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Six AM posted:MP is a great book, but that art is doing everything possible to bring it down a bit. I do like that Hickman is standing behind his boy, though. That is really cool in what sounds like a shameless rear end industry if you pay too much attention to the big two, especially DC. It's perfect, it's sketchy and weird-looking, which is a good look for an alt-history book full of pulp science. And the two-tone flashbacks are a handy visual metaphor.
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Jul 28, 2012 17:10
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It's cool that you guys like the art, and I'm not arguing, but I just find it lacking in storytelling when it comes to layouts. There are also some weird things done with people's bodies or facial symmetry, and the large panels that are meant to show a large amount of detail end up being very repetitive, if that makes sense. Also, he really needs to vary the line thickness because it would better suit his style. For example, in the latest issue when the scientists are sitting around the table considering their options, the whole page just seems awkward for storytelling. You don't get any cohesive sense that these people are sitting around speaking to each other. The previous two pages were great to see some cool Hickman design, though. I can't wait for his psychologist book when he returns to art and writing duties.
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Jul 28, 2012 21:03
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bairfanx posted:
Really? I read a few pages at the store. I thought it wasn't worth getting. There's nothing worse than someone spouting supposed "wisdom" when they aren't really making any interesting points. It seems to be a fetishization of these amazing kids and the interesting things they're trying to teach...and all I could do was shake my head. It doesn't strike as smart writing in the least. EDIT: The art for MP is a HUGE part of its high quality. Quitely is a great comparison. There is a level of ingenuity and uniqueness with the character design (ex: Von Braun's robot arm) and background stuff that is just fantastic. Shageletic fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Jul 29, 2012 |
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Jul 29, 2012 03:42
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petewhitley posted:Man I love the art in Manhattan Projects, I would even say it adds to the story more than anything Hickman has done. A lot of times I feel his writing is "out there" while the artwork is standard to sub-standard (on some of his more independent stuff). That might be an unpopular opinion, but it seems like the perfect fit for his off-kilter style IMO. Oh I agree, the art is perfect. Everything is recognizable, has a distinct personality but still feels just a bit "off". The art gives me a tiny tickle of unease as I read the book and that matches the tone of the story wonderfully.
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Jul 29, 2012 04:52
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Shageletic posted:Really? I read a few pages at the store. I thought it wasn't worth getting. There's nothing worse than someone spouting supposed "wisdom" when they aren't really making any interesting points. It seems to be a fetishization of these amazing kids and the interesting things they're trying to teach...and all I could do was shake my head. It doesn't strike as smart writing in the least. I mean, it's going to depend on your taste, but if you like comics like The Invisibles, Wild Children is exploring ideas along those veins. I can't know what pages you read and I could see how it would seem like someone just throwing out a bunch of counterculture ideas, but it didn't really feel that way as I read it. At the same time, at least part of my appreciation for it comes from just how dense with ideas it is, so...
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Jul 29, 2012 07:18
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Fair enough. People can like different things. But there is a difference between the Invisibles, which plays with your expectations in striking and new ways, and a comic that has "genius" characters going on page long monologues about how they're blowing your mind (without actually saying anything of substance).
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Jul 29, 2012 13:03
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e: oops, wrong thread
feedmyleg fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 18:03
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So I picked up the entire new run of Prophet. The first few issues were spectacular, then the art became really bad and the story is kind of losing me (but I'm afraid that may just be a side effect of the lovely anime-lite art). Does anyone know if Graham plans on assuming the art duties again any time soon?
