Top Five Fridays 3/9/07
Some of you may have noticed on the sidebar, we have our “Top Five of the Moment” listed. These are the five books that are most clicking with each Pants writer. It may or may not represent the best books we’ve read all month, year, or just what we’re digging that week. We generally try to update it with books from that week, but there are no hard and fast rules. Inspired by an email from one of our readers, we’re going to post every Friday with the most recent Top Five from each member of the Panteon, and hope for your comments on our lists, or maybe even your own “Top Five of the Moment.”
Also, just as the Wednesday Number Ones feature is generally our spot for folks to talk about the comics of the week, we hope that Top Five Fridays is where you’ll come to talk about what’s going on in comics in general. News in the comics world, thoughts on comics you’ve recently read, talk about comic-related movies that release this weekend and more are welcome in the comments thread for Top Five Fridays.
This week, the Top Five Books of the Moment are:
Nick Budd
- The Spirit
- The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
- Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil
- Fantastic Four
- X-Factor
Dave Farabee
- Conan and the Midnight God
- The Brave and the Bold
- American Virgin
- The Killer
- Firestorm
Dan Grendell
- Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Omnibus HC
- Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil
- Fantastic Four
- Welcome to Tranquility
- Manhunter
Randy Lander
- Local
- The Spirit
- Captain America
- Criminal
- Uncanny X-Men
David Martindale (D3)
- Criminal
- 52
- Uncanny X-Men
- Captain America
- Fantastic Four
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1.Criminal
2.The Killer
3.Captain America
4.Ultimate Spider-Man
5.Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
09 Mar 2007 at 2:54 pm
QuoteCongrats Comic Pants, you got a blurb on the back of Criminal. You’re in print now.
Farabee, you have the Conan mini (right?) on your list, but not the Conan book proper? Did it’s quality fall off after Busiek left? I bought the first trade a few months ago, and really liked it.
Lander, you have 3 Bru-Books on your list! Is Uncanny a good X-Men comic or is it good Bru-book?
09 Mar 2007 at 3:23 pm
QuoteI don’t pretend to speak for Randy, but I had the same three Brubaker books in my top five.
I think Uncanny X-Men is neither a great X-Men book nor a great Brubaker book, but a solid, above average X-Men book. Having said that, this issue was definitely a stand out.
We’ve a got small group of powerful heroes raiding a space installation, and even some romance! I think the space based action and the focus on the heroes rather than the villains is what really brought me around for this particular issue.
The art was nice too. Tan really does the space fighting justice. Joe Quesada is right about at least one thing; Tan just keeps getting better.
09 Mar 2007 at 3:36 pm
QuoteSecret and Shazam were the only books I got this week that I hadn’t pre-ordered, but they were still both pretty good.
1. Love and Capes (if you like Spider-man Loves Mary Jane, buy this.)
2. Shazam #2
3. Punisher Presents: Barracuda (very entertaining and standard Ennis fare, but not quite the mean-spiritedness of The Boys)
4. Battle Royale V.1 (thanks again, Comic Pants!)
5. Drifting Classroom v.4 (very good and a bit unsettling manga)
09 Mar 2007 at 4:24 pm
QuoteNah, it’s all really good, but like I said in last week’s Top Five, after a few years of Conan, I’d just kind of gotten my fill and was taking a break from the book. I tried the mini on a whim and really enjoyed it, though. That’s why it made the list, but certainly not as a snub of the regular book. I’ll probably check out the post-Busiek stuff sometime soon, see how it’s going.
Overall, my Top Five this week is a protest vote. Nothing really grabbed me, to be honest; at least nothing that’d unseat last week’s choices. The only new entry for me is Firestorm, which actually came out last week too, but which I only got around to yesterday. Good stuff from Dwayne McDuffie. Too bad he wasn’t the guy who launched the book, or it might not be careening into cancellation.
09 Mar 2007 at 5:04 pm
QuoteYeah, but why would you think of Dwayne McDuffie when you are launching a book about a teenage black hero who gets new powers and has to figure out his life and what to do with them?
09 Mar 2007 at 9:53 pm
QuoteI should say that much as I love Brubaker’s work, nothing this week really trumped my Top Five from last week… but I felt like I should make some changes.
But this week was all about Brubaker for me. Criminal #5 wasn’t quite the slam dunk finale I’d hoped, but it was still a solid read. Captain America #25 is a development I’m not crazy about, but it’s very well-written, and nicely continues what Brubaker has been doing on the book since the beginning.
