A Case of Mistaken Energy Signatures

"Ms. Marvel" #43 from Marvel Comics

(I haven't read "Ms. Marvel" #35-42 and I think that should be made clear first.)

Okay. So. At the current moment in Carol Danvers' life, she's just come back from the dead... I think. She died in battle with the person pretending to be her: Moonstone. But she didn't really die (of course) she was transformed into two (or three?) distinct energy signatures: one is in her old body, one is in the body of a Los Angeles screenwriter... hmhmm, and a third I suspect has fallen into the body of her impersonator although this is yet to be stated.

This issue of "Ms. Marvel" opens with former Thunderbolt team-member Moonstone. She has, as part of the "Dark Reign" crossover assumed Ms. Marvel's identity by donning her Eighties outfit and running around with the new 'Avengers', all essentially Norman Osborn's supervillain cronies currently posing as superheroes. She's telling all of this to some guy she abducted right out of his own apartment and flew off with. Then to give herself some 'therapy' she drops the guy right into Manhattan.

Honestly, for an issue opener that's pretty strong.

She claims that she likes being a superhero now, but I have a bad feeling that this desire to be heroic is actually just a shard of the real Ms. Marvel's being trapped inside 'Ms. Moonstone'.

BAH!

The only good moments in this issue are those between Wolverine and Spider-Man and between Lily Hollister and Norman Osborn, four characters NOT in the title of this comic.

1. Spider-Man says: Shouldn't we make sure Ms. Marvel is okay? She just died and came back? Wolverine basically says: Yeah sure. You go do that. I'm going to leave now.
Classic.

2. Lily Hollister (a woman in her twenties) offers to give some pleasurable distraction to Norman Osborn (a man in his forties). Skeezy, skeezy, skeey. Also I believe this marks the first time a Brand New Day Spider-Man character has appeared outside of the Spider-Man books, proving once and for all that it's supposed to be the same fictional universe. They're just doing a craptastic job of making that clear.

The rest of this issue was one very overdone fight and pages and pages of this faux-Carol Danvers screenwriter woman, which would be fine and dandy in an autobiographical comic, but seem pretty silly and boring between pages of action.

Honestly THE LONG AND SHORTBOX OF IT?, all this boils down to the fact that this is confusing and mediocre stuff. In issue #34, it looked like Carol Danvers was going to make a crusade out of taking down Norman Osborn and I was looking forward to reading it whenever Spider-Man dropped in. Spider-Man dropped in and if it weren't for his appearance I would have dropped out.

Considering that Brian Reed is supposed to be one of Marvel's best writers, (or at least this was what I understood) I expected better.

How Black is the Night?

Answer: Black. So very, very black. 

I was particularly thrilled this week because there were not one, not two, but three Blackest Night titles: Blackest Night #2, Blackest Night: Batman #1, and Green Lantern Corps #39. So, after leaving work last night I eagerly sat down on the train with Blackest Night #2. 

Oh. Man. 

This book picks up right where #1 left off, in St. Roch with Hawkman and Hawkgirl freshly dead-- murdered by Black Lantern Sue and Ralph Dibny. Ray Palmer, the Atom,  (who's been a friend to Hawkman since the two were teamed up in a book back in the Silver Age) calls to talk about ex-wife Jean Loring, and how he can't get her out of his head despite the fact that she is the convicted murderer of Sue Dibny. Close up on Hawkman's salivating jaw, already decayed and gray from his new Black Lantern ring. It's a smile, a malicious smile. "Come on over, Ray... Let's talk."  

Now cut to Gotham City and watch Hal Jordan fall on, and shatter, the bat signal. 

That energy, imagery, and fantastic mix of horror and wonder is what makes Blackest Night so damn good. Geoff Johns just delivers one "oh shit, oh my god!" moment right after the other. There were moments in this book that literally made my mouth hang open- like Black Lantern Aquaman. Yeah, were you one of those people who said that Aquaman was pathetic and not at all a bad-ass? Well, Black Lantern Arthur Curry is coming for you, and he's coming with an army of sharks, squids, and other sea creatures that will RIP YOU APART INTO A BLOODY MESS. But the Aquaman scenes are not just awesome because of the crazy fight scenes, but also because the dialogue really brings it to a whole new level. This is something that's true for the entire book.

