Blog Log #2 (Out of the Milk Crates: War… What Is It Good For? Um… Good Comics!?!)

Fury: Peacemaker TP


Writer- Garth Ennis


Pencils- Darick Robertson



Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti & Rodney Ramos

So, there I was the other day, just chillin’ on my couch. (Which, is equipped with an asshole… just ask Dayron.) I had finished my stack of new comics and was in that, oh so awful state of desperation of what to now. Sure, I could pick up my six string and bust out a few hits but I was kind of jonesin’ for a kick-ass story. Since, we were lucky enough to get one of Marvel’s finest this week, (You know… Secret Warriors? …Right? …People?) I thought, “Hey, Nick Fury is a badass. Maybe, I should read a Nick Fury Story.” And so… I did. And this is how that went.

I am a fan of WW2 stories and it seems Garth Ennis is, as well. The proof is in the quantity of Garth’s war stories. Not to mention, that recently, as a Marvel fan and more specifically, a Captain America fan I have read a few WW tales in my day. (I even heard a few from my dear old granddad.) Reading Fury: Peacemaker reminded me that Cap was not the only hero during this world devastating conflict. Obviously, anyone in the armed forces, past or present, are heroes but here I am speaking in comicbotics. (Meaning, Cap and the Invaders and what not.) It turns out I have seemed to be overlooking a major player in the big war. He goes by the name Nick Fury and he is most definitely a howling warrior. This trade takes place during Sergeant Fury’s time in Tunisia. The year was 1943 and Nazi Germany needed to be wiped of the planet like a whiskey shit from a hairy, hairy ass. (A.K.A a Shitler) Explosions, blood and death ensue, as Fury must figure out whom he needs to kill. Well, I guess in Fury’s case it’s easier to figure out whom not to kill. (The numbers would be a lot smaller, of course.) Obviously, he is a man that can take care of himself and do what needs to be done to survive. It is an absolutely funtastical read, especially if you like the time period and the action of war. You saw the team right? Yup, it’s the guys bringing us the Boys and the countless other good time readings they have produced over the years with other folks. So come on… take my word for it, if you like Fury, war stories, or comics in general you will dig this story. And all of you Punisher fans should take heed when I say this, “Fury: Peacemaker is equivalent to Punisher: Born! And if you liked Born, then you know it is the work of the same damned team.” Seriously, if you are a fan of Captain America, Sgt. Rock, Garth Ennis, or Darick Robertson you have no choice but to read this book. And now to get Dayron to check it out I will say, “If you don’t read this book you don’t like Band of Brothers.” In closing I would like to say that Fury is officially two-eyed eagle in this book… or is he? In closing my closing, I leave you with this, “To the end of the war Nick and the beginning of many more.” The poor bastard has no idea...

-Rob

*In the case that you want to know what Fury is up to now, check out Secret Warriors. It fucking rules!!!

**That’s Fury: Peacemaker, not to be confused with Colt: Peacemaker. Resemblance is noted.

(Obviously, This had to be done.)(You are welcome!)

Blog Log # 2 (Out of the Milkcrates: Here’s Another Blog Log For The Fire… I Reckon.)

Loveless

Written by: Brian Azzarello

Art by: Marcelo Frusin, Werther Dell’Edera (is that right?), and Dayron’s boy Danijel Zezelij

Whelp folks, I finally get it. It took a little while but now… now, I get it. Loveless was very much a book I enjoyed monthly but had the side effect of hoping nobody would asked me what was going on in it. Come to find out, I never ran across anyone who told me anything about Loveless that lead me to believe I knew the big picture. Turns out I was right. (Surprise… surprise.) What I experienced a few nights ago was something I could have never expected, not in a gazillion, not even in a zillion years.

Like I said before, I read this book up monthly, that doesn’t mean I fully understood it or that I didn’t enjoy it. I am an Azzarello fan, so why the hell wouldn’t I pick it up? Not to mention, it being a Western set in a little Missouri (I’m sorry Missoura, I’m a native, and I have the right, not to mention the privilege.) town in the 1800’s called Blackwater. F.Y.I for you unknowing folks, Blackwater lays west, off Highway 70 in Cooper County, closer to Kansas City than it is to St. Louis. This story is set two years after the Confederate Army lost the war for their way of life. (“Your Goddamned right,” says the Yankee in me, with added a mocking rebel yell.) But, let us not forget that those below the Mason Dixon had an abrupt change to their way of life. No matter their skin tone.

