B.P.R.D. The Ectoplasmic Man
Written by Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Art by Ben Stenbeck & Clem Robins
Published by Dark Horse Comics
The thing that always makes these sorts of "Year One" style stories necessary is that comic book writers make the silly mistake that comics fans only want short, easy-to-tolerate origins. Everybody here at the Factual has always wanted to know exactly what happened, in extensive detail, around the time when Johann first went from being a "medium" that looked like a butler to becoming a ethereal gas-like creature who lives inside a super-suit. Some people might say that his character has been better developed and explored having only touched upon that beginning period, but those people are a minority and are crazy. We say "More full-length extensions of three page sequences, Please!" There's nothing in comics that's as rad as repition. (Well, maybe a week where Marvel puts out 27 comics! That's pretty dope!)
Final Crisis # 2
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by J.G. Jones & Alex Sinclair
Published by DC Comics
The entire comics-reading portion of the Factual Opinion has been torn asunder over our feelings on Final Crisis--there hasn't been this much strife since we all got together and watched Sophie's Choice and got really freaked out by our personal relationships with our mothers. Thankfully, now that initial sales figures have been released, some of our opinions have been confirmed--Final Crisis is not as good as Secret Invasion. 40,000 retail pre-orders make that pretty darn clear. While some of us think it's pretty great to have an involving sequel to Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers epic, the rest of us (the majority, we should add) remember well that Seven Soldiers was weird, not super-popular, and featured a bunch of characters we didn't really know much about. That's pretty much the Webster's definition of a bad comic book. Meanwhile, Secret Invasion has Spidey versus Spidey--hell, you can't make that stuff up. Well, Bendis can, but besides him, you can't make that stuff up. One thing we're pretty sure the rest of the world agrees with is that this art is wrong for a big event comic with Batman in it--paging Gary Frank! Dan Jurgens! Let's get some crowd friendly splash pages up in here. Ya'll gonna make me lose my mind.
1985 # 2
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Tommy Lee Edwards
Published by Marvel Comics
Mark Millar hits another home run--forget about Skrulls "gone crazy," this is the Real Deal, Holyfield epic saga that Marvel fans have been waiting for! Capitalizing on what makes super-hero comics so rewarding, it's full of all of those kinds of moments that comics fans are always thinking about--What If? the Hulk was in the forest, with Bruce Banner's mind, and he talked to you? What It? your dad somehow knew something about the Real Marvel Heroes, and he could use his powers to get back together with your mother? What If? you could go back to those mornings where you lay in bed reading Secret Wars II for the first time? Well, it might be Half As Awesome as 1985, which is probably one of the best Marvel mini-series ever--and yes, we feel confident saying that on the basis of this second issue. There's nowhere to go but up on this priceless gem!
Avengers: The Initiave # 14
Written by Dan Slott & Christos Gage
Art by Stefano Caselli & Daniele Rudoni
Published by Marvel Comics
Nobody at the Factual Opinion had read an issue of Avengers: The Initiative before--why didn't you tell us what we were missing!? Short background: this comic is full of characters we'd never heard of before--there is a guy who wears 3-D glasses, a ton of ladies in tight clothing with great nubile bodies, and a whole rainbow of personalities and quirks. It's also got this great sequence where the heroes eat lunch in a big cafeteria, and they get their food from one of those snack bar/buffet lines that they have in public schools--it's like, hey, they're just like us! (Except they are still eating lunch in cafeterias, which I guess if you do when you're an adult it means you are in prison or work in a factory or something, but still, pretty cool, right?) Not a whole lot happens in the issue except for some crazy fighting and a goofy 3-D glasses trick at the end--watch out for the Skrulls! They are a-coming! Well, a-coming some more, a bunch are already here! Make mine Marvel!
Daredevil # 108
Written by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
Art by Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano & Matt Hollingsworth
Published by Marvel Comics
Daredevil is the kind of comic book that walks up to your butt and says "Let me introduce you to...the edge of your seat!" These are the sorts of stories that the words "pulse" and "pounding" were created to be used as descriptive terms by way of combination. "Hello, awesome--why yes, of course you can live in my pants!" To all of you who gave up on Daredevil because you were tired of reading about what it was about before, time to get it together and acknowledge that it is the same as it was before, only better, which means it is perfect multiplied by great, with a dash of "Let's Get It On." Hey waiter--I really need to pay my bill. I've got moody noir comic books to read! This guy looks like Ben Affleck!
The Immortal Iron Fist # 16
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by David Aja & Matt Hollingsworth
Published by Marvel Comics
Matt Fraction is certainly departing The Immortal Iron Fist on a high-note--in fact, if the note was any higher we'd probably have to test him for blood-doping! Hey, just kidding, but this is a great issue of The Immortal Iron Fist. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that The Immortal Iron Fist is only interesting when it's a lot of fighting and stuff---those people are wrong. Wrong with a capital "W". The Immortal Iron Fist can be just as interesting when he's teaching little poor kids how to fight, and tempting them with the promise of nunchucks if they get better grades in math class. He can be even more interesting, to the point where we are comfortable dropping a little "fascinating" as adjective, when he is buying a building in Times Square so that he and Luke Cage can try to recapture their youth. Beyond even that, The Immortal Iron Fist can become "the only comic book that truly matters" when you mix all that aforementioned stuff with a little dash of "let's talk about how serious our relationship is, and our possible future" by way of Danny's girlfriend.
