BC Refugees Blog

THE WALKING DEAD Volume 1: DAYS GONE BYE (Image Comics, trade paperback) . . . Robert Kirkman, writer. Tony Moore, Art. THE WALKING DEAD (AMC television) premieres Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 10 p.m. EST I can't remember being this excited about a new television series for a long, long time. I'm very happy to see THE WALKING DEAD adapted for the small screen and invading homes nationwide this very Halloween night. I'm happy on a number of levels: 1) This well-deserved body of work should find a bigger audience through the medium of television, bringing more recognition to the team of Kirkman and Moore and also broadening the market for 21st century horror. There's been a renaissance of horror titles in the comics field in recent years - - - and the first zombie entry from comics to transition onto cable television could possibly open the doors for still more in the years to come. 2) Just as Hollywood has been mining the comics field for years and developing excell...

(Beginning a series of articles exploring the offerings of smaller publishers) ABATTOIR #1 of 6 (Radical Comics, October 27, 2010) Created by Darren Lynn Bousman. Written by Rob Levin & Troy Peteri. Illustrated by Bing Cansino. Mature Readers. This book had me feeling apprehensive before I found my way to the last page. That's a sincere compliment to the creators, because I've read and viewed enough horror storylines to be just a little bit jaded and normally immune to being moved by such fare. ABATTOIR managed to evoke a shiver from me; and while it was uncomfortable it wasn't enough to deter me from coming back for more spine-tingles. ABATTOIR is only scheduled for a bi-monthly release, with Issue #2 due in December. The combination of atmospheric art and coloring plus solid story-telling make this new title hard to put down and forget about for 60 days. It's going to take a full year before this story plays out to the anticipated grisly...

Avengers:EMH opening theme & closing credits. The new Avengers cartoon, story edited by Marvel writer Chris Yost, has begun. I recommend starting with the 20 5-minute mini-episodes that were done as prequels to the premiere. They’re not essential in the sense that you can certainly enjoy and understand the series without them – with one exception: the explanation of why Hawkeye’s in The Vault in ep. 1 – but they’re very good and they flesh out the background of the story. The Captain America shorts, set in WWII, are the best ones (look for the cameo in the Howling Commandos scene) but even the Ant-Man eps are pretty cool. You can view the mini-episodes on Disney XD's Avengers page , which for some reason wants to show you the last episode first. To view them in order, you have to scroll down and watch them from the bottom up. (I think the mini-eps are available in Comcast and Verizon’s “On Demand” too, but I haven’t verified that.) The initial two-part story in the full epis...

Black Widow 1-6: Marjorie Liu's first (and only) arc runs through the first five issues. It's a decent enough spy story with good characterization, but there's never really any doubt which side Natasha is on and the mechanism for raising that doubt -- she's collecting intel on her friends! -- has been done before with Black Panther and Batman. The first part of Duane Swierczynski's story in #6 was more to my liking, throwing us into the middle of an already exciting story and giving us a few pages to wonder about which character is Natasha and the rest of the issue to wonder what she's up to. So far "Hawkeye & Mockingbird" is the far superior Marvel spy book, but at least this one is improving. Gotham City Sirens 11-16: Paul Dini only wrote one of these last six issues (#11). I know he's busy with "Tower Prep" and "Ultimate Spider-Man" on TV, and that's fine -- I hear good things about "Tower Prep" but hav...

Supergirl: Death & The Family TPB: Although this book has the “New Krypton” banner on it, it’s only tangentially connected (mainly in the Superwoman origin story.) Instead, as the title suggests, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle tell stories of the family Kara has created for herself on Earth, including Lana Lang, Linda Lang (Kara’s new secret identity) and the new Inspector Henderson. I was originally going to say that this was a good jumping on point for the current Supergirl team, but I found out in New York that they’re leaving. Still, these stories are good and the issues of the following story arc I’ve read are even better so I still recommend it. I’m sorry to see Gates and Igle go – they couldn’t tell me what they’re doing next – but new writer Nick Spencer (Jimmy Olsen, Morning Glories, Existence 2.0/3.0) is very good and new artist Bernard Chang is also terrific. Girl Comics HC: Part of the “Women of Marvel” initiative, this is an anthology by all female creators. All antho...

