Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Comic Pants. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature.
There will be no podcast this week due to icy road conditions preventing the the entire panteon from assembling. It is a sad day indeed. But chin up young lad, here’s Wednesday Number Ones:
This week we will cover Conan and the Midnight God #1 of 5, The Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp #1, Desperadoes: Buffalo Dreams #1 of 5, War of the Undead #1 of 3, R.A. Salvatore’s DemonWars: The Demon Awakens #1 of 3, Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Space Between #1 of 6, and The Lost Books of Eve #1.
Dan Grendell Read and Thought:
Conan and the Midnight God #1 of 5 (Dark Horse): A King Conan mini-series, this story involves Stygia, and looks to be a good one. An unwelcome Stygian ambassador arrives in Aquilonia, bearing gifts for Conan’s queen and protestations of weakness. Conan remembers the foulness of Stygia, and will have none of it, but even he isn’t ready for the cowardly attack that takes place- an attack that leads to war. Will Conrad (Serenity) presents some moody, atmospheric art, ably supported by Juan Ferreyra on colors, and the overall package succeeds admirably.
The Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp #1 (DC Comics): Bill Willingham makes Detective Chimp out to be a Sherlock Holmesian supersleuth here, a characterization I’m not sure I buy. The idea that Fate’s helmet shouldn’t go to someone with the analytical mind of a detective because they will spend too much time thinking and considering consequences and never act is an interesting one, but I’m not sure I buy that either. I do agree that Detective Chimp isn’t the right choice for the new Dr. Fate. Art by Shawn McManus seemed a bit rushed, lacking detail and energy.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
R.A. Salvatore’s DemonWars: The Demon Awakens #1 of 3 (Devil’s Due Publishing): I read and generally enjoyed the previous DemonWars miniseries from the now-defunct CrossGen. The setting comes courtesy of R.A. Salvatore, a predictable pulp fantasist who nevertheless crafts fun characters and punchy stories (as the success of his ubiquitous Dungeons & Dragons hero, Drizzt, attests). Where the CrossGen stories were original, however (and much better drawn), Devil’s Due’s new book simply adapts Salvatore’s first DemonWars novel. This first chapter’s a very readable gathering/training of heroes sequence, weighed down somewhat by pervasive narrative captions and the same “bleh” art you might see on a Devil’s Due G.I. Joe book. Not bad at all, but could’ve been much better.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Space Between #1 of 6 (IDW): Writer David Tischman kicks off a solid start for IDW’s relaunch of the on-again-off-again Star Trek comic line. Set during the earliest seasons of Next Gen’s run (Yar’s still around), the mini opens with a tale of information control on an alien world decidedly more “plugged-in” than our own. At its best, the story captures the tone of the early seasons quite well (right down to some of the character blandness), but it also feels hurried and consequently too lightweight when all is said and done. Factor in mediocre art and there’s little doubt the foundering Trek license could’ve used a much more notable kick-start to its comic book arm.
D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:
The Lost Books of Eve #1 (Viper Comics): If you want the story of what happens between the verses in the Book of Genesis, told in a highly sexualised graphical format, The Lost Books of Eve is for you. The art and writing are your average fare for Josh Howard; either it’s your thing or it’s not. There’s no surprises here. The only thing that struck me, besides the expected slutification of The Bible, was the disappointing backgrounds. The backgrounds are mostly solid colors or merely two-color gradients, but periodically there are some hand-drawn backgrounds. Unfortunately, those are fairly disappointing as well. A weaker than average offering from Howard, but if you’re a fan, you might dig it anyways.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
>War of the Undead #1 of 3 (IDW): While Hitler dies and Berlin falls, a secret Nazi project to use mummies, Dracula and other creatures of the night against the allies is put into place. Sounds like an OK premise for an over-the-top action story or a parody, but Bryan Johnson and Walt Flanagan play it fairly straight, and the result is just, well, boring. Every beat of the story plays out as you might expect, there’s no clever dialogue or characters to latch onto, no protagonists or even interesting antagonists to root for or against and no dramatic tension whatsoever. An not wildly clever idea executed in a thoroughly mediocre fashion.
