Zilla and the Comics Junkies

Wow...

2006-11-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Wild but there is literally ZERO comics on my shopping list this week... I mean, the new Samurai Heaven and Earth is worth a look but i'll probably wait and read that as a collection. Anyone have a must read i'm missing this week???

Nov, Dec, and Jan "Standouts" from Image

2006-11-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

RUSSIAN SUNSET #1 (of 5)

story RON MARZ
art MIRKO COLAK
cover BART SEARS

Crime story and espionage thriller meet head on! Nik is a soldier for the Russian mob in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn - a strong arm when there's dirty work to be done. His latest assignment sends him back to mother Russia, where he'll be drawn into a web that includes brutal gangsters, seductive spies, fanatical terrorists and a stolen nuclear warhead. But even surrounded by such intrigue, it's Nik himself who harbors the most shocking secret of all.

32 pg - BW - $3.99

RETAILER WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

MELTDOWN #1 (of 2)

story DAVID SCHWARTZ
art SEAN WANG
cover CHRIS BACHALO

A hero on the verge of burning out. Literally.

The Flare, a dying super-hero with a chip on his shoulder, attempts to set his life in order. In doing so, he comes to understand the number of lives that he touched, the number of people that look up to him, and that he was, in fact, much more of a hero than he ever dreamed himself to be.

48 pg - FC - $5.99

MIKE CAREY'S ONE-SIDED BARGAINS (one-shot)

story MIKE CAREY
art MIKE PERKINS & P. J. HOLDEN
cover MIKE PERKINS

Two tales of dread. Two deals with the devil that can't end well. The original Faust legend rubs shoulders with a Victorian-era Gothic horror story about a little girl lost and the Satanists who choose her as their sacrifice. Watch what happens when you don't read the small print before you sign your soul away....

64 pg - BW - $5.99

RETAILER WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

'68 (one-shot)

story MARK KIDWELL
art & cover NAT JONES & JAY FOTOS

Vietnam, Fall 1968ŠA long range listening post deep in enemy territory has fallen silent. Fearing the worst, a five man US fire team is scrambled, plunging into the shadow- haunted jungle to investigate. Led by first Lieutenant Tommy Blake, the squad will enter the true heart of darkness and discover more to fear than the enemy as a country turned slaughterhouse gives up it¹s bloodthirsty dead.

There are zombies in the razor wireŠ

32 pg - FC - $3.99

RETAILER WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

BRIT, VOL 1: OLD SOLDIER TP

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art TONY MOORE, CLIFF RATHBURN & VAL STAPLES
cover CLIFF RATHBURN & VAL STAPLES

Meet the government¹s last line of defense when it comes to the really messy parts of keeping the world safe... BRIT. When super-powered menaces threaten our home soil, send in Brit. Brit is a one man killing machine, indestructible, unstoppable... and eligible for a senior citizen¹s discount. Now presented in FULL-COLOR!

176 pg - FC - $17.99

Collects BRIT, BRIT: COLD DEATH &amp; BRIT: RED WHITE BLACK & BLUE

Friday's Buckshot

2006-11-10T11:39:00.000-05:00

I finally got a chance to peep the new Hellboy animated movie, Sword of Storms, last saturday morning (through the fog of a brutal hangover no less) and enjoyed it a spot more than i even thought i would. The characters translate well and there are more than a few moments included especially for print fans of HB and B.P.R.D. The plot of Sword of Storms is rock solid IMO and packed (as we would expect) with action, other-worldliness, and solid chuckles. A couple of ancient Japanese demons, trapped in a mystical sword ages ago by a bushido-maxed Samurai in an effort to save his true love, escape and plot to release their demon brothers on the world (destroying humanity of course). What's not to love?

