BC Refugees Blog

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog The other major superhero cartoon of the season is "Young Justice", which premiered on Cartoon Network last week as a one-hour feature, with half-hour episodes to follow after the first of the year. As much as I've been enjoying "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" , this is a much better show. From the very first scene (shown above with about 6 minutes of other footage), you know you're watching something great. The writing -- led by "Spectacular Spider-Man" & "Gargoyles" veteran Greg Weisman -- is a nice mix of the familiar and the surprising, with some great voice acting making the characters distinct. Fittingly, the team starts with Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad with a couple of members added during this first hour and more to come. (Zatara is included as a JLA member, so maybe we'll see his young daughter at some point?) WB's animation is exceptional as usual, with some nice character d...

  One of the many things I am thankful for is BC Refugees blog site, which provides an outlet for my writing on comics. I liked this email greeting and wanted to share it with you today:   Have a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving . . . . . .   pghhead

Beginning a series of articles on the works of David Lapham After attending a recent gathering of The BC Refugees I learned of a mutual admiration for this worldly writer.  That inspired me to write about my explorations into the dark areas of modern society as presented by the one and only original chronicler of the crude, the profiler of the perverted  =  David Lapham. During that conversation which centered around his amazing work on the current run of G.I. JOE: ORIGINS (which I haven’t seen yet), I spoke of the various comics he scripted that I enjoyed.  They seemed to have one common element = after reading them I felt dirty, as if I needed a cleansing shower.  Lapham is a skilled realist  and can make you feel how ugly things can get in modern society.  PUNISHER MAX TINY UGLY WORLD  (One-Shot)  #1   (Marvel Max Comics - EXPLICIT CONTENT)  David Lapham, writer;  Dalibor Talajic, artist; Matt Hollingsworth, colori...

EDGE OF DOOM #1  (IDW PUBLISHING, October 2010)  Steve Niles, writer; Kelley Jones, art; Jay Fotos, colors; Robbie Robbins, letters Wow!  Look at that art!  This is definitely going to make my list of nominations for “Cover Of The Year 2010” if and when there is a first annual BC Refugees Awards. The combination of Steve Niles and Kelley Jones on a horror story is unbeatable.  EDGE OF DOOM is better at evoking the mood of CREEPY and EERIE with just a twisted touch of strange - -  it would have been a perfect tale for the revived CREEPY except for its full-issue length. The art is part Richard Corben, part Steve Ditko in its vivid and horrific imagery.  It made me remember and miss those weird back-issue tales (usually with art by Ditko) that used to end up in the concluding pages of the old Marvel monster comics from the early 1960’s. Richard Stallman is depressed and drunk.  His wife left him, and he’s about to lose his job and possibly ...

THE TRAVELER #1  (Boom Studios – November 24, 2010)  Stan Lee, grand poobah; written by Mark Waid; art by Chad Hardin; colors by Blond;  letters by Ed Dukeshire  (covers by Scott Clark, Chad Hardin, and Joe Benitez) The first issue of THE TRAVELER raises more questions than it answers in a furious, fast-paced debut.  That’s in contrast to the first issues of Stan Lee’s other creation, SOLDIER ZERO, which seems more character-driven.  However, with Mark Waid at the scripting helm I expect some fine character development once the setting and plot elements become established.  For now, it seems smart policy to concentrate on introducing some of the players and quickly putting them through their paces. Since Issue #1 seems singularly focused on action, action, action - - the best way for me to tell you about this book is to summarize some of those details: The art by Chad Hardin is outstanding, and perfectly suited for the incredible amount of act...

SOLDIER ZERO #1 (Boom Studios)- - October 20, 2010 release SOLIDER ZERO #2 (Boom Studios) - - November 17, 2010 release created by Stan Lee (listed here as "grand poobah") written by Paul Cornell art by Javier Pina I admit to being a little apprehensive after receiving the news that Stan Lee was going to be involved in some new super-hero comics with Boom Studios. I recall the last experiment, the series of "Just Imagine Stan Lee" one-shots for DC where he re-invented several DC characters including Batman, Flash, etc. They were interesting in concept but the stories were a chore to get through, mostly boring. As much as I love Stan Lee, his "Just Imagine . .." stories and dialogue were from 2-3 decades or more ago and needed a serious update. However, after hearing Mark Waid explain at Baltimore Comic-Con in August 2010 that these were collaborations between Stan Lee and various writers I felt a little warmer towards the new books. And, when Waid detaile...

