Off the Rack

by Kin Jee

Monday, January 30, 2012

OFF THE RACK #892

I went to start reading the new comics Thursday morning and discovered that I had left them at the store. Since the sun was shining and the Rideau Canal Skateway was open I drove downtown and had a great skate despite falling down twice. Stupid cracks. I stopped by the Snail after my skate and picked up my briefcase with the new comics and went home to sip hot chocolate and read the new books.

The warm weather put the kibosh on outdoor skating during the NHL All Stars festivities this past weekend. Both the Rideau Canal Skateway and the Rink of Dreams were closed because of awful ice conditions. The hockey fans still had a lot of fun though.

Alpha Flight #8 – It’s the big finish with the team and their allies versus the Master. There’s the usual posturing by the villain and then we all know what happens next. What impressed me the most about this 8-issue maxi was the great art by Dale Eaglesham. I was surprised that not everyone lives happily ever after eh.

Aquaman #5 – W-Geoff Johns and P-Ivan Reis start a new story this issue with Aquaman landing in a desert. This book wins the first “dumb cover” award this year because it shows something that doesn’t even remotely happen inside. It’s a good thing the story makes up for the cover fraud.

Nancy in Hell on Earth #1 – As you may recall from the 4-issue Nancy in Hell mini at the tail end of 2010, the buxom Nancy had escaped from Hell with Lucifer. This 4-issue mini picks up right where the last one left off. Once you get past the prurient, but nice, art by Enrique Lopez Lorenzana, the story by W-El Torres is actually pretty good. This has a narrow appeal to certain comic book fans but those fans are going to like what they see and read.

Ultimates #3 to #6 – Holy poo-poo, these were awesome. Why am I not reading these as soon as they hit the racks? These issues brought into clear focus what the heroes are up against. The identity of the bad guy surprised me but it was a brilliant choice by W-Jonathan Hickman and made perfect sense if you’ve been reading the UU books from day one. I love the A-Esad Ribic issues and I don’t mind A-Brandon Peterson taking over with issue #5 either. I like that the villain isn’t all that bad and the good guys aren’t all that good.

King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword #1 – W-Timothy Truman and A-Tomas Giorello present another 4-issue tale of Conan during his reign as King of Aquilonia. He hasn’t worn the crown for long and there’s a plot to wrest it from his raven haired head. An old foe rears his ugly head while plotting his own rise to power. I’m ready to swash some buckles.

Jennifer Blood #8 – This book isn’t quite as outrageous now that Garth Ennis isn’t writing it anymore but I’m finding that W-Al Ewing isn’t doing a bad job picking up after Garth. Jen has a bunch of loose ends that are going to unravel and complicate her lives so I’m sticking around to see where this train wreck is headed.

Rachel Rising #5 – The mystery of how Rachel wound up dead is put on the back burner while we catch up with Zoe in this issue. I had a feeling there was going to be a child molester involved.

Elephantmen #37 – I’m reading this to find out who’s running around killing Elephantmen.

My Greatest Adventure #4 – The Robotman segment is turning into his origin story. The Garbage Man segment has scary monsters in the sewer and Tanga is about to suffer a fate worse than death. What more do you want in an anthology?

Justice League #5 – Jesuits, the cover made me want to gag. I wonder if A-Jim Lee got paid a bonus from the Industrial Military Complex. I’m glad W-Geoff Johns put in that bit with Batman or this would have been just one big boring battle with Darkseid.

All Star Western #5 – Jonah Hex explores the Bat Cave. Gosh they had bigger bats back then. I either skipped an issue or the first part of the back-up story was utterly forgettable. You’d think I would remember reading the start of a story about Chinese immigrants in the old west. Part 2 of “Barbary Ghost”  by Ws-Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti has our heroine ready for revenge. It looks like she can handle a six shooter. It would be cool if her Grandfather taught her Kung Fu too.

Monday, January 23, 2012

OFF THE RACK #891

Gung Hay Fat Choy to you all. It’s the Chinese New Year and I’m feeling happy and joyous. May this Year of the Dragon be full of fun for all of us.

I took a step back from old fogiedom yesterday and finally got an HD LED TV and a PVR. Anybody need a VCR and CRT TV that weighs a tonne? It took me so long because I waited until we saved enough to step into the 21^st century. That’s just how we old folks roll. I was busy all afternoon setting our new entertainment system up but got a bit of comic book reading time in while waiting for ROGERS to activate our PVR/converter.

