This Week's Haul: The Last Haul...for now!

Hiya everyone!

I think this is it. This is going to be my last post on this site. But that doesn't mean I'm quitting! I am finally launching the all new, all awesomer Living Between Wednesdays site in just a few days. I'm pretty excited about it.

Actually, I guess there will be one more post: the one where I announce that the new site is up. Well, anyway.

Here are some of the comics I read this week!

The Muppet Show #1

I am actually astonished at how well this was executed. It's really, really great. The way the characters are only drawn from the waist up, the jokes, the structure of the comic mirroring the Muppet Show episodes. It's just fantastic. Roger Langridge writes and draws it and he captures the feel of the original show perfectly. I am pretty excited about Boom Studios new Boom Kids line, but the Muppet Show was definitely what I was most looking forward to. I am a huge Jim Henson fan, and I have been watching a lot of the Sesame Street: Old School DVDs lately, so I was definitely in the mood for this. By the way, a Sesame Street comic would be awesome.

Wonder Woman #30

I know I have praised Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman plenty, but I just want to say it again: her Wonder Woman voice is amazing. I find it really jarring when a character just doesn't sound right (ie - James Robinson's Superman) and Wonder Woman is a character that has been, more often than not, written as a very flat character. Simone manages to give her a lot of depth and personality without losing the regal quality of the character. Like, I want Wonder Woman to have some warmth and humanity, but I don't want to see her being like "yo, what's up Etta?"

Also in this comic, Wonder Woman is really, really angry so we get to see how powerful she can be when she wants to be. And I like that.

Daredevil #117

Daredevil is one of those comics that makes me feel sorry for people who don't read comics because they do not get to read DAREDEVIL. There are a lot of comics on the stands that I enjoy, and there are a lot of great story lines, but the world of Daredevil, however depressing, is one of my favourites to lose myself in for 10 minutes or so each month. I think because it's more of a character study than any other comic, which makes it sound boring but it's really not because there is also a lot of kicking and punching. Plus, Brubaker is the master of the cliffhanger ending.


Captain America #48

I love nothing more than when Daredevil and Captain America drop on the same week. Double shot of Brubaker, PLUS I get my two Marvel boyfriends, Matt Murdock and Winter Soldier, in one week. And this week there is the added bonus of NAMOR in Captain America! I would love a week where Namor appears in every Marvel title, because he really makes every comic that much more entertaining. In this issue we get a nice example of how Namor, though pretty ridiculous-looking, is really one of the most terrifying characters when he's angry.

And also, Winter Soldier was hot.

Superman #686

Meh. I love this cross-over Superman storyline. I love Renato Guedes' art. I do not love James Robinson's writing on this title. Usually I like his writing, but I am not feeling his Superman. I do love seeing Mon-El back in action, though. But seriously, Superman, the dude is trapped in the Phantom Zone forever because you, let's face it, did not even try to find a cure for his lead allergy and as soon as he gets out (on his own) you are demanding favours of him? I'm surprised he didn't tell him to take a flying leap (note: not an effective insult for Superman).


Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug

Hello, what's this? Something totally rad?!

I basically own everything that is in here, but I still bought it because I just want to support the fact that they even published this. Well done, DC. Ambush Bug may seem like an odd choice for a Showcase, but it's actually perfect because there has never been an Ambush Bug collection of any kind before, and it's a little challenging finding all of the issues he appears in. You won't be sorry you bought this.

This Week's Haul: Namor!

Hey everyone!

I got a whole lot of comics this week. Really, too many comics. But my computer is fixed and Photoshop is reinstalled, so I am able to share my thoughts with you once again. Here we go with a small selection of what I read this week.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #2

Namor fans rejoice!

I have been buying Uncanny X-Men every month for the better part of a year now. I have really enjoyed Matt Fraction's writing on the title, and have tried to overlook the artwork in the Greg Land issues.

This issue tells the sexy history between Emma Frost and Namor. And it's frigging beautiful! Both Daniel Acuna and Mitch Breitweiser provide stunning artwork, but you don't have to take my word for it!


Oh Namor. I missed you so.


Superman/Batman Annual #3

Blowing? Tandem? It must be Superman/Batman!

Len Wein steps in to write this year's S/B Annual (typically the only issue of S/B ever worth reading). It's a re-telling of the Composite Superman/Batman story and it is really entertaining. It kind of emphasizes my point that Superman/Batman should be a series of one-shots by a different creative team every month. Even if it was just re-telling of Silver Age stories, it would still be a much better comic than it is right now.

Getting back to this issue: great art, great banter, a couple of unfortunate and somewhat confusing colouring errors, but those are easy to overlook.

Especially when Superman is looking so cute leaning on a wall!

Awwww.

And Batman asks a tough question:

Um, well...now that you mention it...


Dr Doom and the Masters of Evil #1

Hey! A new all-ages comic by Paul Tobin! Sign me up!

I love stories from the villains' point of view, especially funny ones where they are paling around. This book has plenty of that.

Mysterio asking to borrow a car so he can get his computer fixed really cracks me up.

This is going to be yet another really great Marvel all-ages title, as far as I can tell. But, like many all-ages books, it will mostly be enjoyed by aged comic nerds.

Ghost Rider #31

Yet another totally awesome issue of Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron. Much like Captain America, Daredevil, or Jonah Hex, it's so good every month that I really don't have anything interesting to say about it.

Except...HOT Ghost Rider on Ghost Rider Action!!!!



