Last week was fun! So much so, I never got around to doing a blog for pick of the week! All is well, though, because it just so happens that I have had extra time I prepare for this week's entry. I have 3 comics to recommend to cover this week and last. 3 comics for 2 weeks? No, my math skills aren't off, trust me. Read on, you'll see what I mean.
Last week we published and reprinted several new comics where I work, Dead Universe Comics. That means Dead Universe Publishing, now officially a separate business, is off to a great start for convention season! Amidst re-printing issues long sold out and printing exclusive sketch variants and what not, DUP also launched two new titles: The Vale by Brett Uren and Bertie Bear and the Dagger of a Thousand Souls. Two titles, each getting a pick of the week. How does that total to 3 comics? Easy. The Vale released issues 1 & 2 at the same time.
The Vale is a tale about Jan Czerkowicz, a goth guy who has survived the end of the world at the hands of the Elder. The Elder, a race of Lovecraftian squid-headed demon gods from another dimension, have won their war on our world, yet have simply inserted their own personal to run society using its existing infrastructure.
We first see Jan, who has jet eyes and cries blackened tears along with the rest of humanity's survivors, in line at the Aylesbury job centre. Being human, he finds it difficult to get a job legally. What Jan doesn't tell his job advisor is that he secretly does sorcery on the side and gets paid for it under the table. Sorcery which he learned from his pub frequenting Elder friend, Shugg, who happens to be the human loving rebellious son of Aylesbury Vale's new ruler. Shugg speaks an incomprehensible dialect of English called, "Chav," making the character difficult for an American reader like myself to understand at first.
Chav speak aside, The Vale's brilliance is that, like Aylesbury Dead (one of DUP's first titles about zombie apocalypse in, well, Aylesbury), it is set locally. The settings and landscapes are familiar, even with the demonic makeover that some readers may consider to be an improvement on Aylesbury Vale's actual current condition. It's a buddy story about two guys who spend most of their time at the pub while also plotting to overthrow the Elder's grip on our world. It's mad, it's genius, it's £2.50 each for issue one: Council State and issue two: The Wycombing.
Pick two is Bertie Bear and the Dagger of a Thousand Souls, written and drawn by Andy Clift. Imagine a treasure seeking badass like Indiana Jones crossed with a suave secret agent like James Bond. Now make him a Teddy Bear. Now gouge one of his adorable eyes out and cover it with a Nick Fury patch. This is Bertie Bear.
When we first see Bertie, he is being interrogated by a vampire cult led by a femme Fatale wannabe in a red dress named Rose. Bertie takes his licks, spitting blood on the floor after being knocked around a bit, before making a hardcore escape using a mystical size-changing machete. Next, we see him being asked by the US government to aid in hunting down a Mayan artifact which, in the wrong hands, could doom all of humanity.
Bertie Bear is a little bit of everything that people should love about comics. It has a badass hero, it's action packed, and it's just a little bit crazy and silly with its premise. For £3.95, this is one of the best comics on shelf at the moment, and it's written by one of our proudly sponsored creators.
While we're at it, I'm also going to just recommend the rest of our line to any Aylesbury locals out there. Aylesbury Dead (issue 2 now available), Apes 'n' Capes, Little Terrors, Mystery Boys, Kaiju Steel and Nowhereville are all available right here at Dead Universe Comics. Find us on facebook, as well as the Dead Universe Publishing page. For those reading this not local to Aylesbury, post your intererest on our pages and I'm sure PayPal and delivery can be arranged!
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Pick of the Week 13/2/2013
Okay, so it's the only book I've actually read from this week so far, but I was so excited to read this one that I had to choose it. Assuming, of course, that it wasn't going to disappoint.
Marvel's Secret Avengers Volume 2, #1 has seen a new creative team take over, just like many of the other Marvel NOW! books. Nick Spencer has taken over on the writing from Rick Remender, and Luke Ross has done the artwork. The art has a different quality and feel to it, very characteristic of Luke Ross's style. That style contributes very well to the feel of the story.
The story has taken a new twist from the previous volume, in that the Avengers Hawkeye and Black Widow have been asked to join a new SHIELD initiative. Contrary to what the Avengers film has led some people to believe, the Avengers don't work for SHIELD, but occasionally work WITH them. The other interesting twist is bringing Agent Phil Coulson, the popular film character, to life in the comics world. What many Avengers film fans unfamiliar with comics may not know is that Phil was created for the films. He has never, until recently, been a comic book character.