And Uncanny X-Men… it’s been sort of up and down for me. It’s not the best X-Book I’ve read, and it’s the weakest of Brubaker’s current books… but it’s still probably the best X-Men book running (X-Factor is its own creature, and doesn’t really count, even if I were a bigger fan of that one). This particular issue had some great action, as the X-Men join up with the Starjammers to raid a cosmic prison and free an unlikely ally to help take down a corrupt emperor.
That’s a cool concept, and Brubaker and Billy Tan carry it off well.
09 Mar 2007 at 11:33 pm
QuoteHave to disagree, Randy - Astonishing X-men is my favorite X-book right now (outside of X-factor, like you said). With all of the book’s flaws, Cassaday’s art is simply gorgeous, and even though I’m not a big fan of Whedon’s written-for-TV style, I’m always very anxious to see what happens next. So many things to dislike about it, especially the lateness and Whedon’s monopoly on the biggest characters, but I can’t help myself.
Uncanny X-men? Can’t bring myself to care. It might sound ridiculous, but I still have that bad taste in my mouth from Deadly Genesis. I’m actually debating on whether or not I’ll order the book in my next pre-order for May’s comics - though despite my opinions I might order it anyway for closure, being the end of the epic storyline. Then again, that tune might change when I get around to reading this latest issue - like you said, it’s a very up and down book.
Speaking of May’s comics…Down the Line? Hungry for my favorite feature, man!
Oh, and about Jeffrey Brown - never read any of his stuff, actually, but it’s always sounded interesting - I figured Feeble Attempts (being a collection of various work of his) would be a good enough place to start.
09 Mar 2007 at 11:56 pm
QuoteI’m enjoying this new feature, but I just have a small request: why not give brief comments on why exactly you’re likin’ those current top 5 books? I know that when it comes to “favorites”, it’s not always easy to put your feelings into words (it’s not like simply reviewing comics, which you guys already do well). But I think some brief comments for each title on your lists will go a long way to building our interest in them.
10 Mar 2007 at 3:01 am
Quote1. Captain America - Feel exactly the same as Randy on this one and Brubaker this week.
2. Shazam: Monster Society Of Evil - Pure Brilliance. Anybody who can get me to read and enjoy a comic about Captain Marvel is a genius!
3. Criminal - as Captain America above
4. newuniversal - more Ellis goodness. Anybody enjoying Heroes will probably enjoy this
5. X-Factor - only got around to reading this this week. The parts with Madrox were just fantastic but the parts in Paris were poor. Been really enjoying this series from issue one.
One to avoid: JLA #6 - why, oh why did I buy this? Really didn’t like it at all
10 Mar 2007 at 6:42 am
Quotegreat site guys … i just love your podcasts. Give us more of those !!!
here’s my list of “comics that make you smile with joy when you read them”
1. Fables
2. X-Men titles (i know it is cheating but i just alove all 3 of them at this point)
3. Fell
4. Naoki Urasawa’s Monster
5. New Avengers
honorable mention to Thunderbolts and Impaler ….
10 Mar 2007 at 11:08 am
QuoteTotally agree about Shazam. The book is just a pure delight.
Newuniversal - I can’t get into this book. For me, it seems like every other post-modern superhero book Ellis has done, and even Larocca’s art - normally an artist I really enjoy - has suffered because his new heavily photo-referenced style. That, and I’m not familiar with the characters and universe at all, so I don’t have that angle either. Not a bad book by any means, I just couldn’t get into it.
And X-Factor is simply the best X-book going right now. The latest issue: you’re right, the Paris stuff was weak, but the Madrox stuff - wow, how often do we see such a moral dilemma and a pretty satisfying resolution?
10 Mar 2007 at 12:51 pm
QuoteIf you guys are going to be doing this on a weekly basis, I’m game. Here in alphabetical order are the top five Books of the Week for me:
1. Age of Bronze #25 - Eric Shanower never disappoints. This issue in particular is my favorite of the title in a long time as the Trojans receive the Greeks’ embassy, and Odysseus pushes things toward war.
2. All-New Atom #9 - This book has been picking up steam since the end of the first arc, and this issue, which takes Ryan Choi back to Hong Kong and his past, is my favorite yet.
3. Captain America #25 - I haven’t even been able to read the entire issue yet, but the scans I’ve seen of key pages are amazing. I want to single out the second to last panel of the book (the one with the open eye–you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve read it) as one of the most chilling panels I’ve ever seen in a Marvel comic.
4. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #18 - Peter David continues to make lemonade out of lemons (both here and in X-Factor). The rehabilitation of the Sandman is a welcome development: the conversation at Uncle Ben’s gravesite between Peter and Flint is one of my favorite dialogue sequences in a long time.