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Aug 1, 2012 16:14
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Shageletic posted:Fair enough. People can like different things. But there is a difference between the Invisibles, which plays with your expectations in striking and new ways, and a comic that has "genius" characters going on page long monologues about how they're blowing your mind (without actually saying anything of substance). I do like that, over the course of two sentences, you go from "taste, man" to "that thing you like is unoriginal and devoid of substance." Dragonshirt posted:So I picked up the entire new run of Prophet. The first few issues were spectacular, then the art became really bad and the story is kind of losing me (but I'm afraid that may just be a side effect of the lovely anime-lite art). Does anyone know if Graham plans on assuming the art duties again any time soon? Graham has only done art on one issue of Prophet. And I feel like it may very well be the "anime-lite" art you're disliking (it was the one with the robot, issue 26, I think?), though that could also be Giannis Milonogiannis, whose style is something of a mix of European and Japanese, with obvious influence by Akira. The artist on the first 3 issues is Simon Roy, but unless I'm mistaken, there will continue to be a rotation of artists until everything is done. bairfanx fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Aug 1, 2012 |
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Aug 1, 2012 16:26
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Dragonshirt posted:So I picked up the entire new run of Prophet. The first few issues were spectacular, then the art became really bad and the story is kind of losing me (but I'm afraid that may just be a side effect of the lovely anime-lite art). Does anyone know if Graham plans on assuming the art duties again any time soon? Graham's art is amazing. It may not be for everyone, but to think it is lovely is completely ridiculous.
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Aug 1, 2012 18:54
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Anyone else happen to pick up Black Kiss II #1 today? To get my feet wet, I was browsing through the comic shop today and grabbed a few random #1 titles, also including Infected #1 and Beasts of Burden: Neighbourhood Watch (One Shot). I had no real idea of Howard Chaykin and his previously controversial Black Kiss - but wow I was definitely blindsided by what I just read. Very perverse and over-the-top, and not something you'd want to read in public. I've just read that it was held back today at UK customs! I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, and debating whether or not to continue the miniseries.
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Aug 1, 2012 21:28
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Maybe Wild Children isn't as mind-blowing as its seemingly meant to be, but at least somebody is trying to pick up the gauntlet that Morrison has thrown multiple times.
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Aug 2, 2012 01:08
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I just finished reading Blacksad: A Silent Hell and here are my thoughts. Blacksad finds himself in New Orleans investigating the disappearance of a famous jazz musician and heroine junkie with personal ties to Blacksad's client. It's a very typical detective story set amidst New Orleans which is, of course, in the midst of Mardi Gras. Story wise I place it next to Arctic Nation and below Red Soul. It's a very straightforward murder plot and Canales takes a cleaner, easier to follow approach to the narrative which means the characters aren't as engaging like they were in Red Soul and they lack the sheer presence seen in Arctic Nation. However, being a simpler story means it's easier for newcomers to the character and the genre to get into. Red Soul and Arctic Nation are pretty heavy with themes like the Red Scare, sex, an allegory to Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem" and the banality of evil, Electra complex, and racial tension in Southern America but Silent Hell most intense scene is a drug induced hallucination that lasts a single page. Visually this is Guarnido's strongest and weakest art. Most of the time he uses a diluted, transparent line unlike the strong, dynamic blacks from previous stories which gives everything a hazy look. Background details and scenery are weaker overall so the environments don't have the same amount of detail seen in previous stories. There are still some very surprising splash pages and scenery which remind you why Blacksad is one of the best looking comics on the market but overall it feels like Guarnido was harder pressed for time than his earlier work. With that said, this story probably has his greatest character work in the series. There's more attention paid to the details in how characters act and you can spot a lot of hidden visual cues and foreshadowing based on background elements. While the overall quality of the art isn't as good, Guarnido has pretty much perfected his visual narrative abilities. And saying this is Guarnido's "weakest" work is like saying the Sistine Chapel is less impressive on the ground than on a ladder. It's still loving gorgeous! I mean, look at this!  The book also contains some short stories and the "making of" booklet that demands a high price imported. It details Guarnido's ridiculously intensive process of painting his pages and the guy goes through a dozen sketches and preliminary paintings before he gets the setting right. It's both interesting and maddening to see how much work goes into each page. But gently caress, it's worth it because there's not a single page in any Blacksad comic that wouldn't look nice framed. I wish I had more hands because two thumbs up aren't enough. It's currently on sale at Amazon for about $10 so hop on it.