The Mighty Avengers # 15
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by John Romita Jr, Klaus Jansen, Tom Palmer & Edgar Delgado
Published by Marvel Comics
There aren't many artists who could barely finish their pencils, call it "breakdowns" and turn out one of the sexiest pieces of comics on the stands. In fact, that list is probably only Greg Land and John Romita Jr. So thank god, because it's JRJ on details this month--bringing the abstract, "arty" nature of his stylish work on super-hero classic Mighty Avengers--in the making? Fuck that, we were already at that on the first issue! Like this weeks brilliant "This is your life, Skrull Spider-Woman," this issue of the Mighty-Good Avengers tears whole-heartedly into the story of Hank "Green Skinned Liar" Pym, and let's be totally honest here: Marvel hasn't published this incisive of a character analysis ever. You're only going to find something this involved in motives and feelings if you take a look at The Great Gatsby or Pale Fire--just trust us though, because neither of those books have pictures or big fight sequences. Ain't no party like a The Mighty Avengers character development party!
Ms. Marvel # 28
Written by Brian Reed
Art by Adriana Melo, Mariah Benes & Chris Sotomayor
Published by Marvel Comics
The biggest problems with all those hot chicks that Frank Miller draws in Sin City is that they are all way too over-sexualized and are often immoral prostitutes who should be punished for being harlots. Hey, Frank Miller didn't write Ms. Marvel this month, did he? No, he didn't, Brian Reed did, and Mr. Reed did a totally super job--he made it like a Sin City comic without all the inappropriate sex. Ms. Marvel decides to put her emotions on "hold" and answer her "call waiting" BEEP--it's Skrulls, in Manhattan. Time to Kick-Ass! And man she does, and boy is it awesome. Some people might say that comics that are just multiple pages of fight sequences between the main hero and a bunch of nondescript cannon fodder aren't that interesting--those people are so crizz-azzy. Because this was great--Ms. Marvel even took one of the Skrulls and stared at him in space while the guy suffocated or ran out of air--I'm not sure, I'm not an astronaut. Great work Marvel!
The New Avengers # 42
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Jim Cheung, John Dell & Justin Ponsor
Published by Marvel Comics
If you haven't been keeping up with Secret Invasion, you have bad taste--there, we said it. The Factual hates placing value judgments on what people enjoy, but these are seriously the best comic books that have ever been printed. Exhibit 4,359: New Avengers #42. Brian Michael "The King" Bendis paints together more of the back-story of Queen Skrull Spider-Woman, and I think we now know why she wasn't intimidated by Wolverine when he threatened her while she was taking a shower. (A naked shower, rated PG-13.) Because she can totally kick Logan's ass, that's why. If he wants to play peeping Tom, fine--she'll play Kill You Later And Eradicate Your Friends Tom. Claw away-you can't stop the Queen!
Secret Invasion Runaways & Young Avengers # 1
Written by Chris Yost
Art by Takeshi Miyazawa & Christina Strain
Published by Marvel Comics
If you're not a reader of Runaways or the Young Avengers, you probably will make the mistake of ignoring this short Secret Invasion tie-in by thinking that you won't enjoy it because you don't know the characters--don't worry about that! This entire issue depicts all of the characters as having the same exact personality, and all of the dialog is completely interchangeable--just memorize their outfits and you'll have a great time! Also, they are all children, except for that red and green robot character, and they're really cool--like you're definitely going to wish you could hang with these kids outside of the comic book, no matter how old you might be. (Even if you used to watch Bonanza, Grand-Dad!) There's this part where they hang out in the sewers too, just like in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles--here's hoping for a cross-over!
Ultimate Spider-Man # 123
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger & Justin Ponsor
Published by Marvel Comics
Whoa, mothers, lock up your daughters! Husbands and pets too...Venom is back, and he'll eat you! This is a half-and-half style issue: half is talking--blah blah, whatever! The other half though is a bunch of fighting, which, hey, fighting, that's why you read these buggers, right? Fight Fight Fight! Blood on the tracks! Right? Right? Right! Right! RIGHT. Seriously though, the Ultimate version of Venom is pretty cool--he's sort of in love with Spider-Man, which kind of makes us feel uncomfortable, because they're both dudes and this is a comic for 7 year olds, you know, we didn't fight an unholy war against vampire nazis on the landing strip of a Jello based aircraft carrier somewhere off the coast of the dark side of Kansas so that our children could watch a couple of men have sex inside a cartoon museum. Other than that--we say Bring It On! (No penis please.)
Sort of Tucker Stone, 2008
What's wrong with you? No, seriously, what's wrong with you? I've got no problem with any of your opinions, but outright mocking everyone who disagrees with you about anything? Who are you trying so hard to impress? The three people in the world who agree with you about everything?
Now, you're probably going to think I'm annoyed because you disagree with me. No. No, I'm annoyed because you're being an ass.
Posted by: Mory Buckman | 2008.06.29 at 17:59
Great job! Insightful, thoughtful, sincere opinions, they show why you're one of the best bloggers in comics... perhaps the world of entertainment! I walk away enlightened and entertained every time you deign to allow yourself to read comics.
Posted by: Chris Eckert | 2008.06.30 at 12:20
Tucker, that was a screaming good time. Which means I probably shouldn't read you at the office anymore.
I'm not sure I parsed through the irony on all of these -- Daredevil, for instance -- but hell, anyone who reviews comic books in the voice of a hyperactive 12-year-old from about 1992 and still works in a reference to Pale Fire is not to be nitpicked.
Posted by: Guy Smiley | 2008.06.30 at 17:29
Dude, you're almost exactly three months late.
Posted by: Matthew J. Brady | 2008.07.01 at 00:13
You started off really well, Tucker, but you're as tired as Dorian Wright at this point.
Posted by: Dan Coyle | 2008.07.01 at 17:34
Hey Guy, Glad you Enjoyed it.
Hey Matt, I get it now.
Hey the rest of you. Just hey.
Posted by: Tucker Stone | 2008.07.01 at 23:56