5. Shazam #2 - Simply stunning. “Tender, juicy children!” is the best comic line since “Stupid, stupid rat creatures!”
10 Mar 2007 at 12:53 pm
Quote1. Captain America - #25 was perhaps the best issue yet; I can’t wait to see where things go from here.
2. Fables - as a English lit major, I love all the little touches in this book, as well as the over-arching story.
3. New X-Men - the most underrated X-title on the market; I’m worried about the loss of the current artist, however.
4. Uncanny X-Men - Brubaker’s done better things, but I still enjoy it greatly, and I’m very interested to see where things go after the current arc (and how the current arc resolves).
5. Mighty Avengers - this is a premature addition, perhaps, but I really like the first issue, and Astonishing X-Men’s scheduling is pissing me off to no end, so I couldn’t bring myself to place it here.
10 Mar 2007 at 5:26 pm
QuoteMy Five Best Books of the Moment (in alphabetical order):
1. Age of Bronze - Usually a good read, but this week’s issue (featuring the embassy of the Greeks to Troy) was especially great.
2. All-New Atom - Ryan goes home to Hong Kong in my favorite issue of the series to date.
3. Captain America - I haven’t had a chance to read this issue yet, but I’m putting it on my list on the strength of the few panels I have seen (including the second to last panel, the one with the eye).
4. Friendly Neighboorhod Spider-Man - Peter David continues to make lemonade from the lemons handed to him. Looking forward to the rehabilitation of the Sandman here.
5. Shazam - “Tender, juicy children!” has replaced “Stupid, stupid rat creatures!” as my favorite Jeff Smith line.
10 Mar 2007 at 8:06 pm
QuoteHonestly, it all comes down to time. We’re going to chime in on the comments with our reasoning behind the books when we have the time, but this is more or less a jumping-off point for discussion rather than a full-fledged feature.
11 Mar 2007 at 1:38 am
QuoteI love Monster, too, but… “smile with joy”? That’s a little scary.
11 Mar 2007 at 1:40 am
QuoteHey Randy, a couple of weeks ago there were some posts about Monster, and you said it’s good, but you have another favorite horror manga. I can’t seem to find that post, so can you say it again? After my ‘must-read’ question in a podcast a few weeks ago, and Dan’s manga-tinged response, I’ve been very much on a manga-buying spree lately.
11 Mar 2007 at 4:42 am
QuoteRandy’s gonna say Uzumaki, I bet fake internet money.
11 Mar 2007 at 9:56 am
QuotePretty sure that’s it, Dan. Thank you kindly; I’m almost positive, seeing that I’ve searched for it on my regular comics ordering site (they don’t have it though). In fact, midtowncomics.com (a good source for manga usually) doesn’t have it either.
11 Mar 2007 at 12:20 pm
QuoteIt’s by manga horror great Junji Ito, Kiel, and is a three volume series last released by Viz in 1998 but now sadly out of print. Your best bet is to hunt Ebay or Amazon, or if you end up going to UT like I think you mentioned was a possibility and coming by our store you can borrow my copies.
11 Mar 2007 at 1:06 pm
QuoteAH, thanks for the sentiments (and remembering the UT bit!), but I’m still weighing my options between Missouri and Alberta (not something you hear from a Texan every day, no?). My chances of getting into UT are looking pretty slim, actually - going to a private school and not being in the top 10% really hurts.
But enough about THAT. I’d still like to visit the shop sometime; hopefully I’ll make it down there by the time I leave.
Uzumaki is definitely somethign to put on my very long reading list, and Randy’s and your praise will certainly give that some priority, especially since it’s an easy 3 volumes.
11 Mar 2007 at 2:02 pm
QuoteI’m an Ellis junkie and a sucker for stuff like newuniversal. Just love stuff where fantastical elements are placed in mundane or “real world” settings.
X-Factor is definitely the best X-book right now and has been for some time. Was a big x-head before but my preferences have shifted more towards books such as Captain America, Avengers, Daredevil etc now
11 Mar 2007 at 2:33 pm
QuoteDan is correct, the horror manga I love is by Junji Ito… Uzumaki and Gyo are currently out of print, but Viz is bringing them back in print later this year.
In the meantime, he has three volumes of Museum of Terror in print from Dark Horse. They’re not as good as Uzumaki or Gyo, but they’re still damn good.
Oh, and if you’re on a manga kick, my other recommendations are Planetes (a five-volume sci-fi about space garbage collectors from Tokyopop), Eden (post-apocalyptic action and social sci-fi from Dark Horse) and Tezuka’s Buddha (from Vertical). Dan no doubt can offer tons more recommendations, as he’s much more well-versed in manga than I.
