ComicDorksCast Episode 038

ComicDorkscastEp038.mp3
(Download Directly: Right Click and choose "Save As..." and save locally on your computer)

Running Time: 01:17:48

00:03:27 - Captain America #43 says it with three words: Batroc, The Leaper.
00:10:17 - Scott's Pick of the Week: Final Crisis: Submit.
00:15:33 - The "Bad Night" just keeps getting worse in Criminal #6.
00:19:44 - Rob's Pick of the Week: New Avengers #46.
00:24:25 - More pieces fall into place in Final Crisis #4.
00:33:55 - One damn big brawl in Secret Invasion #7.
00:43:29 - Darren's Pick of the Week: Superman: New Krypton Special.
01:00:02 - Scott couldn't let this week go by without talking about Blue Beetle #32
01:07:57 - Brief Mentions
01:12:51 - Anticipated Books

If you have any questions or comments drop us a line at: Comicdorkscast@gmail.com

Go to www.FantasyShopOnline.com and check out the growing community on the Message Boards.

Check out our website at ComicDorksCast.Blogspot.com.

The Music at the opening and closing of the show was: "Halloween" by The Misfits

The Best Books You Didn't Read this Week, Issue 10

Blue Beetle #31

Written by: Matthew Sturges

Art by: Andre Coelho

OKAY! SERIOUSLY! START BUYING THIS BOOK!
It's funny, it's action packed, it's dramatic, there are incredibly interesting characters and original characters. Seriously. This has gone from being one of my quiet favorites to being one the books that I have been shouting about from the rooftops! This issue had a great fight scene and quite seriously one of the funniest three panels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Blue Beetle has become just as great at quipping as Spider-Man ... he might not do it as often, but when he does they are fall out of your chair funny. So, start buying this book. The 4th trade paperback comes out this week and it's time to get the trades and get caught up. Get on it!



Legion of Superheroes #46

Written by: Jim Shooter

Art by: Francis Manapul

As exciting as any team book could be I think that we all realize that it is the interactions between the characters that really keeps you reading the book. Mark Waid had a great grasp on the characters when this title was launched, and Tony Bedard had a pretty good handle on them as well, but it's hard to challenge a the kind of long term experience that Jim Shooter had. This might not be as popular a book as books like Teen Titans or Titans or Young X-Men but I think that it is one of the more solid team titles currently coming out. Sometimes what is great about a book is that it is a blue chip, it's a consistent hitter ... it might not be a power hitter, it doesn't hit a lot of home runs, but it gets some pretty consistent doubles and it always gets on base. If you are looking for fun then look no further.




Youngblood #5

Written by: Joe Casey

Art by: Derec Donovan

I never thought I would like a Youngblood book ever again. But Joe Casey has this way of making any concept incredibly worth reading about. Whether it's corporate intrigue, zany sci-fi, campy magic, probation officers, guys with bar-codes on their faces, guys slowly turning into stone ... even straight up superhero fare. This has been a really cool title and it has been plenty easy for me to get into even though I hadn't read a Youngblood book since like 1996. Derec Donovan is also a totally awesome artist. I think that if you are looking for a superhero book that looks a little deeper into the way that fame is entirely created then this is the book for you, if you are looking for something that is a scathing condemnation of the way that the media works and looks at celebrity then look no further.

The Best Books You Didn't Read this Week, Issue 6

The Immortal Iron Fist #18
Written by: Duane Swierczynski
Art by: Travel Foreman & Russ Heath

The Mortal Iron Fist story-arc continues as we see the continuation of the confrontation between Danny and the Demon that wants him dead. Ultimately I think that the most impressive part about this comic is that despite changing creative teams that the book remains as high quality and as action packed and exciting as it ever was when Fraction and Brubaker were at the helm. I might even say that it is somewhat better when those two were steering the ship. Travel Foreman's artwork continues to knock my socks off and the flashback sequences by Russ Heath are everything you could possibly ask for. This story started out in a dark place but I have to say that the plans that the demon has for Danny's circle of support promises to make the story even darker as we progress. I highly recommend that if you haven't already started reading The Immortal Iron Fist that you at least give this arc a shot, because I can assure you that you won't be disappointed.



