Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Cool Covers

Another sign of how cool Wolverine is (or maybe, how cool he used to be): A sword through his chest!  As the cover advertises, this issue features a surreal visit from Jean Grey.  This was later retconned to be a visit from Wolverine's childhood love, Rose, whom he brutally murdered.  Bummer.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

What, Me Worry?

Back in January, the news hit that "Mad Magazine" was shifting to a quarterly publication schedule. When I was younger, I was an avid reader of Mad and Cracked, both mixed in with helpings of Archie stories before moving onto superhero comics.

I was always fond of "Mad" because of the way it made fun of popular culture and how it crammed more junk to look at into a scene than I could almost comprehend. I also liked the way it snuck little cartoons into the margins, leaving no space unused.

When I was in middle school, I went to a church camp with my friend, Jeremy. Before leaving for the camp, I prepared a bag of things to help pass the time, including some Mad Magazines. Jeremy informed me that this would not be looked kindly upon at the camp and it was best to leave the magazines at home. Because of this, I was hit in the face with a baseball bat and received seven stitches (I still have a gnarly scar, no doubt due in part to extracting the stitches myself). Maybe the two factors aren't directly related, but who knows?
I've never been able to reconcile that sentiment: Mad Magazine is a rag of corruptible, incorrigible content that serves only to create a desensitized and depraved youth. Is it impossible to indulge in the harmless humor of Mad and still be an upstanding citizen? Am I morally bankrupt because I read pop culture satire? I think that was a defining moment that helped shaped the identity I have in terms of organized religion. Give me Alfred E. Neuman over your preacher any day. Unless of course, this is the Preacher.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Cool Covers

Another X-Men issue that looks at the personal side of a couple of super-powered individuals.  I really liked the stint John Romita, Jr. did on this book.

Web-Slinger

Such attention to detail:
...yikes...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Cool Covers

A favorite issue from my youth, I always enjoyed the personal stories occasionally seen in the X-Men books.

Monday, April 13, 2009

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath

Skip the first 20 seconds...
Christian hip-hop. 'Nuff said.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Blackest Night!

Sketch and finished versions of Blackest Night #1



Friday, April 10, 2009

Blackest Night!


Off the Shelf

I recently finished reading "Inhumans" by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. This seems to be a rather obscure, yet much enjoyed series amongst comic fans. Having come highly recommended from the brothers Matt and Karl Kindt, I was excited to find the trade 50% off at the recent Comic Relief sale.

The story centers around the Inhuman Maximus who begins a coup while imprisoned in Attilan. He enlists the aid of several military forces. These forces break through several barriers which keep the Inhumans secure from the outside world. All the while, Black Bolt must weigh the safety of his people against instigating further conflict with forces around the world. Jenkins cast the Inhumans perfectly as outsiders, both to humans and denizens of Atlantis, which resides just below the Inhuman city of Attilan.

While not the central figure of the story, Black Bolt is greatly expanded upon by Jenkins. Here we see BB as the true "strong but silent type." He meditates before sleeping so as not to utter a word while dreaming. He is incapable of verbally expressing how much he loves his wife, Medussa. He cannot convey how disappointed he is in his brother, Maximus. He keeps it all bottled up, but always remains calm.

The art is striking and Lee's style lends perfectly to the disjointed, disconnected world of the Inhumans. Lee's pencils' are dark and moody, which creates the perfect environment for these characters. I've always enjoyed his work, especially his subsequent collaboration with Jenkins on the Sentry.

Prior to reading this trade, I didn't know much about the Inhumans aside from BB's destructive voice, Medusa's hair, occasional interactions with the Fantastic Four, and some confusion as to whether or not Inhumans were mutants. This trade does a great job to clear most of that up and it gives the Inhumans much needed time in the spotlight. I would recommend this trade to anyone who is curious about the Inhumans, enjoys an unconventional "superhero" story, or is a fan of either Paul Jenkins or Jae Lee.


Wednesday, April 8, 2009

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

One of my all-time favorites. You can learn the back story here.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Blackest Night!


The Fall

Neat sequence from "The Fall."  The animation is by Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein.

Friday, April 3, 2009

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Like T-Rex, I couldn't fully remember this cartoon at first, just echoes of a memory.

Dear Rich Lamberty,

Happy Birthday!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Big News!

From K'Dub's belly:
More info coming soon...