I've been briefly reviewing the new TV shows I've seen on Twitter (everything's brief on Twitter), but this one seemed like it belonged here. I'll be honest; these made-for-TV not-from-comics superhero things cause a visceral negative reaction in me. I'm not sure if it's embarrassment or what, but I've never seen "Heroes" and even watching "Smallville" has been hit or miss (though I have warmed up to it lately). But Greg Berlanti, who co-created two of my favorite shows ever ("Everwood" and "Eli Stone"), and comic writer Marc Guggenheim (who also was responsible for "Eli Stone") are involved so I had to give it a shot. I liked it. It's derivative for sure -- see the bullet in Chiklis' hand when he first discovers his powers -- but it was entertaining enough to overcome my bias. The family drama side is well done, as expected from the creator of "Everwood", and the process of learning abo...

I have not been this excited for a new comic in quite some time. In fact, there aren't many comics I've gotten this excited for ever. Tony Bedard's R.E.B.E.L.S. and Keith Giffen's Doom Patrol came close, I suppose. And there was definite excitement in the lead-ups to books like Chew, Final Crisis and The Archie Wedding. But they didn't compare to this. Why am I so excited? Because this is Ian Churchill, and he has a new style. I liked his "classic" style well enough, I suppose. It was like Jim Lee, but cleaner, and his work was a pretty good match for covers by artists like Michael Turner (making their Supergirl run look pretty good, even if the writing...was not my favorite.) But I wouldn't have considered Churchill a favorite artist of mine, not by a long shot. And then came his hand injury, and the revelation that his "classic" style had been requested by his editors, back when he first started out professionally. His original style ...

Great adventure shows are strong enough to sustain an occasional out-and-out comedy. Last night's episode of Man of Action's Generator Rex, "Operation: Wingman", was their attempt at an episode like "This Little Piggy" (Justice League Unlimited) or "Mxyzpixilated" (Superman: The Animated Series) and it was hysterical. I can't seem to find a writing credit online, and I've already deleted the episode from the DVR, but great job somebody! ( Edited to add: Duh, I didn't think to re-check the video after I added it below. The writing is credited to Eugene Son.) Unfortunately, Cartoon Network doesn't seem to have a rerun scheduled, so if you're interested these YouTube videos will have to do for now if they last. (And possibly there are other sources if you know where to look.) Edited Sunday to add: The videos below are dead, which I expected to happen. Rather than chasing links and updating this post continuously, if you go to Y...

Kevin Smith's Green Hornet HC Vol. 1: "Sins of the Father" : Dynamite has a metric ton of Green Hornet titles, but this is arguably their flagship title. It's based on Kevin Smith's unproduced Green Hornet screenplay, but he's minimally involved since he was already paid for his work. Coincidentally, it's similar to what we've seen of the actual upcoming movie so far, with the layabout son of the original Hornet discovering and taking over his father's crusade after his death. Smith has an ear for snappy dialogue which works well here, and it benefits from not relying on the crutches in his R-rated movies. The adaptation is by Phil Hester, one of the best in the business, and it's well drawn by Project Superpowers artist Jonathan Lau. The son is a brat, but that works for this story because it gives him room to grow. I like the idea of a female Kato, as I did when it was first done in 1989 , and the elder Kato is an interesting character too. I...

I’m going to be discussing only complete storylines here from now on, or at least large blocks of issues, now that almost everyone is either reading only trades or receiving mail-ordered issues on a delay. I’m considering briefly reviewing issues on my Twitter feed as I read them, so please follow jmetzner there if you’re interested in that. Amazing Spider-Man 635-637 “Grim Hunt”, parts 2-4: Any conclusion to a year-long storyline is bound to not quite live up to the anticipation, but Joe Kelly gets pretty close. It’s creepy and terrifying, and the ending works well for both Peter’s “family” and Kraven’s. Amazing Spider-Man 638-641 “One Moment In Time”: Speaking of anticipation, here’s the story with all the answers about the “Brand New Day” changes, from what Mary Jane said to Mephisto, to what happened on Peter & MJ’s wedding day, to how Spidey’s secret identity was erased from the world. By it’s nature, this kind of story has to be somewhat fussy and contrived in places t...

I was going to wait for Shane write about this first, but he's super busy. So, Darwin Cooke gave a brief, passionate convention interview at Fan Expo last weekend and caused controversy on some of the comics blogs. Y ou can watch the 1 minute video  here  and scroll down a little bit to see his follow-up comments. There's also some polite opinion about Cook's comments  here  and some not-so-polite comments  here . I encourage you to at least watch the video before reading my reactions below. Go ahead, I'll still be here when you get back. (The video is bleeped, but it and some of the reactions are arguably not safe for work.) I think what irked me about Cooke's comments was not the alleged disrespect to lesbians, which really isn't there if you watch the video instead of reading a transcript (although I maintain he should have been smart enough to know that using "lesbian" and "something decent" in the same sentence was going to come back a...