Desperadoes: Buffalo Dreams #1 of 5 (IDW): Jeff Mariotte’s western series returns for another go-round, this time with the stylish, Eduardo Risso-esque art of Alberto Dose fitting the tone and style of the book perfectly. Desperadoes has a small but loyal following, and this entertaining but inaccessible first issue isn’t likely to change either one. If you’ve been reading it, you’ll probably dig seeing this cast run in with an old foe, a historical figure and a new mission… if you haven’t, you’ll probably have no idea who anyone is or why you should care. It’s a good story, but I can’t help but feel that Mariotte should spend a little more time getting the reader inside the characters’ heads, and a lot more time making sure that even a new reader might want to see more of the characters as a result.
Loading ...
No very special number ones this week. The Lost Books of Eve sounds kinda interesting but I doubt that my comic shop will have ordered this series.
Must say I’m kinda disappointed that you guys wouldn’t risk your lives to deliver us our weekly podcast
17 Jan 2007 at 5:15 am
QuoteHey Guys I’m back and man is it cold.
One of my resolutions this year was to cut back on my comic buying but this site makes that hard to do. Conan fan that I am I’ll be picking up that new book and I’m intrigued by the Lost books of Eve, so I’ll likely check that out too.
Big pass on Demon Wars though as I have yet to like anything Salvatore related, even indirectly. How this guy is gotten so popular is beyond me, to my eye he has to be one of the more pedestrian writers out there, especially in relation to his popularity, and I read a lot.
17 Jan 2007 at 7:39 am
QuoteI saw the Desperados preview in a recent book (Scarface maybe?), and I really dug the art. Hearing how inaccessible it is though…I might skip it.
17 Jan 2007 at 9:21 am
QuoteOr you could always go back and pick up the trades and get onboard from the start.
I do like Desperadoes a lot, and it’s had some great artists (John Cassaday, John Severin, Jeremy Haun), so if you’re into the western thing, it’s probably worth a look.
17 Jan 2007 at 10:27 am
QuoteNo #1 this week, but here’s what I read:
Ghost Rider #7- after an awesome last issue, this issue tells the story of Johnny Blaze’s death- and aside from a confusing if interesting final page twist, it’s not much of a story. Granted, Way didn’t have anything to work with, since Ennis just wanted Johnny dead and in Hell at the start of Road to Damnation, and that backstory wasn’t really touched on. That’s no excuse, though: Why all that subterfuge just to get Johnny dead? His soul is already damned, just walk up to him and shoot him in the face!
JLA Classified #32- Slott has a ham dinger of a story in here, but the mistake he makes is in creating a new villain who isn’t remotely interesting. The entire point of the character is that he’s a nobody, but he’s TOO MUCH of one: he’s not intelligent, he’s not nice, he’s just THERE. You don’t feel sympathy for him and you don’t feel horror at his actions because he’s such a cipher. That’s part of the point, but it really doesn’t work. The story could have still worked if Proffit were still a schlub but a schlub with some sort of dreams or qualities. Slott is good at a lot of things, but creating sad sacks readers want to spend time with is not one of them.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre #3- Jesus, the opening POV sequence from one of the family’s victims is more horrific than anything in that remake. This is just solid action horror, with fine Wes Craig art.
Cable and Deadpool #36- It’s funny when Nicieza covers up obvious editorial ignorance and plot holes in other books (The Cable telepathy in CW? That was Cable jacking into the internet to make it SEEM like telepathy)- but here he’s clearing up one of his own- namely, why no one will hire Deadpool, because “he killed the savior” didn’t make much sense as an excuse anyway. Joe Kelly fans will find a familiar face in this issue, and it’s another strong effort for this consistently good series.
17 Jan 2007 at 1:58 pm
QuoteWhat is it with you Texans? A little ice on the ground and you’re afraid to drive or land a plane. We get that stuff up here in Chicago from November to April and we get by just fine.