Now some people will feel differently on this, but I like the Coulson angle. He's a very cool character, and including him in the new Secret Avengers was a smart move. Maybe not so necessary is the new Nick Fury. In a story arc called Battle Scars, we were introduced to the son of Nick Fury, Sgt. Marcus Johnson. Ironically, this is also where Phil Coulson had his first comic book appearance. Sgt. Johnson is of mixed race, but definitely took on an apeqrance by the end of the story strikingly similar to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in the Marvel films. This seems a bit forced.
Including Coulson made sense, as he was a character embraced by long time comic fans and movie-goers alike. Creating a new Fury was unnecessary, however. We already have a Nick Fury, and he's the only one we really need. The Ultimate Marvel Universe, however, contains the Nick Fury that the film character was based from. In fact, Marvel openly based his appearance on Sam Jackson back in 1992, even making a joke out of it within the pages of the story of Mark Millar's, "The Ultimates."
Clearly, the inclusion of a black Nick Fury in the standard universe is an attempt to snag more new readers by making the comics feel closer to the films. This isn't a bad thing, but in the case of Fury, it is just too forced. The character is very cool, and feels just slightly different from his old man, but I still don't think it needed to be done this way.
That major gripe and diatribe aside, Secret Avengers was pretty much what I hoped for, making me a satisfied customer. Oh, there is another nod to the Avengers film in the title of the new story arc: "Budapest." Will Hawkeye and Black Widow remember it differently (or at all, minor spoiler)? Buy it, read it, love it. On sale now.
Marvel's Secret Avengers Volume 2, #1 has seen a new creative team take over, just like many of the other Marvel NOW! books. Nick Spencer has taken over on the writing from Rick Remender, and Luke Ross has done the artwork. The art has a different quality and feel to it, very characteristic of Luke Ross's style. That style contributes very well to the feel of the story.
The story has taken a new twist from the previous volume, in that the Avengers Hawkeye and Black Widow have been asked to join a new SHIELD initiative. Contrary to what the Avengers film has led some people to believe, the Avengers don't work for SHIELD, but occasionally work WITH them. The other interesting twist is bringing Agent Phil Coulson, the popular film character, to life in the comics world. What many Avengers film fans unfamiliar with comics may not know is that Phil was created for the films. He has never, until recently, been a comic book character.
Now some people will feel differently on this, but I like the Coulson angle. He's a very cool character, and including him in the new Secret Avengers was a smart move. Maybe not so necessary is the new Nick Fury. In a story arc called Battle Scars, we were introduced to the son of Nick Fury, Sgt. Marcus Johnson. Ironically, this is also where Phil Coulson had his first comic book appearance. Sgt. Johnson is of mixed race, but definitely took on an apeqrance by the end of the story strikingly similar to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in the Marvel films. This seems a bit forced.
Including Coulson made sense, as he was a character embraced by long time comic fans and movie-goers alike. Creating a new Fury was unnecessary, however. We already have a Nick Fury, and he's the only one we really need. The Ultimate Marvel Universe, however, contains the Nick Fury that the film character was based from. In fact, Marvel openly based his appearance on Sam Jackson back in 1992, even making a joke out of it within the pages of the story of Mark Millar's, "The Ultimates."
Clearly, the inclusion of a black Nick Fury in the standard universe is an attempt to snag more new readers by making the comics feel closer to the films. This isn't a bad thing, but in the case of Fury, it is just too forced. The character is very cool, and feels just slightly different from his old man, but I still don't think it needed to be done this way.
That major gripe and diatribe aside, Secret Avengers was pretty much what I hoped for, making me a satisfied customer. Oh, there is another nod to the Avengers film in the title of the new story arc: "Budapest." Will Hawkeye and Black Widow remember it differently (or at all, minor spoiler)? Buy it, read it, love it. On sale now.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Iron Man vs Superman
Today I feel awful. This is day three of being sick, day two being home from work. It's given me time to think, though, and I've reached a conlusion: I really, really want to see Iron Man 3 far more than I would ever want to see Man of Steel. Minor spoilers below as to why.
Having seen trailers for both, Man of Steel already looks like it's diverged significantly from the source material. The trailer depicts a teenage Clark Kent saving a bus load of kids from certain death, thus risking outing himself for having superhuman abilities. When he is then shown talking to his Earth Dad, played by Kevin Costner, Clark asks, "Should I have let them die?"
Clark's Dad gives the single most UNcharacteristic response one could imagine, "Maybe." What?!? Clark becomes Superman because his Earth parents teach him the value of being a good person and helping others, not because they taught him that protecting his identity was more important than saving people. Yeah, that deflated pretty much any excitement I had to see the film. I'll still give it a fair chance, but I am unsure, to say the least.