11 Mar 2007 at 11:49 pm
QuoteStupid busy week not getting me to my comic shop.
However, introduced some houseguests to some good trades over the weekend, and reread a couple as well, so I can tweak my list from last week:
1. Runaways - both guests read the whole series top to bottom, and liked it a lot. Led to a lengthy discussion during a lengthy car ride. 42 issues of goodness.
2. Supreme Power - Back when it had an edge (and came out on time). When/if it finally restarts, they really need to move this back to MAX. Its lost something. But it started well.
3. X-Factor - Reread the Madrox trade and about to reread the whole series again. Consistently my first read the week it comes out. Issue 16 still has me smiling.
4. Captain America - Good or bad idea? Don’t care. Brubaker’s writing elevates this title to classic status. I love the way he brings two years of threads together at the end.
5. Alpha Flight - It never recovered from Byrne killing Guardian in the original series’ #12 (although it had a few good moments), and don’t get me started on the relaunchs, but seeing Omega Flight in The Initiative made me miss my old issues. Just once, this Canadian would like them to not screw up our team.
12 Mar 2007 at 2:41 am
QuoteYeah, I’ve got a few more on my list from Dan. He does indeed know a thing or two about manga.
As for your recs, I plan to order a volume or 2 or Buddha soon, as I recently traded in some comics to mycomicshop.com. And Planetes looks interesting, so I should probably have enough to try out the first volume.
I’ve actually been on the lookout for Eden for some time now, but the places I tradtionally order from don’t have it, and Dark Horse doesn’t always keep all the volumes in stock.
Thanks for your thoughts, folks.
12 Mar 2007 at 10:47 am
QuoteMy top 5 is very similar to my previous one, with a few minor changes. In no particular order:
1) The Walking Dead
2) The Secret - I didn’t expect to be on board with the 2nd issue of this ‘I know what you did last summer’ retread, but picked it up on a lark. I wasn’t disappointed. It still holds close to the staples of the slasher genre, but has some interesting twists. I fully expect this one to get grabbed up by Hollywood rather soon.
3) The Dark Tower - this one really pulled ahead for me over the debut issue. The presentation of the Crimson King was just plain creepy.
4) The Killer
5) Fall of Cthulu - A little bit murky, narrative-wise, but as a Lovecraft fan, it reminded me of why I enjoy the mythos so much.
12 Mar 2007 at 11:31 am
QuoteMy top 5 that came out last week:
1.) Criminal
2.) Star Wars: Legacy
3.) 52
4.) Newuniversal
5.) Boneyard
12 Mar 2007 at 5:13 pm
QuoteOh, yes, Gyo. Also known as “Zombie Fish on Stilts.” Crazy. And yes, Museum of Terror is also quite good. There’s a reason Junji Ito is a recognized master of horror in Japan, and it isn’t because he can put his whole fist in his mouth.
Good to know Viz is bringing those back into print, though. I wasn’t aware of that. It’s been a long time.
13 Mar 2007 at 9:16 am
QuoteAs for why I chose my five this week, here’s some (very) short reasons.
1. Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Omnibus HC: This is just classicly good Daredevil stuff, in a very nice new hardcover. It’s sexy.
2. Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil: Check my review of the first issue for why I love this book. Second issue adds a super cute Mary Marvel, and reveals Tawky Tawny.
3. Fantastic Four: Dwayne McDuffie continues to bring his talent to bear on Marvel’s First Family, and I say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
4. Welcome to Tranquility: Gail Simone’s tale of murder in a town of retired heroes and villains is engaging and funny, tragic and heartwarming.
5. Manhunter: Saved from execution and I couldn’t be happier. Marc Andreyko has made every character in this book interesting, from Kate to Chase (already a favorite of mine) to guest stars that wander through. Deserves every bit of support it has gotten, and plenty more.
13 Mar 2007 at 9:25 am
QuoteTotally agree with you there. Was a fantastic read at first but totally fizzled out. Not even reading the new mini series. With Gary Frank off the title now don’t think it’ll ever recover
13 Mar 2007 at 3:09 pm
QuoteTotally agree about Supreme Power. Like I said earlier, the post modern ‘realistic’ take on superheroes is a bit played out, but that was one damn fine book.
13 Mar 2007 at 3:25 pm
QuoteRob Barrett, for some reason your posts were identified as spam by our automatic filter. I have unspammed your comments and recovered them back to the post.
If Rob, or anybody else, has this issue in the future, I’ll do my best to identify comments wrongly accused of being spam. Shooting an email to comicpants@gmail.com will likely get the problem fixed faster.
14 Mar 2007 at 1:51 am
Quote