I stopped buying previews a while back and do my list solely off what I see solicited online. As a result I miss a lot of smaller publishers and I’m surprised to see that there’s a new issue of Desperadoes out today. It’s always been a favorite of mine so I hope my shop ordered a few shelf copies.
17 Jan 2007 at 3:44 pm
QuoteBlame Nick, everybody else managed to show up.
Here’s my Nick imitation:
“Ooh, I don’t have a driver side window, I’ll get cold! I saw a car slide on the ice and flip over, I’m sooo scared!”
17 Jan 2007 at 5:25 pm
QuoteIt’s also worth mentioning that Chicago has an infrastructure in place to deliver salt and remove snow all over the city instantly all winter. Texas, not so much. Ice and snow just kinda sit there until the sun decides to get involved. Not that that stopped me from getting there anyway. Hell, I lived in Chicago before I moved to Texas, I have to throw caution to the wind and drive on icy roads to prove my manliness. It’s the law.
17 Jan 2007 at 5:43 pm
QuoteHey, D3, did you tell Nick how you spent fifteen minutes last night trying to get your frozen car door to unlock before realizing you were chipping ice off of Randy’s car?
A classic Winter Warrior tale!
17 Jan 2007 at 6:12 pm
QuoteBlame me if you want but your imitation of me is flawed. I wasn’t scared, I just didn’t want my constant bad luck to inflict even more damage to my car and my body than it already has.
I choose to prove my manliness in other ways…Secret ways.
Absolutely hilarious!
17 Jan 2007 at 6:46 pm
QuoteBNG said:
What is it with you Texans? A little ice on the ground and you’re afraid to drive or land a plane. We get that stuff up here in Chicago from November to April and we get by just fine.
That’s what I’ve been saying all week. But I will confess that Dan is right, they just don’t know how to deal with it here, and that makes a big difference. I used to drive in snow and ice in Colorado, but I’ve never spent as much time de-icing my car nor seen as much pure ice on the roads as the rare freeze here in Austin. Something to do with how close it is to the freezing point, or that it’s freezing rain instead of snow, or something.
Btw, how lame were comics this week that we have to talk about ice?
Actually, there were some good comics this week, like MA Avengers #9, Spirit #2, Toupydoops #5, Y The Last Man #53, I’ll even confess some fondness for elements of Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp and 52 #37… but I don’t think there were any *great* ones.
17 Jan 2007 at 11:27 pm
QuoteI disagree, Randy. I’d call both MA: Avengers #9 and Spirit #2 great comics, though for different reasons. MA: Avengers almost gave me a fungasm, and I barely made it through the book because every page I had to stop and check to see if what I was reading was actually happening. Spirit #2 was another great issue with the reintroduction of P’Gell, and though a bit of darkness was layered on her, it fits her character. It’s not even so much an addition of darkness as an explanation for why it was already there.
18 Jan 2007 at 5:19 am
QuoteAgreed on Spirit, Dan - definitely lovin’ that book - but MA: Avengers is actually proving to be a little too tongue-in-cheek for my tastes. Good book, just not where my headspace is.
I also enjoyed finally reading Batman: Year 100 this week. Far from being one of Pope’s best efforts, it still satisfied my love of his artwork and had a mind-twisty stream-of-consciousness to it that reminded me of Barry Windsor Smith’s Weapon X. As an added bonus, Year 100 also included Pope’s Berlin Batman story which came as a total surprise. I could pretty much look at his work all day.
18 Jan 2007 at 7:59 am
QuoteGlad to see you mention Toupydoops, Randy. I don’t hear nearly as much as I should about that book, and it’s not released as often as I would like. Very funny stuff.
I was snowed in yesterday in Fort Worth, too. 2 inches of snow on the ground, and all schools cancelled. Only in Texas
I better get used to it, though - I’ll be heading up to Missouri later this year.
18 Jan 2007 at 8:16 am
QuoteIf you had followed it up with Cable & Deadpool (an all Deadpool issue!), you might have been able to push it over the edge and experience something like the body-wracking multiple-fungasm that I had.