Now, me saying this book was set two years after the Civil War (America’s not Marvel’s) is not exactly accurate. You see this story is told using literary tools such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, mysticisms, and of course my good friend, words. It is a tale of love; mystery, vengeance, gun slinging, lynching, and racisms with a hard look at how the good old days really were. Those of you who are hip to Azzarello understand his talent of laying out an epic story with a pace that is fast to read but takes time to unfold. As great as Azzarello story telling was, I truly believe that at least half, if not more, of this book was told by the artists and their amazing panels. It is apparent that this book would have only gotten better with time. Now, don’t act like I said it wasn’t a complete story because that is slander. All I mean is that, in my humble opinion, this book could have gone on for longer and only become even more of another Missoura great folktale. You know, fine wine and all that jazz?

I remember when Loveless was coming to a close and I couldn’t wait to know what I had been reading for 24 months. (Give or take a few, you know how comics work.) So there I was all excited and what I got was a, what appeared to be a self-contained story set in the late 1920’s. What the hell is that about? But, hey we got two issues left. And guess what. The same thing happened, both times. Needless to say, I wouldn’t have described myself as a happy camper or happy as a clam. Little did I know that roughly a year later I would pick this book up and see what it was all about. What was it all about? The only answer I have is, many things but mostly hardcore badassery.

Loveless is 24 issues of an emotionally rollercoastering journey of what it must have been like to be a citizen in Azzarello’s Blackwater. There is joy and sadness, love and madness, and for me a great amount of tingling and gladness. Plus, in my mind, a new look at what it must have been like to live in a Rebel town under the control of the Yanks. And folks, by the end of this story I felt it was easy to roll along with and the connection were clear. If you have any interest in westerns, history (alt or otherwise), great story telling and great, fitting art here is your next read. Obviously, you can gather that this book has no choice but to be gritty and that’s what all parties involved delivered. So, Dayron check this out, your boy Danijel Zezelij was great in this book. And yes, I said great. He gave us exactly what we needed in this run of comics that everybody should get into or at least give an honest shot. Here's to you Vertigo and the Loveless team, thank you.
–Rob

* If you do not own it and would like to with out hunting done issues you can find it collected in trades. They are as follows.

1
A Kin of Homecoming
ISBN 1-84576-337-8
2006
Loveless #1-5

2
Thicker than Blackwater
ISBN 1-84576-453-6
2007
Loveless #6–12

3
Blackwater Falls
ISBN 1-40121-495-9
2008
Loveless #13-24

Blog Log # 2 (Out of the Milk Crates… and into a box)

Batman: Legends Of

The Dark Knight # 168

Story by: Bill Willingham

Art: Tom Fowler


So, last night folks, I was trying to make space in my crates. To do so I must resort to doing something I hate, putting comics in boxes. Before ya’ll get pissy at me understand that this is my own personal belief. Do what you want but I like to gaze at my crates for hours, until I start to think about the kind of car I could own with all the money I spend on my funny book habit. But I always say, “why spend money to drive when you can spend money for other people take you for a ride.” (Clearly I just proved that I am a genius and you should hang on my every word.) The point being, how can I bask in the glory of my comics if they are in dark and lonely boxes? …Don’t judge me! …Don’t you dare judge me!

Now, let us get to the real reason I felt the need to drop this blog log on you. (Poop… Joke… Funny.) While, shuffling my books around I took a gang of Batman issues out of the crates and buried them away in a cardboard coffin until I find a house that is made out of shelves. In the process I found a handful of Legends of the Dark Knight, which included a one-issue story called Urban Legend. I thought, “Holy shitty drawers Batman Legends of the Dark Knight I forgot all about you.” Obviously, I had to sit down and read it again. This issue is out of 2003. Now, I can smell the future but it comes at a price. My memory suffers every time I use my power. Blessing or curse, you be the judge? Well, I can tell you folks that when I read this story it felt like it was the first time and it was a real joy. It is not Willingham’s only great work at DC but one of my favorites. In one issue he wrote a fun story involving some action, some drama, some surprises, and some humor… of course. Seriously, Batman told a joke that made me laugh out loud… belly jiggling… moobies waving and all.

