fish status report

Click here for an up to the minute status report on the health of Abe Vigoda. Besides playing the cranky old cop with bowel problems on Barney Miller his finest role was Sal Tessio in The Godfather. Think good thoughts for him, won't you? Thanks to Mark Evanier for blogging about this first.

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Justin G reviews a go-go

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new supes

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Bumperboy is growing up

When I first blogged about Bumperboy each issue was still hand-made by the creator Debbie Huey. Now she's gone and won a Xeric award and her minis are being collected by Adhouse Books. A great all-ages indy success story. Keep it up, Debbie!

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It's an honor just to be nominated

Hijinx Willow Glen has been nominated for the 2005 Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing award! We have to make a 5 minute video to present to the judges showing them the glory that is Hijinx, as well as documenting our commitment to diversity and our involvement with the community. It's truly an honor for such a new store to be nominated and I want to thank whoever did it for recognizing all of our hard work here at the store.

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24 hour wrap-up

Two of our three participants actually finished their books with time to spare, while one is now regretting his choice to use full sized bristol board instead of something smaller. I'll let you figure out who finished...

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24 hour comics hour 10

Dan gets punchy

I'm starting to entertain paranoid fantasies of rearranging the store tonight when my willpower drops to it's lowest ebb. Be afraid...

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24 hour comics hour 5

Bonni joins the crew

Another late arrival, Bonni Moeller joins the Hijinx 24HCD crew. She's already asked if she can do more than 24 pages. Let's see how she feels about it around 3 am.

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24 hour comics hour 4

Just along for the ride

Meet Rusty who doesn't have the time to participate in 24HCD this year, but is here to write a paper about it for his high school English class.

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24 hour comics hour 3

Auggie took two for the team

Auggie will be in and out of the store throughout the day and into the night. He's currently recovering from a little procedure and has to wear the Elizabethan collar for another week!

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24 hour comics hour 2

Carmen Ogden better late than never!

Hour 2 and the artists are working diligently. Dementia shouldn't set in for hours yet.

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24 hour comics hour 2

Jarred Russell starts off strong

Only one hour in and I'm already behind in my blogging. So far we've got Jarred Russell and Carmen Ogden participating, and a long day ahead of us. Jarred works for Avanquest as a graphic designers where he works on stuff like this:

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oh, that Dennis!

Hot on the heels of the Complete Peanuts launch, Fantagraphics is at it again with Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace. Hank Ketcham was a terrific artist and his work is worth a second (or even third) look before you dismiss him based on the TV show and lame movies. You know, if Dennis was a kid today he'd be put on ritalin and forbidden to carry a slingshot. What a world we live in!

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Jim Blanchard's little chicken

Hijinx mascot designer and comics renaissance man Jim Blanchard was asked to customize a Chicken Little figurine to be auctioned off for charity and to promote the upcoming Disney film.

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24 hours of crankiness

a caffeine molecule

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why I don't like roller coasters

Rideaccidents.com is a website that aggregates news of carnival ride accidents from around the world. A bit morbid, but fun and whimsical at the same time!

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sidewalk sale report

The first day of our 23rd anniversary sidewalk sale is not even over yet, and we've already smashed our sales goals for the entire weekend! But there are still tons of great bargains to be had, and starting Sunday, all the books are only 25 cents each! Don't miss out!

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Justin G reviews comics

Powers #10
Marvel Comics, Icon
by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming

Say what you will about Bendis, but the man has stamina. He's coming up on 50 issues of Powers and his crime/superhero opus is still as entertaining as the very first issue. This arc centers around Blackguard's missing power jewel, the investigation of how it got onto the open market, and a series of deaths and odd incidents surrounding it. Bendis is very good at layering concurrent plot elements, some of which are recent, some stretching back to the very first arc of the series. Like little girl turned Retro Girl replacement, Calista. It's nice to see her still working out her powers and trying to live up to Walker's perception of responsibility. I like the nuanced developments with Deena's mysterious powers apparently about to erupt. This is being handled in a subdued way. And when Bendis does turn to long bouts of expository dialogue to provide backstrory and character motivations, such as with Blackguard's wife, we don't mind because if feels right. His ear for dialogue feels so natural and is downright entertaining. Yup, Powers is still quite strong and only loses a bit of the innovative feel it started with because the arcs seem to now follow a repetitive and predictable pattern of shocking incident, initial investigation, red herring, investigation, exposition, and resolution. B+

