Latest Gear Live Videos
If you’ve been following the news, you know all about the flooding in the Philippines from Tropical Storm Ketsana.
What you may not have heard is that a number of comic book professionals have been affected by it. Daniel Best at 20th Century Danny Boy quotes a note from Gerry Alanguilan: “Colorist Jay David Ramos and veteran Rico Rival got their homes completely submerged in the flood waters and lost everything. Other guys affected include Steve Gan, Noly Zamora, Jun Lofamia, Danny Acuña (some of whom may be familiar to you guys as artists who worked on DC‘s war and horror stuff in the 70’s.). Other artists of the younger generation affected include Gilbert Monsanto, Carlo Vergara, Joanah and Melvin Calingo.” Alanguilan goes on to point out that he has yet to hear from a number of other creators.
Click to continue reading Tropical Storm Ketsana Slams Comic Creators
Advertisement
Rating: *** 1/2*
Another great issue by Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke. We pick up where we left off in the last issue with Sinestro and Carol Ferris being confronted by a bunch of Black Lanterns. Sinestro narrates our story and talks about his friend the Green Lantern, Abin Sur, and his obsession with the prophecy of the darkness that would sweep across the universe - The Blackest Night. The Guardians and Sinestro himself thought Abin was insane and Sinestro confesses that his biggest regret is not believing in his friend. This is a much more sympathetic Sinestro than I’m used to. I have a love/hate feeling when a villain is shown to have reasons behind his villainy. I think some people are just bad and there’s no reason. Still the back story is interesting.
The group of Black Lanterns that are attacking are lead by Abin’s brother Amon and they battle it out with Sinestro and Carol until Hal Jordan and the Indigo Lanterns arrive to assist in the fight. Hal is upset because Indigo 1, the leader of the Indigo Lanterns, took Hal away from the other JLA heroes in their fight against another group of Black Lanterns. Being long-time enemies, Hal and Sinestro of course end up fighting each other. Indigo 1 interrupts their fight and talks to Sinestro about her past meeting with Abin Sur. Sinestro wants to know what she knows of Abin, but more Black Lantern rings arrive and resurrect more of the dead.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Green Lantern #46
The “Burly Boys” is not quite a description of my pals Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs, the creators of The Trouble With Girls and writers of multiple books and comics, together and separately. But it is the title of one of their new projects. Jones you might know from his stints at DC and Dark Horse, or you might know him as the author of Eisner Award-winning Men of Tomorrow, the critically acclaimed history of the early days of comic books. Together with Jacobs, they’ve written for The National Lampoon and wrote the books, The Beaver Papers and The Comic Book Heroes.
They’re at it again with The Burly Boys, the adventures of Flint and Chip Burly, junior detectives, innocent and naive junior detectives, who find themselves in San Francisco during 1967’s famed Summer Of Love, where they’re investigating the disappearance of their old school chum Lucy Diamond. Here’s a little taste:
Click to continue reading Will Jacobs & Gerard Jones: The Burly Boys
Marvel Comics Review: Spider-Man: The Clone Saga #1
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, Marvel Comics,
Rating: ***
Finally, Marvel will be returning to the infamous Clone Saga storyline with a mini-series that is set to tell the story of the Clone Saga as it was meant to have been told. As I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, I was a big fan of the Clone Saga when it first began and have always liked the character of Ben Reilly. So this week, issue one of the revisited Clone Saga storyline hit the stands, and while it did not blow me away, I was entertained. Two of the writers working on Spider-Man back in those days have come on board to tell the tale: Tom Defalco and Howard Mackie.
Before I go into my review for this issue, I must profess my love for the Spider-Girl title in which Defalco worked on. Defalco’s Spider-Girl/M2 universe sprang from the stories that were created during the Clone Saga, and he was able to make a grown up Spider-baby May Parker work well along with continuity of those storylines. Marvel completely abandoned the characters for years in the regular 616 universe until the upcoming Who was Ben Reilly? storyline that we’ll see next month in Amazing Spider-Man.
Click to continue reading Marvel Comics Review: Spider-Man: The Clone Saga #1
“Welcome to CAA, Archie’s pals and gals! (See what I did there?)
Now that we’re representing you guys, let me tell you how simply wonderful it’s going to be. Did you try the vitamin water? Isn’t it amazing? Trader Joe’s. I know! On to business. First, we’re going to take you out of the comic book ghetto that you’re in and put you into the ranks of Spielberg, Lucas and Simon Cowell. Have you thought about getting the band back together, by the way? Our corn syrup industry clients have expressed interest in a modern take on “Sugar Sugar.” Anyway, we will craft a cross-platform path for you guys that’ll make Marvel’s Avengers franchise look like Bring It On 3. I’m talking movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, Craig Ferguson, iPhone apps, Archiewear at Target, and Riverdale’s Funniest Home Videos.
