Sam Wilson
08-30-2006, 09:40 PM
Sam Wilson’s Reviews
Joe is out this week on business, and as always will be missed. Happy upcoming birthday this week too brother (Friday). Stepping in is statueforum’s own kdawg (aka Keith), and even though he doesn’t have the power of the Ivy League ring, he does “haaf beeg muscles”. Joe did leave us with an excellent tpb review though. Word.
Not a huge week in comics, but many quality titles, including screenwriter John Ridley’s The American Way from DC/Wildstorm, a brand new creative team on Marvel’s Ultimate Fantastic Four and another quality “Ultimate” annual in the form of Ultimate X-men Annual #2. My pick of the week is Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys by DC/Wildstorm. Yeah, that book is awesome, pick it up already, and as always, that being said on to the reviews…
The Boys issue #2
DC/Wildstorm Comics
Written by: Garth Ennis
Drawn by: Darick Robertson
Back when I clearly remember the promo poster for the “Preacher” series, Jesse Custer face looking very maniacal over a burning church. I was 18 at the time, a freshman in college who was strictly a super hero guy, Avengers, X-men, Cap, and Batman. The most adventurous I ever got was the magazine sized issues of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” back in the day. Jim Lee and company breaking off into Image comics still had me reeling. Whatever though, that promo poster looked cool as hell, and as soon as “Preacher” came out, I picked it up and damn if it didn’t blow my mind. Suddenly I was thrust into a world of heroes, villains and perverts and swearing. Lots and lots of swearing. Often Ennis would reference obscure (at least at that time) aspects of pop culture, John Woo/Chow Yun Fat films, Elmore Leonard Novel’s, all kinds of things that made everything he wrote the coolest books on the planet. Not with just the Preacher, but with “Goddess”, “Hitman” (best line in a comic ever, “Spirit of Chow Yun Fat be with me now”), “The Rifle Brigade”, and lesser known titles like “Unknown Soldier” and “Pride and Joy”. All these books were about tough guys getting the job done, and at the same time being smarter and more ruthless than most, and dishing out the harshest penalties to those who deserved it the most (remember what Jesse did to that Pedophile Jesus De Sade in “Preacher”?). Now it’s 2006, and Garth has stumbled a little (the Marvel Knights Punisher series, not in the beginning but towards the end) but he is back, and with some creator owned goodness he calls “The Boys”.
Billy Butcher is not a nice guy. He has a bulldog named terror and is some type of high-ranking government agent. The first two issues move at a fairly brisk pace: our story starts with Billy paying a visit to someone in the White House, shagging her rigid, and then talking to her some more about assembling some kind of anti-superhero unit called “the boys”. He has most of his team assembled, a femmy yet bad a$#ed Frenchman, a sad but deadly psycho female and a sane single father who is probably the baddest mofo on the planet (not shown, but implied). Butcher still needs another member though, and that’s when we meet Hughie. Hughie seems to be a nice guy. He has met a nice girl and she just told him she loves him. And then she is crushed into a brick wall by a superhero brawl. So it begins…
For those of you who are Garth Ennis fans, this is more “Preacher” than “Punisher”, but really nothing like “Preacher” except for the use of over the top violence and sexuality to make a joke, which is awesome mind you. These first two issues of the boys are great, watch a Yorkshire terrier get shagged rotten, observe Billy talk tough to Mother Milk’s daughter in ways you’d only dream to see parents act. Unspeakable violence, bad language. Ahh Garth, I missed you, glad to see you back.