Iron Man #3
Marvel Comics
by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov

"A super soldier biological compiler" being sold to militants on the open market. I love Warren Ellis! I love what he's doing with Iron Man, we really never have seen anything like this before with Tony Stark. What a different, original take on a classic character. The intrigue slowly unfolds in a very engaging manner, we feel as if the characters are really talking to each other trying to figure it all out while we listen in, they're not talking at the audience. Ellis uses the Iron Man armor very sparingly, reserving it for appearances that we can truly enjoy due to their scarcity. When the armor is on screen, it seems so realistic. How would a real man wearing this suit act? How would a real weapons system display interact with the user? Would a real person like Tony be cautious with its usage, the interaction with police, the heads up call to the Avengers? Wouldn't something as basic as the phone protocol to the Avengers be just that secure and intricate? Yes, I think it would! And the fight scenes! He's just Iron Man here, not the Invincible Iron Man. You can hurt this guy. And the altercation happens so quickly that there is no time for exchanging silly banter with the bad guy. Yet again, Ellis applies his science fiction sensibility to another concept. What if a rich idustrialist had a suit of armor? What would this world feel like? I am really enjoying him fleshing out a believable corner of the Marvel U inhabited by his distinct version of Iron Man. Small things like the explanation of how the repulsor beams work just go to show that the devil is in the details. Granov's art is working very well. Sort of a mix between John Cassaday and Christian Gossett's CG masterpiece The Red Star. Very good panel to panel visual storytelling, especially in the fight scenes. I enjoyed issue 3 so much that I went back and re-read the first 2 issues immediately (I mean it has been a while, right?). Come on guys, don't leave us hanging for more issues! A-

Adam Strange #7 (of 8)
DC Comics
by Andy Diggle and Pascal Ferry

Poor Adam Strange. He really is a cool character. I feel like I just fell for this whole bait and switch thing hook, line, and sinker. What began as a classic DC sci-fi romp with neat action sequences and inventive art has quickly become 2-3 page vomit sessions of expository dialogue that is really nothing more than set up for the Rann/Thanagar War mini-series spinning out of the DC Countdown event. I feel like there are too many loose ends here (Braniac and Legion, The Omega Men, Thanagarians, Strange's family on Rann, Starbreaker, references to The Justice League, etc.) than can be tied up satisfactorily. The art is still very purdy, though feels a bit rushed and not as detailed or inticately rendered as the first couple of issues. C+

Flight: Volume 2
Image Comics
by Various, Edited by Kazu Kibuishi

I like almost everything about the follow up Flight anthology, except most of the actual comics. Let me explain. I liked that I saw the Flight crew at the Alternative Press Expo (APE) in SF last year and that you could feel the buzz around the booth, the "darling of the show" the press aptly called them. I like that Jim Valentino from Image "discovered" them at that show and I literally saw that happen before my eyes. That's one of the most dynamic things about that convention and the industry in general, that's how quickly it can happen. It's very reassuring to creators trying to break in and to some extent restores my faith in the industry. I like that this year at APE, the Flight booth was crammed with about 20 people out front and I actually had to wait in line to chat with Editor/Contributor Kazu Kibuishi. They were selling copies of this anthology faster than they could restock the table. I like that there is a concerted effort to thematically link all of the pieces, they either literally depict the act of flight or figuratively showcase that concept, as in "taking flight" from a situation. I like that they seem to be gaining momentum, this volume is nearly double the size of the first, and the production quality remains extremely high.

My issue is that this falls into the trap that so many anthologies do, I just didn't like the majority of the pieces it contained. And it bothered me that creators whose pieces I did enjoy in Volume 1 were nowhere to be found in Volume 2. Before I start sounding too negative, let me say that my absolute favorite piece was Wilford's Stroll by Justin Ridge. A very imaginative piece, sans dialogue, that tells such a satisfying and intriguing tale of discovery and wonder. Ridge is an absolute master storyteller and very effectively conveys emotion via facial expressions and body language. I love, love, love this story. I was so moved by this story that I even contacted him the very next day over email to inquire about purchasing some of the original artwork. I also enjoyed the autobiographical The Golden Temple by Neil Babra, which is a travelogue style story reminiscent of Craig Thompson's Carnet de Voyage. Dust on the Shelves by Bannister is a charming little story about love found in a comic shop. Icarus by Johanne Matte was done very well and Kazus Kibuishi's The Orange Grove was a very insightful look at missed opportunity that "most times feels as though the memory of what never was would be sweeter than anything that could have been." I was very into Ride by Rodolphe Guenoden, which centers around the correlation of death and danger with lust and the physical chase. So that's 6 pieces out of a total of 33 offered, or about 18% enjoyment. Not a very successful rate and I have a couple of theories on why Flight seems to be largely an "honorable failure" for me personally.