I'm halfway through Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams The Fountain (picked up the over-sized TP at the LCS last week) and i'm hella impressed. The story has got me entranced (and that's saying something considering it's love-based which is usually not my forte') and man the artwork (painting) in this thing is... indescribable. Seriously some of the most beautiful (never has this word been more fitting for a comic) work i've ever seen in print. Let's just say i can clearly see why it won an Eisner. More on this when i actually get to the end...

I read Templesmith's Wormwood Gentleman Corpse #1 last week and enjoyed it so much i picked up #2 and #3 on wed. This title has a lot going for it IMO and you guys know how i love a book written and arted by the same dude (or dudette as the case may be). Templesmith and his hella unique style is fast becoming one of my favorite artists in all of comics. The story here, about a high-society alien (??) worm who cavorts around in a corpse body (using it's skull as a bridge), solving other-worldly crimes with a band of very unique pals is... well... the cat's ass! I'm giving Wormwood Gentleman Corpse a rock-solid A+ and #4 is already out and in my box waiting for next week...

PS - I love the cover stock some of these independents use. Good, good stuff.

Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's The Damned #2 dropped this week too and here's another little known comic that's lighting my pants on fire these days. I mean who doesn't love a good prohibition era gangster story? What if we throw in an other-worldly (i'm loving that phrase today aren't I????) twist and set it in a world where us humans share society with demon-folk? Oh and our main character is cursed and can't die forever (though he dies horribly on the regular). If you're not sold you're screwed up :)

PS - I really, really appreciate when writers (or is it publishers) put the "here's what's happened so far" synopsis at the beginning... I'm dumbfounded (seriously) why this isn't a mandatory first page in EVERY FLOP out. These days we read so many damn comics a month a monthly refresher per title is critical (or maybe i'm just a memory-less moron).

DMZ continues to blow my socks off. We're starting a new arc w/ the latest issue (Matty goes undercover with a crooked construction company contracted to rebuild parts of the DMZ) and i'm already feeling it. Doesn't hurt that this one hits home... war seems to be about big business ($$) sometimes doesn't it? B+.
I'm not sure where i even heard about this comic, but i picked up the first issue of the 10-issue mini, English-translated-from-French The Killer. Solid story so far that digs deep into the psyche of a lone wolf contract killer. As a matter of fact, we spend most of this first issue inside the guy's head; and though the writing takes itself a tad bit too seriously at times, i was captivated none-the-less at this dude's history and motivations. Funny how this first issue feels "been there done that" and unique at the same time. I'm def in for #2 (and most likely beyond). B+.
Ok last but not least for "Friday's Buckshot", Oeming's Cross Bronx. I've got a man-crush on M.O. as you all know so will be hard pressed to say anything bad about this mini. I really wish it were an ongoing (maybe it will become one?) primarily because as good as this first arc is, i can't help but feel there's more to this title than we'll get to see in 4 issues. We need more good crime comics like this and Bru's Criminal!!! This issue kind of felt like a rickety bridge between an excellent #2 and a concluding #4 so i'm going to stab it with a B (with much respect).

Happy Friday!!

2006-11-10T08:46:00.000-05:00

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2006-11-09T19:24:00.000-05:00

11.8 Shopping List

2006-11-07T12:56:00.000-05:00

DMZ, Cross Bronx, and Damned are all i need to get motivated this week. As a side note, I'm halfway through Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams The Fountain and man is the artwork (painting) in this thing fantastic (obvious to me now why it was awarded and Eisner). I don't push many GNs on my wife but i'll def be encouraging her to read this one (besides the artwork the love story will appeal :) Hell i can't WAIT for the movie now...

DMZ #13 (MR) - I've said it 100x before and i'll say it again: DMZ seems to get stronger and stronger (which is a blessing in today's ADD influenced comics environment).
CROSS BRONX #3 (OF 4) (MR) - I only wish this were an ongoing... hopefully it will turn into one (anyone know how its selling?).
ETERNALS #5 (OF 7) - I'm loving this mini but i may have to forego this issue since i missed the last one (and just keep an eye out for the trade).
PUNISHER #40 (MR) - Pull list.
WISDOM #1 (OF 6) (MR) - Anyone know anything about this? I'm always in the market for new sci-fi and this sounds interesting...
DAMNED #2 (MR) - I meant to review #1 (along w/ about 20 other flops from the last month) but never got around to it. In a few words: I loved it. Prohibition era gangsterism with an otherworldly twist? Oh yes.

