1st issue Challenge

spid · Post by **spid** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:56 am

America's Got Powers#1 (Image) The basic premise is 17 years in the past an artifact lands in San Francisco, and bestows powers to all the babies in a five mile radius. In the present these kids now compete in a reality tv show. The premise is simple and not all that original. What makes this issue was is really the execution of the story.

The artwork is fantastic. It is Bryan Hitch at his "widescreen" comic best. The art is big, but it does not sacrifice on the storytelling. The main protagonist is likeable, and fits the everyman role well.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:44 pm

Secret Service #1 - Marvel/Icon - Another "typical Millar" #1 issue. The Mark Hamill thing at the beginning, I get the feeling that Millar thinks he's really clever and I just don't share that sentiment. Hey, let's have a little kid roll a joint! Hilarious. Then I get a LOT of set up with no payoff. I'm assuming Jack London's nephew is going to be trained & then be his protege, with dialogue that Millar thinks is really clever all the way along.
The art by Gibbons pulls this up from red to orange, but I'm not going to be back for #2.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:49 pm

ATOMIC ROBO REAL SCIENCE ADV #1 (Red 5) - More Atomic Robo, I love it. I liked the short story format.

NEW DEADWARDIANS #1 (DC/Vertigo) - Excellent job creating a completely new world and a very cool take on zombies vs. vampires. I liked the integration into Edwardian times.

DANGER CLUB #1 (Image) - The best #1 I've read so far this year, I loved the world that was created and the very natural way of introducing so many new characters.

DEJAH THORIS & WHITE APES OF MARS #1 (Dynamite) - I liked the fact that this is set in the timeframe after "A Princess of Mars" where we get to see some more of Carthoris. This series is a great balance between action and guilty pleasure "eye candy".

IanG · Post by **IanG** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:54 am

spid wrote:America's Got Powers#1 (Image) The basic premise is 17 years in the past an artifact lands in San Francisco, and bestows powers to all the babies in a five mile radius. In the present these kids now compete in a reality tv show. The premise is simple and not all that original. What makes this issue was is really the execution of the story.

The artwork is fantastic. It is Bryan Hitch at his "widescreen" comic best. The art is big, but it does not sacrifice on the storytelling. The main protagonist is likeable, and fits the everyman role well.

I also really like the art in America's Got Powers #1 but the subject matter isn't all that interesting to me. It's all been done before. I think it's poor timing to have this come out right on the heels the Hunger Games movie. I found the writing in the this comic to be somewhat cliche, with the bad military guys, and the wide-eyed young kid. I like that it's a $2.99 double-sized issue #1. Marvel please take note of this. It's definitely worth checking out the first issue.

IanG · Post by **IanG** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:01 am

BobBretall wrote:Secret Service #1 - Marvel/Icon - Another "typical Millar" #1 issue. The Mark Hamill thing at the beginning, I get the feeling that Millar thinks he's really clever and I just don't share that sentiment. Hey, let's have a little kid roll a joint! Hilarious. Then I get a LOT of set up with no payoff. I'm assuming Jack London's nephew is going to be trained & then be his protege, with dialogue that Millar thinks is really clever all the way along.
The art by Gibbons pulls this up from red to orange, but I'm not going to be back for #2.

I'm with you Bob, I'm not clicking with Mark Millar's writing lately. I wanted to like Secret Service #1 a lot more than I did because it has Dave Gibbons on art. The characters are all so unlikable that I find it hard to want to read further. It's not enough to be shocked in a comic book story. The art is pretty fabulous though.

IanG · Post by **IanG** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:16 am

BobBretall wrote:ATOMIC ROBO REAL SCIENCE ADV #1 (Red 5) - More Atomic Robo, I love it. I liked the short story format.

I like this take on Robo a lot, with different artists. It had me chuckling many times throughout the comic. I'm going to continue with this.

BobBretall wrote:NEW DEADWARDIANS #1 (DC/Vertigo) - Excellent job creating a completely new world and a very cool take on zombies vs. vampires. I liked the integration into Edwardian times.

I need the next issue of Deadwardians to decide if I'll continue with this one. So far I like it a lot, but I'm not sure where's it going yet. The art goes really well with this type of story.

BobBretall wrote:DANGER CLUB #1 (Image) - The best #1 I've read so far this year, I loved the world that was created and the very natural way of introducing so many new characters.

I agree Danger Club was a lot of fun. A very well done first issue. I'm in for at least the first story arc.

BobBretall wrote:DEJAH THORIS & WHITE APES OF MARS #1 (Dynamite) - I liked the fact that this is set in the timeframe after "A Princess of Mars" where we get to see some more of Carthoris. This series is a great balance between action and guilty pleasure "eye candy".

White Apes is pretty much what I would expect from another Warlord of Mars from Dynamite. It's fun for what it is, but not something I feel like I just have to read every month. Looking at the inside back cover, it looks like Dynamite has increased the amount of "risque" covers since getting sued by the Burroughs estate.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:14 pm

Read some Image preview issues today....you definitely want to pick these up when they come out on May 2nd:

Mind the Gap #1 (Image) - Wow! I wondered what a book with interior art by Rodin Esquejo (who does the covers on Morning Glories) would look like...... It looks fabulous. And the story is top-notch by Jim McCann. A mystery with easter egg clues carefully inserted throughout and a nifty metaphysical angle, this is not to be missed. Also, 46 pages of story, so McCann had time to set the stage & get me solidly hooked.