Sometimes, I think that the pieces I don't like try too hard to be intellectual. In their quest to be complex or heady, they actually become obtuse. They border on being pretentious. Tendergrass by Matthew Woodson and WeatherVain by Hope Larson fall into this category for me. Some just seem to meander all over the place and go nowhere like Ghost Trolley by Rad Sechrist. Steven Grant over at Comic Book Resources (CBR) has been currently putting on a very insightful series of online workshops for creators and one of his writing rules is that all plot elements introduced have to contain some sort of pay off or resolution. Reading Flight, I was often reminded of the importance of providing this element while plotting to ensure audience satisfaction or emotional resonance. Some pieces seemed to force feed a political message or cautionary tale too hard. Skyblue or Laika by Doug Holgate fit well into this category.

By comparison, the pieces I did enjoy relied on relatively simple and focused messaging that came across much more clear and powerful. Wilford's Stroll nailed a sense of wonder and amazement. It was magical and was conveyed clearly in the visuals. Icarus went straight for the humor and totally delivered both visually and verbally. The Orange Grove was uncompromising in it's themes of missed opportunity and familial obligation. I loved how Ride so clearly captured the idea of death and lust being linked. The pay off of the last panel, with no expository dialogue, was very impressive.

The other comparison I am forced to make because it's fresh in my mind and was reviewed here at Hijinx is the recent anthology by AdHouse Books, Project: Superior. When I look at Flight, I am struck by how many creator bios reveal work in animation and it definitely comes across in their work. Pieces like Blip Pop by Ryan Sias, The Flying Bride by Giuseppe Ferrario, or La Sonadora by Joana Carneiro all made me feel as if I was watching Saturday morning cartoons. This is not negative in and of itself, but it's really not what I want from a comic book anthology. Project: Superior feels direct and pure, like authentic comic books. Paul Pope's thick and inky style and Brian Maruca's Afrodisiac could only exist in comics and I feel they're more representative of the true medium.

This is an odd review to sum up because there were a handful of pieces that really hit the mark, but there was a very high percentage that I just did not personally respond well to whatsoever. I have to look at effort vs. results. If someone told me they had $25 to spend, I'd recommend Project: Superior over Flight: Volume 2 in a heads up comparison. Or I'd suggest as a more adventurous option, purchasing Flight Editor Kazu Kibuishi's Daisy Kutter (a seamless mix of robots, Western, an off type romance, and nice touches like games of Texas Hold 'Em) and leaving enough money left over for a down payment on the Project: Superior Hardcover.

Something I rarely do is explain my grade, but I feel it's appropriate here. Good production quality and good execution resulting in nothing I responded to would get a flat C. If i liked close to half of the pieces, that would push us into B territory. But I only liked a sprinkling here, which keeps us in the C+ area. However, the pieces I liked were so strong they'd all get an A or A+, pushing the overall package to B-

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Justin G reviews more comics

It seems that everyone had made up their mind about this book before it even came out. It smacks of Identity Crisis! It upsets continuity! It's disrespectful to the humorous era of JLA/JLI/JLE! Oh the horror, they cried! I was anxious to read it and make my own evaluation. I went into it with my normal guidelines. Regardless of continuiuty and external factors, is it just entertaining in and of itself? Is it well executed in both writing and art, do they hold up to scrutiny? And does it deliver on its promise, achieving what it intended to do?