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2006-11-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

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2006-11-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

Seven Sons

2006-11-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

Alexander Grecian & Riley Rossmo's Seven Sons is one of those graphic novels i look forward to sharing with my children someday. Our authors claim the story to be a "...Western update of the classic fable with a comic-book twist" (and thoroughly prove the point w/ tons of great backmatter) though i'd never heard this tale in any form before i read it here.

Essentially what we have is the story of seven identical twin brothers, born in China in the late 1800s. These aren't your typical seven-tuplets (i know that's not the correct term but who can remember past "sextuplets"?) however, as each of them is born with a unique "talent".

One can stretch his limbs (ala Mr. Fantastic), one has the strength to lift ten elephants, one can fly, one is immune to fire, one can see great distances, and the last can swallow the whole ocean (um... yeah). Ok so that last one doesn't quite fit with what we'd normally find in our western catalogue of "super powers" but turns out he's the linchpin of the story (more on that later).

The boys live in seclusion with thier mother when civil war breaks out in China. Having heard rumor of the boys abilities (and hoping to gain an advantage in the war), both sides of the conflict attempt to recruit them. Fearing for their safety (and obviously hoping to avoid their exploitation), the boys mother packs them up and moves them to a small, left-coast mining town in America (right about gold rush time), where they buy a plot and use their abilities to pan for soft yellow rocks.

Everything seems cool (the town thinks they are an old lady and her single immigrant son) until one day (now even i'm sounding like i'm spinning a yarn), one of the brothers comes across a couple of young kids who have broken through the ice and fallen into a nearby river. In an attempt to save them, he sucks the river (yeah the WHOLE river) into his mouth but ends up accidentally drowning them despite his best efforts (and the indecisiveness of a fellow rescuer). The townsfolk are less than understanding and a lynchmob quickly forms...

Ok i'm not giving away the rest of the story, but let's just say that it ends as any good story should (well), and stacks up against most western classic fables i can remember. Great story, great B&W art (the layouts remind me a bit of TenNapel), and ultimately a must read-to/with my kids someday (when i have them ha). Don't let me pigeon-hole Seven Brothers as a children's book though... there's enough here for graphic novel fans of any age.

Good stuff. A.

PS - Next to worthless (but fun!) fact: In a selfless act of friendliness, Grecian and Rossmo changed the name of thier book from Seven Brothers to Seven Sons, as not to conflict w/ Virgin comics new flop (which i'm also enjoying).

11.1 Shopping List

2006-10-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... another busy week. I didn't clear my box last week because there wasn't a lot there and of course now i've forgotten what was even supposed to be. Ok though, makes for a good surprise. For this week i'll def be buying:

EX MACHINA #24 (MR) - Allllwwaaays and forreeeeeveeerrr (you know the song damnit!).
EXTERMINATORS #11 (MR) - I'm not 100% sure why i am so into this book but... i def enjoy it :)
OTHER SIDE #2 (OF 5) (MR) - Here's another one of those books i meant to review but never got around to (and all of a sudden we're on #2). Great angle on what could have been a ho-hum vietnam story: telling it from both sides of the conflict. Plus i heard the writer took a trip to Vietnam to research... now that's dedication for a mini!
CRIMINAL #2 (MR) - The comics world is going to look back on Criminal in a few issues and proclaim it great. Trust me.
MOUSE GUARD #5 (OF 6)

Best Comic Blogs??

