Friday, April 18, 2008

Comics Out April 16, 2008

The Amazing Spiderman 557. One of my favorite Bachalo devices is the close up on an image that would usually be reduced -- he uses it to show moments of realization. Bachalo does a quiet one on page one of this comic (or at least that is what it looks like to me). For all my complaining when artists re-use images, Bachalo never bothers me when he does it -- perhaps because his images are so complex to begin with, perhaps because I am just giving him an irrational pass because he is so charming, perhaps because he cartoony style (as opposed to Cassaday's photo-realism, if that is the right word) makes it work -- though it bothers me when Oeming does it on powers; Oeming is too thin for my taste. The reach around from one panel to another was fun, though I have seen it many times before. Well's need for Morrison here, which I mentioned last week, may have been the inspiration, but Bachalo did fun stuff like this in Steampunk -- about which I have blogged before. The hobo-calvary was genuinely cute, but did anyone see a McFarlane influence on the last image on the second to last page? All in all, pretty good.

The New York Comic Con is this weekend. There is going to be a lot of news, which I will do my best to keep up with. I probably will not do that good a job, so if you see something, let me know. I always miss stuff in the flood on con news.

Two questions:

Did Matt Fraction have a story in something called X-Men: Divided we Stand? Cause if he did I am going to have to get that. I don't know how I am supposed to remember this stuff. Someone remind me when his Thor book comes out.

Why is the New York City Comic Con -- a major city for Jews and an industry that employs and was founded on so much Jewish talent -- being held on the two days of passover? Bendis, I know from Fortune and Glory, actually hosts a Seder at his house. I guess everyone who needs to be somewhere by dinner, and maybe it is not that many people, will just duck out early, but it seems weird to me.

9 comments:

Marc Caputo said...

Yes - he did. A decent enough Nightcrawler story, packed with a lot of metaphors and allusion. It wasn't the best Fraction, but it wasn't the worst in the book.

You see that he's trying to come up with an interesting angle. With some things, that's enough for me.

(But, in answer to your question, I didn't know he was going to have a story here either and I usually am up on these things.)

Maybe I'll see you around at NYCC - we know what we look like now!

jamil said...

Here's a good way to keep up what Fraction's doing:

http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?writer=MATT%20FRACTION

seth hurley said...

There were complaints about NYCC being held over Passover when the dates were announced.

According to the people that run the con, these were the days that the Javits Center gave them, not what they chose.

NYCC is going to be in February again next year.

seth hurley said...

from the horse's mouth

http://comics.technophobiac.net/2008/02/01/nycc-responds-to-kleid%E2%80%99s-passover-letter/

Paul said...

BTW, we interviewed Matt Fraction on Episode 39 of the Comic Addiction podcast a few weeks ago. http://www.comicaddiction.com/features/ca_podcast/ca_ontheroad_040208.htm

Paul said...

BTW, we interviewed Matt Fraction on Episode 39 of the Comic Addiction podcast a few weeks ago. http://www.comicaddiction.com/features/ca_podcast/ca_ontheroad_040208.htm

James said...

paul: Awesome! Except as soon as it gets to the interview it sounds like a robot's auditory fever dream. Help!

Anonymous said...

I believe Thor: Ages of Thunder by Fraction & Zircher is out next week (last week of April).

A second Thor one-shot is due in June.

Fraction also has a Thor Secret Invasion tie-in coming in August (Thor vs Skrulls). Even I'm kind of excited by that, and I'm otherwise ignoring Secret Invasion.

Anonymous said...

Also, Newsarama have a sub-site dedicated to their NYCC news coverage:

http://www.newsarama.com/nycomiccon2008/headlines.php