Top Five Fridays 05/23/08
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’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Pigeons from Hell
- Incredible Hercules
- Robin
- Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files
- Batman and the Outsiders
Dave Farabee’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Robin
- The Brave and the Bold
- Batman and the Outsiders
- Hulk Visionaries: John Byrne TP
- X-Factor
Dan Grendell’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Grendel: Devil Child HC
- Robin
- Incredible Hercules
- Hellboy Companion TP
- Grendel: Devil Quest HC
Randy Lander’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Robin
- Batman And The Outsiders
- Pigeons From Hell
- Jim Butchers Dresden Files
- Dynamo 5
D3’s (Dave Martindale) Top Five Books of the Moment
- Robin
- The Amaizing Spider-Man
- Incredible Hercules
- X-Men Origins: Colossus
- Captain America
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Wow, what’s up with Batman and the Outsiders showing up on so many lists all of a sudden?
‘Splain!
23 May 2008 at 11:25 am
Quote1. Captain America
2. Amazing Spider-Man
3. Incredible Hercules
4. X-Factor
5. X-Men Origins: Colossus
23 May 2008 at 11:31 am
QuoteNo particular order, just stuff that jumped out at me this week:
Amazing Spider-man - hotdiggitydog that Marcos Martin draws some purty picshures
Brave and the Bold - nice little old school done-in-one that reminded me of why I used to love Batman and why I currently buy so few DC Comics. I’ll miss Waid on this book.
Flash - just when I was ready to bail on Peyer’s run, he throws in Grodd (I knew that Spin was too boring and thematically heavy-handed to support an arc) and some new wrinkles to get me back in the fold. Williams II seems really suited to this title, too.
Ghost Rider - I’ve never been a GR fan, but Aaron has brought a cool mix of b-movie madness and creepy horror moments to this title while setting up a big suspense story. I think I’m in for the long haul.
X-Men: Divided We Stand - worth the $3.99, and this is coming from someone who hated Young X-Men #1 and doesn’t care what comes after 3 of the 6 chapters in this anthology. All are nice little character pieces, and, hey, Frazer Irving! (all of the art is good, varied and well suited to the story it’s paired with - plus…Frazer Irving!)
23 May 2008 at 12:25 pm
QuoteNo love for ‘the Damned’?? That 2nd issue was gruesome and hilarious.
But in the area of gore, ‘Pigeons From Hell’ out-did ‘the Damned’ by a mile. It was a fun read and better than the first issue, but just plain nasty.
23 May 2008 at 1:48 pm
QuoteIt was a Jason Aaron kind of week for me. I’ve never been a Ghost Rider fan but I’m loving Aaron’s take on the character at an Immortal Iron Fist type-level. It’s that good. Scalped wrapped its latest storyline which was probably the best of the series so far. Scalped doesn’t get as much attention as other Vertigo books like Fables or DMZ but it’s just as good. Hopefully you guys will at least check out Aaron’s stuff in trade.
1. Ghost Rider
2. Scalped
3. Incredible Hercules
4. Captain America
5. Dynamo 5
23 May 2008 at 3:19 pm
QuoteThe Hellboy Companion is really great. It’s absolutely worth the $15 price. Even in black and white Mignola’s artwork looks stunning.
I’m a little ticked at Dynamo 5 this week. I read it as usual and then I get to page seven and I get the cover and the previous six pages again and then it goes straight to the back pin up and back pages and then the back over and then back against through the pin up and blah blah. So, I miss out on the last two thirds of the story. I was also suprised that for a book that doesn’t have a mature warning on it that the word pu**y would be inside of it and you add in the fact that there are women around when Spencer said it felt kinda…suprising.
1.Hellboy Companion TP
2.Batman/Outsiders
3.Captain America
4.Dynamo 5
5.Grendel Behold the Devil
6.Hawaiian Dick
7.Echo
23 May 2008 at 3:30 pm
QuoteThe Damned was very good, basically a long Weekend at Bernie’s fight sequence, but ti didn’t feel like it got much done. I’m kinda wondering how Bunn and Hurtt are gonna wrap it up well in one final issue, actually.
23 May 2008 at 3:40 pm
QuoteThat’s a weird printing error that isn’t really the book’s fault. Mine wasn’t like that- if you take it back to the store you got it from, you should be able to exchange it (unless you got it online, then I have no idea what the procedure is). As far as using the word pussy, I would guess it’s the context there- it’s being used in its meaning as a weakling or coward, not female genitalia. At least around here, one is much more offensive than the other. Just a guess though.
23 May 2008 at 3:45 pm
QuoteI’ve been reading Scalped in trade and enjoying it; it’s damn dark but very intelligently done. I haven’t been feeling a Ghost Rider or Wolverine vibe lately, but I’ll probably check out Aaron’s work on those titles in trade too.
23 May 2008 at 3:48 pm
Quote1. Scalped
2. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
3. Dark Ivory
4. Showcase Presents: Unknown Soldier Vol. 1
5. Midnight Sun
23 May 2008 at 4:04 pm
QuoteIt’s a fun entertaining read. DC, please have Dixon write Green Arrow & Black Canary, I just can’t stand the current writing anymore.