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Aug 2, 2012 02:43
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Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8 came out last week, and today I was fortunately able to buy the likely single copy from my local shop. I have read half of it, but was at work and could not finish the rest, and then forgot to bring it home so I can't comment on the book in its entirety, but I did enjoy what I had read through the bit with the trains loving and the advertisements, and feel secure in saying that if you have $5 to spare then this book is probably a good purchase, even if it is a bit more expensive than other comics.
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Aug 2, 2012 03:20
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Thrizzle #8 is worth it just for "Murder She Goat."
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Aug 2, 2012 03:35
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friendo55 posted:I had no real idea of Howard Chaykin and his previously controversial Black Kiss - but wow I was definitely blindsided by what I just read. Very perverse and over-the-top, and not something you'd want to read in public. I've just read that it was held back today at UK customs! I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, and debating whether or not to continue the miniseries. Chaykin has done some pretty good stuff, look at the first 20 or so issues of American Flagg for some AD2000, Judge Dredd inspired stuff about corporate cops in the future. In the first issues that art is mind blowing and truly deserves the term "hyper kinetic".
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Aug 2, 2012 03:51
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Dr.Spaceman posted:Chaykin has done some pretty good stuff, look at the first 20 or so issues of American Flagg for some AD2000, Judge Dredd inspired stuff about corporate cops in the future. In the first issues that art is mind blowing and truly deserves the term "hyper kinetic". You've got me looking up American Flagg now - very interesting! Doesn't seem like it will matter that I'm not an American either. If I buy the first trade I'll get back to you. Thanks! friendo55 fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 04:40
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friendo55 posted:You've got me looking up American Flagg now - very interesting! Doesn't seem like it will matter that I'm not an American either. If I buy the first trade I'll get back to you. Thanks. If there's anything you walk away from American Flagg is it should be the power of a good letterer. It's a very text heavy story and Ken Bruzenak creates this future America overloaded with advertisements and logos that are realistic and modern. Lettering is one of those things that's kind of an afterthought in comics but American Flagg's text is art in itself and Dave Sim is the only other artist I would pit against Bruzenak.
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Aug 2, 2012 05:07
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Six AM posted:Graham's art is amazing. It may not be for everyone, but to think it is lovely is completely ridiculous. I just checked since I have the issues in front of me. Roy and Graham are awesome, Milonogiannis is the guy that I'm really not a fan of. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I thought Graham was lovely, since I specifically hoped he came back on art duties in my original post. I got a little mixed up on which issue he did, but I remembered enjoying it.
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Aug 2, 2012 05:23
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Dragonshirt posted:I just checked since I have the issues in front of me. Roy and Graham are awesome, Milonogiannis is the guy that I'm really not a fan of. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I thought Graham was lovely, since I specifically hoped he came back on art duties in my original post. I got a little mixed up on which issue he did, but I remembered enjoying it. The way your post was worded, I couldn't tell if you were hoping or dreading he would come back. There was also another artist in there, Farel Dalrymple, who did the 4th issue. I kind of get not digging Milonogiannis' style, but mostly just because it doesn't really mesh with the rest too well. I personally do enjoy it, though I had a harder time with Old City Blues.
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Aug 2, 2012 06:12
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So it's sounding like my beloved Glory is not long for this world--apparently the price is being increased to $4 because otherwise it'd have to end prematurely. And Joe Keatinge seems to be implying on Twitter that it's going to end soon regardless. Everyone that likes offbeat takes on superheroines should check it out, since the first (only?) collection comes out next month. It's criminal that crappy stories with crappy artwork put out by DC or Marvel sell ten times more than this book.
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Aug 8, 2012 03:12
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I wish I could say I was surprised but I'm not, an off beat comic with a non-traditionaly attractive female lead is trying to win against a stacked deck. Tarot the witch of the spank bank is still going though!