Johns really plays with the idea that all of these revived people have had their grudges, unfinished business, and emotions blown way out of control, and that is their motivation to destroy everything. They exploit emotions in order to snuff them out. If there's no emotion then they can have "peace," eternal nothingness. So, ultimately it's the way that the Black Lanterns speak that is really unnerving and make them a formidable threat (ya' know, that and they can't die). These are powerful superheroes that the Black Lanterns are going up against and, while a corpse is pretty disconcerting, the DCU has dealt with enough that it wouldn't be enough to throw the characters off their game. So, you can't just rely on epic fight scenes to make this a powerful story. There needs to be emotional conflict and it's just so strong in this book. You can feel the words of the Black Lanterns biting into the living heroes. Aquaman taunting his ex-wife Mera- "Do you still miss him? Do you miss our son?" That was a moment when I just had to flinch. Honestly, if the art was terrible I think the writing in this book would still make it amazing. But, oh wait! The art is amazing too! 

You thought you saw awesome Ivan Reis art in the regular Green Lantern title? Oh baby, you ain't seen nothing yet if you haven't seen Blackest Night. The pencils are tight, detailed, and totally gorgeous. Everything is so dynamic and so terrifying. The Black Lanterns themselves look like they will give you nightmares. They are just so damn detailed and scary! For Reis, it's all about texture and the little details that really bring the book to life and then balancing them with the big dynamic moments. For example, when Hal Jordan is slammed into the bat signal you really feel him falling and slamming into the light. The shattered glass is so realistic and the speed lines really help with the feeling of a harsh impact, not to mention the look on Hal's face. However, Reis doesn't focus on the detail to the point where the motion is lost, which is a pretty easy trap to find yourself in when you're detail oriented. It's a perfect balance. Also, kudos to Oclair Albert and Julio Ferreira (the inkers) as well as Alex Sinclair (the colorist): both the inks and the colors add a serious "oomph!" to the art. 

The other cool thing is that the books fit together perfectly, and that the order of when the books were released create the continuity timeline of the event. For example, Blackest Night #1 leads straight into Green Lantern #44 and Green Lantern #44 leads right into Blackest Night #2. Not to mention Blackest Night: Batman #1 and Green Lantern Corps #39 fit in as well. There is a slight problem with this, which is that if you're only getting the Blackest Night title you may feel like you're missing parts of the story. This is the curse of event books: the tie-ins always matter but you don't always want to sink the money on them. For the most part, Blackest Night can be read on it's own but you're really missing a whole other chunk of the awesomeness. My advice? Put your money on the counter, it's worth it. 

This event is shaping up to be epic, organized, and a real thrill ride. Even if you're not really a DC fan you should pick it up. Johns tries to keep the characters accessible to people who may not know them as well as others and if there's anything you really don't get, then you always have Wikipedia. 

So why are you still sitting here reading this? You should be running to read Blackest Night! 

That's all from me, True Believers. See you tomorrow with a review of a non-major DC title.

OMG. Capital G for God. Capital C for Crazy.

"Atomika" #10 from Mercury Comics (formerly from Speakeasy Comics)

This book is just about as I remember it. That is to say: It's fucking crazy.

(I haven't read issues #5 through #9 for reasons kinda complicated and stupid. Therefore I will not bother with them.)

Have you read the final fight between Superman and Doomsday from "Superman" #75, the 'death' of Superman issue from 1992? Do you think back on that fondly as an intense comic you read in your youth? Atomika spits in your face and says, "That is not the truth, you can't handle the truth!" In THIS comic-book a supremely powerful god-like being in a tattered red cape fights a giant immortal monster described as "Koschei The Deathless" in the sky and beats him by THROWING HIM INTO THE SUN. This book does not skimp on intense superhero action. In fact, it never has. Almost every issue of this series that I've read feels like the series could end right HERE, because THIS is the most intense fight the character has been in.

Now, is that a bit grating over and over again? Yes. Read on.

(The cover of "Atomika" #5)

The thing that makes this book wonderful is that it has utter disregard for the rules of superhero comics. More importantly, it's got fantastic prose text-boxes and it's really smart. (In this issue, Atomika looks at a Russian city FILLED with statues and reliefs of himself and says: "I built this world in my image, and it terrifies me.") The main character Atomika IS Twentieth Century Soviet Russia. He is the child of Mother Russia stolen in his youth by Arohnir (the god of Greed? War? something like that...) and infused with the power of the Atomic Bomb. It's like what it would be like if the "Watchmen" character Dr. Manhattan was raised by a Russian child molester and had to fight gods on a daily basis. Like I said: Fucking crazy. Furthermore, the character is changing as he grows older. The time given in this issue is the year 2ooo and Atomika was born in (guess when?) 1917, so, in his own words, "Now I am older, and wiser, and afraid."

