Top Five Fridays 04/06/07
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
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus
- The Spirit
- 52
- Grendel: Devil By the Deed
Dave Farabee
- Alpha Flight Classic Vol. 1 TPB
- Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus
- Detective Comics
- American Virgin
- Buffy
Dan Grendell
- Firestorm
- Fantastic Four
- Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane HC V.1
- Grendel: Devil By the Deed HC
- Batman: Snow TP
Randy Lander
- Runaways
- Danger Girl: Body Shots
- Jack of Fables
- American Virgin
- Avengers: The Initiative
David Martindale (D3)
- Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus
- Detective Comics
- American Virgin
- 52
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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I am happy that Buffy is proving to actually “feel” like a season of TV (while still doing things that only a comic can do…on a TV budget, anyway). This feels so much more fresh than the monologue-heavy Season 7 that, outside of a couple highlight episodes, really was unnecessary. Still, the new comic is great fun and it gets back to the fun zingy dialogue that Joss is known for and the fun mix of uber-plot (gov’ment agencies! monsters! Big Bad!) mixed with the interpersonal stuff (sisters fighting…for attention! Xander flirting with girls! old bad guys with a personal connection to the heroes!). A good, solid read.
I was also happy that the Joss version of Runaways seems to be going okay. It is a tough first issue but it keeps up some of the tone that BKV had established while showing a bit of the Joss interplay, in particular I think he writes his women a bit better than BKV did. To a guy, anyway. I liked the quieter scenes with Nico and Karolina chatting on the roof and dealing with her role as leader a bit more. My only concern was Chase’s return to form. In the “old days” of comics, such a tonal change in a character back to a default setting would be the norm (read: the 80’s, for the most part) but for this comic, to just come off the whole “I either will kill someone or kill myself to bring my gal back” with nothing more than a new dinosaur to joke around with was a bit jarring. But overall I guess I would rather have that then a mopey, brooding Chase so there you go. I also like Whedon’s take on the Kingpin and Xavin’s comments about him. Good stuff.
Jack would be another of my top 5. The series continues to be a hoot. I had low hopes for the stories because another “Jack tries to make buck” scheme after another seemed lame but it is turning out to be quite a fun ride, especially since it is told from his point of view with his commentary on things. Continues to be great.
Fables: Will always be a top 5 if they continue to make such great books. I haven’t read the new one but in over 50 issues I haven’t read one that I didn’t enjoy or be flat out amazed at after reading.
Conan Trades are taking up the last slot for me. A friend lent me a bunch of them and, at least with the Busiek run, have been wonderful. Great stories, great art and a cool character and setting. Fantasy comics just can’t do better than the current run of Conan.
06 Apr 2007 at 2:07 pm
QuoteMy Top Five of the Moment:
1. The Immortal Iron Fist- I mean, holy shit, airships, Escher/LoEG riffs, and Sal Goddamn Buscema. It’s like this comic keeps punching me in the face with everything I’ve ever loved about Marvel comics.
2. The Exterminators Vol. 2: Insurgency- while there’s a bit much of nerd wish fulfillment in the Samnee issue (which Ironically is better drawn than Moore’s issues), overall this was a much tighter, more entertaining continuation of the story, balancing the expansion of its world with smaller character moments. Big minus points for the final page twist, but still very good. I might start picking this up in issue form to support it, especially with Darick Roberston coming on for an arc.
3. Scalped- it amazes me how Aaron is able to take stock elements like the angry hero, the tragic villain, and the regretful mom- and still make them seem fresh and compelling. There’s a great bit of panel positioning as Dashiell and Gina reflect on each other, and it almost made me cry in its sadness. The fact that this series is already dipping below 10K is making me cry too. R.M. Guera is a fantastic artist.
4. Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness- “They Call me Dazzler.” “They were RIGHT!” Oh GOD this is funny. The Blob being chased by zombie Iron Fist and Black Cat while Zombie Runaways eat a horse. Ash leaving Punisher to be eaten by Wrecking Crew zombies. And what has to be the Greatest Cliffhanger In History.