Most critics took issue with the way everyone blatantly disregarded Blue Beetle's concern. Someone is clearly attacking Ted Kord both financially and physically and the big name JLA'ers seem to think he's just paranoid, goofy ol' Beetle. I can accept Batman blowing him off, doesn't seem to be too out of character for him lately. Whether you like the justification for it or not, he has alienated Oracle, Nightwing, and everyone close to him, so why hesitate to ignore a self proclaimed second stringer? The one that does seem extremely out of character is Martian Manhunter, his reaction to Beetle's concern was jarring and pushed me right out of the story. The Manhunter from Mars is typically very calm and collected, exhibiting a great deal of concern for all JLA'ers past and present, whether you're Superman or a Reservist. I don't know about being the "spinal cord" of the league, but he has certainly been the glue holding all the disparate members together through every incarnation. Yet here he is ready to dispatch Hawkman and Hawkgirl to Rann based solely on a message fragment from Adam Strange, but he can't be bothered with an attempted murder, while the victim is standing right beside him in the Watchtower. That characterization was unacceptable.

I did like the moments between Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. I thought this was a touching and insightful look into their surprisingly complex friendship. I liked all of the continuity references that were dropped. The references to the original Crisis, the hint of the Marvel family slipping off to other worlds, the links to Identity Crisis, the absolutely cool reference to Booster taking the first hit from Doomsday on the fateful day that Superman died. I thought Beetle's narration throughout the book was very strong. His stoic attitude about death and acknowledgment that there would be a third Blue Beetle to carry on the mantle. His description of Starfire was a very nice touch.

Beetle has always been goofy, but he's not stupid. The second he sees the knight symbol on the monitor, wouldn't he intuitively recognize that was a Checkmate compound? And since when is Maxwell Lord such a threat? I have a harder time accepting that Lord is so capable than I do accepting the portrayal of Beetle as so inconsequential as to be a petty annoyance to the JLA. If Max really wanted to eradicate the world of metahumans, wouldn't he just publicize all the secret identities of the heroes he's assembled files on in a massive havoc-inducing media blitz? Wouldn't it be more efficient to do that? Allowing him to then swoop in and play the hero role while managing the aftermath with his Checkmate army?

Eroding the humorous era aside, I thought the execution was decent. The art was competent enough overall with some strong spots, particularly from Morales. The cover also bothers me. It's pretty enough thanks to Jim Lee and Alex Ross, but I'm not a big fan of covers that have little to do with the events inside the book. It also paint Bats as way more compassionate than he actually proves to be in the story. With regard to writing, I did have issues with some of the characterization and logic of the Maxwell Lord plot. So far, I'd say we're at about a C grade with my first two criteria, but let's not forget the third. Delivering on intent.

I have to say it, this was a brilliant marketing device. It reminds me of a "loss leader" in the supermarket. Sell a dozen eggs for a dollar, lose money on it even, but it gets people in the store. When they're in the store, they'll likely pick up milk, bread, and a few vegetables, where you really make your money. 80 pages for a buck, serving as a launch point for at least 4 new mini-series. Definitely an A for this piece of the equation.

But let's look at those mini-series again. Some cosmic mystical mumbo-jumbo with The Spectre and the Wizard Shazam? Pass. Another villain team up? Pass. The Rann-Thanagar War? Eh, I've really enjoyed the Adam Strange mini-series, but I think I've gotten my fix for a while. The OMAC Project? Yeah, sure. I'll check it out primarily for Greg Rucka's writing. So I'm at 25% interest for the four mini-series that I'm supposed to jump on to as a result of this event. Loss leader? I feel like I bought the dollar eggs and then found sour milk, stale bread, and just a couple of nice tomatoes to buy.

C on overall entertainment, C on execution due to some major characterization and logic flaws, and an A for marketing, but limited appeal of follow up projects. Total package, C+.

Richard Dragon #11
DC Comics
by Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel, and Andy Owens

The best way to sum it up is that this book is just a guilty pleasure for me. It's never going to win any awards, there's no buzz surrounding it, and I give it another 6 months before it's cancelled. But I like it. It's just a really fun time. This is a prime example of grading based on expectation. Spectacular action oriented art from McDaniels, martial arts, a light sprinkling of Eastern philosophy, Dixon doing his steady, consistent characterization, and lots of guest appearances (Lady Shiva, Nightwing, Green Arrow, and Bronze Tiger just off the top of my head). Good times, deserving of a solid B.

