Benni Reads Comics

All Star Western #1

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:14:09 -0400

All Star Western #1

Story - Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray

Art - Moritat

DC Comics

I thought it was probably about time I wrote some review’s of DC’s New 52.

You all know the score the The New 52, so I’m not going to talk about that here. What I am going to talk about is All Star Western #1.

Of all of The New 52, this was possibly my favourite. And here’s why.

The Gotham Butcher is killing prostitutes in this new city and the police are nowhere near catching him. Detective Lofton hires Doctor Amadeus Arkham and Jonah Hex assist in apprehending the Gotham Butcher.

This was very much a detective story set in 19th Century Gotham, and there is a lot of acknowledging the city in which this story is set. We see mentions of the Wayne family and the Mayor of Gotham during this time is an ancestor of Oswald Cobblepot.

I wanted to pick up something that wasn’t a superhero comic but still had a strong story and that’s exactly what I got. Couple the ace story with Moritat’s art and it’s an unbeatable first issue.

If you want to start reading comics but don’t want special powers and alien threats then All Star Western is a great place to start!

2011 Harvey Awards

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:30:00 -0400

I’ve just seen a list of the winners from the 2011 Harvey Awards.

Well done to everyone who won, but specifically:

Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani for Tiny Titans who won Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers.

Bryan Lee O’Malley for Scott Pilgrim Volume 6 who won Best Graphic Album.

Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez for Love and Rockets Volume 3 who won Best Continuing or Limited Series.

This has made me a little bit excited for September. One thing...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:04:32 -0400

This has made me a little bit excited for September.

One thing that annoyed me though was the fact that Swamp Thing gets seen, but Booster Gold doesn’t.

Jamie’s art is almost enough to get me reading Marvel...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 10:09:03 -0400

Jamie’s art is almost enough to get me reading Marvel comics.

This page looks amazing!

mckelvie:

Here’s an interview with Dennis Hopeless and me about our upcoming graphic novel X-Men: Season One

Knight and Squire #1

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 08:12:44 -0400

Knight and Squire #1

Story - Paul Cornell

Art - Jimmy Broxton and Guy Major

DC Comics

And now for something completely different.

Knight and Squire is a sort of British parody of Batman and Robin, but still set within the DC Universe.

Paul Cornell’s story of British Superheroes and Supervillains is very funny. It’s like the Adam West Batman TV series meets the Carry On films via Dick Van Dyke.

Throughout #1 you meet various characters, some of whom are parodies of the American superheroes and villains.

Some of the first characters we’re introduced to is Jarvis Poker, the British Joker and Double Entendre who come out with lines such as “I swear, if tonight doesn’t get any more exciting, I’ll go to the top of Big Ben and toss myself off.”

Jimmy Broxton’s art has a vintage feel to it which really compliments the Carry On style narrative and Guy Major’s colouring is as colourful as the dialogue.

What I really liked about Knight and Squire was that I’d be reading the Knight’s dialogue and in my head and it would start sounding like Kevin Conroy doing his Batman voice but would slowly turn into Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins.

Knight and Squire #1 was different, funny and very British. It possibly has more in common with The Beano than DC, but it’s a great read.

The whole Knight and Squire series is now available in book form so you don’t have to chase down the individual issues.

The Amazing Spider-Man #666

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 07:58:44 -0400

The Amazing Spider-Man #666 - Spider-Island Prelude

Story - Dan Slott

Art - Stefano Caselli and Marte Gracia

Marvel

As someone who’s knowledge of Marvel Comics comes from pretty much everything other than the comics, I was pretty surprised at how east The Amazing Spider-Man #666 was to get into.

If you’ve thought about reading Spider-Man comics but have been put off by the high issue numbers, #666 is a great jump on point.

This issue is the prelude to Spider-Island, The Amazing Spider-Man’s big story of the year.

