Comic Reading Binge Weekend.

Comic Reviews:

Having one of my binge comic reading weekends.

BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE, MINUTEMEN, COMEDIAN, OZYMANDIAS, NITE OWL. #1's.

There has been a fair amount of controversy over these comics. The original author of WATCHMEN, Alan Moore, didn't want it to be done. But I looked at the talent involved, asked myself if I would like to read more stories about characters like the Comedian and Silk Spectre, and thought, hell yeah.

But I wasn't sure how they'd turn out.

I ordered a ton of these, and have been getting a lot of cancellations from the shelves I put them on, and I was worried

Hey, you know what? They're terrific! I really like them, they're very entertaining, they capture some of the essence of the Watchmen, but also add something new. So now I'm puzzled why so many readers have dropped them. I sometimes wonder if my liking something is the kiss of death.

Then again, I remember selling very few of the original Watchmen series too. It was only after it was deemed a "classic" that the books started to sell and sell...and sell.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #1-4.

Yes, that's plural projects, as in the Bomb was only one and maybe the least interesting of the projects that were developed. The cast is made up of real historical characters: Joseph Oppenheimer, who is multiple personality serial killer on the side; Einstein who drinks and grumbles; Harry Daghlian who as in real life irradiates himself but in this case he survives as a glowing head; Enrico Fermi, who is in reality an Alien; F.D.R. who is downloaded into a computer after his stroke.

And so on.

Lots of fun playing with history. Truman is dragged out of a Masonic ritual to be sworn in as President, finds out about the Bomb, orders it NOT to be dropped, but Leslie Groves "mishears" him and drops it anyway.

The innocent point of view character is Richard Feynman. How can you go wrong with a cast like that?

SAGA. #1 - 5.

I'm liking this O.K. It's probably one of the biggest independent hits in a long time, and it's written by Brian K. Vaughan who did Y-THE LAST MAN. But I'm not quite feeling the love.

It's a bit hard to explain, but it's sort of a Romeo and Juliet in space. Very well drawn, interesting story, but a little too 'cute' somehow.

THE SECRET: #1-2.

I feel like I've already written these reviews. No matter. I'm further along reading them, so this is my up to date opinion.

Lots of interesting industrial spying going on in this comic. At least I think so. It's so complicated, I don't have a clue as to what's going on. Too many grim faced men, who look too much alike.

I'm absolutely sure I'd like it if I understood it, though.

THE MASSIVE: #1-2.

Environmental cataclysm. An peaceful, non-violent conservation vessel crew is forced to change its ways in the face of pirates and mystery.

It's fun. But a pretty slender story. I thought it was going to be slightly more involved, longer.

PROPHET: #21- 25.

During the comic boom, there was a comic called PROPHET. I never read it, and when they announced #21 all these years later, I kind of ignored it. But it's sold well, been part of the resurgence (along with some of the above titles) of Image Comics.

So the story here is, super-agent wakes up in a super weird future world. Clunky story telling, but interesting enough ideas and art to keep me reading.

Did I say the world was weird? Everything in the future has changed, and his mission is to revive the "Earth Empire."

It's hard to do ''alien worlds" in a convincing way, that hasn't been done many times before. So, much of this is familiar space opera. Maybe that's what I like about it. It's kind of a John Carter of Mars kind of story....

Reading more issues, I see that there are many John Prophets, (clones of the original baddass) who work for a vast and timely Earth Empire. So pretty much anything goes.

THE ACTIVITY. #1-5.

Special ops team, and how they get along, and their bureaucratic infighting and their missions. Well done, but I'm not sure there is anything new here.

THE SECRET SERVICE #1 -3.

A dashing agent retrieves his no-good nephew from the London pits and sets him up in secret agent school.

Meanwhile, there is a dastardly plot to kidnap the actors from Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr. Who, Battlestar Galactica. Opening scene, double oh six, if you will, tries to save Mark Hamil but the parachute malfunctions when they go off a cliff. Goodbye Luke.

By the author of Kick-Ass, Mark Millar, and it's fun and ironical and clever.

THIEF OF THIEVES. #1-6.

At first comes across as just another master thief heist. But it turns into more of character development of a thief wanting to stop, and wanting to protect his son. Written very well, by Robert Kirkman, of Walking Dead. As well, I guess, as being picked up for a possible T.V. show.


FATALE. #1-6.

Supernatural mystery, at the center of which is a never-aging Fem Fatale. Enjoyable, but I actually think I enjoy Ed Brubaker's CRIMINAL series, which is straight crime, a little better.

And, as I've mentioned before, I really like the essays in back about early pulp stories.

PLANETOID.

Smuggler crash lands on a planet, which seems to attract all the space debris in the universe, and is one vast junkheap. Some interesting tech art, and the writing is pretty good for such a simple story.

SAUCER COUNTRY: #1-3.

On the eve of announcing her run for presidency, the Hispanic, female governor of New Mexico is ...abducted by aliens. She starts having strange dreams.

They use the term Exopolitico in the comic, which I've never heard before. Is that a thing?

SPACEMAN: #7.

One of those comics that is lively and interesting, but just flat confusing. I hate dialect in books or comics if I can't Understand what they're saying without puzzling out ever single sentence. Annoying, as well as unnecessary. Hint at the strangeness, we'll get it.


That's it for Saturday reading. I'm going to try to read an equal number today.