Ocean #5 (of 6)
DC Comics, Wildstorm
by Warren Ellis, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story

Warren Ellis is very good at what I term "classic science fiction." He understands that engaging sci-fi does not necessarily require the inclusion of spaceships, aliens, laser beams, and special effects. He understands that good sci-fi begins with an interesting core premise. What if we found humanoids frozen in ice below the surface of another planet? What sort of alternate history would unwrap from that concept? What would we do? What would it mean? You then superimpose that idea with plausible reactions from The Scientist, The Cop, The Rookie, The Evil Corporation, and The Everyman archetypes. If you then get to add cool spaceships, fun technology, androids, and wormholes, then that's just icing on the cake.

Chris Sprouse appears to be at the top of his game with those clean, smooth, consistent lines that work as perfectly during the action sequences as they do during the talking heads bits.

There were spots in this issue that brought to mind Brian DePalma's Mission to Mars. It also felt like it was all filler until the climactic conclusion, but hey, it is the 5th issue of a 6-issue mini-series so that's to be expected. Those minor quibbles aside, I think this is shaping up to be my second favorite work by Ellis, the first remaining Planetary. I was also pleased to see that this basically shipped regularly unlike say Tokyo Storm Warning or, well, Planetary for that matter. What is it with Ellis having these brilliant shot gun blasts of writing, then seemingly abandoning them for months? But I digress...

I'm really hoping that the conclusion of Ocean is as interesting as the build up and that the conclusion leaves me satisfied. B+

BPRD: The Dead #5 (of 5)
Dark Horse Comics
by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Guy Davis

This issue serves up a great finale to another wonderful adventure of the BPRD. Readers finally get some long-awaited explanation surrounding Abe Sapien's origin. I loved the introduction of Captain Daimio to the BPRD cast, who is a remarkably grounded access point among a wonderfully eclectic and interesting cast of regulars. His rather utilitarian reliance on guns and no frills disposal of Dr. Eis was a great moment. Another thrilling moment was the very cinematic entrance of Johann with his pack of gear on. Everyone seems to be stepping up to fill the void left by Hellboy. Especially Roger. I'm really warming to him as a de facto leader at times. His willingness to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Hellboy and be the one who doesn't hesitate and simply jumps on the monster's head to give it a good whack is impressive. Guy Davis remains as strong as ever. I've loved him since Sandman Mystery Theatre and he's proven to be very well suited to Mignola's unique universe. I think fans are all really excited to see the projects on deck, another BPRD story arc and the Mignola-helmed follow up to the last Hellboy series. Another great issue of this epic series waiting for its TPB dressing on my bookshelf. Grade A.

Popbot Reader: Volume 1
IDW Publishing
by Ashley Wood and Various

Ashley Wood's world of robots, feline rock stars, and scantily clad female lovers and assassins is really quite imaginative and unique. One of my favorite books in the last 5 years was Automatic Kafka with Joe Casey. That book was a post-modern work with really biting commentary on the industry and an original look at the superhero paradigm. In my opinion, it deserves a cult following like Flex Mentallo. Yes, I love Ashley Wood's art and wild ideas. But he makes it so hard sometimes. He is a shameless self-promoter who has really endeavored to market himself to a near unbearable extreme. Case in point, his art books entitled Uno, Dos, and Tres Fanta. If you bought them all individually, you paid anywhere from $20-$35 each because they were very difficult to find. At a minimum, you've got $60 invested. Then he prints them all in a hardcover collection with exclusive material available only in that format. Price? $90. Then he reprints the material, again with work only available in this edition, in softcover. Price? Another $40. So you have to spend nearly $200 if you want every single piece of work, but 95% of the material contained in each is the exactly the same. It's so frustrating and unfair to the consumer.

That said, I can only really recommend Popbot Reader to the diehard Wood fan. The completist. Let's look at the breakdown of this issue. For a relatively high cover price of $5.99, you basically get a pin up book by guest artists. We've got a 6 page add for what is sure to be an expensive statue, a 7 page original story, and 35 pages of pinups. The pinups are beautiful, don't get me wrong. Standouts include pieces by Bruce Timm, Jeremy Geddes, Chris Bachalo, and Alex Garner. But there is no reason they can't be in the bonus section of one of the 2 Popbot trades already in print, or the next one that is assumably going to be printed as new issues are collected. Well, actually there is a reason. Money. I love his work, the content is nice on the eyes, but being price gouged for ads in what amounts to a pinup book with little original material, I can't be hustled any higher than a C- grade.