Why aren't more people picking this up? Well because the art matches the story. It's sometimes hard to decipher. Abbinanti goes for scratchy and dramatic on almost every panel. This comic IS over the top and DOES take itself seriously. But that is another part of what I find so refreshing about it.

This is a book that does not pander to the mainstream tastes. Instead it rocks them in the same way the 1960s Stan Lee stuff did. Physically, the same thing happens every issue: Atomika defeats another "old god". Emotionally, something very different is happening inside the main character.

A Marvelous Wednesday: 08/12/09

Uncanny X-Men #514
-Fraction's run on Uncanny has a lot of detractors, or, if they aren't detractors, certainly people who think that it's astonishingly mediocre. In some ways it is (the criminal under usage of Nightcrawler, who you would think would appear more often in a comic that features him on the cast page, being a good example), but mostly it isn't, and when it suffers, it suffers mostly because Fraction is trying to do too much.

This is not a bad thing.

In fact, it's a fantastic thing, because nobody (with a few notable exceptions, like Jeff Parker) tries to do too much anymore. The vast majority of the books released by the Big Two these days are not-so-great "wide-screen comics (which, incidentally, is further proof that Warren Ellis is this generation's Alan Moore) in which not much ever happens. It's a crime that story arcs these days last as long as they do, because what most writers do in six issues, writers like Fraction can do in four.

With Utopia, Matt Fraction continues to prove that he's capable of writing exciting comics, despite the fact that the issue is dedicated mostly to tension building. In a Bendis book, this would be three pages of action and nineteen pages of characters talking at each other; here, we've got real character interaction, a sudden change without unnecessary exposition about that change AND the kind of cliffhanger that really makes me want to shell out four dollars for the next issue of Dark Avengers. Ultimately, Fraction is writing the best summer crossover I've ever read.

And that's even before we get to the art. Terry and Rachel Dodson draw the book to perfection, perfection that is made all the more brilliant by Justin Posner's fantastic coloring (has anyone else every colored Emma's diamond form like that before? If not, why not?). I'm not sure I can say anything useful beyond that; if anything, the art alone is worth a looksee.

Incredible Hercules #132
-This book is as good as everyone says it is. I couldn't tell you what's different about it now than the last time I picked the book up, but it's much, much better than I remember it being. It's possible I just didn't give a fair shake, or for whatever reason the issues I picked up (which were mostly the Secret Invasion ones) just weren't very good.

Maybe Kid Zeus makes a better foil for Herc than Amadeus Cho? The character is good enough that I certainly hope he sticks around, even when Herc and Cho reunite.

Anyway, it's good enough that I'm going to pick up the issues featuring THE SECRET ORIGIN OF AMADEAUS CHO as well as the Thor-cules ones, and hope that maybe whatever I didn't like about it before doesn't come back.

The Marvels Project #1
This is one of those books where my expectations weren't met mostly because me expectations weren't exceeded. I realize that's entirely unfair but, at this point, if Brubaker and Epting put together a comic that's anything short of mind-blowing, I'm disappointed.

With that said, this is a damn-good comic book, although it is mostly set up for what's to come. As a prologue, it's perfect; seeing as The Marvels Project is essentially a history project, I'm really glad that Brubaker decided not to start out in media res, and instead begins, as any good teacher of history, by setting up the context and the status quo.

I'm excited for what's next.

Two More Things:

Meh on B.P.R.D 1947 #2. Some interesting stuff, a whole lot of boring non-action, made worth the purchase by the great art.

Meh, too, on Fables #87. Although the issue isn't bad, it's not great either. I like the idea of the storyline, though, and there was enough going on to keep me interested in the story that I'm excited to see what happens next. The real interesting thing here, though, is the preview in the back for Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth. I love Lemire's work. Essex County is one of the greatest things I've ever read in comics form and, although The Nobody was ultimately disappointing, I'm excited to see where this goes. I am a little (and only a little) worried about the coloring; I'm not sure that this coloring (or any coloring, really) adds to Lemire's artwork. Still, the preview is excellent and I hope that I'm wrong about the coloring.

The Long and Shortbox of It?
Along with everything above, I also purchased Wednesday Comics #6, which may be the best yet. The Flash strip, in particular, keeps getting better and better, as do both the Adam Strange and Kamandi ones. With that, plus the three great Marvel books from above, we've got a pretty good week.