I try really hard not to be "link guy" on this blog, because I figure those of you who are interested are already following some or all of the news sites in the sidebar. However, the article below by Chris Sims at Comics Alliance (a site a little off the beaten track) is really well written and it crystallizes my own thoughts about the Batman characters recently so well that I had to share it with you: The Double-Batmen of 'Batman, Inc.': What Does It Mean for the Dark Knight?

As somebody who owns the original crossover on video, I had to love this news from  Comics Continuum : Scooby-Doo will appear in an episode of Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold titled "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!," The Continuum has learned. The episode will be similar to the "Legends of the Dark Knight" episode of Batman: The Animated Series in that three different incarnations of Batman will be featured. Scooby will be featured in one of the three segments, along with a guest-star playing himself, as was often the case in the early Scooby cartoons. The episode is written by Paul Dini and directed by Ben Jones. Hopefully, they'll use the gang from "Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated" (pictured above), which is currently running on Cartoon Network and is actually quite good.

THE SIXTH GUN #3 (August 2010, Oni Press)  written by Cullen Bunn;  illustrated and lettered by Brian Hurtt           Perfect in every detail, THE SIXTH GUN deserves a bigger audience.  As long as it maintains this level of quality and entertainment value I’m going to write about every individual issue here.           Issue #3 is a very important piece of the storyline, as more essential details are revealed and events that writer Cullen Bunn has been building up to get the spotlight turned on them.           The power of the sixth gun that has bonded to Becky manifests itself first in her dreams and then whenever she holds or uses the gun for any length of time.  But it has more than one usage, as the concluding pages of the story reveal yet another ability.   Each gun has unique attributes and properties that tran...

I didn't make it to this event. But since I posted two separate articles on the nominees I wanted to follow through and list the winners here (thanks to Comic Book Resources) . . . . . The awards were presented during a special awards banquet on Saturday evening August 28th at the annual Baltimore Comic Con.

I arrived here roughly the same time as yesterday - - and just like then the line to get in was stretched outside and down a full block already. I passed on the opening 11 a.m. presentation choices, so this gave me an hour to mill about the show, checking out the special buys on trades, etc. and meeting an assortment of artists and writers. I knew that once I started attending the presentations that I would probably remain in the upstairs conference room following one session after another from 12 noon until almost show close. In preparation for that I ate a large breakfast, and subsided all day on a few dixie cups of water and a small pack of peanuts. One of the highlights of Day Two was meeting Sergio Aragones and hearing him relate his beginnings in the comics buisness. He is a very natural and easy going speaker with great recall, entertaining and amusing at the same time. I'm planning a longer write-up of his session for this site. My earlier plans were adjust...

Daredevil 502-507: In these compelling pre-Shadowland issues (just collected in the "Devil's Hand" TPB), Andy Diggle takes Bendis' and Brubaker's Matt Murdock to his logical next step in self-destruction. Unable to stop his old friends from being manipulated by Wilson Fisk, Matt throws himself completely into the task of making the Hand a force for Justice in Hell's Kitchen. He makes some very questionable choices, not the least of which is commissioning Shadowland to be built on the site that Bullseye blew up, but at this point he's still recognizably Matt. His Japan trip in #505-507 shows that Matt is being manipulated by the Hand's elders (which he knows) and betrayed from within his inner circle (which he doesn't.) Shadowland 1: This is my only real issue with Shadowland so far: At the end of DD #507, Matt has gone down a dark path, but he's still recognizably himself. Here, in the next issue following that, he's in a dark version o...

Whew! I'm beat. It's been a long and eventful day. I need to save some energy for Day Two tomorrow. If you've got the time to get here and you've been sitting on the fence trying to decide to come or not, make the decision to show up tomorrow. I don't think you'll regret it. I don't have the time, resources, or expenses to travel to several comics conventions every year - - so I'm glad that the Baltimore Comics Convention is so accessible and features so many guest artists and writers, exhibitors, and special informative presentations. I also don't have any other conventions to refer to or compare it to, but it rates highly in my opinion as as a very well organized and planned event. The attendance confirms that. Day One was jam packed with participants. When I arrived at the Baltimore Convention Center shortly before 10 a.m. the line waiting for the doors to open stretched out of the building and one block down a side street. Once I got inside the ...

Most of you have heard me talk about it; and more of you have read my writings about it and seen some pictures here during FCBD. But now, thanks to indie comics creator Ryan Claytor, you can take a tour of my favorite comic book shop - - - Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, Delaware. Check it out. http://www.captainbluehen.com/2010/08/26/theres-a-method-to-our-madness/ Maybe this will prompt you to visit and see what I'm excited about.