Wednesday.  I think this is a great way to bring back those memories of new comic book day when I just couldn't wait to get to the shop and go over all the titles that came in before picking up my pull list.  It was like Christmas every Wednesday.  I hope some of that feeling comes across in my Wednesday posts.  I would like this to become an ongoing meme though.  Not just for SciFi Media, but on blogs everywhere.  I know Cal does Wonder Woman Wednesdays, so definitely check that out, but I want this to be huge.  If you want to participate, you can do so by posting something comic related on Wednesdays.  You can label or tag the post with New Comic Content Wednesdays or NCCW, or not.  You can post a link in my comments to your post, or not.  The important thing is that you post about comics on Wednesdays.  So go forth and blog.  Nuff said.  

Secret Invasion-NCCW

They invaded for our Ice Cream. 

Marvel's Secret Invasion follows the Civil War storyline and has the Skrulls attacking Earth while its superheroes are at war with each other.  It is unclear how long they have been amongst us, but it has been at least for a few years, some possibly longer. 

This story plays with continuity somewhat.  some of those characters that you thought were dead and returned are actually scrulls.  From Civil War we know that Steve Rodgers dies, but Captain America arriving on the scene in Secret Invasion makes you wonder if he is a Skrull.  Okay, so knowing what I know, I knew the answer, but you know, if you read things in order, it would be interesting. 

The cast is mainly the Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Sheild, Young Avengers, and skrulls, lots and lots of skrulls.  While having such a large cast is problematic for character developement, it looks as though important character points occur in this book to be further explored later.  The art was good, but with so many characters it was easy to get lost in what was happening. 

Marvel does use this as an oppurtunity to kill off a character.  I won't spoil which one, but one, that is right, only one during a mass invasion of skrulls, character dies.  The skrulls must be total wimps or just secretly kind hearted to have not killed anyone up to that point.  It is a big deal with the other characters, but I am not sure why they got so upset about a character dying in a war.  They should have thanked their lucky stars that the skrulls are incompitent and that it was only just one. 

At the end, we get the reason for the invasion and it looks like that story was probably spun off into Fantastic Four or Avengers for a conclusion.  Overall, it wasn't a bad book.  It wrapped Civil War fairly nicely.