X-Factor issue #10
Marvel Comics
Written by: Peter David
Drawn by: Ryan Sook
For those of you who don’t remember, this is the second time Peter David has revamped X-Factor, the first time being over a decade ago in X-Factor issue #71, when the original X-men went back to the X-men and Havok, Polaris and a few other became “X-Factor”. Peter David is at it again, this time with a whole new spin, the new twist on “X-Factor” coming from his recent Maddrox limited series. You know, Jamie Maddrox, everyone’s favorite multiple man who first appeared in the Fantastic Four and spend most of his life hiding out on Muir Island with Moria McTaggart. In David’s recent Maddrox limited series Jamie was living in Mutant Town, the mutant ghetto in New York City, and running a shady detective agency. Under his employ were Rhane Sinclair (Wolfsbane from the New Mutants) and Strong Guy (from Peter David’s first revamp of “X-Factor”). Well, things have changed a little. The events of the “House of M” crossover have reduced the mutant population by 90%, and at the same time Jamie finds himself flush with cash and wanting to expand his business. In addition to Wolfsbane and Strong Guy, Jamie hired Theresa Cassidy (Syrin) and Monet St. Croix (M from Generation X) and has recruited Rusty (recently de-powered, a mutant charge of the old X-factor). Also joining the team is the little girl Layla Miller from the “House of M” crossover. Apparently “she knows things”, and thus we join or heroes in issue ten…
If you’ve missed the last few issues of “X-Factor”, the gang (with Jamie leading the charge) was forced to take a stand in the current “Civil War” going ons, and he decided to stand against registration and told Cyclops to take a long walk off a short pier (in so many words) and called him on the M-day cover up. Meanwhile, “X-Factor’s” arch nemesis, Singularity Investigations are up to no good as usual, and in issue ten we get a possible peek into their past, and even worse a possible mole inside of X-Factor who may or may not be on Singularity’s pay role (even though things seem pretty obvious, you never know). Also in this issue Jamie puts on his playa hat and Layla doesn’t seem to know everything.
If you’ve been keeping up with X-Factor, don’t stop now, this issue is pretty cool. If you haven’t read this latest incarnation of X-Factor, check it out. It is nothing like any of the previous versions of X-Factor, well, to be fair it is unlike any x-book currently being done. If you are a Peter David fan, or a fan of good writing in general, you will not be disappointed. Check this book out. Definitely a gem in hiding…
Ultimate X-men Annual #2
Marvel Comics
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Drawn by: Salvador Larroca
The last of this summer’s “Ultimate” Annuals, “Ultimate X-men” annual once again gives us a touching character story centering around a few characters in the ever growing canon of the Ultimate Marvel Universe. This time around Robert Kirkman and Salvador Larroca bring us a tale of Dazzler and Nightcrawler. Ultimate Nightcrawler is a young man who was part of the “Ultimate Weapon X” program Wolverine belonged too, and was freed early on in the run of UXM. Dazzler is an aspiring punk rocker who at one point signed with Emma Frost’s Academy of Tomorrow because she promised her a record deal, but later joined up with the X-men after they rescued her from a Sentinal Attack. She was never super into being an X-men, but shows some chutzpah one day when she leads an unauthorized mission to rescue her boyfriend Angel from Genosha. Later on Dazzler is injured during a fight with Deathshrike and is put in a coma, visited frequently by Nightcrawler who has a small crush on her. Well, maybe not so small as we found out in “annual two”…
We all know Nightcrawler was in the Weapon X project, and we’ve seen the affect it has had on Wolverine, but what about Kurt? Is he the sweet fuzzy elf like in the regular Marvel U? Umm, well, after you get done reading this book the answer is hell no, not by a longshot. Weapon X really, really messed up Kurt, and who knows what kind of trauma he had suffered before the program looking the way he did. I really don’t want to say to much because it will give a way the entire issue, and the twist on the regular Marvel U Nightcrawler is part of what makes this story so good. It hits you like a freezing cold splash. I don’t really know what else to say besides that. If you’ve been keeping up with “Ultimate X-men”, you are definitely going to want to check this book out. A warning, if you are a Nightcrawler fan you might not be to thrilled as to what the Ultimate Universe does to him, but if you are a fan of compelling storytelling you will definitely be captivated by this issue.
Special Review by kdawg
Ultimate Fantastic Four #33
Marvel Comics
Written by: Mike Carey
Drawn by: Pasqual Ferry
For those of you that have been living under a mushroom for the past several years Marvel has given us some of their best stories and art in the form of their Ultimate line of Books. Ultimate FF has been (along with the Ultimates) among the very best of these titles consistently every month since its inception. This month we are given the brand new creative team of Mike Carey, whom has been also writing X-Men for the past couple of months and utterly confusing the ever lovin’ snot out of me over there. And Pasqual Ferry who in my most humble opinion has one of the hardest assignments in comics… Following the footsteps of Greg Land. (Sniff Sniff… bye Greg... your style and the way you draw chicas will be missed.) We are given the first part of what will be a six issue arc.