Green Lantern #37

The Red Lanterns have really been grossing me out, I'm not going to lie, so I wasn't too excited about this issue. But it was actually pretty awesome. For one thing, Ivan Reis really threw down some great art. And the Hal Jordan-Sinestro rivalry was entertaining as usual.






Mysterius: The Unfathomable #1

Jeff Parker has a new series! And it's for...Wildstorm?!

Well, I don't usually have much reason to buy Wildstorm comics, but this is a good one. A really good one, as far as I can tell.

A mystic and a plucky young journalist-turned-assistant. That's a solid combination. Parker is one of my favourite writers, so it wasn't a tough decision to pick this up. And the art, by Tom Fowler, is really beautiful.

New original series are exciting!

Rating the Super Hunks #20: Namor the Sub-Mariner

Time for another super hunk!!! This time we dive beneath the waves to get a closer look at Marvel's aquatic hottie,

PRINCE NAMOR, AKA THE SAVAGE SUB-MARINER


Costume/Appearance: Namor's costume is, in a word, minimal.

It's easy to point out the skimpy outfits that female comic characters wear, but in truth the most revealing outfit is actually donned by a dude who was created in 1939. Namor usually only wears a speedo when he fights. And because this isn't quite flamboyant enough, he has little white wings on his ankles.
Lately he's been wearing a more conservative black costume, which retains the best elements of his embarassing 1970s suit with the little yellow wings. Lord.

And let's talk about those Greta Garbo eyebrows. They are awesome.

The whole package is pretty fabulous, if not a little, y'know...homo mermanus.

8/10

Personality: I'm not going to pretend that Namor isn't a giant asshole. He really is. But heavy is the head that wears the crown, and maybe we'd all be cranky if we were the crown prince of an advanced underwater society. Or maybe he's just a douche.

I wouldn't change a thing about Namor though. It's all about confidence, which our Sub-Mariner has in spades. When he looks at you from under those pointy eyebrows and that widow's peak and asks if you'd like to see the royal scepter, you say YES. Just ask Sue Storm. She knows what I'm talking about.

Frankly, whenever Namor says anything you say "yes" because the way he talks is awesome.

I would love to hear a debate between Namor and Thor.

On the negative side...he has a bit of a temper.

Yes, he's a dick. But he's got an exotic David Bowie quality that captures our hearts.

7/10

Day Job: He is the monarch of Atlantis. It looks pretty good on the ol' resume.

10/10

Sexiness of Super Powers: You wouldn't think that flight would be a included in the underwater superhero package, but it is for Namor! Depending on what era of Namor we're talking about, he can also either just be really strong and invulnerable, or he can call of the abilities of any underwater creature (ie - electric eel).

His powers, for the most part, are only operating when he is wet. This is funny. I like any hero who needs to be wet and shirtless at all times.

I would also like to mention that Namor's entry contains what is possibly the greatest sentence on Wikipedia:

Later, Namor lost his ankle-wings when he released a mutagenic scrambler within the animated garbage-monster Sluj.

Incidentally, an almost identical sentence can be found in the Wikipedia entry for Harry Truman.

8/10

Cons: Namor's past love interests include an evil chick, his own cousin, and Mr Fantastic's wife.

- 3

FINAL SCORE: 30/40


Oh, suck it up, Subby! That's not a bad score at all...considering your pointy...everything.

Daredevil: The Luckiest Guy in the World

Daredevil [v.1] #77 is a great comic.

In it, we get to see Spider-Man, Daredevil and Namor fight each other for no reason. We see rampant brooding by both Spider-Man and Daredevil. We see no brooding whatsoever from Namor. And we get to see Spider-Man make a statement which is grossly inaccurate:

"There goes the luckiest guy in the world." Falser words have never been spoken.

I hope you guys like brooding, because here comes a pile of it:


Yes, Matthew. Please do.

Time for Spidey to lay down some mad introspection. Although he does his out loud:

Is Spider-Man talking about the same Daredevil? "What does Daredevil know about being hurt so many times you feel like a human punching bag?" Spider-Man needs to check out Daredevil issues #1-present.

Thank God this thing shows up and stops all the whining:

Namor limits his interior monologue to two sentences before tearing off his fetching fedora and herringbone coat and reminding us why Namor is the MAN:

I wish I could get away with talking like Namor. "Though Rachelle is hungry no longer, still she could go for some Arby's...for their's is the Horsey Sauce tasty!"

Anyway, Daredevil shows up and makes some false assumptions based on nothing:

What. A. Douche.

Also.."angel"?

They fight and Daredevil gets his ass handed to him. Which is satisfying:

Daredevil could probably fight better if he stopped brooding for one second. Unfortunately, he doesn't figure this out:

Ohmygod, Daredevil. Please shut up. Although...that first panel is HILARIOUS.

I want to know what Namor's "classy accent" sounds like.

Spider-Man shows up before Daredevil gets himself killed. He immediately starts attacking Namor as well. Namor responds by kicking him in the face:

Their numbers end at two, Namor.

So Spider-Man, because he's kind of a jerk I guess, decides to wail on Namor for awhile to prove he's a better hero than Daredevil.

I like that meanwhile we see no thought bubbles from Namor. He's not thinking anything that he isn't saying out loud.

So they fight for awhile instead of addressing the real threat, which is that glowing thing that showed up.

Instead they capture Namor in a net. With entertaining results:

I like that Spider-Man called Namor "cutes."

This story gets resolved in an issue of Spider-Man which I don't have.