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Today was a fun day! In between eating Greek with my dad and sis, playing tennis with my brother, and playing Left 4 Dead ... with my brother, I had a chance to drop by the comic shop near campus for Free Comic Book Day! Besides the first trade paperback of Transmetropolitan and the next in sequence of Powers, I got a half-dozen even sample comics, and read them all.
(I also go Book 1 of The Essential Starchild in the mail, but I haven't read it yet.)
Going down the list in order - first, the trades:
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1 - Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
Yes, Volume 1 is finally back. I've been wanting it since last November, when Blake Stacey posted a panel and I looked up the free preview of Issue #1. I finally have it. And it rocks. The protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, is a total knob, but his core of (gonzo) journalistic integrity, devotion to the truth, and compassion for the underdog lifts him above his cynical nature and gives the story intensity.
Powers, Vol. 5: Anarchy - Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
Brian Michael Bendis's deconstruction of superheroes continues to rock my socks. Bonus: now, if I ever write a superhero story, I don't have to worry about deconstructing the trope, because it's already been done!
Then the free samples:
Gold Digger #101, May 09 - Fred Perry
This is one of those not-serious comics. This kind of story can be a lot of fun - witness The Matrix - but what it really comes down to are the Rules Of (warning: TV Tropes). And honestly, I don't find it Cool enough. Others may.
Owly and Friends! - Owly: Andy Runton, Korgi: Christian Slade, Johnny Boo: James Kochalka, Yam: Corey Barba
If Gold Digger was not-serious, this is anti-serious - the titular story is about Owly putting his plants in a greenhouse, and would almost fit perfectly in a Dora-the-Explorer slot. Owly has an interesting gimmick, though - the characters speak in pictures, no words. (Or almost no words - a lightbulb and a horseshoe are used to represent an idea and good luck, respectively, and exclamation and question marks are employed liberally. These aren't words with letters, but they are quite culture-specific symbols.)
Owly is the headliner, but three other stories are shown inside - the included Korgi story was similarly lightweight, although with a more complex artistic style; the two Johnny Boo stories were silly; and the Yam story (only one page) was rather cute and strange. None of them were bad, but Yam is the only one I'd really be curious about going forward.
[entry truncated for lateness of hour - remaining four tomorrow.]
(I also go Book 1 of The Essential Starchild in the mail, but I haven't read it yet.)
Going down the list in order - first, the trades:
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1 - Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
Yes, Volume 1 is finally back. I've been wanting it since last November, when Blake Stacey posted a panel and I looked up the free preview of Issue #1. I finally have it. And it rocks. The protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, is a total knob, but his core of (gonzo) journalistic integrity, devotion to the truth, and compassion for the underdog lifts him above his cynical nature and gives the story intensity.
Powers, Vol. 5: Anarchy - Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
Brian Michael Bendis's deconstruction of superheroes continues to rock my socks. Bonus: now, if I ever write a superhero story, I don't have to worry about deconstructing the trope, because it's already been done!
Then the free samples:
Gold Digger #101, May 09 - Fred Perry
This is one of those not-serious comics. This kind of story can be a lot of fun - witness The Matrix - but what it really comes down to are the Rules Of (warning: TV Tropes). And honestly, I don't find it Cool enough. Others may.
Owly and Friends! - Owly: Andy Runton, Korgi: Christian Slade, Johnny Boo: James Kochalka, Yam: Corey Barba
If Gold Digger was not-serious, this is anti-serious - the titular story is about Owly putting his plants in a greenhouse, and would almost fit perfectly in a Dora-the-Explorer slot. Owly has an interesting gimmick, though - the characters speak in pictures, no words. (Or almost no words - a lightbulb and a horseshoe are used to represent an idea and good luck, respectively, and exclamation and question marks are employed liberally. These aren't words with letters, but they are quite culture-specific symbols.)
Owly is the headliner, but three other stories are shown inside - the included Korgi story was similarly lightweight, although with a more complex artistic style; the two Johnny Boo stories were silly; and the Yam story (only one page) was rather cute and strange. None of them were bad, but Yam is the only one I'd really be curious about going forward.
[entry truncated for lateness of hour - remaining four tomorrow.]