Manhattan has been infested with bedbugs that are giving everybody Spidey’s powers. So all of a sudden everybody in Manhattan has spider powers whether they’re good, bad, young, old, super-heroes, super villains.

At the moment Marvel’s summer crossover event Fear Itself is doing very well for itself, but Spider-Island will be the main story in a number of Marvel’s other titles such as Venom and 4 Herc and will spawn a number of one-shots such as SI: The Avengers and SI: Spider-Woman.

I’m not sure what drew me to pick this up. As most people know, I’m a DC and Image kind of guy, but I do have a soft spot for Ol’ Spidey and have always preferred him to Marvel’s other heroes. I guess the idea of Spider-Man having to deal with a spider powered city is what sealed it.

Dan Slott’s story of Peter Parker no longer being special and unique sort of takes the character back to being the geeky nobody he was before he was bitten.

One niggle I had with this is that Spider-Man never shuts up. Even when he’s on his own. This started to grate on me after a while. Another niggle I had was with the amount of product placements within the panels.

On page 3 there was an advert for the Captain America film and another for Orbit chewing gum. Further on there is an advert for Harley Davidson bikes.

Maybe I’m overreacting. I’m just used to Booster Gold appearing in most of the adverts and billboards in the DC Universe.

However, this was a great jump on point for curious Spider-fans and the start of a promising story-arc.

I bought Bat-Manga today. Can’t wait to get started on...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:34:23 -0400

I bought Bat-Manga today. Can’t wait to get started on that!

kayfabe:

Jiro Kuwata

I’m not 100% sure abut this costume yet. I like the cape...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:33:14 -0400

I’m not 100% sure abut this costume yet.

I like the cape and I like the colours but I’m not sure about the shape and style of the House of El symbol.

It’s something to start getting excited about anyway.

Be careful what you wish for. Via ironph

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:28:42 -0400

Be careful what you wish for.

Via ironph

Bayou #1

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:18:00 -0400

Bayou #1

Story and Art - Jeremy Love

Zuda

Set in depression-era Mississippi, Jeremy Love’s story about Lee Wagstaff, the daughter of a black sharecropper is fantastic.

I was put onto this by my friend Julia Indelicate (a member of ACE band The Indelicates) and when she recommends something, it’s usually something very good indeed.

This issue seems mostly to be setting up the story for later issues but in it we meet Lee, her Dad and Lily, Lee’s white playmate.

Lee is helping her Dad help the local Sheriff find the body of a boy in the bayou near her home. While in the water she locates the boy’s body and sees what she thinks is the boy’s soul.

Once out of the water she has no intention of getting back in it any time soon.

All’s well until Lily suggests that they go and play down there. Lee resists at first, but after a “last one down there’s a rotten egg” scenario she feels as though she has to.

At first there’s nothing to worry about, but it emerges that something is alive in the bayou, something human-like.

Bayou looks like a great series where I’m sure there’ll be lots of twists and turns, but there is something very sweet and charming about this book.

What makes it sweet and charming is the art. There are many panels where the pencil lines are still visible which added to the fact that the story is set in 1933. It made it seem dated which is good for a book set in the past.

A very fine comic indeed.

Girls #1

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:07:00 -0400

Girls #1

Story - Joshua Luna

Art - Jonathan Luna

Image Comics

Girls #1 by the Luna Brothers was a great read which starts as one guy’s commentary on the fairer sex.

Ethan, the lead character doesn’t seem to understand them. He seems the sort who’s viewed more than his fair share of adult material and now assumes that all adult situations are meant to be like the ones he’s seem in dirty magazines and films.

Joshua Luna’s story of a guy that want’s girls who are out of his league is something I’m sure a lot of guys can relate to.

At one point or another we’ve all tried to chat up a girl we never had a chance of getting off with and I think that’s what many people will enjoy about this book. Here is an every-man character, or possibly an every-geek character that is easy to relate to.

Jonathan Luna’s art is great and really adds to the whole story. Part voyeuristic, part cheeky, there’s a lot of innuendo to it.