18 Jan 2007 at 11:44 am
QuoteDan Coyle said:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre #3- Jesus, the opening POV sequence from one of the family’s victims is more horrific than anything in that remake. This is just solid action horror, with fine Wes Craig art.
Amen. I read 1st issue of Wildstorm’s Elm Street and the 1st two issues of their Friday the 13th. Neither one of them held my attention (despite being much better than their Avatar published predecessors), but the Chainsaw one is very, very good. It’s got some fun twists with a great cast of characters.
I also have to give kudos to the Conan 1st issue. The Conan minis are always good, imo. The way this one starts off is no different.
18 Jan 2007 at 1:05 pm
QuoteD3: I particularly liked the crack about Taskmaster having no George Perez rubble to take advantage of. Of course, if Deadpool really wanted him to be taken out quickly, he should have just thrown Moon Knight’s butler at him (yes, Moon Knight’s butler took down Taskmaster. I am NOT making this up).
18 Jan 2007 at 3:02 pm
QuoteI feel David’s review deserves a response:
http://joshhoward.typepad.com/joshhowardnet/2007/01/slutification.html
18 Jan 2007 at 5:09 pm
QuoteWow, I never expected a response quite like this one. I don’t believe the intent of my review got across to Mr. Howard properly, and I sincerely regret it if my intent was not clear in my review. I still stand by what I said in my review, but a bit of clarification might be in order. The last thing I want to do is make enemies or inadvertently lead somebody to believe I was insulting their work.
I in no way meant to infer that the book was pornographic. I wasn’t even referring to the implied nudity at all when I called it highly sexualised. In fact, if I had read a text script of the book, the word sexual would never have crossed my mind, but the art, in my opinion, carried strong sexual overtones. I didn’t even mean to infer that the sexual energy was a bad thing. I only meant to state that it was present. Based on Mr. Howard’s response to my review, I don’t believe that the sexual vibe I perceived was his intent. Regardless of his intent, it is still what I perceived, so that is what I described in my review. It was not a bash of the book but merely a report of what I saw when I read it.
I don’t suppose that I opened the book with the expectation of seeing God covered in eyes. I was merely not surprised to find God represented in a strange and beyond-human-comprehension sort way.
Again, I regret that I chose the exact words that I did, but the concept behind my words is one that I still adhere to. It wasn’t the nudity that caused me to see the book in a sexual light. It was a strong, intangible vibe that I perceived in the art. Again, that may not have been Mr. Howard’s intent, but it is what I saw, and it is what I described. The word “slutification” may very well have been too strong a choice; maybe I should have just said that the sexual appeal of Mr. Howard’s Eve makes it hard for me not to see the character in a sexual light. Maybe I didn’t see what the artist intended his audience to see, but that is one of the risks when art is displayed in a public forum.
To be honest, I didn’t actually count panels until today. “Mostly” is technically accurate, but it may give the impression that the vast majority of the panels are solid colors or gradients. It is actually very close to half and half. The backgrounds weren’t my thing, but it was not my intent to paint the picture that they were virtually nonexistent in the book.
That is not at all what I intended by “A weaker than average offering from Howard, but if you’re a fan, you might dig it anyways.” In fact, I don’t think the book is shit. The intent of that sentence was to say that I found, what were in my eye, flaws in the book, and that many fans of Mr. Howard’s artwork enjoy the artwork to such an extent that the flaws may not bother them as much as they bothered me. It was actually a suggestion that fans of Mr. Howard’s work try out the book despite my misgivings.
18 Jan 2007 at 6:39 pm
QuoteResponse to the response to the response (yeah, you heard me):
here
18 Jan 2007 at 7:40 pm
QuoteHey, at least Howard’s artwork didn’t get called “Bleh.”