As the book started out we are given Reed and Sue out at the mall doing some perfume shopping which makes Reed rather uncomfortable in his own shoes. I thought to myself… you and every other man pal. Especially someone who is as socially inept as poor brainiac Reed. Still he toughs it out for Sue with a smile. This was unfortunately for me the very last thing that was compelling or made any sense in this story. Mike Carey is now confusing the hell out of me on yet another of my favorite titles… That boy needs a whuppin’ from mamma WKTF’s Kitchen for starting us off and not filling in any holes until we have lost interest. Still I’m hopeful and I’m not hating. Six issues is enough time to hopefully shed some light and win me over. By page 2 we are given an introduction to a whole new set of characters who are Alien, don’t make sense, and with all the pastel-like colors was just downright hard for me to get through. We spent more time with the aliens than we ever see the FF. What’s their story and what are they about? You should all feel happy that I’m writing the review, because if you are befuddled as you read this you are not alone.
What I will say is this. There was some relief toward the end of this issue as we at least get to see the FF again. Reed being Reed and Johnny and The ever lovin’ Blue eyed Thing cracking jokes and leaving the “Big Brain” to what it is that he does while they go looking for stimulation in the form of video games. This portion of the story was my relief. So I will say that so far Carey has the characterization down. The scenes with Marvel’s royal family were the bright spot in this issue.
So hopefully this new team and new arc will build steam through these first 6 issues. Telling a story that begins all guns blazing and trying to catch the reader up as you go is not the easiest thing to do and apparently this is Mike Carey’s style of writing. I hope that the next issue helps us catch up because this is one of my favorite books every month, but this issue didn’t grab me and left me saying… “This wasn’t Ultimate FF… This was Ultimately Effing confusing…
That said… I’m still in as I dig the way he wrote the FF themselves and although Pasqual’s visual style is dramatically different from Greg’s… He still can work the panels from one to the next.
Word for asking me to fill in for Joe this week Sam. I had some tough shoes to fill with you gone bro…
Joe is out this week on business, and as always will be missed. Happy upcoming birthday this week too brother (Friday). Stepping in is statueforum’s own kdawg (aka Keith), and even though he doesn’t have the power of the Ivy League ring, he does “haaf beeg muscles”. Joe did leave us with an excellent tpb review though. Word.
Not a huge week in comics, but many quality titles, including screenwriter John Ridley’s The American Way from DC/Wildstorm, a brand new creative team on Marvel’s Ultimate Fantastic Four and another quality “Ultimate” annual in the form of Ultimate X-men Annual #2. My pick of the week is Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys by DC/Wildstorm. Yeah, that book is awesome, pick it up already, and as always, that being said on to the reviews…
The Boys issue #2
DC/Wildstorm Comics
Written by: Garth Ennis
Drawn by: Darick Robertson
Back when I clearly remember the promo poster for the “Preacher” series, Jesse Custer face looking very maniacal over a burning church. I was 18 at the time, a freshman in college who was strictly a super hero guy, Avengers, X-men, Cap, and Batman. The most adventurous I ever got was the magazine sized issues of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” back in the day. Jim Lee and company breaking off into Image comics still had me reeling. Whatever though, that promo poster looked cool as hell, and as soon as “Preacher” came out, I picked it up and damn if it didn’t blow my mind. Suddenly I was thrust into a world of heroes, villains and perverts and swearing. Lots and lots of swearing. Often Ennis would reference obscure (at least at that time) aspects of pop culture, John Woo/Chow Yun Fat films, Elmore Leonard Novel’s, all kinds of things that made everything he wrote the coolest books on the planet. Not with just the Preacher, but with “Goddess”, “Hitman” (best line in a comic ever, “Spirit of Chow Yun Fat be with me now”), “The Rifle Brigade”, and lesser known titles like “Unknown Soldier” and “Pride and Joy”. All these books were about tough guys getting the job done, and at the same time being smarter and more ruthless than most, and dishing out the harshest penalties to those who deserved it the most (remember what Jesse did to that Pedophile Jesus De Sade in “Preacher”?). Now it’s 2006, and Garth has stumbled a little (the Marvel Knights Punisher series, not in the beginning but towards the end) but he is back, and with some creator owned goodness he calls “The Boys”.
