Comics Out June 18, 2008

Angel -- I am switching to trades on Buffy and Angel from now on.

Nothing jumping out at me in Comics News.

I did see The Incredible Hulk, and it was terrible -- just borring. No chemistry or charisma from the cast at all -- how much more charming is Liv Tyler in her nintendo DS commercial than in the whole of Hulk?



And then CGI monsters punching each other over and over till one of them punched enough he won. I had flashes of Alien Versus Predator: Requiem.

Ang Lee's Hulk was on TV last night, and I watched it again. I did not fully appreciate the way this film worked the first time around -- say what you want about it, and it is not flawless, but there is something really stunning about the attempt to fuse an art house meditation on the nature of anger with a summer superhero blockbuster. The new Hulk could not even keep the anger theme straight. They decided excitement of any kind -- including sex -- would turn him into the Hulk, which really means you have no theme at all.

Comics Out January 9, 2008

Punisher 15. This title continues to be goofy lightweight fun, and I really like Wegener on the art. Cartoon-y is the wrong word for him, because you don't think of this as ever being animated. He just does funny comic book images, if that is not a completely stupid thing to say. Anxiety of Influence is a funny thing on this title -- I bet this would not be half as lightweight, funny, and wonderful if Ennis was not doing serious work on his Punisher. Fraction's knowing he cannot do what Ennis does has made him completely himself here. This is my favorite arc so far.

Hulk 1. The number 1 here has less meaning that I have ever seen a number have. The normally un-flaggable Ed McGuinness is not doing it for me here, and he was the only reason I got it. It could be the inker. I like McGuinness at Maximum Cartoon-y, as he was on JLA Classified and Batman/Superman. There are some almost great images here, but too many dull, lifeless ones. Don't get the guy who makes old Saturday Mornings look like Sunday Afternoons draw a weak-ass superhero CSI thing that, really, good God, no one needed. Also I remembered to like Matt Fraction on the Order more -- I remember thinking that a Russian Bear Bad Guy was intrinsically awesome, but no, it is the writing of course. Jeph Loeb has no idea how to capture the brilliance of a Russian Bear Bad Guy (for example -- no jet-pack). But my biggest pet peeve? This sentence "Rick Jones, what've you gotten yourself into This time?!" There is only two people who talk like this. Douche-bags, and people who are trying really hard not to loose the audience that they are supposed to not be aware of. No. More. Of. This. Please.

EDIT: Also, what on earth is going on with his neck on the cover. I mean I am no anatomy expert, especially when it comes to monsters, but come on.

In comics news Spider-Man: One More Day: The Schadenfreude Saga continues. Schadenfreude, from the German, literally, "Damage Joy." Yeah, that's about right.