Top Five Mondays 01/07/08
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
- Annihilation Conquest
- The End League
- Thunderbolts
- Dynamo 5
- Uncanny X-Men
Dave Farabee
- Thunderbolts
- Buffy
- Hedge Knight 2: Sworn Sword
- Annihilation Conquest
- Hack/Slash
Dan Grendell
- Path of the Assassin V.8
- Annihilation Conquest
- Thunderbolts
- Dynamo 5
- Uncanny X-Men
Randy Lander
- Annihilation Conquest
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Dynamo 5
- Hack/Slash
- Invincible Presents Atom Eve
David Martindale (D3)
- Captain America
- Thor
- Uncanny X-Men
- Annihilation Conquest
- The End League
Loading ...
Hmm. I’m actually not picking up anything this week (stuff like Cap, Annihilation, and Thunderbolts I’m getting in trade), but I think I’m interested in checking out The End League and Dynamo 5 now.
07 Jan 2008 at 3:16 am
QuoteI need to catch up on the whole Annihilation thing. I grabbed the first trade and liked it, but I’m not completely sold yet. The fact that it gets so much consistent love here is definitely a sign.
And Thunderbolts. Gotta put that on my list, too.
I really didn’t care for Buffy, though. With the return of Whedon, the dialogue was so dense and muddled, it further highlighted what was said about issue seven - that Vaughn ‘out-Whedons’ Whedon.
07 Jan 2008 at 8:22 am
Quote1. Northlanders
2. Dynamo 5
3. End League
4. Messiah Complex
5. Hedge Knight 2: Sworn Sword
07 Jan 2008 at 8:48 am
QuoteNot a lot to choose from (and Gravel & Doktor Sleepless didn’t arrive at my local comic store yet) so:
1. Thunderbolts
2. The End League
3. Annihilation Conquest
4. Uncanny X-Men
5. Dynamo 5
07 Jan 2008 at 11:29 am
QuoteAnnihilation [spoiler] Conquest
Moondragon was a way better character when she wasn’t a dragon!
Space lesbians are as super-terrific as things get without being called “nachos”, but Quasar sobbing over a dragon body isn’t nearly as (hot)effective as sobbing over that of a bald chick.
In fact compromising the final moment like that is like my bachelor party setting out for Scores but ending up at Chucky Cheese.
Seriously. Go back and fix it, Marvel.
07 Jan 2008 at 12:51 pm
QuoteMan, that was a rough week. Seriously, I think the only thing I read that I would recommend was the consistently good Dynamo 5.
I’m with Murphy on Buffy - I never thought I would feel let down by a Whedon-penned Slayer-verse story, but that (along with some confusion, tedium and a little depression) is exactly what I felt with this issue. Uncanny was fine, but MC is wearing on me and I really just want the reveals and new status quo now. Conquest is rapidly losing me; Ultron-lanx or whatever is a dud as the villain and I don’t feel any pull toward the protagonists (couldn’t we have just followed Nova, Star Lord and Super-Skrull again?). Northlanders comes the closest, I guess: the art is really strong - dig that swordfight! - but I typically reserve judgment on Vertigo offerings until at least one arc is in the long box.
Not related to last week, but is anyone reading Iron Man these days? I’ve recently caught up on back issues after enjoying the second WWH tie-in issue that establishes the espionage setting & SHIELD supporting cast, and am enjoying it quite a bit. Seems in the vein of what Brubaker is doing in Captain America, but from the establishment’s perspective. And if you only read Tony Stark in those two books and The Order, he’s more of just a well-meaning but flawed sometimes jerk and less of a fascist.
07 Jan 2008 at 1:44 pm
QuoteTwo weeks worth of comics for me and it’s still a struggle to get a top 5:
1. Thunderbolts
2. Captain America
3. Thor
4. Daredevil
5. Fantastic Four: Isla de la Murta
Messiah Complex, Action Comics & Ultimate Human were ok
07 Jan 2008 at 2:51 pm
Quote1.Northlanders-Big step up from the first issue and I enjoyed the first issue quite a bit.
2.Dynamo 5-All you need to know about this series is the certain review that is on the back of this issue(10).
3.The End League-I think this has the potential to be the next big superhero book that isn’t being put out by Marvel or DC.
4.Midnight Sun-Though the price for this was a bit steep I wanted to buy this and really dug it. A nice mystery story that I’ve never heard about and was really well done and done in black and white which makes it that much better.
5.Detective Comics-Poor poor Ra’s.
6.Buffy the Vampire Slayer-A fun issue. Nothing spectaular but good fun.
7.Atomic Robo-I really enjoyed the first two issues more but another fun story and can’t wait for the next issue.
8.Supergirl-While not great this series seems to finally have something of a direction.
07 Jan 2008 at 4:26 pm
QuoteMan, where did Karl Kerschl come from? His art is absolutely awesome! Teen Titans Y1 isn’t the best written book, but its definitely my top for the week, art-wise. I wish they would put him on the Flash as a regular artist. His look could produce the definite form for the character. I’m looking forward to seeing what Kerschl will do in the future.
