CBF Quick Picks #130 : The Manhattan Projects #7
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It feels like it’s been forever since we last saw this series, but it doesn’t take away from the quality that Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra continue to bring to this critically acclaimed Image title. The crazy ideas continue to flow out of Hickman’s mind and it’s a wonder to behold when you combine them with the details behind Pitarra’s pencils. There are also many sub-plots to juggle when you consider the cast involved. It makes for one big thrill ride. You can catch up with the first trade.
And to add to the craziness – I read Deadpool #1. This actually happened. And it was funny as heck. Deadpool fighting dead presidents will do that for you. And Tony Moore on art is always a big helping hand too.
CBF Quick Picks #121 : The Manhattan Projects #5
Jonathan Hickman continues to take big ideas and make them more astounding than they should be. We shouldn’t be surprised by that with him, and yet Manhattan Projects #5 keeps throwing curveballs at us. Some great stuff in this issue and the alternate takes on Einstein and Oppenheimer continue to impress. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more intelligent and well-written series.
This issue came out a couple of weeks ago, but Batman Beyond Unlimited #4 is something to behold. Whether or not you’re a fan of the animated shows, you can’t go wrong with 40 pages for $3.99. And since I am a fan of the shows, it made it all the better with interesting stories such as the follow-up to the Apokolips/Genesis war and what Lex Luthor’s legacy has produced.
CBF Quick Picks #118 : Avengers vs. X-Men #6
If it wasn’t for last issue’s cliffhanger, I wouldn’t have bothered staying along for the ride for Marvel’s summer event book. But then it was Jonathan Hickman’s turn to start the second act and it blew me away. It makes sense given Hickman’s knack for being able to handle super-powered teams with big ideas as he does so well in Fantastic Four. And a change in art to Olivier Coipel brought a breath of fresh air to the story, making this book one to pick up after it looked like it was going to fall flat.
Image’s current big-selling book came very close to the pick. Saga #4 took a diverging path and split half of the issue for Marco and Alana’s story and gave the other half to The Will. The latter was the most intriguing – and by that, I mean where the heck does Brian K. Vaughan come up with Sextillion? In any event, great insight into The Will and it shows us that not all characters are what we think it will or may end up being. Fiona Staples is killing it with the art – probably the best facial expressions I’ve seen from anybody today.
Don’t get sold out! Buy advance tickets to The Dark Knight Rises.
MorrisonCon Is Coming
I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, as the premise of the convention is quite unique from what we typically go through around the country for con season.
Feast your eyes on this:
As described on the official web site, MorrisoCon seems to be taking more of a seminar approach. Put together by Grant Morrison himself and Ignition Sequence, which is a collaboration of Isotope Comics’ James Sime & Kirsten Baldock and iFanboy co-founder Ron Richards, this convention is looking to event programming to be the selling point. That’s right – no showrooms, no dealers, and no insanely long lines.
It’s selling off of its featured guests in Jim Lee, Jonathan Hickman, Frank Quitely, Chris Burnham, and more listed on the site. In particular, the con hopes to achieve innovative conversations and workshops with these guests revolving around a variety of topics about the industry and where it can head next from a creative standpoint. And while there are no current plans to have art exhibitions, the convention is not stopping its guests from bringing art pages to hang in their gallery or to sell to those that are interested.
What makes this more unique is that MorrisonCon is keeping the guest list to 1,000 attendees with a single package of $699 and a double package of $1,099. Costs include lodging at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and access to the different nightclub parties that are being planned.
It’s definitely a different approach to the standard cons we see each year. I’m sure some of us are balking at the asking price for this con, but you can’t deny that if successful, it could help bring about some change in the creative and business direction of the industry.
Check out the site and its extensive FAQ for more details.
Furious Five To Watch – 06.13.11
We dial back on the summer events a notch, but this week is not short on quality content:
5) Green Lantern #67
There’s no question that this series has lost its luster as of late between the above average offerings from the War of the Green Lanterns mini-event and the recent live-action movie. Surely there’s some bite left though what with this issue being the climax of its event, leading us into its respective DC re-launch in September.
4) Red Wing #1
Buzz came about a few months ago when the comic world came to learn that Jonathan Hickman was returning to creator-owned books. Here, he gives us a tale of fighter pilots that not only have to learn how to fly, but how to master time as well. If S.H.I.E.L.D and FF have shown us anything, this will be another fantastical romp through the mind of Hickman.
3) X-Men Schism #1
While Green Lantern has seem to tip on the lower side of the scale, X-Men has seem to gone on the upper. A successful movie and two great ongoing series led by Kieron Gillen and Rick Remender will do that to you. Now we have Jason Aaron given the task to shatter the X-Men by introducing a rift into the relationship between Cyclops and Wolverine. Great time to be an X-fan.
2) American Vampire : Survival of the Fittest #2
Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy are like peanut butter and jelly. They just fit well together. We now get to see what the two have in mind for Felicia Book and Cash McCogan as they go about their search for the vampire cure in the Romanian mountains.
1) Detective Comics #879
If you’re not already plugged into this arc after what James Jr. did at the end of the last issue, you should be tasered. As Snyder wraps up his run on this book, we finally get to see what we’ve all been waiting for – Commissioner Gordon finding out the worst about his son. And having Francisco Francavilla back to finish it off is making just that more awesome.
CBF Quick Picks #15 – S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
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It’s such a simple idea yet done so well – what if S.H.I.E.L.D. existed since the beginning of civilization?
I needed a reason to read some Jonathan Hickman stuff after hearing the buzz about his work on Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors. This is a fascinating and imaginative story that should only get better with Hickman’s energetic writing and Dustin Weaver’s crisp pencils at hand here. They could have done more to explain the protagonist, but it’s a prelude, so I’m not griping yet.
The guest cameos by key Marvel villains are the icing on the cake and surprisingly fit well in Marvel continuity (if that means anything in comic book land, of course. I’m predicting Wolverine will appear in issue 3 and discover electricity with Ben Franklin…)
Enjoy!
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