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Aug 8, 2012 05:46
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Darth Nat posted:So it's sounding like my beloved Glory is not long for this world--apparently the price is being increased to $4 because otherwise it'd have to end prematurely. And Joe Keatinge seems to be implying on Twitter that it's going to end soon regardless. I wish I could say I was surprised, but while there are some really interesting things going on in Glory, the art is inconsistent (when it is good, it's great, but when it isn't, it feels really distracting) and the story seems to meander around quite a bit. It's fun and I will miss it, but it's far from perfect, and its cancellation isn't solely due to the market and comics readers. bairfanx fucked around with this message at 07:28 on Aug 8, 2012 |
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Aug 8, 2012 07:25
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I also think Image keeping the original numbers hurt sales as well. Prophet has strong word of mouth and I'm starting to see people in non-comic circles talking about it, but Glory came out of nowhere starting at issue 23 and nothing about it initially made me interested until people started talking.
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Aug 8, 2012 10:16
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bairfanx posted:I wish I could say I was surprised, but while there are some really interesting things going on in Glory, the art is inconsistent (when it is good, it's great, but when it isn't, it feels really distracting) and the story seems to meander around quite a bit. It's fun and I will miss it, but it's far from perfect, and its cancellation isn't solely due to the market and comics readers. Man I wouldn't call the art on Glory inconsistent at all. If anything I'd say it's just becoming more confident as the book progresses. al-azad posted:I also think Image keeping the original numbers hurt sales as well. Prophet has strong word of mouth and I'm starting to see people in non-comic circles talking about it, but Glory came out of nowhere starting at issue 23 and nothing about it initially made me interested until people started talking. I think the main thing Glory has going against it is the comparison to Prophet and them being lumped together in the "relaunch". Glory is great and I'd use it as an example of putting new talent on a book but Prophet has turned from being a new Brandon Graham/Simon Roy book which was only supposed to come out every few months to a "who's who" of current indie artists getting to do what they want.
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Aug 8, 2012 10:53
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Just a reminder: make sure you pick up Godzilla: The Half Century War today. If only to see what James Stokoe has been doing instead of giving us Orc Stain 
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Aug 8, 2012 12:29
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Waterhaul posted:Man I wouldn't call the art on Glory inconsistent at all. If anything I'd say it's just becoming more confident as the book progresses. I've got a busy couple of days ahead of me, but I'll see if I can find some images to show you what I'm talking about. I really enjoy Campbell's style a lot, but there really seem to be pages that he puts more effort into drawing than others. And the comparison to Prophet hurts it immensely. I was going to mention something about how it doesn't stack up to Prophet, but then realized just how unfair that is, as they really shouldn't have to be compared.
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Aug 8, 2012 13:29
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Mr Wind Up Bird posted:Just a reminder: make sure you pick up Godzilla: The Half Century War today. If only to see what James Stokoe has been doing instead of giving us Orc Stain If anything is gonna take him away from Orc Stain, Godzilla has got to be the best possible alternative. ComiXology has been releasing digital single issues of Sullivan's Sluggers ahead of it's print run; it's been a fun read so far and of course the art is divine.
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Aug 8, 2012 14:00
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bairfanx posted:I've got a busy couple of days ahead of me, but I'll see if I can find some images to show you what I'm talking about. I really enjoy Campbell's style a lot, but there really seem to be pages that he puts more effort into drawing than others. I think you can find some wonky panels in every issue, but the same can be said of almost any comic and artist. I still think it's really good and a refreshing style for a superhero comic. And he's really been going crazy with the monster designs in the last few issues. I had a feeling that the book wouldn't last passed the 12th issue, but I just hope it actually gets there now. And I wish it could have found an audience like Prophet. It's not perfect, but I don't demand perfection.
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Aug 8, 2012 14:15
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I was pretty excited about Glory for the first few issues and I still think it's a cool take on a female superhero, especially since she looks muscly enough to pull off the crazy stuff she's doing. It was also nice that her supporting cast wasn't a collection of supermodels and I really liked the sort of cartoony ness of the main human girl. That said, I don't think the initial references to Supreme and weird Glory dream angle helped it in the first issue. It definitely made it seem like I was missing something unlike prophet which just jumped into a story, explaining as it went. What ultimately threw me off the book, the amount of gore/violence, was really a personal thing. It feels weird to criticize a cape book for being gorey (although it's mainly why I stay away from Invincible) but it just made me dislike Glory herself, as did the whole "I'm an incontrolable weapon argh" angle. I'd definitely read a book about the freedom fighters in her supporting cast though. And that cute cat thing she has. Still, I'll be sad to see the book go if it does.
