Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year's celebration and many more comic. And in the spirit of starting the year off right, here's another comic-themed happy New Year's illustration for your enjoyment. Come back next week for more comics talk!
Sunday, December 31, 2017
And Happy New Year's, too
Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year's celebration and many more comic. And in the spirit of starting the year off right, here's another comic-themed happy New Year's illustration for your enjoyment. Come back next week for more comics talk!
Monday, December 25, 2017
Merry Christmas, everybody!
No new post this week. Just wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday. Read some comics; you'll be glad you did!
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
It's a bit of a head-scratcher
Future Quest Presents: Space Ghost 1-3
DC Comics
Creators: Jeff Parker, Ariel Olivetti, A Larger World Studio, Steve Rude, Brittany Holzherr and Marie Javins
Release dates: October-December 2017
I liked the 12-issue Future Quest title DC used to unite all of the Hanna-Barbera sci-fi and action/adventure characters together. Don't believe me, just read about it here.
Based on the strength of that series, I decided to pick up the follow-up book, Future Quest Presents, which so far is a solo Space Ghost story with cameos by the Herculoids. It clearly takes place after the events of the previous Future Quest series because Space Ghost and his teen allies, Jan and Jace, mention that adventure as having just happened.
I like this story on its own merits, so far. I also like how it is continuing to flesh out the back stories of its various characters. We learn more about the Space Force Space Ghost was once a part of, as well as more of the backstory of the twins now in his care. The fact that Jan and Jace are twins was taken directly from the "Space Ghost" cartoon, but viewers knew nothing about their parents or how they came to be under Space Ghost's care and tutelage.
This series shows the two youngsters attending school and keeping a secret the fact that they are training under Space Ghost to rebuild the once proud Space Force, and that's where I have issues that don't seem to quite line up for me. I can't think of a single instance where Jan and Jace are given a specific age, but they always seemed like teenagers to me in the show. Nothing in Future Quest made me think differently. And nothing in Future Quest Presents specifically contradicts that idea.
But the twins are drawn in these issues in a way that makes them seem younger than teens. The same goes for their classmates in the school they attend. I very much get an 8- to 10-year-old vibe, maybe slightly younger. They also make very obvious reference to the fact that noone at their school is supposed to know about their association with Space Ghost. Despite their undercover status at school, they wear their uniforms, identical to those worn by the members of the previous Space Force, something you'd expect to be a dead giveaway. Add to these oddities the absence of their usual comm badges; both teens typically wore red triangle badges with a picture of Space Ghost's head on them. These were used to communicate with each other while in space, and would also be a dead giveaway. Those comm badges are missing in these issues, even when the twins are with Space Ghost. I started to doubt that they did sport these devices in the show. But I checked out some episodes. They did wear them in the show, and they were drawn with them in Future Quest. So where are they now.
None of these discrepancies are ruining this book for me. But they do leave me scratching my head as to how these things were overlooked or "wrong" in an otherwise excellent series.
DC Comics
Creators: Jeff Parker, Ariel Olivetti, A Larger World Studio, Steve Rude, Brittany Holzherr and Marie Javins
Release dates: October-December 2017
I liked the 12-issue Future Quest title DC used to unite all of the Hanna-Barbera sci-fi and action/adventure characters together. Don't believe me, just read about it here.
Based on the strength of that series, I decided to pick up the follow-up book, Future Quest Presents, which so far is a solo Space Ghost story with cameos by the Herculoids. It clearly takes place after the events of the previous Future Quest series because Space Ghost and his teen allies, Jan and Jace, mention that adventure as having just happened.
I like this story on its own merits, so far. I also like how it is continuing to flesh out the back stories of its various characters. We learn more about the Space Force Space Ghost was once a part of, as well as more of the backstory of the twins now in his care. The fact that Jan and Jace are twins was taken directly from the "Space Ghost" cartoon, but viewers knew nothing about their parents or how they came to be under Space Ghost's care and tutelage.
This series shows the two youngsters attending school and keeping a secret the fact that they are training under Space Ghost to rebuild the once proud Space Force, and that's where I have issues that don't seem to quite line up for me. I can't think of a single instance where Jan and Jace are given a specific age, but they always seemed like teenagers to me in the show. Nothing in Future Quest made me think differently. And nothing in Future Quest Presents specifically contradicts that idea.