Not to mention, this book could have shown me a glimpse in to my future. Willingham did this by writing a good guy with a loving wife and a fulfilling life. (You smell that? It’s sarcasm.) And what to name a character like that? How about Rob? (Real cool… real cool… cool guy.) Now that I think about it; this issue was one of them issues I could relate to. It brought back memories of the good old days of waking up and wondering why my car is parked in my neighbors front yard, who all I need to apologize to, and why I’m peeing like I didn’t have sex? Needless to say, this issue is definitely worth hunting down. So I say to you comic hunters everywhere. There is a new prey and it’s open season all year round. You will recognize it by its awesomeness and that picture at the top of this post.
-Rob

Blog Log # 2 (Out of the Milkcrates: Project Superpowers or Project Awesome?)

Project Superpowers


Plot, Covers and Art Direction by –Alex Ross


Plot and Script by –Jim Krueger


Interior Art –Carlos Paul (most of the time), Stephen Sadowski, Doug Klauba, and Alex Ross (sometimes)



So, I have just reread Project Superpowers. And it was absolutely, positively, and with out a doubt one of the most satisfying superhero stories I have ever read. In my opinion, the idea of letting these guys create a universe all their own using old forgotten characters could be one of the best ideas in superhero comic’s history. I have said it before and I will say it again. “Project Superpowers is better than Kingdom Come. Not that Kingdom Come isn’t a great book but Project Superpowers is the birth of a universe, as to a universe slightly modified.” With that said I will now say there is only 8 ½ Project Superpowers issues out… right now. (If you don’t count the spin-offs, which I highly recommend.)

The story goes like this. I will try to do this as vaguely as possible using Robnotes, so I don’t ruin it for you. This Old guy did a bad thing along time ago. Now faced with old age he is confronted by a patriotic spirit and the promise of death. He feels horrible about his past sins and decides to fix it. You see he had trapped all his hero friends in a Pandora urn. He had his reasons. (Read to find them out.) His answer is to throw the urn on the ground. So he did and it broke but nothing happened. Yeah right. Golden Age characters start popping up all over the globe. Many dislike the old guy. They have their reasons. (Read to find out.) With these heroes now in a new time and not really sure what the hell is going on must figure out what the hell is going on. One thing they find is that the times have not changed, in the worst ways. Are the heroes or villains? (Read to find out) Does the old man die? (Read to find out) Is it about a death or about a birth? (Read to find out) These pages are packed with a wonderful history of a time long forgotten placed within pictures of great beauty. It is definitely a must for anyone who loves superhero comics. And every issue includes a journal entry by The Fighting Yank, which gives us backgrounds on the characters plus Alex Ross penciled portraits of some very fascinating heroes.

I put this book up their with JSA, Kingdom Come, New Frontier, and Justice (obviously) amongst many other great team books. Admittedly, I felt like I was a little kid reading the beginning of the JSA while reading Project Superpowers. It was a pretty great feeling since I have been in a superhero rut for the last few weeks. There is an amazing looking hardcover available that includes issues 0 thru 7. It does not have the Wizard ½ issue or the Free Comic Book Day. Those issues are not absolutely necessary if you are not me. They are just short stories with extra information about a few characters. I highly recommend you get on board to the fantastic stuff happening over there at Dynamite. Currently there are two spin-off books, The Death Defying Devil (Scripted by Joe Casey and interior art by Edgar Salazar) and The Black Terror (Scripted by Jim Krueger and interior art by Mike Lilly) with a Masquerade (Scripted by Phil Hester and interior art by Carlos Paul) due to come out real soon. So get on it.

–Rob

The characters include:

The American Spirit
The Arrow, Ralph Payne
The Black Terror, Bob Benton
The Claw, Now a multi-bodied terrorist organization
The Crusaders, soldiers with the same powers as the American Crusader
The Death-Defying ’Devil, Bart Hill
Dynamic Man, Curt Cowan/Bert McQuade
Dynamic Boy
Dynamic Woman
Fighting Yank, Bruce Carter III
The Flame, Gary Preston
The F-Troop, based with the same design from Frankenstein’s monster
Green Lama, Jethro “Jet” Dumont
Hydro, Bob Blake
Masquerade, Diana Adams
Mister Face, Tony Trent
The Owl, Nick Terry
Pyroman Dick Martin
Samson
The Scarab, Amon Khadul - loosely based on the Scarab (Nedor)
The Supremacy
The Target, Niles Reed, Dave Brown and Tom Foster
V-Man, Jerry Steele