07 Jan 2008 at 5:09 pm
QuoteKerschl’s been around since the 90’s, but most recently he’s been working for DC, doing a run on Adventures of Superman with Greg Rucka and Majestic. He’s also the current cover artist on Countdown and did the covers for Secret Six. If you like the way he draws Flash, he did issue #3 of Flash: Fastest Man Alive and the one-shot All-Flash, too.
07 Jan 2008 at 6:50 pm
QuoteI think we can all agree that superhero comics need more sexy space lesbians in them.
My Top Five:
1. The End League
2. Fantastic Four - Isla de la Murta
3. Thunderbolts
4. Captain America
5. Teen Titans - Year One (mostly for the art, though. WoW.)
07 Jan 2008 at 6:59 pm
QuoteI was saddened by the lack of real drama with Annihilation, too. Which is too bad because the minis were fantastic. I think Giffen did a much better job juggling all of his stories in his main line book than A&L are doing. I agree with s1rude (?) in that they should have stuck with their stronger core group, like Nova and more about Star Lord. Still, it isn’t a bad comic but not as engrossing as the earlier books which to me were the best things Marvel has done in a long while (outside of Runaways, natch).
Well, space lesbians being my true passion outside of…well, Terrestrial lesbians, I suppose…I also agree that the Moondragon stuff didn’t ring with me. Lesbian stuff aside (I can’t believe I am saying that…), she really wasn’t a Dragon long enough to get to know her and care about her again as she was in her relationship with Quasar as a human. I think the move to Dragon would have made more sense if they had a bit more time to flesh out the reasons, their new relationship (if Moondragon steals the covers…let her!!), and so on then it might of worked. Now it simply comes off as rushed.
On the positive side, it still ain’t Civil War, so it has that going for it.
07 Jan 2008 at 7:32 pm
QuoteI have to say, I’m kind of surprised by the lack of love for Annihilation Conquest. I’ve been really digging it, and I think the seemingly unbeatable Phalanx, headed up by Ultron, is as interesting (if not more interesting) than Annihilus’s drone army and Heralds. I’ll admit that I’m not dying for each issue the way I am books like The Order and Dynamo 5, but I didn’t have that sort of enthusiasm for the original Annihilation either… it wasn’t until it was over that I sat down and read and loved the whole thing.
On Karl Kerschl, as Dan notes, he’s been around a while. One of my favorite more obscure projects he did was a really cool (no pun intended) Iceman miniseries. And he’s got a fantastic webcomic going right now called The Abominable Charles Christopher. Definitely check it out.
All told, though this was a *super* light week, I was pretty pleased with it.
1. Annihilation Conquest - Has definitely hit that “Holy crap, how are the heroes going to win this” point
2. Buffy #10 was my favorite issue of the series thus far. Love the Willow/Buffy and Xander/Dawn character interaction.
3. Dynamo 5 was great as usual
4. Hack/Slash was a lot of fun and I really need to go back and read the last few issues. Vlad’s continuing development, and Cassie’s insensitivity to it, is a very interesting subplot. Plus there’s a blood-bathing lesbian secret society. And that trumps lesbian space dragons in jeopardy.
5. Invincible Presents Atom Eve - I’m a week behind on this one, but I really enjoyed this glimpse into Atom Eve’s origins.
Also really dug Northlanders #2 (it’s solid, not spectacular, but promising), the latest Thunderbolts (not digging the second arc as much as the first, but it’s still really good) and I want to read Overman #2, but we sold out before I got a chance.
08 Jan 2008 at 2:54 am
QuoteI’m also a week behind, so like Glen, there’s two weeks of love here:
1. Messiah Complex - First time in years that I feel like I’m reading the X-Men I read as a teenager. Liking the story quite a bit, even if I saw the Madrox discovery coming a mile away.
2. Captain America - Consistent love for this book. So good.
3. Annihilation: Conquest - This was the weakest issue so far, but it was still a good one.
4. Thunderbolts - Another good read. Venom amused me more than he probably should have.
5. The End League - An interesting beginning. I’ll get the next one.
6. Buffy - Not a knockout issue, but I always enjoy it. I agree with Randy about the Xander/Dawn interaction. Best part of the book.
Still haven’t read Northlanders #2, so I can’t comment yet. Maybe it’ll be on next week’s list. And I really need to check out Dynamo 5, based on the positive buzz it keeps getting.
08 Jan 2008 at 3:48 am
QuoteThanks for the link to Kerschl’s webcomic, Randy. I did read those Flash books you mentioned, Dan and I wish he would have been on for the entire first arc of Fastest Man Alive. I guess I am just surprised with his talent of cartooning that he hasn’t been on bigger books although the newest cover for Countdown is fantastic.
08 Jan 2008 at 4:22 am
QuoteTouché, sir.
08 Jan 2008 at 1:26 pm
QuoteI haven’t seen anyone ask so I’ll be the annoying bastard to do so..any chances for Down the Line this week?
08 Jan 2008 at 10:53 pm
QuoteIt should be up in the next day or two. I’d just like to point out that my part has been done for a while, but Randy got Rock Band for Christmas, so there has been a slight delay.
09 Jan 2008 at 10:42 am
QuoteAh so that explains it.
09 Jan 2008 at 9:39 pm
Quote