The Fall Of Angel

With such a strong start, what could possibly doom this series with one issue?

Turning it into an anthology of short shorts would be one thing.

That’s right, after the cliff-hanger of last issue, Angel is now three stories (not dealing with the previous issues), not written by Joss Whedon, and each story featuring a different artist. Angel is a relatively serious (or pretends to be) franchise and to have it all of a sudden drawn like a cartoon… well, kind of tacky, even if it is John Byrne.

Image courtesy IDW

Army of Darkness/Xena: Why Not? #1 (Dynamite) - As much as I love Bruce Campbell, I think he needs less focus. What I mean is the rate he’s going, he’s going to turn into a Chuck Norris Hot Topic fad that will burn out and with him, all that he’s ever touched, sort of like Rouge only with a bigger chin. I say this because fans of Evil Dead are excited about this crossover because the characters Campbell played, Ash and Autolycus, the King of Thieves, will meet. For me, that’s not that exciting as Campbell tends to play characters the same sarcastic way, and two versions of himself will be like someone talking to a mirror, only the reflection has a goatee. I’m more excited about Sam Raimi’s characters interacting with each other. I grew up on Hercules and Xena, and became enamored with the Evil Dead series because it was the same sort of humor. This should be about Sam Raimi and his legacy, and not about how “Bruce Campbell” they can make a comic. Read the rest of this entry »

Thor #7 (Marvel) - J. Michael Straczynski has not yet really wowed me. His run on Amazing Spider-man lacked direction and ended (probably by editorial mandate) with the erasing of about half of Spider-man’s continuity. The Twelve was a dozen new faces I didn’t care about. His run on Thor so far has been similarly lack-luster, with the exception of some funny moments (like the Asgardian gods attending a local government meeting). However, the momentum has been building in the series. I’m hoping the series does get better soon though, because I’m giving it one more issue until I’m out.

Angel: After The Fall #5 (IDW) - Time for big fights between all the demonic lords of LA! Read the rest of this entry »

Mighty Avengers #10 (Marvel) - I mentioned last week that New Avengers #39 and Mighty Avengers #10 were supposed to come out this week, but it looks like due to allegations of art theft against artist David Mack Marvel has delayed printing New Avengers #39. Controversy aside, Brian Michael Bendis’ Avenger titles have been top notch, even in the face of crossovers. I think that is because Bendis basically created Secret Invasion… Read the rest of this entry »

Why the Last Man?

As of last month, the 60 issue series Y: The Last Man ended. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Pia Guerra, this is the best comic you may not have heard of.

Yorick Brown is an English major with a crazy pet monkey, Ampersand. There is nothing special about them. That is, until every male on the planet dies, but Yorick and his male pet monkey. What follows is a quest across the world to understand what has happened and why Yorick was spared. This is an energetic series and flows like you’re watching a TV show.

I recently spoke with Pia Guerra about the series. Read the rest of this entry »

Badger Badger Badger Mushroom Mushroom

Writer Mike Baron is a comic savant. While many people like to list Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen as the two titles that revolutionized comics into a more serious or “literary” medium, many forget Baron’s comic series The Badger. Sure it may not have had the same impact as those other titles, but Badger contained a lot of the deep psychological and political elements of the darker comic. Badger’s seeming unpopularity is most likely due to its being published by various companies in its 25 year history. Luckily, IDW is the current company with the title. Read the rest of this entry »

A Fallen Angel

Media Credit:
Photo Courtesy of
idwpublishing.com

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended on its Seventh Season, it was planned to end that way. When Angel , the spin-off from Buffy, ended, it was in its Fifth Season and it was far from planned.

Angel was canceled, low numbers the final nail in this vampire’s coffin.

And it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Angel is a show about a good vampire detective in L.A. (no, Moonlight copied it). Read the rest of this entry »

Media Credit:
Photo Courtesy of
idwpublishing.com

“Well personally, I want to slay the dragon.”

Angel the vampire returns after a brief hiatus, Victorian era Batman meets the Challengers of the Unknown, Marvel’s space epic concludes, My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way’s steam punk series continues, and “Speedball” fights Wolverine. Read the rest of this entry »