5. Ms. Marvel- well, this is more for Aaron Lopresti than Reed, and the fact that Arachne doesn’t forgive Carol and MODOK is on the last page. Reed is still a dope, though.
06 Apr 2007 at 2:23 pm
Quote1. Omega Flight - My Canadian team returns, albeit soon to be filled with invading Americans, and I couldn’t be happier. That it didn’t suck like the last attempt makes it much, much better.
2. Classic Alpha Flight TPB - Okay, I don’t have this yet, but I reread the issues I’ve managed to get back since I restarted collecting, and I had read them so many times in my youth, that I could probably still recite them anyways. This was never the greatest book out there, but as a Canadian, they were my team, and always will be.
3. Runaways - Yeah, I’m a big Runaways fan, and this issue calmed my fears about Whedon taking over. Loved the laugh-out-loud Molly moments.
4. Buffy - Still going strong. Very enjoyable.
5. Iron Fist - I don’t think I could say anything to match what Dan said, so “what Dan said”.
Honorable Mention: Firestorm - Took a look after the last few weeks of good reviews, and while I’m a little lost, its been an enjoyable read. Trying to find older issues to get a better idea of what’s going on, and love seeing Firehawk involved.
06 Apr 2007 at 2:52 pm
Quote1. Immortal Iron Fist - Really digging this book right. Strong storytelling and Aja continues to improve with each issue but the real star of the show is Travel Foreman. He might only be doing 4-6 pages per issue but he’s really knocking it out of the park. Give this man a high profile book! The idea of using other artists for the flashbacks which Brubaker used on early issues of Captain America too is working really well.
2. Runaways - Whedon takes up the baton and doesn’t miss a beat. Nice art from Ryan too.
3. Daredevil - Holdover from last week
4. Fallen Son - Quite good but use of Winter Soldier & Daredevil was a bit redundant. Still though, it has fantastic art by Leinil Yu. Really liked his take on DD and that double splash page with him avoiding Wolverine was amazing.
5. Buffy - Two Whedon comics in the same week and it wasn’t down to lateness? Am I in Bizzarro world? Seriously though, another all round solid read and I’ll be back for #3 which is surprising considering I didn’t really think I’d interested when I picked #1
06 Apr 2007 at 3:39 pm
Quote1. Iron Fist - Brubaker and Fraction had me at “empire of hypothetical science.” No, wait, they and Aja had me when Orson puts on the Iron Fist mask and pulls out his twinned .45s (I’m a sucker for Shadow-style gunplay).
2. Runaways - Aside from the abrupt jump to New York, this book doesn’t miss a beat in transitioning from Vaughan to Whedon. Favorite page: Old Lace for the save!
3. Detective Comics - I’ve been enjoying Dini’s done-in-ones, and this is one of the best yet. Kramer is growing on me as an artist–he did a brilliant job on Harley.
4. Fantastic Four (from last week) - McDuffie continues the revivification of this title. Good character work all around.
5. G0dland (from last week) - I can’t get enough of this book, esp. now that the government has attacked Adam. Who will defend the world from Egoh, Supra, and Id?
06 Apr 2007 at 3:55 pm
QuotePretty much where I land too. Yeah, it’s a bit of a character regression, but it’s to the benefit of the character. Hell, if Whedon had just quietly re-inserted Gert back in like she’d never have died, I probably wouldn’t have grumbled too loudly, as I thought killing her off was a mistake.
Kind of like Xander suddenly being quippy, happy guy again in the pages of Buffy. Yeah, maybe it’s not quite as consistent for the guy who lost an eye, a fiancee and much of his reason for living in the last few years, but damn it, it’s a lot more fun and interesting and more like the character I liked in the first place.
Dan Coyle said (and Bronn seconded):
then Glen Newman said:
then Rob Barrett said:
And I wish I was as jazzed for Iron Fist as everybody else. I like Fraction, I like Brubaker, I like the concept of a legacy of Iron Fists and I like the character, but… I’m just not all that into this book. Maybe it’s that there are lots of wild ideas but the plot is moving really slow? Or the characters feel kind of one-dimensional, there only as props to highlight the big ideas? Maybe it’s that I like Foreman’s art so much more than Aja’s?