DMZ #34
Written by: Brian Wood
Art by: Riccardo Burchielli

Honest to god I believe that DMZ should be the successor to Y: The Last Man. Everyone is always looking for that one great Vertigo book to follow and I think that if you are overlooking DMZ that you are doing yourself a complete disservice. The characters of DMZ are incredibly compelling and are constantly growing and changing thanks not only to the changing world around them but also to the way that they look at the world around them. Matty Roth is a character that I love to follow, his role as the narrator of the story is engaging and complex as he fights with himself over whether what he is doing is right or wrong. Matty must constantly debate whether or not he does the people of the DMZ service or disservice by the way he reports what he sees. Should he keep at arms distance in order to be an ethical observer or should he get his hands dirty to try and foster the kinds of change he would hope to see in the place he has come to call home. Honestly this is probably one of the best books I am currently reading and there are 5 trade paperbacks out there for all of you who have yet to check it out.

Blue Beetle #30
Written by: Matthew Sturges
Art by: Rafael Albuquerque

At some point every protege has the chance to outdo his mentor. I think that between what Matthew Sturges is doing with House of Mystery and what he has already begun here with Blue Beetle that he is starting to consider that everything he has learned from Bill Willingham might just make him a better writer than his mentor. What Sturges does here is craft incredibly interesting and identifiable characters within these already established voices. Watching the way he deals with the still young and learning super-hero Blue Beetle is fantastically fun and even moreso the way he plays with the supporting cast makes for a thrilling ride. I think that if you haven't yet started checking out The Blue Beetle that you are missing a book on the same kind of level as Ultimate Spider-Man or even Invincible. Add to the fantastic story telling of Sturges the incredible graphic story telling of Rafael Albuquerque and you have all the right components for a long lasting and incredibly entertaining series. Count me in as one of the fans who hopes that DC, as well as the fans, let Sturges and Albuquerque make a run for Bendis and Bagley's record!

ComicDorksCast Episode 026

Download Directly:
ComicDorkscastEp026.mp3
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Running Time: 01:01:59

• 00:03:11 - So, apparently that happened ... in newuniversal: 1959
• 00:10:48 - Scott's Pick of the Week: Black Panther #39
• 00:14:04 - The consensus is that Justice Society of America Annual #1 is a return to great Annuals
• 00:20:40 - Rob's Pick of the Week: Catwoman #81
• 00:27:52 - Scott continues to love Blue Beetle and Darren's first issue happened to be #29.
• 00:33:15 - Darren's Pick of the Week: Spider-Man: With Great Power ... #5
• 00:39:44 - PREVIEWS
• 00:51:36 - Brief Mentions
• 00:55:12 - Anticipated Books

If you have any questions or comments drop us a line at: Comicdorkscast@gmail.com

Go to www.FantasyShopOnline.com and check out the growing community on the Message Boards.

Check out our website at ComicDorksCast.Blogspot.com.

The Music at the opening and closing of the show was: "KC Accidental" by Broken Social Scene.

The Best Books You Didn't Read this Week, Issue 2

WildCats #1
Written by: Christos N. Gage
Art by: Neil Googe (with back-up art by: Trevor Harsine)

Years ago, about 8 years ago to be accurate, the Wildstorm Universe became one of the most interesting and exciting of all of the different comic universes. At the time Joe Casey was writing WildCats and perhaps more importantly Warren Ellis was writing The Authority. There had been times when other big creators had been working on Wildstorm titles (in the mid 90's Warren Ellis was working on Stormwatch and Alan Moore was working on WildCATS ... mind boggling) but this was a rather exciting time and it brought a lot of readers to the titles. For the last several years however the majority of the Wildstorm titles have been par to sub par with occasional moments of brilliance interspersed. But that was thanks, in most part, to intermittent release schedules for the big hitter titles, Authority and WildCats. But now, growing out of recent events and recent mini-series, that may have been overlooked but will have lasting ramifications on the Wildstorm Universe as a whole, a new push for the Wildstorm Universe is underway. Here we have one of the most exciting and under rated new writers to come to comics lately, Christos Gage, taking the helm at WildCats (and helping Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett out over on The Authority, helping out Scott Beatty on Gen 13 and helping out Ian Edginton on Stormwatch P.H.D.) . It's interesting to see that the higher ups at Wildstorm are letting so much of their creative output lay on the shoulders of just one creator, and ultimately the success or failure will either cause Christos Gage's career to either sail or sink. And if this first issue is any indicator then look to see a new bird among the soaring flock. Gage has a skill with action sequences that rivals all others in the industry currently and has a great ability to show character interaction that makes characters seem individual without sounding like all voices of one creator just altered slightly like team books can sometimes become. Also the art by Neil Googe is really great and if he can keep to the schedule and keep his pages looking as good as they do here then we are looking at another star on the rise. Definitely one to check out, and if you are looking for more back story as to what has happened to make the world look like it does in this issue then dive into the back issue bins and find the totally underrated Number of the Beast mini-series.