Superior #7 – Now that’s a happy ending. This is what a good super hero comic should be. There’s an epic battle between good and evil ending with an emotional triumph for the good guy. I can’t wait until March for the next project from W-Mark Millar and A-Leinil Yu after reading the preview to “Super Crooks” in the back of this book.

Batman #5 – Helen was right, that was a damn fine comic book reading experience. I loved how P-Greg Capullo and I-Jonathan Glapion depicted Batman’s spiral into madness; the Owl’s stalking of its prey and the coup de grace. The Bat Signal plays a pivotal role in this issue. Kudos to W-Scott Snyder for making this one cool comic book.

Danger Girl: Revolver #1 – A-J. Scott Campbell’s angels are back on the racks with more action and adventure and more cleavage than you can shake a stick at. A-Chris Madden does a commendable job of imitating Campbell’s style and W-Andy Hartnell knows how to ladle on the improbable escapes thick and fast. Fans of these buxom babes should not be disappointed.

Daredevil #8 – This concludes the 2-part “Devil and the Details” that started in last week’s Amazing Spider-Man #677. Peter should get a clue and stop pursuing that hussy Black Cat. Felicia’s flirting isn’t all hopped up hormones however. W-Mark Waid ties everything together quite nicely with Daredevil’s current dilemma concerning a certain storage device. I liked the art by Kano in this issue a lot more than the art in part one.

Fables #113 – I wish this issue were made available really cheaply for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. It is a perfect issue to get people hooked on this wonderful book. I’ve been a fan since the first issue and am glad all the trade paperbacks are in print but $12.99 is a steep price to pay for the first volume to find out later that Fables isn’t your cup of tea. This $2.99 anthology is just right as Baby Bear would say. The three pages of Adam Hughes art by themselves is worth the price of the book.

Lord of the Jungle #1 – Lord Greystoke is back on the racks and W-Arvid Nelson and A-Roberto Castro start the series from scratch before Tarzan is born. I hope they explain how he got his name. I never got why Tarzan’s chimpanzee was named Cheetah. Did he run really fast? The TV Cheetah passed away just recently too.

Ultimate Spider-Man #6 – Miles is slowly becoming his own Spider-Man and I like the progress. Having his best friend Ganke know his secret is a nice twist.

DCU Presents #4 & #5 – Who would have thought that you could learn about the meaning of life from reading comic books. W-Paul Jenkins manages to teach us using a Deadman. I think that’s kind of ironic.

Morning Glories #15 – So I’m reading along, just loving W-Nick Spencer’s dialogue and getting to know Zoe better until I get to the last page and...What the? It may be a cheap writing trick to get me to keep reading this book but it works on me.

New Avengers #20 – Woohoo, it’s the New Avengers versus the New Dark Avengers in a knock down drag out fight to the finish. That is until some party pooper decides that someone is going to get killed and amscrays all the good guys out of there. I forget who the new Dark Ms. Marvel and Dark Scarlet Witch are so I’ve got to go back and look them up. Thank Thor this issue ended when it did, but there’s still the potential for a death coming up.

Avengers #21 – All the bad guys win in this issue and boy, are there ever a lot of them. You’ve got H.A.M.M.E.R. Gray Hulks, H.A.M.M.E.R. Ant- Men and H.A.M.M.E.R. Giant Men. I guess if W-Brian Bendis is going to foist yet another Avengers versus Normie and H.A.M.M.E.R. story on us he’s got to show us something different.

Conan: Road of Kings #12 – This is the end of the road of Kings for Conan as he gets set to embark on a voyage across the sea. I can’t wait to see Belit.

Amazing Spider-Man #678 – W-Dan Slott and A-Humberto Ramos put Spidey on the clock to save New York City. There’s a time travel element to this story that bugs me but hey, it’s going to be over in another issue.

Avenging Spider-Man #3 – It looks like the Mole Man is making a big comeback this year. This 3-issue team-up with the Rulk ends on a sinister note with a close-up of the leering villain.

Catwoman #3 to #5 – I love this Catwoman. She’s an adrenalin junkie that happens to be sexy hot and a super survivor. She also gets into a lot of trouble, which makes this book so much fun to read. W-Judd Winick and A-Guillem March score high marks for these.

Monday, January 16, 2012

OFF THE RACK #890

The recent stretch of very cold temperatures made it possible for the NCC to open the Rideau Canal Skateway yesterday. It was such a nice sunny day that I wanted to go skating and would have if I knew it was open. I spent the day watching the two NFL playoff games inside instead. I’m going to get my skates sharpened before I hit the ice.