In the last few pages the story turns into something quite different when Ethan nearly runs down a naked woman on a country road which alludes to some darker themes in following issues.

As people are probably aware I LOVE just about every Image Comic I’ve picked up, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Girls #1 gets

A great first issue by two talented brothers.

Comic Apps

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:25:41 -0400

As the MP3 replaced the CD and the E-reader is starting to replace books, digital comics are looking like they could be joining the ranks.

Since having an iPhone I’ve downloaded a lot of apps, but of all the apps I have, my comic apps are probably the most used.

The three apps I have are the DC, Image Comics and Comixology apps, but there are more including apps for Marvel, Dark Horse, IDW and loads more.

There’s even a Green Lantern comic app where you can just download Green Lantern comics.

The apps themselves are free to download, but the majority of the comics aren’t.

New issues cost £1.49, but there are a lot of free comics to download. The free issues are generally either first issues, zero issues or preview issues but are all a great way to get into digital comics.

On the iPhone you are shown one panel at a time, but depending on the size of the panel you will be zoomed in on the dialogue after being shown the panel as a whole.

This gives you a chance to view every panel in detail, rather than skimming for dialogue so you can really get into the art. Also, it prevents you from seeing panels further on that might give away part of the story you’re not ready for.

The iPad seems better built for comic apps.

For starters, they’re comic sized so you can see the page layouts as they were originally intended.

As great as these apps are, and they are great, nothing beats real things. Physical things. Things you can touch.

A comic collection will always look better in boxes or on shelves than in a scrolling menu.

In the same way I still buy CDs (and vinyl), it will be a long time before I buy all my comics through an app.

Morning Glories Volume One

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:08:44 -0400

Morning Glories Volume One

Story - Nick Spencer

Art - Joe Eisma

Shadowline Comics

Morning Glories Volume One on Shadowline Comics is one of the most original things I’ve read in a long time.

Nick Spencer’s story of a prestigious Prep school with a dark secret is gripping. From the first page you know something’s not right which keeps you hooked.

Couple Spencer’s brilliant story with Joe Eisma’s fantastic art and you’re onto a winner.

The story follows six teens who have been accepted into Morning Glory Academy. Each has a very different back story, but are all linked in some way.

Morning Glories felt like the education system from Battle Royale meets Orwell’s 1984.

A brilliant story and amazing art!

I would love these as individual prints for my apartment. Very...

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:37:12 -0400

I would love these as individual prints for my apartment. Very cool indeed.

herochan:

Superheroes Art Print - by Danny Haas

Twitter || Facebook || Herochan

Single versions

Spider-Man | Superman | Iron Man | Batman

Image Comics Honourable Mentions

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:46:23 -0400

Dead@17

Story and Art - Josh Howard

A dark and sexy series about a girl who comes back from the dead to fight demons.

Think Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but sexier!

The Walking Dead

Story - Robert Kirkman

Art - Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard

One of the best programmes on TV last year started out as possible the best zombie comic ever written.

Image Comics Special Part Two

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:41:55 -0400

Phonogram: Rue Britannia

Story - Kieron Gillen

Art - Jamie McKelvie

Phonogram is set in a world where music is magic, where a song can change your life… Or end it.

David Kohl is the main character here. He’s not a likeable chap, but he does have moments of wisdom. Also he seems to have a dislike for some of my favourite bands.

David is a Phonomancer. Phonomancers are people who understand music and can use it as magic.

When I first read Phonogram: Rue Britannia it wasn’t straight forward to get into. Yes, I knew the differences between The Autuers and Northern Uproar, but there was something about this book. Once I got to the end I had to read it again.

Phonogram is like a great album - It might take a few listens, but once you’re there it becomes a classic.

There was a second volume called Phonogram: The Singles Club.

The Singles Club was a series of individual characters’ accounts of the same night in the same nightclub, all of whom were Phonomancers.