But the twins are drawn in these issues in a way that makes them seem younger than teens. The same goes for their classmates in the school they attend. I very much get an 8- to 10-year-old vibe, maybe slightly younger. They also make very obvious reference to the fact that noone at their school is supposed to know about their association with Space Ghost. Despite their undercover status at school, they wear their uniforms, identical to those worn by the members of the previous Space Force, something you'd expect to be a dead giveaway. Add to these oddities the absence of their usual comm badges; both teens typically wore red triangle badges with a picture of Space Ghost's head on them. These were used to communicate with each other while in space, and would also be a dead giveaway. Those comm badges are missing in these issues, even when the twins are with Space Ghost. I started to doubt that they did sport these devices in the show. But I checked out some episodes. They did wear them in the show, and they were drawn with them in Future Quest. So where are they now.
None of these discrepancies are ruining this book for me. But they do leave me scratching my head as to how these things were overlooked or "wrong" in an otherwise excellent series.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Creative. Educational. Entertaining. And a Little Bit Scary.
The Tithe Vol. 3: Samaritan
Image Comics
Creators: Matt Hawkins, Atilio Rojo, Troy Peteri, Elena Salcedo, Bryan Hill and Carey Hall
Release Date: September 2017
This will not be the first time I've mentioned this title on the blog. I covered the first trade collection and why I was interested in giving the series a try here. The series is the story of a hacker who is working to attack the corruption rampant in many of this country's mega-churches. It is not an attack on any specific religion or even on faith in general. One of the two FBI agents also central to the plot is a devoutly religious man, and the character is not presented as foolish or a zealot simply because he is a man of faith. Rather he is shown to be an intelligent, caring individual who also takes issue with the corruption the hacker, Samaritan, is targeting. That's intelligent, thought-provoking writing that uses real-world events and situations as a springboard for story ideas.
I liked that first trade so much, I was happy to learn that not only would there be a second volume, but that the writer, Matt Hawkins, and the illustrator, Rahsan Ekedal, had another series they collaborated on titled Think Tank. I decided to try Think Tank, which had three existing trades at that point, while I waited for The Tithe Vol. 2 to come out. I absolutely loved that series, too, although that's where the scary description comes in.
Think Tank follows the life of a young man named David Loren. Loren is a genius, so much so that he is recruited at the age of 17 by the government to come work for them. Loren is one of the people responsible for creating a lot of the tech the government uses, often for clandestine purposes and military applications. In exchange, they provide Loren with anything and everything he needs to live and work because they keep him under close wraps on a military base he is not supposed to leave. He has limited contact with the outside world — although often more than his handlers realize — and often gets bored with his work, the limited minds around him and the general sameness of his day-to-day existence. Not to mention he has increasing qualms about how the officials around him use his developments. So Loren has a tendency to go a little rogue.
Much like The Tithe, Think Tank is very intelligently written, and the stories leave readers with a lot to think about. Adding to the narratives is Hawkins' insistence on using real tech currently in use by the militaries and the governments of the world — not just our own — in his stories. I can't say for certain about the individual issues, but every one of the trades from both series have had extensive material, citations, internet links and other research to show the true applications behind the ideas in Hawkins' stories. The fact that some of this tech is real and not just the subject of a riveting fictional story can be a little scary at times.
But wait, there's more. (You remember I said these stories were thought-provoking and intelligent, right?) Both The Tithe and Think Tank inhabit a shared universe. Loren and his core supporting cast did not appear at all in The Tithe Vol. 1. And Samaritan and her core cast did not appear in the first couple trades of Think Tank stories. But some of the background politicians and other ancillary characters in Think Tank did appear as background characters and politicians in The Tithe. I confess, I did not catch those minor characters' crossovers until I read the solicits for a book called Eden's Fall. That book was co-written by Hawkins and Bryan Hill, and it was Hawkins' name that first caught my attention. But reading the advance solicitation material clued me in that this limited series would combine elements of all the Edenverse titles — Think Tank, The Tithe and a third series called Postal I hadn't previously been aware of. So I got Eden's Fall, and it also was great. That single trade is set in the environs of the Postal series, but also includes major characters from Think Tank playing a role, and could easily be billed as The Tithe Vol. 2.5. That's because events in Eden's Fall occur as a direct result of things from The Tithe Vol. 2, and the aftermath of Eden's Fall leads directly into the events in The Tithe Vol. 3.
Some readers might be getting skittish at this point. "Whoa, do I have to read all of these titles to make sense of any single story? That can get pricey!" I understand that fear, believe me. Many intra-company crossovers these days leave you with only part of the story unless you buy all the related crossover titles and one-shots, sometimes bits and pieces that are only very loosely related to the whole, but nonetheless important if you want a complete story. And I agree, that if you are already reading The Tithe, you kind of need to read Eden's Fall or you'll get lost between The Tithe Vols. 2 and 3. But Think Tank stands quite well on its own, and Think Tank is not needed to read any of The Tithe. All you really need to know about any crossover characters is given to you within the book in which they appear. Reading both series has given me a better understanding of some behind the scenes events in either book. But neither is critical to understanding the other. Which is how such crossovers should be handled, giving the decision-making power "to buy or not to buy" entirely to the readers.