Dave got out for a shopping trip to the St. Laurent Shopping Centre on Saturday. He called me from there to ask if I got the SI Swimsuit Date Book yet. I had just bought one on Friday at Billings Bridge at 40% OFF but Dave could’ve gotten me one for $5. That’s half what I paid. Rats. I’ll try to remember that for next year.

I don’t know why I suddenly took and interest in NFL football, taking valuable comic book reading time away from myself. Both games were fun to watch. There are only two more weekends left so I should find time to read more after the Super Bowl.

Scarlet Spider #1 – Send in the clone. Kaine is alive and kicking butt again in Houston, Texas stumbling across a nasty piece of bad guy business. W-Christopher Yost, P-Ryan Stegman and I-Michael Babinski don’t present a very heroic figure here but we all know that the Scarlet Spider will eventually do the right thing. This looks like your basic pseudo super hero versus powerful super villain book when the big bad guy shows up to fry some innocent victims. I thought the art was nice but I hated the way the credits spread out through multiple pages. I’ll read the next one to see what happens.

The Ray #2 – It’s lights out for this 6-issue mini for me. Fighting weird aliens is one thing but flying manta rays with legs and robotic insects wearing high heels is just too silly. I can only suspend disbelief so far. Maybe Lucien will join a team later and I can catch up with him then.

Whispers #1 – Joshua Luna shines on his own in this new book about a young germophobe named Sam who also has obsessive compulsive disorder. This guy is some screwed up. He discovers that he can leave his body and travel around like a ghost. He can also manipulate the people he knows while in this astral state. I was surprised at how different Joshua’s art was from his brother Jonathan’s. It’s much less cartoony than what was in The Sword and Girls. Sam may be a flake but I did not dislike him so I think I’ll keep reading this.

Punisher Max #21 – This is the conclusion to W-Jason Aaron’s “Homeless” story. This one made me look at Frank Castle, the Punisher and Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, a little differently. Both are driven men but what each strives for only means something to them. In the never ending battle between good and evil, these two characters struggle to win at all costs. They pay dearly.

Batman: The Dark Knight #2 to #4 – Ws-David Finch and Paul Jenkins trot out more Bat villains as this story continues. There’s Two-Face, Clayface, Deathstroke and last but not least, Scarecrow. I’m glad the mysterious White Rabbit hops in now and then to spice up the pages. There’s a damsel in distress that the Dark Knight is trying to rescue and I can’t wait to see As-David Finch and Richard Friend draw her.

Severed #6 – The old cannibal has taken a cotton to young Jack but the boy has finally wised up. I cheered when Jack got away but W-Scott Snyder dashed my hopes for a happy ending as this issue ended. The tension’s so thick you can carve it with a knife.

Wolverine #300 – I guess I don’t have to read all those Wolverines stacked in my “to read” box now. This one’s for all you snitkitty fans who like Logan mixing it up with ninjas and Yakuza goons in Japan. W-Jason Aaron throws in Sabretooth (he’s not dead anymore) to give you an even bigger geekgasm. The big surprise for me here is the appearance of the deceased (for now) Silver Samurai’s son Shin and Wolvie’s adopted daughter Amiko.

Buffy Season 9 #5 – We go from Tom Petty’s “Freefallin’” to “All I Have To Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers. Buffy has slayer dreams that are sending her a message. Maybe it’s just hormones. A wild and unexpected development ends this issue, although if I were watching this on TV I would have guessed what was coming.

The Strain #2 – I would not watch the movie version of this but I seem to deal with the creepiness in the comic okay. I don’t normally read horror comics but W-David Lapham has a great way with dialogue.

Wolverine & the X-Men #4 – First Buffy and now Kitty too. This condition is downright contagious. Maybe this is why girls don’t read comic books. I like the Nick Bradshaw art even more than the Chris Bachalo stuff and I love Chris Bachalo stuff.

X-Factor #230 – Wolverine may not boost sales of this book but I’m sure the art by P-Emaluela Lupacchino and I-Guillermo Ortego will. Man, this issue looked pretty. It took a while for W-Peter David to reveal why Logan was visiting but in the end it was the “death” of Jamie Madrox that made him show up. The two friends who show up with him were a nice surprise too.