I'm still working on entries about the first six issues of the books in the "Avengers" line and assessments of "Brightest Day" and "Generation Lost" now that they're both halfway done, but I just didn't have time to finish them last week. Thanks to Mike for keeping up the pace in the meantime. Also, I wanted to point out the New York Times'  Holiday Gift Guide to Graphic Novels . It's a good list, and it's got a couple of my favorite books of the year on it: "Return of the Dapper Men" (available this week at a fine store near you!) and "The Outfit".

BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPs  (Top Shelf, May 2010 hardcover, black & white, 86 pages,   $12.95)  As told by JD Arnold with illustrations by Richard Koslowski What got my attention immediately was the pairing up of a classic fairy tale with musical motifs.  That’s a combination that pushes two of my “hot buttons” - -  so I made it a must-read.  I was not disappointed.  This is a very entertaining and cleverly designed work that rivals Bill Willingham’s  creativity on the long-running FABLES series from Vertigo. As if taking the classic tale of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs and turning it upside down wasn’t enough to interest, BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPS  serves as an allegory for the oppression of  the black population in the deep South (Mississippi) in the 1920’s.  While they may be free (wolves),  the governing bodies (pigs) have the power to deny them their land, homes and possessions and even own the...

BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE #1 (October 2010, Monsterverse Entertainment) Various artists and writers.  Variant cover by John Cassaday This  is a well-done labor of love produced by several admirers of the classic horror comics of the past.  If you are enjoying the recent revival of CREEPY from Dark Horse Comics then you’ll want to investigate this title as well.  In my earlier review of the first issue of CREEPY I was a little critical of the title, and in later reviews warmed up to it as the next issues made great strides in quality of story and art.  I see the same kind of potential here.  I don’t love everything about Issue #1, but I’m just excited to see this book.  I think some great things are in store.  (It did very well in pre-orders, so I’ve heard). Kerry Gammill (of Spider-Man renown) is publisher/editor-in-chief of Monsterverse and seems to be the guiding light (or blazing torch) of this title - - - his name is all over t...

From The Department Of Redundancy Department:  random raves and rants on various books seemingly chosen at random . . . . . . .. TIME LINCOLN: FISTS OF FUHRER #1  (June 2010 cover date, Antarctic Press)  Story & Art by Fred Perry; Coloring by Robby Bevard & Wes Hartman I’m glad to see that TIME LINCOLN is returning in a series of one-shot books  = because the first issue was  tons of fun;  and this new addition continues the merriment.  In his final hour, in the minutes between lapsing into a coma after Booth’s fatal shot and eventually passing away, Abraham Lincoln surfed the “void” through time.  FISTS OF FURHRER continues the unknown history of Time Lincoln, who lived a lifetime in one hour and prevented numerous unknown catastrophes that never made it to the history books because they never occurred.  (Whew – that’s almost as hard to clarify in one sentence as it is to comprehend.) Without taking away from any of the fun ...

It had to happen eventually - - - I read a Superman title that holds my interest and makes me want to return for more !  And here it is: SUPERBOY #1  (DC, January 2011 cover date)  Jeff Lemire, writer.  Pier Gallo, artist.  Jamie Grant, colorist.  John J. Hill, letterer. I’ve admired the story telling abilities (also the simplistic subtle  yet effective artwork) of Jeff Lemire for some time.  THE ESSEX COUNTY TRILOGY is a great example of how powerfully effective a  comics/graphic novel can be at communicating emotions and moods.  His story and art on SWEET TOOTH for DC has brought a lot of deserved attention to his work. I’ve often wondered what Lemire might do with a true super-hero title, and  I received my answer with SUPERBOY #1.  In three quick opening pages,  Lemire puts his personal stamp on the title - - - and now he owns it.  I remain impressed.  Page One begins with art panels  of a you...

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...