Having said that, I liked The Tithe enough to try Think Tank — now up to five trades, the latest of which was a little weaker than the first four, but still good — to stick with The Tithe itself through three trades — all very great reads — to try and love Eden's Fall and now, finally, to go back and try Postal, the book Hawkins co-writes with Hill. That's the one Edenverse title I haven't read yet, but I like the others enough and the brief glimpse I got of those characters from the Eden's Fall collection, that I'm willing to try this series too — which currently has six trades available. What cemented my desire to take the plunge and try Postal, too? Both the Eden's Fall trade and The Tithe Vol. 3 trade included the first full issue of Postal for readers not familiar with the series. In fact, the Eden's Fall trade include the first issues of Postal, Think Tank and The Tithe, giving new readers an idea of what they could expect from the beginnings of each of the characters involved in the Eden's Fall story line. That's good cross-promotion. Not just, "If you liked this title, try our other products," but "If you liked this title and are interested in our other products, here's a free sample before you buy."
I know this post is light on specifics from any of the various titles. I always try to shy away from major spoilers, when possible. But I've also tried to give a sense of what the series I've read are about. I can't speak to Postal in depth yet since I haven't read those beyond issue No. 1. But if what I have said about The Tithe, Think Tank or Eden's Fall has piqued your interest at all, I think you'll enjoy them. And I like each of those series enough to try a fourth title by the same writer. These are definitely good comics!
Image Comics
Creators: Matt Hawkins, Atilio Rojo, Troy Peteri, Elena Salcedo, Bryan Hill and Carey Hall
Release Date: September 2017
This will not be the first time I've mentioned this title on the blog. I covered the first trade collection and why I was interested in giving the series a try here. The series is the story of a hacker who is working to attack the corruption rampant in many of this country's mega-churches. It is not an attack on any specific religion or even on faith in general. One of the two FBI agents also central to the plot is a devoutly religious man, and the character is not presented as foolish or a zealot simply because he is a man of faith. Rather he is shown to be an intelligent, caring individual who also takes issue with the corruption the hacker, Samaritan, is targeting. That's intelligent, thought-provoking writing that uses real-world events and situations as a springboard for story ideas.
I liked that first trade so much, I was happy to learn that not only would there be a second volume, but that the writer, Matt Hawkins, and the illustrator, Rahsan Ekedal, had another series they collaborated on titled Think Tank. I decided to try Think Tank, which had three existing trades at that point, while I waited for The Tithe Vol. 2 to come out. I absolutely loved that series, too, although that's where the scary description comes in.
Think Tank follows the life of a young man named David Loren. Loren is a genius, so much so that he is recruited at the age of 17 by the government to come work for them. Loren is one of the people responsible for creating a lot of the tech the government uses, often for clandestine purposes and military applications. In exchange, they provide Loren with anything and everything he needs to live and work because they keep him under close wraps on a military base he is not supposed to leave. He has limited contact with the outside world — although often more than his handlers realize — and often gets bored with his work, the limited minds around him and the general sameness of his day-to-day existence. Not to mention he has increasing qualms about how the officials around him use his developments. So Loren has a tendency to go a little rogue.
Much like The Tithe, Think Tank is very intelligently written, and the stories leave readers with a lot to think about. Adding to the narratives is Hawkins' insistence on using real tech currently in use by the militaries and the governments of the world — not just our own — in his stories. I can't say for certain about the individual issues, but every one of the trades from both series have had extensive material, citations, internet links and other research to show the true applications behind the ideas in Hawkins' stories. The fact that some of this tech is real and not just the subject of a riveting fictional story can be a little scary at times.
But wait, there's more. (You remember I said these stories were thought-provoking and intelligent, right?) Both The Tithe and Think Tank inhabit a shared universe. Loren and his core supporting cast did not appear at all in The Tithe Vol. 1. And Samaritan and her core cast did not appear in the first couple trades of Think Tank stories. But some of the background politicians and other ancillary characters in Think Tank did appear as background characters and politicians in The Tithe. I confess, I did not catch those minor characters' crossovers until I read the solicits for a book called Eden's Fall. That book was co-written by Hawkins and Bryan Hill, and it was Hawkins' name that first caught my attention. But reading the advance solicitation material clued me in that this limited series would combine elements of all the Edenverse titles — Think Tank, The Tithe and a third series called Postal I hadn't previously been aware of. So I got Eden's Fall, and it also was great. That single trade is set in the environs of the Postal series, but also includes major characters from Think Tank playing a role, and could easily be billed as The Tithe Vol. 2.5. That's because events in Eden's Fall occur as a direct result of things from The Tithe Vol. 2, and the aftermath of Eden's Fall leads directly into the events in The Tithe Vol. 3.