2006-10-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

In our modest opinion, what are the best comics blogs out there (please don't say mine since i know Zill's has sucked lately)? I'm asking because i've recently moved to Google Reader and its got me taking an in-depth look at what i'm reading online day-to-day (plus i need to update my blogroll).

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2006-10-27T09:57:00.000-04:00

The first issue of Tim Truman's first arc as writer for Conan ("Dogs of Hell" Part I) is pretty damn good IMO. Nord's artwork even seems re-energized (personally i think he's been back on top of his Conan game since the Mignola arc).

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2006-10-23T19:11:00.000-04:00

The Complete Invincible Library Vol. 1?

2006-10-22T14:28:00.000-04:00

Finally got around to flipping through the Oct. issue of Previews and stumbled across a couple of gems: The Complete Invincible Library Vol. 1, collecting 768 (!!) pages of Invincible goodness from Robert Kirkman (issues #1-24). Maaaaaannnnn. It's $125 cover but only 75 beans at mailordercomics.

Next (and far more reasonably priced) is the second Powers: Definitive Collection HC. I bought the first one and ebay'd the TPs it covered that i already had on the shelf and will prob do the same w/ this one (i'm such a sucker). Good thing about this is, Bendis and Oeming are only charging us $29.99 cover for 464 pages (issues 13-24 i think?) and i can pick this beauty up at mailordercomics for the insanely low price of $17.99. Now THAT my friends is a bargain.

Also listed are the Batman Year One Hundred TP and PVP Vol. 4, both of which i will happily buy once they are available. I really, really enjoyed BYOH and PVP is some of the best "on the can" reading my greenbacks can buy...

Quick question...

2006-10-20T15:07:00.000-04:00

How do you guys know when Zilla's has been updated? Do you use Comic Weblog Updates or just check back every so often or what? Trying to get a read on what methods different folks use...

Big (weird) week at the LCS...

2006-10-20T12:24:00.000-04:00

Ok - This was a weird week at the LCS for me... I ended up buying about twice as much stuff from the racks as was in my box (which i don't typically do). Here's a list:

Desolation Jones #7 - Wasn't sure i'd buy into a new artist but this guy works it just fine IMO. Great issue BTW; not nearly as "weird" as we're used to w/ DJ but kicking ass and taking names NTL.

7 Brothers - First i've read from Virgin Comics... and you know what? after reading this issue and the ads and editors letters from Gotham Chopra, i'm starting to think VC is damn cool publisher.

Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's The Damned - I remember the ad (and a preview?) for this Oni Press flop some time ago and thinking i'd be in... and shit - i def am. Great story about a guy back in the 30s who can't die (and happens to live in a world where demons intermingle w/ the common folk). B&W prohibition-era gangster/detective comic w/ a left-field twist. Good.

Conan #33 - Truman's first issue as perm new scribe for the muscle-bound Cimmerian. 32 story pages that don't let down... I can tell already this guy is going to be as good for Conan as Busiek; and hell, even Nord's work here is some of his best! As if i needed it, i'm rejuvenated about Conan.

Rush City #1 - I know this came out last week or the week before but i finally decided to stop passing it on the racks w/ an interested glance and buy the damn thing. First take: it's a bit over the top and chalk full of corny action movie dialogue but hey... maybe that's the point? Despite my "yeah rights" and the occasional guffaw, i DID have fun w/ this issue though. Kind of a guilty pleasure like a Vin Deisel movie. I'll read #2 at least before i make a decision on Rush City...

The Sadhu #1 - Another new one from Virgin. I picked up #1 even though i think #3 or 4 is already out... I'm feeling Virgin big time at the moment (whoa that sounds bad) so i'm hoping to dig on this though i haven't read it yet...

Seven SonsAlexander Grecian & Riley Rossmo's Seven Sons - This TP was sitting on the rack next to 7 brother's so i flipped through it and thought "what the hell?". Categorized as "Historical Fiction" and described by the publisher thusly:

Seven identical Chinese brothers come to America during the Gold Rush of the 1850s.