Amazing Spider-Man #677 – W-Mark Waid starts off the crossover with Daredevil bringing the Black Cat back into Spider-Man’s life. When Felicia gets framed for a heist she didn’t commit, Peter goes to Matt for help. We won’t have to wait long for what comes next since the story continues in Daredevil #8 which hits the racks on January 18. Emma Rios’s art looks very Paul Pope-ish.

Brilliant #2 – I loved W-Brian Bendis and A-Mark Bagley on Ultimate Spider-Man but this isn’t up to that level of enjoyment. This is one of those “nothing much happens until the end” issues. I am giving this more of a chance because I don’t know the characters and want to get to know some of them better.

Batwoman #4 & #5 – This title is the most beautiful comic on the racks. Just flipping through the pages gives me pleasure. The story isn’t bad either and I like the direction that the book is taking with Kate going to work for the D.E.O.

Monday, January 9, 2012

OFF THE RACK #889

I had a wonderful day off yesterday. I went to visit Dave for a couple of hours and got all caught up on his progress and the holidays. I spent time shopping with Penny at Canada’s biggest IKEA store and bought a new lamp. Here’s a tip for couples: designate a place to meet if you get separated. The place is huge and it was packed on Sunday. I watched the Denver Broncos play the Pittsburgh Steelers in their play-off game and the mighty effort of Big Ben to bring his Steelers team back to tie it in regulation and send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, their defensive coaches screwed up and the Broncos scored a TD on the first play of overtime and won. I even got to read some comic books too.

Avengers Annual #1 – Thank Thor for the recap page. The first part of this story came out September 7, 2011 in New Avengers Annual #1 and Avengers fans have been clamouring for this conclusion since then. Well, W-Brian Bendis is going to disappoint you again because it doesn’t end here folks. It looks like he’s setting up for another big Avengers downfall so fair warning.

Action Comics #5 – This issue made me feel like I had been ripped off. Everybody, including people who have never read a comic book in their life, knows how baby Kel-El gets blasted off an exploding Krypton to be sent to Earth. All the padding around the little nugget of new information about a group of mysterious bad guys stealing the space ship’s engine annoyed me. Then W-Grant Morrison ticked me off even more by ending with a mature Superman materializing with some older looking Legionnaires. They’re either older or A-Andy Kubert can’t draw teenagers. I hate it when I wonder what’s going on after I finish reading a comic. I’ve been enjoying this comic up until this issue but now I’m putting it on probation.

Fatale #1 – No, this is not a revival of the busty Broadway Comics super hero from 1996 but W-Ed Brubaker and A-Sean Phillips’s latest noir comic. I love their mysteries. The femme in this story is a beautiful dark-haired woman named Jo who is not as young as she looks. Take their Criminal series and mix in a mortar full of occult ingredients and you’ve got a recipe for gory fun. One mystery I want answered is why this is being published by Image and not Marvel.

Wolverine & the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1 – If you’ve been reading Wolverine & the X-Men, you’ll be familiar with bad boy Quentin Quire and how much he hates Wolverine. This 5-issue mini is his attempt at revenge for Logan making him go to school. W-Brian Wood really gets into the head of this kid and a whole bullpen full of artists help make this a fun read.

Men of War #5 – I don’t know what Tombstone is doing in a DC comic. I really liked the “Knife Fight” back-up story by W-Matt Kindt, P-Patrick Scherberger and I-Dan Green. It was poetry in motion.

Lone Ranger #1 – Cue the theme song, the masked man is back on the racks after an 8 month hiatus. W-Ande Parks and A-Esteve Polls saddle up for more stories of justice in the Wild West. My question is: why in tarnation did the wife run out of the house and leave her kids unprotected? There’s a nice moral to this first issue that we should all learn as we embark on a new year.

The Boys #62 – The tragedy that propelled Wee Hughie on his journey through this series comes back to haunt him in this issue. I don’t know what W-Garth Ennis is going to have him do. Whatever it is, it’ll be unexpected and that’s why I love reading Ennis books.

Iron Man 2.0 #3 to #12 – What a pain in the brain Palmer Addley was. The best thing W-Nick Spencer did was have Tony redesign Rhodey’s armour. The different art styles in each issue didn’t bother me too much because the writing was so well done. Nick Spencer is the reason that Morning Glories is on my “must read” list.

Animal Man #4 & #5 – Hey, I was right for a change. This story crosses over with Swamp Thing. Something rotten this way comes and Buddy and his family are running for their lives. It makes sense that the Red and the Green should be connected. W-Jeff Lemire and A-Travel Foreman really creeped me out.