TIM SEELEY
19 Jan 2007 at 12:40 pm
QuoteOn “Eve”.. I didn’t read it, but I peeked at it in the store. It’s clear to me that Howard is using sexual iconography. The reasons the simple depiction of a female nude is automatically sexual is not for me to debate, but they most certainly are. And obviously “slutification” is the wrong word, because that’s saying sex=bad. Interesting back and forth though. I think we all learned something.
19 Jan 2007 at 1:55 pm
QuoteHey, at least Howard’s artwork didn’t get called “Bleh.”
TIM SEELEY
Well, I like your art, Tim. I think the Comic Pantsies were in a cranky mood because of the cold weather.
Dex
19 Jan 2007 at 9:29 pm
QuoteHaha. Well, it’s appreciated. But, I don’t mind getting a bad review. I like this site and these reviewers cuz they speak their mind and provide good commentary. That’s probably the only downfall of making this a blog is that comic creators (who read every review of their work that exists) can let the guys know they saw it, which could lead to watered down opinions. NONE of us want that.
TIM SEELEY
20 Jan 2007 at 1:09 am
QuoteThat’s probably the only downfall of making this a blog is that comic creators (who read every review of their work that exists) can let the guys know they saw it, which could lead to watered down opinions. NONE of us want that.
Nah, never happen. I’ll always explain my opinions to the creator, as I feel I owe that much… but I won’t change them to be nice. If I’m proven wrong or convinced otherwise, maybe. And I know my fellow reviewers feel the same. I like the interaction with pros and fans alike, the increased feedback and discussion is one of my favorite things about changing over from Fourth Rail to Comic Pants.
Especially as I think the level of discourse is generally pretty high, particularly when you consider our semi-goofy name and nature.
20 Jan 2007 at 2:09 am
QuoteEven though the review for DETECTIVE CHIMP was a downer, I still had to pick it up because I usually love Willingham. I thought it was a very nice one-shot that I enjoyed quite a bit. I haven’t been enjoying SHADOWPACT as much as I would have hoped but this was more what I would have wanted out of that book. Still, it is a nice diversion, though.
But back to the Chimp. I am not sure why someone wouldn’t by a Holmsian monkey that goes by the name Detective Chimp!
Should he have gone for a hard-boiled detective look and feel? Or maybe Colombo (”Just one more thing…”)? Dude, its a Chimp. That’s smarter than Batman (according to the Chimp…). Worked for me. I liked the idea that the Fate helmet was searching for a host. I do agree that Chimp as Fate would be bad but still, it was nice he was considered.
I do buy the idea that he didn’t want the helmet because he didn’t have the mental discipline to weed out what was important and what wasn’t. Superman has to do this every day we are told sometimes because he can hear everything going on and if he gave into that, he would go nuts. Chimp said this wouldn’t work for him and was done with it.
Anyway, it was a good, fun issue. Not groundbreaking and definitely not in the FABLES camp but still an interesting read. Not sure if I will pick up the rest, though.
20 Jan 2007 at 4:26 pm
QuoteBut back to the Chimp. I am not sure why someone wouldn’t by a Holmsian monkey that goes by the name Detective Chimp!
Should he have gone for a hard-boiled detective look and feel? Or maybe Colombo (”Just one more thing…”)? Dude, its a Chimp. That’s smarter than Batman (according to the Chimp…). Worked for me. I liked the idea that the Fate helmet was searching for a host. I do agree that Chimp as Fate would be bad but still, it was nice he was considered.
My issue wasn’t with him being a good detective at all, it was that the vibe I’ve gotten from him in Shadowpact so far was more of a usual, clue-hunting detective, so it seemed weird. Just my take, though. The Fate helmet hunting for a host is a classic story, and it makes sense that it would check out the Chimp, since he was tasked with taking care of it. That part was all good.
I do buy the idea that he didn’t want the helmet because he didn’t have the mental discipline to weed out what was important and what wasn’t. Superman has to do this every day we are told sometimes because he can hear everything going on and if he gave into that, he would go nuts. Chimp said this wouldn’t work for him and was done with it.