Till next time, True Believers.

I'm Already Tired of Tuesday

Books to Purchase

Incredible Hercules #132
-Everybody, and I mean everybody, seems to be in love with this series co-written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente. The few issues I've read so far didn't seem to hold up very well, but the concept of Hercules impersonating Thor at the $2.99 price point makes me want to give this series another shot.

The Marvels Project #1
-Brubaker and Epting writing an espionage story set in the Golden Age about the beginnings of the Marvel Universe? Sold.

Uncanny X-Men #514
-This is an anniversary issue, of a sort: the first comic I ever bought was Uncanny #414 (which, by the way, I remember loving, and actually holds up better than most of Austen's X-run, I think). That isn't, however, why I'm buying it. I'm buying it because I like the X-Men, and I'm not going to make excuses for that. If I'm buying comics, I'm always going to be buying this book, no matter how bad it is. With that said, I really am enjoying the Fraction's run on the title, and the Utopia arc in particular. I'm excited about where this is going from here.

Wednesday Comics #6
-Who isn't buying this title?

Fables #87
-You have no idea how glad I am that the GREAT FABLES CROSSOVER is over with. It was painful. This issue: Flying Monkeys! Beautiful Covers (Seriously, I don't know who this new cover artist is, but I like this almost as much as I like James Jean, although that maybe because it looks like something James Jean would have done)! Mark Buckingham pencils! Did I mention Flying Monkeys?

DMZ #44
-I like the idea of DMZ on the whole, and I like the direction this arc is headed.

B.P.R.D 1947 #2
-I'm just going to say this flat out: Anything that Moon and/or Ba are illustrating I'm going to buy. Anything that Mike Mignola has a hand in, I'm going to buy. Which isn't to say that I'll buy this title twice- just that I'll think about it.

Books to Flip-Through
Captain America: Theater of War: To Soldier On
-Captain America is, for many reasons it doesn't really pay to go into here, my favorite character in all of comics. If it's got his name on it, I'm certainly going to be taking a look.

Dominic Fortune #1
-I love the way Howard Chaykin writes. I hate the way he draws. Thus, we have ourselves an issue worth flipping through.

Comics Love Clare, but Her Wallet Doesn't.

I'm pretty convinced that somewhere it the offices of Marvel and DC there is a group of men who sit around a round table, smoking cigars, in a dark shady room. In this room they deviously plot just what week of the month will be the one to empty out my wallet. Oh and you can be damn well sure that they're wearing black suits and sun glasses despite the lack of light. At least my one consolation is that while they're plotting my monetary downfall that they're all ruining their eyesight. HA! Take that group of evil men! How will you be able to make me poor when you can't read?

Damn, I just realized that they probably have lackies that will read things to them. Oh well, I'll get them someday.

But really, am I the only one who has this problem? Many of the books I'm getting are books that everyone and their mother will be getting (Blackest Night, Marvels Project, Adventure Comics) but also books like Booster Gold and Green Arrow/Black Canary are coming out, books that should have a much stronger following then they already do. Sheesh! It's like the week was custom made for me. Screw money, I wants me some:

Action Comics #880:

Both Rucka and Robinson really know how to write a Superman story even without Superman! Nightwing and Flamebird have been fascinating characters. It's also really refreshing to see that the introduction of Chris into the DC Universe has made a lasting impact.

Adventure Comics #1:

Geoff Johns writes Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, both things he is a master of. I was so glad that Superbody came back and now he gets his own book? Yeah! He's been sorely missed in the DCU.

Amazing Spider-Man #602:

I'm thrilled to see MJ back in the Spidey books as she was always my favorite Spider-Man character. Also, Van Lente is great.

Batman #689:

I've been shocked by how good Winick's Batman has been. He's really handled Dick and Alfred's grief fantastically, which is something Morrison has honestly skipped over. Plus, Bagley pencils? Uh. Yes please.

Blackest Night #2:

Blackest Night #1 was the best book of the summer. I've got high, high expectations for this one. Johns is the king of the DCU. I'm really expecting this book to wow me. Look for a review of this.

Blackest Night: Batman #1:

Peter J. Tomasi does not nearly enough credit for how good he is. His Nightwing run was fantastic, his Green Lantern Corps run has been astounding, and now he's dealing with the Black Lantern Flying Graysons. I am really excited for this book.