Iron Man 3, on the other hand, is the next film in an already massively successful franchise. Well, two. Iron Man 1 & 2 were both amazing films, and both led into the Avengers along with the other Marvel Phase One films. I want to see how Tony Stark copes with the fallout from the Avengers movie. I want to see Iron Man prove that he can still carry an independent film without his super buddies there to help him. I want to see him face his Arch-Nemesis, the Mandarin, at long last. Mostly, I want Phase Two to be underway so that we can get to the next Avengers film.
I want to see Marvel continue to deliver the goods on their films, but I'm also curious to see if Iron Man 3 will have any lead-ins to the new SHIELD TV series coming this fall.
Maybe I'm biased, but feel free to weigh in on the comments, DC fans.
Having seen trailers for both, Man of Steel already looks like it's diverged significantly from the source material. The trailer depicts a teenage Clark Kent saving a bus load of kids from certain death, thus risking outing himself for having superhuman abilities. When he is then shown talking to his Earth Dad, played by Kevin Costner, Clark asks, "Should I have let them die?"
Clark's Dad gives the single most UNcharacteristic response one could imagine, "Maybe." What?!? Clark becomes Superman because his Earth parents teach him the value of being a good person and helping others, not because they taught him that protecting his identity was more important than saving people. Yeah, that deflated pretty much any excitement I had to see the film. I'll still give it a fair chance, but I am unsure, to say the least.
Iron Man 3, on the other hand, is the next film in an already massively successful franchise. Well, two. Iron Man 1 & 2 were both amazing films, and both led into the Avengers along with the other Marvel Phase One films. I want to see how Tony Stark copes with the fallout from the Avengers movie. I want to see Iron Man prove that he can still carry an independent film without his super buddies there to help him. I want to see him face his Arch-Nemesis, the Mandarin, at long last. Mostly, I want Phase Two to be underway so that we can get to the next Avengers film.
I want to see Marvel continue to deliver the goods on their films, but I'm also curious to see if Iron Man 3 will have any lead-ins to the new SHIELD TV series coming this fall.
Maybe I'm biased, but feel free to weigh in on the comments, DC fans.
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Patman Pick of the Week 6/2/2013
Day one of having a blog and this is my second post! Productivity is a good thing.
Anyway, welcome to Patman's Pick of the Week. This is simple. Basically, I will take one comic every week and give it a glowing review. That, or if I didn't read a comic that I liked, I'll try to sell you on one that we'll all pretend is nice.
The latter should never be the case, as we live in an age where there is a wide variety of comic books for every market, every interest, and every age group. Comic books are not just for kids or title wound adults who need to nurse their hoarding habit. Comics are for everyone to read, enjoy, and share.
This week's pick is Winter Soldier #15 by Jason Latour and Nic Klein, published by Marvel Comics. It's no great secret that I'm a big Captain America fan. By extension, I'm a fan of most things stemming from the Captain America mythos and history. No character better embodies this mythos than Bucky Barnes, Cap's old sidekick from World War 2. For about forty years, the official story on Bucky was that he died in the same plane explosion that led to Cap being frozen in the ice for twenty odd years. When writer Ed Brubaker took the reigns on Captain America in 2004, all that changed.
Bucky was revealed *SPOILER ALERT* to have been frozen in the ice, similar to Cap, only to be retrieved and revived by the Russians. Bucky had lost most of his memories, and thus became a perfect candidate for mind controlled assassin work. Thus the Winter Soldier was born.
In a new career spanning less than a decade, Bucky has had an impressive run. He became Captain America after the death of Steve Rogers, then continued to wield the shield for awhile after Steve returned. Now he has gone back into the shadows in what might be one of the best Spy-Fi comics of all time. Created by Ed Brubaker and Jackson Guice, the Winter Soldier title was well received and embraced by long time fans and new readers alike.
Now that the history is out of the way, let's get to why I chose Winter Soldier as my pick of the week. It can be very difficult to successfully transfer from one creative team to another on a comic title. A writer who is well loved stepping away from a book can cause anxiety for fans of the book. However, Marvel have done a superb job with their creative team changes on nearly all of their Marvel NOW! books. No book better illustrates this than Winter Soldier.
How can a book that has changed it's writer and artist still feel the same? Jason Latour has made wonderful use of the supporting cast put in place by Ed Brubaker, but manages to make room for new characters who fit in seamlessly. The artwork is drawn and colored by Nic Klein, and the color effects used are very similar to the effects in the previous issues. The artwork is distinct and unique, while still retaining the gritty quality that this title is known for.
Such a perfect transition deserves praise, hence making this week's pick an easy choice.