When two children fall through an iced-over river, Brother-Number-One tries to save them by breathing the entire river into his mouth. But he can't hold it long enough for them to get to safety and lets the water go, accidentally drowning the children. When a mob of angry townspeople tries to retaliate, each of Number One's brothers takes his place, using their remarkable abilities each time to save his life.

A literally Western update of the classic fable with a comic-book twist.

def hype to sit down w/ this one this weekend... I'll def review it once i do...

Lastly, I picked up Casanova #5, Wasteland #3, and Exterminators #10, none of which i've cracked open yet...

Let me know what you guys think of any/all of the above!

10.11 Shopping List

2006-10-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

No time to comment but def got my list together... am i missing anything??? here i thought since monday was a holiday that comics wouldn't drop till thursday this week... nice surprise.

ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL 1 HC (MR)
DMZ #12 (MR)
EMISSARY #5
SAM NOIR SAMURAI DETECTIVE #2
POWERS #20 (MR)
PUNISHER #39 (MR)

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2006-10-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

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2006-10-08T11:23:00.000-04:00

Scattered thoughts on the morning of the Red River Shootout (thinking comics to calm my nerves)

2006-10-07T11:28:00.000-04:00

Winter Men takes about 6 months to come out between issues so when i finally get my hands on a new one i have little idea what exactly is going on (read last weeks issue a couple times and still feel lost). Doesn't help that the title has a well-written yet fairly complicated plot. Aside from complaints about the schedule though... WM is damn good.

I ordered (from Amazon) a new work by George R.R. Martin, Ice Dragon, assuming it was the next in the INCREDIBLE Song of Fire and Ice series only to find out its a digest size kid's book. HUGE, HUGE bummer. I can't wait for the next in that series... I've heard Martin described as a modern day Tolkien and i'm inclined to agree... This is by far the best fantasy work i've read since LOTR.

While we're talking about busted Amazon orders, let me complain about another one: I've been re-reading the Hellboy series since i read Seeds of Destruction for the first time last week and its gotten me thinking about Mignola again... so i picked up a book i'd never previously heard of: Zombieworld: Champion Of The Worms. Miggs wrote the book w/ accompanying art by a guy named Pat McEown, who's style is a bit too "saturday morning cartoons" for me. I wasn't feeling this book from the first few pages and i gave it to about halfway before i decided i wasn't even going to finish... Makes me realize just how much i appreciate Miggs ART as well as his writing for this genre.

This past week i had two comics in my pile that wouldn't exactly be classified as Eisner candidate works, but good times NTL: Kirkman's Irredeemable Ant-Man #1, and Boom Studios Savage Brothers #2. Neither of these books take themselves too seriously, and both were fun reads (for different reasons). I've pretty much avoided Kirkman's "mainstream" work (while gushing over Brit, TWD, Invincible, and Battle Pope) but here's to hoping Ant-Man is successful... whether i'm reading it or not (though the cliffhanger at the end of #1 will def have me buying at least one more issue). Savage Brothers is just good fun... two thoroughly redneck brothers trying to make a living in a post-apocolyptic Zombie world. Good characters, fun story and art. I'd recommend this mini to all Zombie fans (and plenty of others)... even though we're getting tagged for $3.99 an issue.

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2006-10-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

"7 Brothers" written by John Woo?

"300" Trailer

2006-10-05T14:45:00.000-04:00

You guys have GOT to check out the newly released trailer for the WB movie "300" (based on the near incredible graphic novel by Frank Miller which i reviewed a while back). Use my link to the apple site to check it out in HD glory (480p is plenty good enough).

PS - A bit on FA's move to Dark Horse...