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Aug 8, 2012 14:29
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Hey guess what comics were totally amazing this week? The answer is Conan and Godzilla, obviously. Everyone buy those.
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Aug 8, 2012 17:10
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I don't know how I feel about Half-Century War. It begins and ends with the first Godzilla movie and each book is supposed to be set a decade apart. I hope it goes into an original direction instead of following the films exactly because otherwise we'll get Mothra/Ghidora, MechaGodzilla, hit the Godzilla reboot, and end with SpaceGodzilla (please, don't). Godzilla's appeal are giant monsters going all out but I've always preferred Godzilla as a force of nature than an intelligent defender who fights bigger, dumber monsters. Buuuut the art is great and it's 20-something pages of explosions and awesome splash pages. I just don't want to see it turn into something stupid like the later Godzilla films.
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Aug 8, 2012 18:15
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I wasn't blown away by the storyline, since it's just mostly standard Godzilla shenanigans, but who really bought this for the story?
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Aug 8, 2012 20:15
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I liked the story. Sure the art was beautiful and I would gladly pay for Stokoe to just draw monsters or buildings crumbling in a multitude of ways but I like the idea of following a soldier who gets so mesmerised with Godzilla that he just spends his life trying to get his attention but being able to do little more than momentarily distract it. Also I pretty much love all things Godzilla and am all for them introducing more monsters and Stokoe doing his version of the various different beasts like Mothra, MechaGodzilla, King Ghidorah et all. Also in Stokoe talk he's selling the pages to the book if you've got a couple hundred lying around.
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Aug 8, 2012 20:46
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Waterhaul posted:Also in Stokoe talk he's selling the pages to the book if you've got a couple hundred lying around. Interesting. I guess he got sick of the wild inefficiency of his previous dealer and switched. Anywho, consider page six purchased!
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Aug 8, 2012 21:03
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Alright, according to Previews the story only used the first movie as a launching point and is going into an original direction. Bring on the monsters. I'm sure Stokoe could even make Jet Jaguar cool (but please, don't). E: Jesus, Becky Cloonan gets $500+ for her pages. al-azad fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Aug 8, 2012 |
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Aug 8, 2012 21:13
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Waterhaul posted:I liked the story. This. The art is perfect for a giant monster comic (God I can't wait for them to send out Sullivan's Sluggers), but I'm actually interested to see where the story goes too. I am hoping it diverges from the movies, if only because introducing more monsters I feel would dilute the 'Ota wants to be Godzilla's nemesis, but is ultimately barely even an inconvenience to the beast' aspect by making things too crowded with other giant monsters, but it could still be done well, and gently caress if I don't want to see Stokoe's Anguirus or King Ghidorah. Or Destroyah. Waterhaul posted:Also in Stokoe talk he's selling the pages to the book if you've got a couple hundred lying around. And fuuuuuuuck this. I finally think I'm in the clear for spending my remaining money, and then this has to happen. No. No no no I am not going to do this to myself. I'll wait until the next issue.
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Aug 8, 2012 21:31
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Punk Rock Jesus is actually pretty good, despite it's stupid name. I would check it out if you like sci-fi and/or Sean Murphy art.
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Aug 8, 2012 22:47
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Godzilla wowed the hell out of me. The art was amazing and the story has me really interested to see where it goes.
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Aug 9, 2012 00:33
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al-azad posted:Buuuut the art is great and it's 20-something pages of explosions and awesome splash pages. I just don't want to see it turn into something stupid like the later Godzilla films. Just to be contrary, seeing this turn into the stupid later Godzilla movies is exactly what I want. But yeah, it's awesome so far, of course.
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Aug 9, 2012 16:11
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