Click to continue reading Archie Goes Hollywood, Signs With CAA
Read More 
| ICV2
DC Comics Review: Detective Comics #857
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: ***
The final part of the opening story arc of Batwoman in Detective Comics is here. The creative team of Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III continue to do a fine job with Batwoman, but I’m starting to think that the end is near for me on this series until Batman becomes the main focus of the book again. I like Kate Kane aka Batwoman and I think Greg Rucka has done a good job so far with the character, but for me it’s not enough to keep me interested. I may stick around to see the next story arc which will be an origin story, but we’ll see.
Anyway, the last time we saw Batwoman, her father had been kidnapped by the Religion of Crime and their leader Alice. Kate’s hooked up with some former members of the ROC who are capable of turning into various creatures. Their leader is a man named Abbot. Kate leaves the party she was attending with Abbot to suit up and go after Alice.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Detective Comics #857
Beasts of Burden #1: Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Reviews, Dark Horse Comics,
Evan Dorkin is one of my favorite comic book creators. If he didn’t exist, the industry would have had to invent him. In a different era, he’d be a Renaissance Man for all his mad skills: writer, artist, cartoonist, blogger. His work has appeared in comic books, magazines, and on TV.
Now he’s at it again, this time with a four-issue mini-series he wrote and artist Jill Thompson (Sandman; Scary Godmother) painted - Beasts of Burden. It’s the story of the animals of picturesque Burden Hill who discover that there’s a supernatural element to their town they must stop. Without giving too much away, they are soon enlisted by a mysterious organization to fight an even greater evil.
Click to continue reading Beasts of Burden #1: Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson
Simpsons Comics #158: Chuck Dixon and Phil Ortiz
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Reviews, Independent,
Chuck Dixon has been responsible for some of the manliest comic books in the direct market. From his work on Airboy to Punisher and Batman, his characters know how to take a punch and keep punching back (sometimes accessorizing with big guns).
Dixon is now at Bongo Comics where he writes Simpsons Comics. When you’re working on corporate comics, you’re always answerable to the corporate owners about how best to handle their characters. When you’re working a licensed property—whether it’s Farscape, Star Trek, or Terminator—there’s yet another corporate layer added into the “Please me” mix: the corporation that controls the license. Sometimes the actors step in as well. A well-known Star Trek actor had it in his contract that artists couldn’t draw the top of his bald head too pointy. That’s right: he had baldness approval. So it’s never easy working on licensed properties and I admire those who do it and do it well. Like Chuck Dixon.
At first glance, he might seem an odd choice for The Simpsons universe—the Batman writer tackling America’s favorite yellow cartoon people—but he’s a professional writer and that’s what they do: write. In Simpsons Comics #158, Homer is outraged that his newly won hot tub violates the Homeowner’s Association rules so he’s convinced to run for President of the Association in the conveniently upcoming election. Once he wins, it all goes horribly awry in the best Simpsons manner.
Click to continue reading Simpsons Comics #158: Chuck Dixon and Phil Ortiz
Read More | Chuck Dixon's Blog
DC Comics Review: Blackest Night: Superman #2
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: ***
The Black Night continues its reign of terror in Smallville in this issue of Blackest Night: Superman. I really enjoyed the first issue of this series, but I felt a bit let down with this second one. One of the things that I felt hurt the first issue of this series continues here and that’s bad dialogue. As you know, Earth 2 Superman has risen from the dead as a Black Lantern and is fighting Superman and Superboy. As they are fighting, Earth 2 Superman taunts Superman with this “amazing” piece of dialogue,“My world was better! I was better! Earth 2? No, it was Earth mine!” Bad. Just bad. I can’t believe that this is the same writer - James Robinson - who wrote one the best comics ever in Starman. What the hell happened?
The story is still decent enough for me to have been entertained along with the solid artwork by Eddy Barrows. This guy is great. I look forward to seeing more of his work, hopefully on bigger projects for DC.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Blackest Night: Superman #2
DC Comics Review: Superman: Secret Origin #1
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: ****
There have been numerous Superman origins in the character’s 70 year history. From the original Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster origin, to the more recent John Byrne and Mark Waid origins or Superman’s early adventures that we’ve seen over the past 20 years. Now we get another new “origin” tale by Geoff Johns with this week’s Superman: Secret Origin. When I heard that they were doing this, I said to myself, “Is this really necessary?” Well with the recent continuity changes that have been made over the past few years, I guess you can make an argument for it. If it were any other writer doing it, I would not be picking this mini-series up, but since it’s Geoff Johns and I loved what he and Richard Donner did with their recent run on Action Comics, I decided to pick it up. Well, I’m glad to say that I’m not disappointed.
Our first issue opens in Smallville of course with Clark Kent as a teenager about to begin a pick up game of football with Pete Ross and some other Smallville teenagers. Clark catches the ball and runs into Pete, which breaks Pete’s arm. Distraught over the incident, Clark is confused by what’s happening to him. There to comfort him is his childhood sweetheart Lana Lang. She kisses Clark which gets Clark all hot and bothered, resulting in his heat vision to shoot off—he almost burns the school down.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Superman: Secret Origin #1
Recent Galleries
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.