Billy Butcher is not a nice guy. He has a bulldog named terror and is some type of high-ranking government agent. The first two issues move at a fairly brisk pace: our story starts with Billy paying a visit to someone in the White House, shagging her rigid, and then talking to her some more about assembling some kind of anti-superhero unit called “the boys”. He has most of his team assembled, a femmy yet bad a$#ed Frenchman, a sad but deadly psycho female and a sane single father who is probably the baddest mofo on the planet (not shown, but implied). Butcher still needs another member though, and that’s when we meet Hughie. Hughie seems to be a nice guy. He has met a nice girl and she just told him she loves him. And then she is crushed into a brick wall by a superhero brawl. So it begins…
For those of you who are Garth Ennis fans, this is more “Preacher” than “Punisher”, but really nothing like “Preacher” except for the use of over the top violence and sexuality to make a joke, which is awesome mind you. These first two issues of the boys are great, watch a Yorkshire terrier get shagged rotten, observe Billy talk tough to Mother Milk’s daughter in ways you’d only dream to see parents act. Unspeakable violence, bad language. Ahh Garth, I missed you, glad to see you back.
X-Factor issue #10
Marvel Comics
Written by: Peter David
Drawn by: Ryan Sook
For those of you who don’t remember, this is the second time Peter David has revamped X-Factor, the first time being over a decade ago in X-Factor issue #71, when the original X-men went back to the X-men and Havok, Polaris and a few other became “X-Factor”. Peter David is at it again, this time with a whole new spin, the new twist on “X-Factor” coming from his recent Maddrox limited series. You know, Jamie Maddrox, everyone’s favorite multiple man who first appeared in the Fantastic Four and spend most of his life hiding out on Muir Island with Moria McTaggart. In David’s recent Maddrox limited series Jamie was living in Mutant Town, the mutant ghetto in New York City, and running a shady detective agency. Under his employ were Rhane Sinclair (Wolfsbane from the New Mutants) and Strong Guy (from Peter David’s first revamp of “X-Factor”). Well, things have changed a little. The events of the “House of M” crossover have reduced the mutant population by 90%, and at the same time Jamie finds himself flush with cash and wanting to expand his business. In addition to Wolfsbane and Strong Guy, Jamie hired Theresa Cassidy (Syrin) and Monet St. Croix (M from Generation X) and has recruited Rusty (recently de-powered, a mutant charge of the old X-factor). Also joining the team is the little girl Layla Miller from the “House of M” crossover. Apparently “she knows things”, and thus we join or heroes in issue ten…
If you’ve missed the last few issues of “X-Factor”, the gang (with Jamie leading the charge) was forced to take a stand in the current “Civil War” going ons, and he decided to stand against registration and told Cyclops to take a long walk off a short pier (in so many words) and called him on the M-day cover up. Meanwhile, “X-Factor’s” arch nemesis, Singularity Investigations are up to no good as usual, and in issue ten we get a possible peek into their past, and even worse a possible mole inside of X-Factor who may or may not be on Singularity’s pay role (even though things seem pretty obvious, you never know). Also in this issue Jamie puts on his playa hat and Layla doesn’t seem to know everything.