Epic Kill #1 (Image) - Great action sequences with a deadly 18-year old girl that you do not want to mess with. X-23 (without claws) meets Kill Bill meets the Matrix. Some things are improbable, but it's an action film in comics form, so just take that stuff in stride and go with the flow of the action.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:44 pm

'68 SCARS #1 (Image) - More zombies in Viet Nam. This is a really good war comic with zombies thrown in, if that sounds good to you as a concept/genre, you'll probably enjoy this series.

AMERICA'S GOT POWERS #1 (Image) - As discussed on the show, this one really benefited from the extra length #1 issue. That gave it time to do the right amount of setup to a payoff that makes me want to come back. This could have been really derivative, but rose above it's basic premise.

COURTNEY CRUMRIN #1 (Oni) - Excellent book and appropriate for younger readers (though All Ages in the sense that it does not insult the intelligence of adults reading it). This would be a great book to try out on your girls, Hassan.

SECRET #1 (Image) - Predictable (if you're a fan of the spy/secret agent genre) but very well executed.

SECRET SERVICE #1 (Marvel/Icon) - Millar thinks he's a lot cleverer than I think he is. Some dialogue & situations seem to be there primarily to add shock value as opposed to being necessary to telling the story.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:11 pm

Reset #1 (Dark Horse) - If you like Peter Bagge (Hate, Apocalypse Nerd) you should like this. I thought the concept (a virtual reality program that let's you relive your past) was really cool. I'm looking forward to see where this goes.

Shadow #1 (Dynamite) - I really expected to like this. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, I just didn't care for the Shadow's characterization & the specific storytelling style.

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:25 am

BobBretall wrote:Read some Image preview issues today....you definitely want to pick these up when they come out on May 2nd:

Mind the Gap #1 (Image) - Wow! I wondered what a book with interior art by Rodin Esquejo (who does the covers on Morning Glories) would look like...... It looks fabulous. And the story is top-notch by Jim McCann. A mystery with easter egg clues carefully inserted throughout and a nifty metaphysical angle, this is not to be missed. Also, 46 pages of story, so McCann had time to set the stage & get me solidly hooked.

Epic Kill #1 (Image) - Great action sequences with a deadly 18-year old girl that you do not want to mess with. X-23 (without claws) meets Kill Bill meets the Matrix. Some things are improbable, but it's an action film in comics form, so just take that stuff in stride and go with the flow of the action.

I have both of these on my pull but I'm really excited about Mind the Gap. I saw the previews and you're right, the art is fantastic. I really like these long form mysteries that the writer already has planned out.

spid · Post by **spid** » Tue May 01, 2012 12:30 pm

Resident Alien#0 (Darkhorse) This is a quirky little title. I am not sure why they went a 0 instead of a number 1 issue. I guess that is because this issue reprints material from Darkhorse Presents.

The premise is an alien crash lands on earth, and he moves to a small town in the US. He has a power to prevent people from seeing his true form. As the book opens he asked to help the local sheriff with a murder investigation. The books has a Murder She Wrote feel to the mystery element to it that is unusual.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue May 01, 2012 1:02 pm

spid wrote:Resident Alien#0 (Darkhorse) This is a quirky little title. I am not sure why they went a 0 instead of a number 1 issue. I guess that is because this issue reprints material from Darkhorse Presents.

That is exactly the reason why.

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Wed May 02, 2012 7:07 am

X-O Manowar #1 (Valiant) - I read the Free Comic Book Day book and had to give this a try. From the point of view of someone who didn't read the original Valiant titles, I enjoyed it. Inside the front cover was a nice page of facts on the history and culture of the Romans and Visigoths which gave an added dimension to the story. Even without that though I thought it set up for future issues well and I will be adding it to my list.

IanG · Post by **IanG** » Tue May 08, 2012 8:02 am

Popeye #1 (IDW) - As Bob said in the Weekly Spotlight, this comic is very well done. If you have enjoy humor comics and/or Popeye stories, then you should check this out. It is very funny, and done in a classic style but updated just enough to improve upon the original. I love that this comic is also hand lettered by the interior artist. I also like that IDW went with a matte paper for the whole comic instead of glossy. Bring more humor comics in your life, and get Popeye #1.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:25 am

Danscomics wrote:X-O Manowar #1 (Valiant) - I read the Free Comic Book Day book and had to give this a try. From the point of view of someone who didn't read the original Valiant titles, I enjoyed it. Inside the front cover was a nice page of facts on the history and culture of the Romans and Visigoths which gave an added dimension to the story. Even without that though I thought it set up for future issues well and I will be adding it to my list.

XO Manowar #1 (Valiant) - I read the full #1 issue, not just the FCBD book. I agree that the time/storytelling with the Romans & Visigoths added a dimension. That said I thought they could have done a better job on pacing. They had 29 story pages & couldn't manage to get Aric into the X-O suit, I think that was a mistake.

It would have been better to shift things around a bit, hit some action, and go back to the origin in issue 3 or 4 after a very strong action-y start.

Just my personal opinion. I'm not sure how this book is going to resonate with the fan-on-the-street that does not have a predisposition to like Valiant. Maybe I'm wrong & the same people loving the decompressed story-telling at Marvel & DC will love this. But, while decompressed works on Justice League & Avengers, maybe the decompression only works because people REALLY want to read about those familiar super-heroes. The decompressed storytelling is failing on many mid-to-lower tier books at Marvel/DC where the characters are nowhere near as popular. My theory being that decompression works only when the reader really REALLY wants to read the story.

This could mean trouble for X-O. While I'll read a decompressed story with him, as will Sean (and he'll no doubt love it more than me), will it resonate with enough people?