2006-10-05T11:38:00.000-04:00

Straight from the... erm... Horse's mouth:

"FEAR AGENT" MOVES TO DARK HORSE, REMENDER EXPLAINS" (courtesty CBR)

Of interest: Sounds like FA will run in the "Hellboy" format (4-issue arcs each starting at #1) though Remender vaguely mentions that the "ongoing" will continue as well? Also, Tony Moore and Opena will rotate 4-issue arcs... and they want to keep the creative team stable (i can't think of a better 3 for this book anyways!).

Gems of the week: Criminal #1, Cross Bronx #2, Fear Agent #8

2006-10-05T11:05:00.000-04:00

Criminal #1 - Brubaker and Phillips are a comicdom dream team IMO and i've been looking forward to Criminal for months (since about the time Brubaker teased me with it in a reply to an email i sent him asking for more Sleeper). Here in #1, we're introduced to Leo, an expert pick pocket/professional thief w/ a troubled past and what appears to be an equally troubled present (and future?). Leo's not your typical comic book protagonist - it's pretty much impossible to classify him as a "good" or "bad" guy - but that's what makes him so interesting (ala Holden Carver in Sleeper, who happens to be one of the MOST interesting/engrossing comic book characters of all time IMO). Brubaker and Phillips have brought us a lead with a complicated personality (but not overly so) and equally complex motives. Throw in a life filled w/ "real world" problems (and a cohort of ex-mates looking to pull him into the heist of the century) and we have the makings for some hella entertaining stories as this title unfolds. UBER HYPE! A+.

Cross Bronx #2 - I read Cross Bronx #1 and #2 last night and i have to say i agree w/ Joe Quesada's sentiments on the cover of the second issue - this is def some of Oeming's best work outside of Powers. I'm pretty pissed to find out that this is only a 4-issue mini... please tell me that's just the first arc? I could have sworn CB was going to be an ongoing!!? Anyways... the first half of what we hope is the first arc of CB is kicking some major ass. The whole thing def has a Powers feel to it IMO but that's not in the least bit a bad thing... I'm taking a liking too our detective partners (esp after #2) and the storyline is sticking with me something fierce. I def plan on reading both of these again tonight even. Good stuff from one of my favorite writers/artists. A+.

Fear Agent #8 - What more can i say about FA? I friggin' LOVE this comic. I'm almost ashamed that i was doubting it for a few issues there (during the whole Moore -> Opena change). Here in #8 we get our first look at Heath and his life back in Tejas before its destruction, his wife and son (and very cool Sam Elliot-esque father), and eventually a tantalizing shot of Mara's money-maker. The more of Jerome Opena's work i see the more i like... This guy has this book wrapped around his little finger and though it may seem blasphemous - he may be doing an even better job with it than Tony Moore (there was a time i would have deemed that impossible). I can only hope they keep this creative team on this book long after it moves to Dark Horse (or is that just a rumor??? Do we expect it to effect the book at all?). I'm def hype for #9 and beyond as Heath and Mara head down to a destroyed Earth to investigate (and ultimately beat some ass i'm sure). Comic book sci-fi at its very best. A+.

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Man i must be in one hell of a good mood with my return... Three A+'s in one week? You got to be kidding right?? Love it.

PS - Let me know what you guys read this week and what you thought!!!!

Hellboy Vol. 1: Seeds of Destruction

2006-10-04T16:18:00.000-04:00

I've been a huge Hellboy fan for a long, long time now but for some reason i had never read Miggs first volume, Seeds of Destruction. Long ago when i picked up my first HB trade, I ordered Wake the Devil (Vol. 2) and ran through the series from there... though now i can't remember why. Funny how sitting down with the first volume last night and powering through it put a LOT of missing pieces into place... Kind of cool though, it reminded me of the way writers often purposely save the "origin" story for later in the series. Great TP though (equally as good if not better than the 4 subsequent collections IMO). A+ across the board for HB, one of my all time fav characters/series.

PS - Is anyone as hype as i am for Mignola's animated Hellboy project(s)? Premiering Oct. 28 @ 9:30 on Cartoon Network.