Booster Gold #23:

Another under-appreciated book. Jurgens has picked up well from where Johns left off and I think this title will be more important than everyone thinks. I'm still expecting Booster to go back in time and save Bats.

Deadpool #13:

I love Deadpool. 'Nuff said.

Green Arrow/Black Canary #23:

Black Canary is my favorite character and at first I thought Kreisberg was handling the character terribly. Also, I was frustrated when this book was announced as a "Second Feature" title because I thought Canary was just going to be second string. However, the first "SF" book had Canary as the major story and was good, so it looks like this book is going to switch between focusing on Green Arrow and Black Canary. So, this is a GA book which is cool. Also? Bill Sienkiewicz art!

Green Lantern Corps #39:

Love, love love this book. Love, love, love Blackest Night.

The Marvels Project #1:

They had me at Brubaker/Epting. Also, I've already flipped through this book... Marvel shipped it last week even though we can't sell it till Tuesday. It looks great!

Red Robin #3:

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book yet. It seems good so far so I'll stick with it for at least another issue.

Titans #16:

New author and a focus on Starfire, who has always been one of my favorite Titans! Aw yeah Titans! (oh wait, wrong book.)

Uncanny X-Men #514:

I've been loving Fraction's Utopia storyline. Plus, what a dream team! Fraction and The Dodsons!

and to wrap it all up?

Wednesday Comics #6.

Ahhh, it's going to be a good, good week. See you on Wednesday, guys! I'll be talking about Blackest Night and Adventure Comics for sure as well as a book not all of you may be reading.

Now, transport me off this rock.

This Tuesday's Lookin' Forward!

For Wednesday, Jon's a-lookin' forward to

(From my regular pull-list...)

"the Amazing Spider-Man" #602
The second part of the return of Mary Jane to the world of Spider-Man! I'm two (soon to be three) issues behind on this title because #600 is 104-freakin' pages long!

(...and the take-a-peek selection.)

"Atomika" #10
This series is still coming out!? Sweet. Gods of Russian mythology clashing with a deified manifestation of the state during the Cold War. Sweet. A year in between issues? Not so sweet.

"Blackest Night" #2
I read Clare's copy of #1 and was very, very blown away until the last three pages or so. They left me with that particular sour taste of "Huh? Where did the character work go?" We shall see if Geoff Johns can tempt me back to his cosmic-superhero-horror epic.

"Blackest Night: Batman" #1
Well... seeing the "Flying Graysons" back from the dead is NOT something I want to see, but Tomasi is a pretty fantastic writer. Another maybe.

"Captain America: Theater of War: To Soldier On"
The first one of this series looked very cool and Paul Jenkins is an excellent writer. And Josh put it on his pull-list, so I'm curious.

"The Marvels Project" #1
I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from reading this one. Really. Can anybody?

"The Unwritten" #4
I have been trying to get a hold of #1, because this story sounds amazing! Will I break and buy #4 without reading #1-3? You'll have to read in a few days to find out!

"Red Herring" #1 of 6
Intriguing, no?

That's a wrap! 'Til tomorrow that is!

Every Wednesday Will Be Independents Day!

Hi there!

Jon Gorga here, intrepid crazy writer of prose and comics and recent graduate of Bard College. Guess what? I also work in a comic-store and I also love comics!

Do you read comics? Like your funnybooks? Enjoy a fine graphic novel now and again? Do you go to the trouble of tracking down mini-comics? Comix? Manga? Manhua? Manhwa? Bande dessinee?

Have I lost you? Well, hold on. Because I love comics of all genres and sizes and nationalities and I want nothing more than to share that love with you! I love the medium, the craft, the form, and the function of comics. I love reading and making sequential art!

But worry not! I am neither some high-brow sweater vest-wearing academic here to shit all over your fun, nor a tight pants-wearing chain-smoking hipster who only reads comics that make fun of you. I will be reviewing plenty of straight-forward fun comedy titles. And I'll be fighting both Clare and Josh for the right to review any damn issues of "The Amazing Spider-Man" they'll let me! I grew up on Spider-Man and the Ninja Turtles, and I feel absolutely no embarrassment when I saw that when they are done well I still enjoy them today. (My old personal blog at Gorga'sThoughts.blogspot.com, especially this post about my experiences at the MoCCA Fest should give you a fine idea of what kind of stuff you can expect from me.)