If you’ve been keeping up with X-Factor, don’t stop now, this issue is pretty cool. If you haven’t read this latest incarnation of X-Factor, check it out. It is nothing like any of the previous versions of X-Factor, well, to be fair it is unlike any x-book currently being done. If you are a Peter David fan, or a fan of good writing in general, you will not be disappointed. Check this book out. Definitely a gem in hiding…
Ultimate X-men Annual #2
Marvel Comics
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Drawn by: Salvador Larroca
The last of this summer’s “Ultimate” Annuals, “Ultimate X-men” annual once again gives us a touching character story centering around a few characters in the ever growing canon of the Ultimate Marvel Universe. This time around Robert Kirkman and Salvador Larroca bring us a tale of Dazzler and Nightcrawler. Ultimate Nightcrawler is a young man who was part of the “Ultimate Weapon X” program Wolverine belonged too, and was freed early on in the run of UXM. Dazzler is an aspiring punk rocker who at one point signed with Emma Frost’s Academy of Tomorrow because she promised her a record deal, but later joined up with the X-men after they rescued her from a Sentinal Attack. She was never super into being an X-men, but shows some chutzpah one day when she leads an unauthorized mission to rescue her boyfriend Angel from Genosha. Later on Dazzler is injured during a fight with Deathshrike and is put in a coma, visited frequently by Nightcrawler who has a small crush on her. Well, maybe not so small as we found out in “annual two”…
We all know Nightcrawler was in the Weapon X project, and we’ve seen the affect it has had on Wolverine, but what about Kurt? Is he the sweet fuzzy elf like in the regular Marvel U? Umm, well, after you get done reading this book the answer is hell no, not by a longshot. Weapon X really, really messed up Kurt, and who knows what kind of trauma he had suffered before the program looking the way he did. I really don’t want to say to much because it will give a way the entire issue, and the twist on the regular Marvel U Nightcrawler is part of what makes this story so good. It hits you like a freezing cold splash. I don’t really know what else to say besides that. If you’ve been keeping up with “Ultimate X-men”, you are definitely going to want to check this book out. A warning, if you are a Nightcrawler fan you might not be to thrilled as to what the Ultimate Universe does to him, but if you are a fan of compelling storytelling you will definitely be captivated by this issue.
Special Review by kdawg
Ultimate Fantastic Four #33
Marvel Comics
Written by: Mike Carey
Drawn by: Pasqual Ferry
For those of you that have been living under a mushroom for the past several years Marvel has given us some of their best stories and art in the form of their Ultimate line of Books. Ultimate FF has been (along with the Ultimates) among the very best of these titles consistently every month since its inception. This month we are given the brand new creative team of Mike Carey, whom has been also writing X-Men for the past couple of months and utterly confusing the ever lovin’ snot out of me over there. And Pasqual Ferry who in my most humble opinion has one of the hardest assignments in comics… Following the footsteps of Greg Land. (Sniff Sniff… bye Greg... your style and the way you draw chicas will be missed.) We are given the first part of what will be a six issue arc.
As the book started out we are given Reed and Sue out at the mall doing some perfume shopping which makes Reed rather uncomfortable in his own shoes. I thought to myself… you and every other man pal. Especially someone who is as socially inept as poor brainiac Reed. Still he toughs it out for Sue with a smile. This was unfortunately for me the very last thing that was compelling or made any sense in this story. Mike Carey is now confusing the hell out of me on yet another of my favorite titles… That boy needs a whuppin’ from mamma WKTF’s Kitchen for starting us off and not filling in any holes until we have lost interest. Still I’m hopeful and I’m not hating. Six issues is enough time to hopefully shed some light and win me over. By page 2 we are given an introduction to a whole new set of characters who are Alien, don’t make sense, and with all the pastel-like colors was just downright hard for me to get through. We spent more time with the aliens than we ever see the FF. What’s their story and what are they about? You should all feel happy that I’m writing the review, because if you are befuddled as you read this you are not alone.
What I will say is this. There was some relief toward the end of this issue as we at least get to see the FF again. Reed being Reed and Johnny and The ever lovin’ Blue eyed Thing cracking jokes and leaving the “Big Brain” to what it is that he does while they go looking for stimulation in the form of video games. This portion of the story was my relief. So I will say that so far Carey has the characterization down. The scenes with Marvel’s royal family were the bright spot in this issue.
So hopefully this new team and new arc will build steam through these first 6 issues. Telling a story that begins all guns blazing and trying to catch the reader up as you go is not the easiest thing to do and apparently this is Mike Carey’s style of writing. I hope that the next issue helps us catch up because this is one of my favorite books every month, but this issue didn’t grab me and left me saying… “This wasn’t Ultimate FF… This was Ultimately Effing confusing…
That said… I’m still in as I dig the way he wrote the FF themselves and although Pasqual’s visual style is dramatically different from Greg’s… He still can work the panels from one to the next.
Word for asking me to fill in for Joe this week Sam. I had some tough shoes to fill with you gone bro…