I dunno… I really want to like this book, and I do enjoy it to some degree, but it just isn’t hooking me on that “f*cking awesome” level that so many folks are getting.
As for why Travel Foreman doesn’t get a high profile book, I think that’s down to his speed. He did work on some higher profile books in the Ultimate universe, which had to be finished by somebody else. Probably explains why he’s only doing a handful of pages every month… that may be all he’s capable of turning out.
On another topic, Dan, you’re right that the second issue of Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness was hilarious. I’ve written a Short Pants review of it that mostly goes to recanting my harsh first issue review, because the second issue was so much fun.
07 Apr 2007 at 12:15 am
QuoteMy top 5 of the week:
1.) Jack of Fables – Before this book came out, I wasn’t really sold on the need for a Fables spin-off, but the series has really been enjoyable and established its own identity.
2.) Buffy The Vampire Slayer –Two solid issues in a row.
3.) Knights of the Dinner Table
4.) Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness – I’m still not entirely convinced that these two concepts belong together, but I can’t deny that there’ve been some fun moments in the series.
5.) Runaways – I wasn’t quite as blown away as I was hoping to be. Some of the character’s dialogue didn’t quite ring true to me. Like others have already mentioned, I’m also not crazy about the relocation of the team. I suppose it opens up a lot more story possibilities, but it still seems unnecessary.
07 Apr 2007 at 6:30 pm
QuoteMy Top Five didn’t change because I’m out of town and I didn’t get a chance, but I have to get behind all the Immortal Iron Fist love. I don’t care if it isn’t Iron Fist beating ass every issue, it’s cool stuff each month. It seems almost like Danny Rand wandered into Planetary territory, and I dig it.
07 Apr 2007 at 8:44 pm
QuoteI have to agree with you, both issues so far have been solid. In fact, I’ll go a step further and say that this second issue was better than the first. Others might disagree but there were things about it (dream sequence, especially) that really upped the cool factor. This is Whedon at his best, coming very close to being as good as Fray, though it’s not quite there yet.
I actually didn’t much care for this issue, even though I think that in terms of having these character’s voices down pat, Whedon excels. He does seem to be able to channel them, especially Molly. I will also agree that the action piece with Old Lace saving the day was quite cool visually. I was a little unsettled about Michael Ryan’s pencils when I first saw some preview pages of the book but overall, everything looks okey-dokey with only a few hiccups here and there.
That being said, like you Hellhound, I didn’t like the move to New York, nor did I take any enjoyment in the inclusion of the Kingpin. At the end of the day, I don’t want the Runaways, or any kid for that matter, having anything to do with such a person. And about the second guest…Well, come on, does it really seem like a good idea to bring him into what is essentially a “genuinely fun and light-hearted book”? In my opinion it doesn’t and maybe Whedon can pull it all off in the end, and I’ll eat my words, but as of this point in time, I’m just not sold.
07 Apr 2007 at 9:10 pm
QuoteI agree that Runaways is essentially a fun and lighthearted book. However Whedon does seem to perversly enjoy putting “light hearted” characters in peril. In fact I think that is what he does best. The best moments of the Buffy tv show was when one moment it was hysterical and the next it punched you in the gut with the horrible things it would do to it’s characters (like kill them, or rip out an eye). For this reason I have high hopes Whedon’s run on Runaways. Of course I could be wrong and we should all ignore Whedon’s Runaways like I ignore season 6 and 7 of Buffy. That being said I enjoyed the issue, despite the move to New York. Speaking of comic enjoyment it’s time for my top 5 of the moment:
1.Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darknes #2: The second issue was even better than the first. More twisted humor, more brains eating, more one liners (take it easy sweet cheeks.) I know I am a huge Ash fanboy, but this one really was hysterical.
2.Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2: First Nick Fury with the eyepatch, now Xander. I gotta get me one of those.
3.The Lone Ranger #1: Seriously. I bought the first issue a while back and recently found it again. Very gritty take on a campy classic. Am I the only one who enjoyed this??