I will be sharing my thoughts on all comics-related things most especially my weekly load of new large-publisher imprint, small-publisher, underground, and international comics with you here at THE LONG AND SHORTBOX OF IT! My first pull-list will be up shortly.

SIDE NOTE:
Now, if you haven't figured it out from the hints all three of us have dropped, none of us will be exclusively reviewing any type of comic or specific title. Some weeks you might find a review of a comic from any of us that doesn't fit into the categories we've given ourselves. Honestly, that's just because all three of us know that we could never sit happily in any one of these categories. You're going to get a lot of honest opinion and perspective on this blog. I think that's a good thing.

A Gal in the DC Nation

Sup, True Believers?

I'm Clare Nolan: Bard College sophomore, comic store cashier, comic writer, and the girl that shocks people by actually knowing what gives Superman his powers (yellow solar energy, duh). In all seriousness, despite the fact that there is a growing amount of women in the industry, it is often shocking to people that women do indeed read comics. Even when women are pegged as comic book readers, they are mostly seen as just reading Archie comics or instead reading Sandman, Fables, or other DC Vertigo titles. Don't get me wrong, Sandman and Fables are huge favorites of mine but I have one true love when it comes to comics: I love superheroes.

Men in capes, girls in tights, vice versa. I love it all. It's what I want to spend my life writing. There are just so many challenging ways to approach what makes a hero a hero, what makes a villain a villain, and how to reinvent the genre so that it's not boring. It's a stereotype that superhero comics are two dimensional and childish. You know what? Bullshit. Superhero comics are the perfect medium for exploring all sorts of complicated issues. On top of that, it is a way to tell fantastic stories that give people a much needed dose of wonder in their lives. In a world where reality can come crashing down so hard on our heads that's much more powerful and important then people realize. Superheroes are important to me and there's a special place in my heart for the DC Universe. Maybe it's the fact that I grew up with Batman The Animated Series and Justice League, maybe it's the fact that there are so many strong female characters, maybe it's the fact that my dad was always a DC guy. For me, DC comics are special. They're fun and mystical and I can always enjoy the fact that my good guys are good and that my bad guys are oh, so bad.

So for the most part, you'll see me reviewing DC books however, don't you think for a second that I don't love Marvel books as well! Out of all of the people on this blog I get the most weekly books and I love being up on what's going on in each universe. In my posts you'll see a lot of comparison between the two companies, how they're doing, and how they're effecting each other.

I think that's a good place to start for me! And to rip off one of my favorite books "Tiny Titans"-- aw yeah blog post!

See you Tuesday with my pull list.

Make Mine Marvel

Hello.
Now that I have your attention, I feel that I can properly introduce myself:
My name is Josh Kopin. I am a sophomore at Bard College, and I like comic books. I like all comic books, even the bad ones, because I have fallen in love with sequential art. Why have I fallen for such a fickle (and often awful) mistress? Why do I let myself pay for comics, most of which will inevitably be crap? Why! Why! Why!

Because comics are the single most accessible artistic medium. Which isn't to say that comics can't be complex, just to say that it is often the only medium that manages to be both acessible and smart at the same time.

With that said, is it also probably the most complex to make: not every creative team, after all, can be Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. There are so many essential and integral pieces that go into the making of a comic that it has become clear to me that a comic is only as good as its weakest link. Comics aren't the movies; one man can carry the show by the sheer force of will and talent: Ed Brubaker could write the best piece of literature since Shakespeare, but if it was drawn by an awful artist (say, yours truly) there is no hope for the piece.

It is this combination of accessibility and complexity that makes comics so damn interesting to review, particularly since the aesthetics of comics are ultimately quite ill-defined. This makes the question of "what makes a good comic" particularly hard to answer. I, for instance, am not sure about how I feel about Jeff Parker's Agents of Atlas ongoing series, but it is ultimately an extremely comic-y comic. It's got bizarre heroes, great action, and a wonderful silver age-y feel- I see why people find it appealing- but ultimately it just sort of bores me. I mean, I should get really excited by a gorilla running around with two machine guns, shooting things with two brains. I just don't, I guess. On the other hand, I find myself really, really liking Parker's Exiles, which, despite the lesser quality of the dialogue, has a manic energy that I really enjoy.

So, with all of that, I introduce myself to you, the fine readers of this new blog: my name is Josh Kopin, and I like comics. For your reading pleasure here at THE LONG AND SHORTBOX OF IT I will be the primary handler of Marvel Comics reviews.

Until next time, True Believers. You can read my pull list for this week Tuesday.