Last Couple Weeks of Comics

Comics from the past couple of weeks.

Scalped Vol. 2 Casino Boogie - This started bad and ended good. The cool part about this was how it retold the same day from so many characters points of view. It also made me realize that I don't like the protagonist.
Faker - Pretty random and pretty good. Very dark and cynical.
Powers Annual #1 - I needed my Power's fix and took it. This series also seems to be behind in TPBs, much like Invincible.
Secret Invasion #1 - Not sure why I'm reading this, but I want it to be good. Of course iFanboy spoiled it in a mini so I didn't get too much extra from reading it.
Un-Men Vol. 1 Get Your Freak On - This was fun and dark. I don't know anything about the Swamp Thing background of these characters and this story was so so. I'm not sure if I'll check out the next one.
Palestine - Need to read this. I enjoyed his book about the Balkan war so much I really wanted to check this out.
Serenity #2 - I really really really don't know what this isn't an ongoing series. You can tell there are so many stories still to be told. It isn't boring or lame like the Buffy and Angel series' and t works in comic book form.
Dead Space #2 - The first issue was good, decent story, good art, and a reasonable universe, this one was pretty bland. Oh well.

Arab in America - I finally got around to reading this. I wanted to like this, I wanted to be interested by it, and I wanted to learn something. I was disappointed and felt like all I read was someone rant about how they like no one and everyone is wrong.

Walking Dead

I just loaned Walking Dead to another zombie fan. So I reread them all. So good. So many things I missed the first time. The introduction in the first volume by Kirkman is rather reveling having read the series up too book seven. It's also so sad reading it knowing a spoiler form the current issues that the group of 13 go down to 5. I also counted all the heads in the force and it looks like there are 40, ie the entire town. I can't wait until volume 8 comes out in the next month or so.

On a related note I'm still waiting for the next Invincible TPB which seem to be behind schedule by a bit.

Comics on Computers

I like online comics. Easy to read, they fit the screen, etc. I can't stand comic books that are on computers. I have to scroll every which way, zoom in to read, they don't fit the screen, and some idiots also expect you to read both pages at once like a physical book. They are designed for a vertical paper world and computer screens are horizontal. The experience isn't there for me.

Which frustrates me. I wouldn't mind Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited or the Heroes graphic novel except for trying to read them, and well, you have to read a comic book to enjoy them.

These two comics are by the same creative team.

First Moon - Read this first and started off being annoyed by the dialogue, then was confused by the modern story, but the historical fiction story was decent. Also the artist needs to learn that whitespace is since his drawings have five billion black lines going everywhere right next to each other, way too busy. I think my favorite part was the short essay at the end covering the history.

Continuity - Much better read and art. I think he was trying to make a point about the meaning of live through dreams, but I totally missed it. It was weird that this women had bad things happen and decides never to sleep/dream instead of realizing that dreams are random with the potential for both good and bad things happen in them. She dreams a police state because she's upset and fixates on that instead of thinking calm down and dream something happy. I guess characters are more interesting if they have flaws and make mistakes so they have something to redeem themselves against. Well there is the whole heros quest where bad things happen and the hero has to persevere, but flaws seem to be the current direction of pop culture.

Comics

Mighty Avengers: Ultron Initiative (vol. 1) - I didn't like the start, it was a little too jumpy, but the story was better as it went. The character thought balloons of people trash talking each other were nice and fun.

New Avengers: The Trust (vol. 7) - This seemed to be all over the place. The story is getting so complex. No one trusts each other, they're on the run, stories go in and out of other comic book series (Doctor Dooms Venom accident) and there is the new villian the hood and Dr. Strange and a mental or meta-physical breakdown as he tries to do too much and gets into trouble and he retreats instead of saying, "I have to do this" which would have been more heroic. Also Cage is acting like the biggest jerk.

Angel #5 - Still can't read this until I get #3 which I need a second printing of.

Speaking of second printings I would n0t mind there being ones for Fear Agent and Scalped. I'm sure there are some other our of print comics I wouldn't mind reading like TMNT.

I really liked and enjoyed Safe Area Gorazde. The characters were intersting the history was great and I learned so many new things. Such a happy (well sad) great read. I didn't know know anything about the war other then it happened and lots of people were slaughtered. I'm most annoyed/frustrated/amazed by the suggestion that the UN would says, lets disarm, only one side would do it and the UN would say too bad when the armed side started killing the unarmed side. I want to read more by Joe Sacco.

Missed Comics

I missed a couple comics that I've read and not talked about.

Planet Hulk - Read most of this while waiting at jury duty to not be needed. It was good. My main issue was how Hulk always wanted to fight, but then told the bug not to a lot and the other guy was like, yep, Hulks right. I did like the theme of the Hulk generally being good and people always getting mad at him for no reason.

The Escapist was a good read.
Silver Surfer Requiem annoyed me and I don't recall why. Probably because it was all, he's so great and this is so sad.
Animal Man was disjointed, every issue jumped and I felt like things were missing. It sounds like the part I care about it several trades in which is the exploration of the character knowing they are a character.
Cup Noodle rocked. The story was so crazy, what they did and and had to figure out. It was also nice to know the place where the noodles took off because I've been there. I however didn't want to know that ramen noodles are fried, of the fat.
Be a Man and Every Girl is The End the World For Me were both fun light reads. I think I've read Unlikely which I was lukewarm on at the time. I also recently read the Incredible Change-Bots by him which was page after page of silliness.
The Exterminators Vol. 3: Lies of Our Fathers - Still don't like it as much as the first one.
New Avengers: Illuminati - This was a nice read setting up the Skrull invasion that seems to be happening. It feels like a little much and off since there is also this Civil War thing that just happened.

I'm still waiting on Angel #3 to be reprinted so I can get a copy since I missed it. I have #4 and #5 can out today. Must not read until I have #3.

Hopefully that is everything I've missed.

Finally Maybe Keeping Up

Star Wars Dark times was a disappointment. The reviewer said they really liked it, it was dark, depressing, and a good story. I feel none of the above. I was expecting darker, but I guess the Star Wars universe can only be so much since it is such an institution.

DMZ seems to be getting worse. I liked the first one as we explored the city and discovered this dark view of a second US civil war. With each TPB I like it less and less. It is these stories about how f#(%ed up war is and how everyone is trying to win and we have our trusty accidental hero trying to do right by the people of New York. However I feel ike he's doing more showing and things are just implacable like Liberty News still talking to him and him still talking to them. And New York and its people are supposed to be this character, but it doesn't work for me. Plus the stories tell more then show.