Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Comics Out June 6, 2007

Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #4. This issue wraps up the first arc, "The Long Way Home". Here is my question: if Whedon wrote this as a television show how many episodes would these four issues be? One? Two? These four issues read very well together, and provide the satisfying hook for the "season" I wanted from the first issue and would want from the first episode of a good television show. We learn that the dramatic final pages of issues one and three, while still relevant, will not be the main focus of the season, thankfully. (Their "inside baseball" quality got on my nerves a little). Now that I have more of an understanding who the Big Bad is for this season is, I have more confidence that this series is going to be excellent.

Nothing in the news jumped out at me, and I did not pick anything else up this week: review, recommend and discuss this week's comics and comics news.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just started picking up Buffy S8 from my newsagaent. They're a couple months behind my local comic shop, but the second issue grabbed me. I'm looking forward to the Faith arc. Recently I've been reading a great book about the ethics of the Buffyverse (and Whedonverse, when Serenity is included). It has turned this non-fan into a potential new fan (I have a lot of catching up to do ...).

In other news Newsarama has an interview with Rian Hughes, designer of many logos for Marvel, DC and 2000AD, for his collection 'Yesterday's Tomorrows' (I believe he designed the Invisibles and Doom Patrol logos). The interview mentions Hughe's collaboration with Grant Morrison on 'Dare', an update of the classic British SF hero Dan Dare and 'Really and Truly', another collaboration with Morrison.

Oh, and Fraction's Champions is now likely to be called 'The Order' (butI don't think an official announcement has yet been made).

Streeborama said...

Geoff -

I've picked up the first few issues of Buffy - but haven't been able to make it past the first few pages. I never saw more than a handful of the TV episodes so there is a lot going on for anyone unfamiliar with this Whedonverse.

How in the world did you miss picking up Warren Ellis' Black Summer?!? Issue 0 came out yesterday and I made a special trip to pick that bad boy up!

Normally I wouldn't give potential plot spoilers but since you find this out in the newsarama solicitation for the book - it is about a hero that decides to break the decades long tradition of hegemonic discourse by deciding that the current US administration is populated by corrupt criminals and decides to take matters into his own hands by eliminating them!

This could be the next step beyond the "fuck you" attitude of Authority as John Horus decides that "he" watches the watchmen.

The first issue is only 99 cents - and fairly short - but it sets up what I feel could be the most exciting superhero book this year!

Streeborama said...

Craig - I feel bad for Fraction that his book is being altered before it hits the shelves - but Marvel deserves it.

Those bastards have sued every rival company and creator that they could over the course of their history - so they deserve a taste of their own legal medicine.

Dante Kleinberg said...

Bought a couple things but the only one I'm really excited to read is Detective Comics by Dini featuring Zatanna.

My weekly comics buying seems to be dwindling more and more. I might stop buying the series I'm still getting at the conclusions of storyarcs and just start getting trades. I'm still excited about comics in general, but but I'm kind of bored with 22 page increments.

Patrick Sanders said...

The last page has me offically thinking Whedon's going to Buffy the Big Bad.

Unknown said...

Have you tried Lone ranger, it has the same feel that Buffy did not suprising as it's written by Bret Mathews who worked On Buffy(or angel)

Anonymous said...

Streebo: Only the title has been (or will be) altered, but while I don't like 'The Order' it might open up interesting new story potential.

I wait for the first few issues with an almost open mind. Almost open because I'm not sure what to expect. Where to now for super-hero teams post Ultimates and Authority? And there are far too many team books on the market at the moment.

Anonymous said...

Oh, for anyone interested: that book I mentioned, but failed to name, is "The Existential Joss Whedon: Evil and Human Freedom in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Serenity" by J Michael Richardson and J. Douglas Raab (2007), and is published by McFarland and Company.

Streeborama said...

Craig - asid from Ellis' Thunderbolts, Fraction's Champions or The Order - is the only superhero book I look forward to. Did you hear his description of the book on his last Word Balloon appearance? If not - it's worth checking out.

Geoff Klock said...

Streebo -- I do not that that solicit deserves your excitement. I have not read Warren Ellis in a while -- is the art good. That is what I need to pick up a Warren Ellis book.

VoE: good point.

Mitch said...

I'm reading the original Squadron Supreme now. It's got some good heavy stuff in there and some similar themes to stuff like Watchmen, but Watchmen's narrative complexity and style just render SS completely useless.

Any thoughts, Geoff? I know you kind of make fun of the text on the back in your book...

Streeborama said...

Here are a few links for you about Ellis' Black Summer.

The artist is Juan Jose Ryp - who I believe is responsible for the art in most of Ellis' Avatar series. This is the first superhero book I've seen him do - and it looks very good so far.

I absolutely love the design and concepts behind John Horus. I haven't felt this excited by a new superhero since seeing Jack Hawksmoor in Authority.

I recommend that everyone pick this one up right away - because there is no guarantee of a trade if the single issues never sell.

Of special note is that this is Warren Ellis' first creator owned superhero series. It will be special!

Streeborama said...

"Warren Ellis interview at Wizard

Black Summer at Newsarama

Unknown said...

I think the art is pretty good in Black Summer. Juan Jose Ryp has a sort of ultra-detailed style that seems to fit in with most of Avatar's books, although it's still pretty readable here. I liked it, and I expect to get around to a review of the issue sometime.

Mitch: I read Squadron Supreme a while back (I assume you're talking about the Mark Gruenwald maxiseries from the mid-80's, right?). It's certainly not a bad book, but it's nowhere near the level of Watchmen. Gruenwald deals with some interesting themes, but it's all very talky and simplistic, with some lame dialogue that's probably more in like with Gruenwald's Captain America than anything Alan Moore ever wrote. It's definitely not a bad read, and I think the finale is quite good, especially in light of recent stories like Civil War. But not exactly a classic.