4.Avengers:The Initiative: I was actually sorta hoping this would suck so it wouldn’t be another “Initiative” series to read. However, I ended up enjoying much more than all the other stuff combined. That’s probably because there were some fresh faces (emo boy) and a “suprise” ending. Was I the only one to get “Starship Troopers” flashbacks while reading this?
5.Manhunter TPB 1 and 2: I know these aren’t really in the moment, but I just read them and was blown away, especially by the first trade. Nothing like a smoking costumed killer to get ones blood boiling. And that’s the good guy (er girl).
Honorable mentions: Runaways #25, Irredeemable Ant Man #7
08 Apr 2007 at 1:12 am
QuoteDan, I’ve been trying to figure out what I like so much about Immortal Iron Fist and I think you (and Randy) nailed it. It has an Iron Fist meets Planetary feel. There are tons of big ideas flying around along with really interesting expansions of the characters.
Also picked up the first Cross Bronx trade this week and was really impressed. As someone that really enjoys noirish crime comics, I feel like I’m living in a revival. Between this and Criminal and that other book whose name escapes me, there are a number of really great crime comics each month. Anyone else get a chance to check it out, have an opinion to venture on it?
The new Madman: Atomic Comics was exceptional this week, too. Great jumping on point for someone new to the series, love the big ideas flying around there too, and the art from Alred is fantastic. Hope this one continues to come out on a semi-regular basis.
08 Apr 2007 at 7:49 am
QuoteFor the record, though, the eye-ripping out (which I just hated, even though it has given us some good Nick Fury jokes now) was when Whedon wasn’t as heavily involved with the show. So I don’t blame/credit him for that.
I think that a lot of the killing/maiming went on when others were doing the bulk of the writing. Which is why I still have some hope for the Buffy comic and Whedon’s Runaways.
Nope. I was surprised to kind of dig it as well. Although I’ve fallen off reading it… might check out the trade.
Nope, I had that one too, definitely. And I liked it, although I’m still not sure the Initiative (or a “Starship Troopers” mood) is what I generally wanted from the Marvel Universe.
I think I’m the minority (maybe a minority of one) with the rest of the Panteon on this, though. Nick, Dave and Dan all hated it, or at least hated the Starship Troopers-esque ending.
08 Apr 2007 at 10:36 am
QuoteDan Coyle said:
Actually, the Runaways were eating Old Lace. Heh.
08 Apr 2007 at 5:58 pm
QuoteMy top 5 this week:
1. Essex County vol. 1: Tales from the Farm - gotta thank Randy for pointing this one out in Down the Line. There’s such a quiet sadness to the whole book, with such few words - says a lot about the inky art. It was a short read, but I imagine I’ll revisit it a lot more.
2. Spider-man Loves Mary Jane HC - what more can we say about this book? It rocks, the art looks gorgeous in oversized format, and it gives me a chance to read the first 2 minis, which I never got around to.
3. Feeble Attempts - again, thanks to Randy for this one. Never read any of Jeffrey Brown’s work, but this was a very nice introduction to his work, with lots of different styles and content.
4. Midnighter - just some solid Ennis action. Good stuff.
5. The Spirit - I love this book.
09 Apr 2007 at 9:28 am
QuoteYeah, it’s really quiet, really sad, very effective. The good news is, there are two more volumes planned.
I haven’t read Feeble Attempts, but if you’re feeling the Brown vibe, I’d definitely aim for Bighead (his hilarious superhero parody), I Am Going To Be Small (tons of strips, probably most like Feeble Attempts based on its solicit) and Clumsy (a brutally mopey yet funny look at a doomed relationship).
09 Apr 2007 at 11:45 am
QuoteYeah, the next two volumes can’t come soon enough. The first one was worth every penny.
And I’m definitely gonna get some more of Brown’s work. I am Going to be Small definitely caught my eye, because it seemed to not have as much of the awkward-funny relationship stuff, which wasn’t really my cup o’ tea (in Feeble Attempts at least). The solicits/text for his relationship books really don’t sound like my thing. Never heard of Bighead, but I’ll look into it - I’m a bit sick of superheroes right now, and I’m all for parodies.
09 Apr 2007 at 2:11 pm
Quote