The musical references were a lot more up to date which shows that Gillen knows his stuff, not only with the modern music references in The Singles Club, but with the older references in Rue Britannia.

McKelive’s art is something that I’m a massive fan of and will pretty much buy anything he puts out (apart from the Marvel stuff… Sorry Jamie).

Image Comics Special Part One

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:30:05 -0400

Chew: Taster’s Choice

Story - John Layman

Art - Rob Guilory

Chew is a detective comic centred around Tony Chu who works for the Special Crimes Division of the FDA - The most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet.

Tony Chu’s not like most people, he’s nearly always hungry but almost never eats. the reason for this is that he is Cibopathic - He gets a psychic impression of whatever he eats.

For example, if he ate an apple he could tell you on which tree it grew and what pesticides were used to keep bugs away from it. If he ate a pork chop… Well, you get the idea. The only thing that doesn’t affect him is Beetroot.

In a similar way to iZombie, Chew also reminded me of Pushing Daisies. It’s funny, it’s dark and it’s a very good comic series.

Layman’s storytelling is first class and Guillory’s art is fantastic.

There are three volumes out so far with the fourth about to be released.

These are:

Volume One - Taster’s Choice

Volume Two - International Flavour

Volume Three - Just Desserts

Volume Four - Flambe.

Zombie Special Part Two

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:24:07 -0400

Jitter City

Story and Art - R.L. Amaro

www.indie8graphics.com

Jitter City is set in New York where terror threats are regular, but zombie attacks on the subway aren’t.

The story focusses on a nameless man who is fed up with New York and I get the impression that he’s fed up with his life.

As he gets off the subway train he stumbles across a dead body and nearby he sees what he assumes is a crack head lurking nearby who starts to chase him.

He manages to escape but a greater danger lies around the corner and possibly on the surface.

Fact: I loved this comic.

It has narrative that draws you in but most of all, incredible art. The panels almost look like photographs.

As R.L. Amaro said to me on Twitter he “likes to think of his comics as films on paper” - I’d say he’s spot on!

Looking forward to part 2.

Zombie Special Part One

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:04:00 -0400

iZombie: Dead To The World

Story - Chris Roberson

Art - Michael Allred

Vertigo

Wow! What a completely fresh take on the zombie genre!

If you think that the only zombie comics out there are Marvel Zombies and The Walking Dead, think again. iZombie is like the TV series Pushing Daisies, but with a zombie in the lead role.

The story is about Gwen who is a zombie, not a Dawn or Sean of the Dead type zombie, but a “normal” girl who happens to have to eat a brain every month to prevent her from turning into a Dawn or Sean of the Dead type zombie.

But everytime she eats a brain she gets that person’s memories and her latest brain came with a side order of unsolved murder.

iZombie is more a clever detective comic than a zombie story which is a refreshing change after reading 80 odd issues of The Walking Dead, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE The Walking Dead, but this is fresh, wacky and VERY fun!

7String - Track One

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:55:26 -0400

7String - Track One

Story and Art - Nich Angell

Nichangell Comics

A sci-fi comic about music! What more could you want?

7String is about a boy called Zachary Briarpatch who has a guitar-sword.

The story starts with a piece of music that plays across all of time and space that has been silenced. At the same time as the music going out Zachary was born.

A few years later he aquires an instrument called 7String and becomes very good at it.

Apart from not being able to get into a music academy all seems well until a man turns up at Zachary’s house and proclaims that he was the man who stopped the music and that he is going to fight Zachary to keep the music stopped.

This book was very Final Fantasy meets Scott Pilgrim. The art is very nice and quite different - it’s not quite western, not quite Manga, but it suits the story very much.

My main issue with this was the lack of dialogue. There were only 4 speech bubbles in the whole comic. There was a lot of narrative but not enough dialogue. There is a lot to explain, but I felt that it could have been explained through dialogue between the characters.

A side niggle was that the 7String only appears to have 6 strings.

A very different comic.