Some readers might be getting skittish at this point. "Whoa, do I have to read all of these titles to make sense of any single story? That can get pricey!" I understand that fear, believe me. Many intra-company crossovers these days leave you with only part of the story unless you buy all the related crossover titles and one-shots, sometimes bits and pieces that are only very loosely related to the whole, but nonetheless important if you want a complete story. And I agree, that if you are already reading The Tithe, you kind of need to read Eden's Fall or you'll get lost between The Tithe Vols. 2 and 3. But Think Tank stands quite well on its own, and Think Tank is not needed to read any of The Tithe. All you really need to know about any crossover characters is given to you within the book in which they appear. Reading both series has given me a better understanding of some behind the scenes events in either book. But neither is critical to understanding the other. Which is how such crossovers should be handled, giving the decision-making power "to buy or not to buy" entirely to the readers.
Having said that, I liked The Tithe enough to try Think Tank — now up to five trades, the latest of which was a little weaker than the first four, but still good — to stick with The Tithe itself through three trades — all very great reads — to try and love Eden's Fall and now, finally, to go back and try Postal, the book Hawkins co-writes with Hill. That's the one Edenverse title I haven't read yet, but I like the others enough and the brief glimpse I got of those characters from the Eden's Fall collection, that I'm willing to try this series too — which currently has six trades available. What cemented my desire to take the plunge and try Postal, too? Both the Eden's Fall trade and The Tithe Vol. 3 trade included the first full issue of Postal for readers not familiar with the series. In fact, the Eden's Fall trade include the first issues of Postal, Think Tank and The Tithe, giving new readers an idea of what they could expect from the beginnings of each of the characters involved in the Eden's Fall story line. That's good cross-promotion. Not just, "If you liked this title, try our other products," but "If you liked this title and are interested in our other products, here's a free sample before you buy."
I know this post is light on specifics from any of the various titles. I always try to shy away from major spoilers, when possible. But I've also tried to give a sense of what the series I've read are about. I can't speak to Postal in depth yet since I haven't read those beyond issue No. 1. But if what I have said about The Tithe, Think Tank or Eden's Fall has piqued your interest at all, I think you'll enjoy them. And I like each of those series enough to try a fourth title by the same writer. These are definitely good comics!
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Now That's How You Do a Crossover
The CW's Arrowverse
Release Date: Nov. 27-28, 2017
Previous crossovers within the shows of the Arrowverse of CW shows have had some truly great moments, but this year's megacrossover was by far the best to date. In the past, the individual shows very much retained their own individual feel, leaving each chapter feeling like merely a special episode of "Supergirl," "The Flash," "Legends of Tomorrow" or "Arrow" with cameos, but the overall storyline would feel a bit disjointed.
This year's crossover event felt like four hour-long chapters of a single storyline that happened to star characters from each of the aforementioned shows. Even the intros and outros were specially created to contain elements from all four shows as a unified entity. Without an episode guide to indicate which hour belonged to which series, it was very hard to tell that they weren't a new unified show, which is as it should be for a project like this.
I confess, I haven't been keeping up with "Supergirl" this season; I just haven't had time to watch everything, and that show has fallen by the wayside. But the writers did a great job of briefly bringing viewers up to speed on the relevant status quo of each series without belaboring things, so I knew everything I needed to know about the "Supergirl" participants and where they were at coming into the crossover, without feeling like I was getting unnecessary exposition about the other shows I knew more about.
I also felt like there was a lot of character and plot development in this crossover for the individual series. Viewers of the next episodes of "The Flash," "Arrow" and "Legends" will definitely have some changes from the crossover to be addressed. I didn't see as much change in the characters from "Supergirl," but again, maybe that is because I'm not current on that show right now.
If there was a weak spot in the whole thing, I'd have to say it was the absence of some of the "Legends" cast until the very end. But let's be honest, this was a massive cast of regulars and new characters to service. I can't blame the creators involved for giving some of the "Legends" a little less to do until the big finale.
Now, a lot of what I've read since watching the crossover indicates that it was a lot of work coordinating on the part of the creators, crews and staffs of each show to pull this type of thing off. I'm sure it was. But the effort was well worth it for this kind of finished product. If all of the shows continue on, I hope this can continue to be an annual tradition, and that this quality level can be maintained.
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