Zorro Rides Again #7 – Oh ho, can W-Matt Wagner be changing this book to Elle Zorro? Catherine Zeta Jones could play the part.

Defenders #2 – I really like Red Shulk. I don’t miss damsel in distress Betty Ross at all. I wonder what Doc Strange told her to make her scared? The possibilities are endless I suppose.

Huntress #4 – I think white slavers should not be allowed to live. Helena however, must stick to the hero’s code. Too bad.

Stormwatch #2 to #5 – I like what W-Paul Cornell is doing with this team. The new members add a little something extra for previous fans and spice up the drama for this first story arc.

Monday, January 2, 2012

OFF THE RACK #888

Happy new year one and all. I trust everyone is none the worse for wear after the New Year celebrations. I know I ate too much and will have to get moving again to burn off all those extra calories. I did a bit of catching up as you can see from my last two reviews but I’ve still got plenty in my “to read” boxes. You would think that a good resolution for me would be to not take home more than I have time for but I can’t seem to do that. I’ll try to be more discerning and see if that helps.

I am looking forward to another good year of comics and seeing all the Silver Snailers regularly.

Alpha Flight #7 – Don’t get your jock straps in a bunch. The Guardian versus Wolverine fight is nothing but a hockey brawl. They don’t even get time in the penalty box before the bad guys show up and the mole in their midst is revealed. Parliament Hill doesn’t look the same after this issue.

Aquaman #4 – W-Geoff Johns and P-Ivan Reis have elevated Aquaman and Mera to the A-list of DC heroes by boosting their super powers and giving them hot new looks. I’ve got a comic book crush on Mera now.

Warlord of Mars #13 & #14 – I see the appeal of readers living vicariously through John Carter. He gets all the babes.

Kick-Ass 2 #6 – This is it Millar fans; the lead in to the ball busting conclusion to Kick-Ass 2. The return of Hit-Girl couldn’t come soon enough for me. I really hope issue #7 ships on time but I’m not holding my breath.

Voodoo #4 – I still don’t know why Voodoo is gathering info on super heroes but it doesn’t matter as long as A-Sami Basri is drawing this book.

Buffy Season 9 #4 – Just shoot the sucker, that’s what I say. It drives me crazy when cops don’t just shoot the bad guy. It doesn’t have to be fatal but they’re bad guys so it’s all good. Anyhoo, “Freefall” ends with a new killer on deck going after Buffy. I don’t remember who this multi-pierced punk is.

Spaceman #3 – This issue earned this series a “keep reading” status. The story is becoming clearer and the future slang is making more sense.

Punisher #6 – Frank’s walking in a winter wonderland after taking four months to recover from his run in with the new Vulture. Meanwhile, Sergeant Rachel has found out who killed her fiancé. This issue has a high body count and ends with the two in a face to face standoff. I wonder what Frank’s going to do this time?

American Vampire #21 – The 3-part “Beast in the Cave” story wraps up in this issue and I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a confrontation between Skinner and the vampire Indian maiden.

American Vampire #22 – W-Scott Snyder starts a new 4-part story called “Bite Them Back”. It’s 1954 and Travis the vampire hunter is on the hunt in his suped up Chevy. I like his attitude. The biting them back bit is a hoot.

Wolverine & the X-Men #3 – This should be Wolverine & the X-Kids because it’s the kids that make this fun. I’m sad that A-Chris Bachalo will not be drawing the next issue. He’s the main reason that I considered reading this new mutant series. I might not read the next issue if the art doesn’t grab me.

Ultimate X-Men #2 to #5 – W-Nick Spencer’s first story arc is pretty intense. The bad guy is totally despicable (he kills mutant children) so when Kitty and the gang defeat him it’ll be sweet.

House of Mystery #35 to #42 – And so we bid adieu to Fig and all the crazy characters of W-Matthew Sturges’s house. I really enjoyed the odd little mysteries that this series treated us to and I hope that this title pops up on the racks again.

Moon Knight #3 to #8 – I don’t know why I don’t read this W-Brian Bendis book as religiously as all the others on the racks but I’m glad I kept them around for later. I really like the new type of crazy the he’s given to Mark Spector and the romance with Maya Lopez (or May Lo as I like to call her)/Echo is cute. The last time I remember seeing the villain of this story A-John Byrne was drawing him in a Marvel Team-Up I think. I didn’t know Count Nefaria was so powerful.

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