23 May 2008 at 5:56 pm
QuoteI love love love Jason Aaron’s work so far. Scalped is justr amazing, very dark, violent, gritty but intelligently crafted and absolutely gripping. Aaron’s Ghost Rider is just pure 70s exploitation horror fun. His Wolverine arc was great; I hope we will see more Wolverine from him in the future.
23 May 2008 at 9:08 pm
QuoteI’ve actually said that before, it must have just slipped by. It hasn’t made my Top Five or anything, though that has been more an issue of other things overshadowing it when it came out than me being dissatisfied, but I have been following it in the trades.
24 May 2008 at 12:11 am
QuoteIt’s actually something a lot of us have been reading and enjoying, but I would guess the reason it made so many lists this week is:
A) Pretty cool use of Metamorpho’s powers in this one, neat little Batgirl moment, same as always good writing and art
B) Kind of a light week, so there wasn’t as much stuff crowding it off the top five and down into the top ten or below
If there is, Dan will have to write it, because I think he’s the only one of us who’s reading Aaron’s stuff.
For me, I do intend to give Scalped a read at some point, but Aaron seems to me a lot like Azzarello and Ennis: very talented, but kind of a one-trick pony in terms of tone and style. And it’s not a style and tone I’m wild about.
Also, I’ve grown to hate Ghost Rider.
But here’s what I like:
1. Robin - They fixed it! I won’t say much more for fear of, ahem, SPOILERS, but they fixed it. And it was a good read with great action and some cool moments with the car and Robin’s crime-fighting style as well. Dixon can stay on this book forever, as far as I’m concerned. And they need to get all of his stuff with Robin into print, because now I want to reread the whole run and I’m missing a dozen or so issues.
2. Batman And The Outsiders - For all the reasons listed earlier in my response. I’m kind of shocked that Dixon, who is almost always good but rarely great, is writing most of my favorite books at DC at the moment.
3. Pigeons From Hell - Fantastic art, and creepy story. When the dude comes down with the ax in his head? Awesome.
4. Jim Butchers Dresden Files - Recently read the first novel, and so I enjoyed the second issue a little more than the first. Captures the vibe of the series well, wish for art that had a little bit more personality, but it’s solid enough.
5. Dynamo 5 - The “we hate aliens” thing was a bit weird, but it was an interesting reveal, and as always, I’m digging the vibe of this book.
6. Captain America - Yes, damn it, I’m back on board. The reveal of the half-burned Cap was such a great use of Cap continuity, and the characterization and art continues to impress.
7. Brave And The Bold - Yay! Back to the one-off storylines, and much stronger for it. Nice dialing down of asshole Batman to give respect to the Golden Age Flash, nice use of Samurai robots, and nice art from Jerry Ordway.
8. Damned Prodigal Sons - As Dan said, it’s Weekend at Bernie’s by way of Miller’s Crossing and Hellblazer, and while that sounds awful, it’s actually kind of awesome.
9. Grendel Behold The Devil - Running out of gas as it heads for the finish line, and the big reveal of Hunter getting prophetic visions from a demon was *wayy* too overtly supernatural for this character, but… it’s still great Wagner art.
10. Incredible Hercules - Thought this was OK, neat use of various godly pantheons, but I preferred the whole thing grounded in the real world, and setting sail to fight other gods seems to put Amadeus Cho into the background, which I’m not crazy about.
24 May 2008 at 11:43 am
QuoteHopefully your retailer can replace your copy, since that defect wasn’t in the whole print run. But if he can’t, drop me a line (my contact info’s on my website) and I’ll see that you get a copy.
~ Jay
24 May 2008 at 12:50 pm
QuoteIsn’t the Starman Omnibus suppose to hit this week? I’m still waiting for it albeit impatiently.
24 May 2008 at 3:16 pm
QuoteIt was delayed a week, but happily I can report that it will be in shops next Thursday. (Not Wednesday, because of Memorial Day).
Huge week next week, btw. Also looking forward to Jack Kirby’s OMAC HC and (finally) the True Story Swear to God Archives.
24 May 2008 at 4:51 pm
QuoteYes, and it is a harbinger of me being broke. Between that, Omac HC, and the Immortal Iron Fist HC, my wallet just spontaneously exploded.
And yet, I can’t help but be excited about all of these things. I’ve never read Omac but I’ve love the character and the concept ever since the story that Paul Pope did in his issue of Solo. I can only imagine how awesome this is going to be.
Also, Starman just rocks in every sense, so I am definitely looking forward to reading it again in these deluxe hardcover versions.
24 May 2008 at 5:43 pm
QuoteYou the man, Jay.
24 May 2008 at 9:46 pm
QuoteMy Top 5:
1. Captain America
2. Incredible Hercules
3. Amazing Spider-Man
4. Catwoman
5. Godland
Been buying Scapled but not reading it for a while - looks like this weeks was the end of a story arc so I think I’ll sit down at some point over the next couple of days and read the last five or six issues in one hit. That way I might remember what’s going on!
25 May 2008 at 9:10 am
QuoteI just realized that I never updated the site with my Top Five. It might be the night before new books, but better late than never
27 May 2008 at 10:26 pm
QuoteIt might be the night before new books, if new books weren’t delayed by Memorial Day, and they come out on Thursday this week.
27 May 2008 at 11:56 pm
Quote