Pigeons From Hell #4 (of 4)
Written by: Joe R. Lansdale
Art by: Nathan Fox

This has been a really great horror mini series based on the short story by Robert E. Howard. To be honest this will become a really fantastic little trade paperback. Nathan Fox is a killer artist who reminds me a whole lot of the art of Paul Pope. I don't want to ruin the really fantastic slow burn that this book became, if you missed out on this, which you probably did, then I really recommend that you make sure that the store that you shop at stocks the trade paperback once it is released. Lansdale has a great grasp on how to adapt short stories to comic mini-series/story arcs, especially when he gets his hands on Robert E. Howard. Seriously, check it out.






Blue Beetle #29
Written by: Matthew Sturges
Art by: Rafael Albuquerque

One Year Later. It seems so long ago now. A little over two years ago the whole of the DCU was shaken to it's core by Infinite Crisis and the ramifications are, to a certain extent, still being felt throughout the disparate corners of the DCU. One of the big things to come out of the One Year Later event was the beginning of a quiet little book called Blue Beetle. Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers with art and character design by Cully Hamner. The continuation of the Legacy of the Blue Beetle mantle had fallen to El Paso's own Jamie Reyes, a high schooler who encountered the Scarab that gave the original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, his powers and that had been holed up in the Rock of Eternity for quite some time. He found himself in a symbiotic relationship with the technology of what he would come to know as the alien race known as The Reach. The book has been a really fun roller coaster ever since it's inception and to be honest the character has a lot going on that fans of Ultimate Spider-Man and Invincible would instantly recognize. This is a really good book that has a new writer and a really fantastic artist who started his mainstream career on the title. Matthew Sturges has become known as writer Bill Willingham's protege and has worked with the Fables' creator on such projects as Jack of Fables & House of Mystery, followed Willingham on Shadowpact & Salvation Run and did the Eclipso storyline in the recent Countdown to Mystery mini-series (His first solo work not following his mentor in comics). Now he takes on El Paso's own Superhero, and to be totally honest I had high hopes heading into the issue ... and they were met. Sturges falls right into the voice of the character as established by it's longest running writer John Rogers, and creates his own feel for the book in such an interesting yet familiar way that anyone who was already reading the title will retain the feeling of home that has been established in this book. The artist, Rafael Albuquerque just continues to get better and better, and crafts such interesting looks for the characters that we encounter throughout the world of Jamie Reyes. Both of these creators are talents that are incredibly deserving of wider recognition and anyone looking for a great place to jump onto one of the quiet hits at DC and one of the most entertaining and interesting books in all of the industry then look no further.

ComicDorksCast Episode 008

Download Directly:
ComicDorkscastEp008.mp3
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Running Time: 00:48:25

• (just a note: sound quality on this episode could have been better and I take full blame - Scott)
  
• 00:00:55 - Who's That?
• 00:02:27 - We talk Daredevil #106, no surprise.
  
• 00:05:04 - Darren's Pick is the incredibly interesting Transhuman #1
  
• 00:09:44 - Rob totally digs Green Lantern #39
  
• 00:13:50 - Scott's Pick of The Week the totally underrated Blue Beetle #25
  
• 00:16:54 - We have stuck with Countdown all the way through and with #5 it's starting to be really worth it.
  
• 00:22:31 - Rob's Pick of the Week is Batman Confidential and he was so stunned by it that he forgot who drew the book.
• 00:27:46 - E-Mail time: John asks about Final Crisis
  
• 00:35:20 - E-m ... well ... sort of e-mail: Matt wants to know where to start with Thor.
  
• 00:38:10 - All the Best in Dork News
• 00:43:07 - Darren's anticipated books for April 2nd
  
• 00:43:47 - Rob's anticipated books for April 2nd
  
• 00:44:30 - Scott's anticipated books for April 2nd
• 00:48:25 - Stick around after the song for our first outtake worth sharing
  

you have any Questions or Comments drop us a line @ comicdorkscast@gmail.com.
Go To www.fantasyshoponline.com and check out the Message Boards.
Check Out our Website at ComicDorkscast.blogspot.com.
The Music at the opening and closing of the show was: "Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)" by Gnarls Barkley.