Here, it wasn’t that he recognized that he couldn’t do it that was a problem for me- of course having the power of Dr. Fate would be hard as hell to handle, and the Chimp was wise to see that. It was his reasoning that a detective’s analytical mind was why he couldn’t do it that rang a little false. If he’d just left it at ‘I can’t handle this, my mind don’t work that way” and not implied that all analytical people or detectives were bad choices for the Helm (which is powered by a Lord of Order) it would have fit together better for me. It wasn’t bad as it is, just didn’t quite assemble properly.
20 Jan 2007 at 5:35 pm
QuoteLike BNG, I quit buying Previews. But I didn’t stop reading the solicits, except for the Marvel and DC solicits. The LCS will always lets me go through Previews to see if I want to make any special orders.
I don’t read the Marvel solicits because they frequently are misleading or give away story points.
There must be a site or two that puts Previews online. One can always read them there, I’d think.
20 Jan 2007 at 7:07 pm
QuoteBoth CBR and Newsarama put up the full Marvel and DC solicitations, and CBR gets Dark Horse (usually) and Image as well. Unfortunately, when it comes to the indie books, nobody is putting up solicits, which means the books that need the most preordering help aren’t getting it.
However, I like to think I might catch a few things in my Down the Line that indie readers might like, for those who aren’t getting Previews and can trust my tastes.
20 Jan 2007 at 10:07 pm
QuoteDown the Line is where I find most of my indie books that I pick up. Randy may be an old grumpy man who feels displeased with the current road Marvel and DC are taking, but he has great taste in indie stuff
I’ve always been a predominantly Marvel reader, so Down the Line is great for someone like me to find indie stuff I might otherwise overlook. I really like supporting indie books, but sometimes it can be hard to find the good stuff, because some of them are complete and utter crap. So, thanks, Randy.
As for online previews, Alan, I like to use mailordercomics.com or mycomicshop.com’s Subscription Service page. You can almost always find full solicits and cover images on their pre-order pages. 3 downsides to that, though 1. You have to browse through the online pages, which is not as practical as the actual catalog (mycomicshop.com is easier to browse through). 2. If there’s any preview interior art in Previews, it won’t be on these sites. 3. You have to wait until the beginning of the month (in this case, February) to see them, as opposed to…next week, when the catalog is released.
20 Jan 2007 at 10:35 pm
Quoteoh I really thought star trek was bad. Bad guys that clever need a reason to do things “LOOK I have an elaborate plan to take over a really crappy planet for five mintues
20 Jan 2007 at 10:55 pm
QuoteRandy said: “Unfortunately, when it comes to the indie books, nobody is putting up solicits, which means the books that need the most preordering help aren’t getting it.”
Actually comicscontinuum.com puts up quite a few solicits for indie publishers, certainly in comparison to all the sites mentioned. Personally I can’t stand the pop ups, but I still check about once a week for almost that reason alone. Nothing is perfect, even Previews, which is why I try to use many resources, one of the best being Down The Line, and I am not buttering up with that remark, Randy knows his shit. He remembers the good creators, he almost always has plenty of reasons for his choices. I find that to be very informative. And when going off a blurb and a cover, you need as much info as you can get.
21 Jan 2007 at 10:30 pm
QuoteAwwww, don’t worry Seeley, you know Coyle will always love you.
22 Jan 2007 at 4:28 pm
QuoteAh, to be wrapped in the Coyle’s of love….
Heh, nah, I didn’t mean to sound like I was lookin’ for validation. I mean, of course, i didn’t think my stuff was bleh, or that the Crossgen series was better drawn, but I can take a criticism. I’m thick-skinned. sorta.
sniffle.
TIM SEELEY
22 Jan 2007 at 9:41 pm
QuoteWhite silverstar casino mississippi rules all prizes casino lotto south coast hotel and casino fastest casino payouts [URL=http://lijifaz.info/8.html]great wolf lodge casino[/URL] [URL=http://lijifaz.info/491.html]foxwood casino conn[/URL] guns
16 Oct 2008 at 12:34 pm
Quote