Winter Soldier #15 - £2.50 or $2.99 respectably, available at Dead Universe Comics in Aylesbury, BUCKS, UK or wherever comics are sold
Anyway, welcome to Patman's Pick of the Week. This is simple. Basically, I will take one comic every week and give it a glowing review. That, or if I didn't read a comic that I liked, I'll try to sell you on one that we'll all pretend is nice.
The latter should never be the case, as we live in an age where there is a wide variety of comic books for every market, every interest, and every age group. Comic books are not just for kids or title wound adults who need to nurse their hoarding habit. Comics are for everyone to read, enjoy, and share.
This week's pick is Winter Soldier #15 by Jason Latour and Nic Klein, published by Marvel Comics. It's no great secret that I'm a big Captain America fan. By extension, I'm a fan of most things stemming from the Captain America mythos and history. No character better embodies this mythos than Bucky Barnes, Cap's old sidekick from World War 2. For about forty years, the official story on Bucky was that he died in the same plane explosion that led to Cap being frozen in the ice for twenty odd years. When writer Ed Brubaker took the reigns on Captain America in 2004, all that changed.
Bucky was revealed *SPOILER ALERT* to have been frozen in the ice, similar to Cap, only to be retrieved and revived by the Russians. Bucky had lost most of his memories, and thus became a perfect candidate for mind controlled assassin work. Thus the Winter Soldier was born.
In a new career spanning less than a decade, Bucky has had an impressive run. He became Captain America after the death of Steve Rogers, then continued to wield the shield for awhile after Steve returned. Now he has gone back into the shadows in what might be one of the best Spy-Fi comics of all time. Created by Ed Brubaker and Jackson Guice, the Winter Soldier title was well received and embraced by long time fans and new readers alike.
Now that the history is out of the way, let's get to why I chose Winter Soldier as my pick of the week. It can be very difficult to successfully transfer from one creative team to another on a comic title. A writer who is well loved stepping away from a book can cause anxiety for fans of the book. However, Marvel have done a superb job with their creative team changes on nearly all of their Marvel NOW! books. No book better illustrates this than Winter Soldier.
How can a book that has changed it's writer and artist still feel the same? Jason Latour has made wonderful use of the supporting cast put in place by Ed Brubaker, but manages to make room for new characters who fit in seamlessly. The artwork is drawn and colored by Nic Klein, and the color effects used are very similar to the effects in the previous issues. The artwork is distinct and unique, while still retaining the gritty quality that this title is known for.
Such a perfect transition deserves praise, hence making this week's pick an easy choice.
Winter Soldier #15 - £2.50 or $2.99 respectably, available at Dead Universe Comics in Aylesbury, BUCKS, UK or wherever comics are sold
Welcome to the Patcave!
Hey, guys!
Alright, so what the heck am I up to now? I have a Patcave Facebook page, I post regularly on the Dead Universe Comics page, and now a blog? Really? Are blogs even a thing that people do anymore? Whatever, I'm doing it now, that's all that matters.
Alright, so what does this blog have in store for you, the reader? For starters, a shop classic is now becoming a log mainstay with, "Patman's Pick of the Week." This will be a comic or graphic novel that I have found to be particularly cool, and hopefully this will help you guys find some cool stuff.
You can also look forward to tons more stuff in connection to Dead Universe Comics and their affiliated Dead Universe Comics Publishing stuff. I'm talking interviews with comic creators both local and, eventually, worldwide. A, "Q&A," segment would be cool, as well, and maybe even some video blogs!
In short, blogs have more space for me to rant on, which means more madness than you can possibly imagine. Look for previews from the ongoing, "Patman Begins," comic project as well as other local comics.
See you in the funny pages!
PATMAN
Alright, so what the heck am I up to now? I have a Patcave Facebook page, I post regularly on the Dead Universe Comics page, and now a blog? Really? Are blogs even a thing that people do anymore? Whatever, I'm doing it now, that's all that matters.
Alright, so what does this blog have in store for you, the reader? For starters, a shop classic is now becoming a log mainstay with, "Patman's Pick of the Week." This will be a comic or graphic novel that I have found to be particularly cool, and hopefully this will help you guys find some cool stuff.
You can also look forward to tons more stuff in connection to Dead Universe Comics and their affiliated Dead Universe Comics Publishing stuff. I'm talking interviews with comic creators both local and, eventually, worldwide. A, "Q&A," segment would be cool, as well, and maybe even some video blogs!
In short, blogs have more space for me to rant on, which means more madness than you can possibly imagine. Look for previews from the ongoing, "Patman Begins," comic project as well as other local comics.
See you in the funny pages!
PATMAN
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