Astonishing X-Men #9
Marvel Comics
by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

This is not even going to be difficult. A cool roster of X-Men. A very manageable volume of X-Men. Dynamic interpersonal relationships. Focused storytelling by Whedon. Not getting bogged down by years of confusing continuity. Kitty Pryde taking control of the situation and stepping up as a very capable leader. The crisp and lovely lines of Cassaday, effective in a fight scene or a quiet character moment. Chilling dialogue like "I knew from the pain of contradiction, that I was." Encouraging news that this creative team will be continuing their 12 issue arc to 24 issues (with perhaps a brief hiatus allowing Whedon to finish up post production on the Serenity movie, Firefly fans rejoice!). The best and only X-Men comic I have purchased in the last 20 years. Grade A.

Project: Superior
AdHouse Books
by Various

If Project: Superior is anything, it's atypical. Anyone in the comic book business will tell you that anthology books are a total gamble. Managing the talent, publishing on time, attempting to thematically link the pieces, general market appeal to an increasingly fickle readership, and the challenge of setting the price point due to a low print run from an independent publisher are all major obstacles to tackle. Invariably, it becomes increasingly impossible to market. You're dealing with a wide range of style and feel due to housing, in this case, 40+ small vignettes. What are the odds that a potential consumer will like even a majority of the stories, let alone all of them? The odds aren't good. But AdHouse gambles and wins big.

Out of the thousands of comics, trades, and graphic novels I read, there are less than a dozen anthology books sitting on my shelf for long term collecting. Project: Superior is atypical in that I absolutely adore 90% of the material it contains. Such a massive volume of first rate talent was assembled and for the most part, they all deliver. It's such an impressive package, the whole being much more than the sum of it's quite strong parts. Production quality and package design are excellent throughout, standouts for me include the following;

Bryan Lee O'malley's Monica Beetle, employing terrific action sequences and effective use of blue as a single color while discussing relationships and saving the world. Ragnar's Study pieces, I met him at San Francisco's WonderCon 2 years ago and purchased one of his pin up books, I was very excited to see him make the jump to work in comics. Rob Ullman's Suburban Girls, also boasting strong pin up appeal that reminded me of some of Adrian Tomine's older Tower Records work. Joel Pridy's Cradle of the Gods, which is told in a retrospective style and hints at some common comic book continuity. Ronnie Del Carmen's No Prize, I was happy to see this Pixar staffer offering a touching semi-autobiographical look at the distance from growing up in The Philippines to the world of US comics. Jim Rugg & Brian Maruca's Afrodisiac in Shock-A-Con, my favorite piece in the entire book by a country mile! The creme de la creme, laugh out loud funny, amazing art, I would absolutely pay big money to read this as a regular monthly comic. Paul Pope's The Rest of Xondex-Xomax, absolutely beautiful, great colors, a must see for any Pope fan. R. Kikuo Johnson's Thrustman, a very well written jaunt about writing and relationships that cleverly drifts in and out of the real world and the written one. Paul Rivoche's The Last Stand of Bomb Boy Benton, powerful images telling a complete tale of an epic struggle in just a few pages. Jamie Tanner's Blink (The Quiet Bird-Man Vs. Locomotive Lucifer), reminiscent of a silent film from the first generation of movies.

This is one of the best comics anthologies of all time. Buy it today! Grade A.

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pack attack!

The new Power Pack comic is awesome! There's nothing better than a fun all-ages comic, and that's what Marvel delivered with this one. I can't wait to see a nice set of digest size trade paperbacks for this series, because kids will love it!

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More about 24 Hour Comics Day 2005

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Justin G reviews

Ultimate Fantastic Four #17
Marvel Comics
by Warren Ellis, Adam Kubert, and Scott Hanna

I really enjoyed the first arc of this series, was lukewarm on the second arc (I mean, Victor Van Damme? come on...), but this third arc by Warren Ellis is definitely my favorite thus far. The manic run into the N-Zone perfectly captures the fun, adventurous, terror filled moments that an FF book is capable of. Kubert's pencils are extremely strong here, beautifully detailed with impressive backgrounds and inventive designs. Ellis totally nails the character banter and creativity of plot that was found in the 1960's marvel stable. I love how the characters feel very much in character. Johnny is figuratively and literally a hot head, he's reckless. He acts. Ben smashes. With creative solutions, Reed thinks. And Sue feels. I was really on board with this issue until Nihilis summons those creatures to aid him which are so derivative that I had to stop, complain, collect myself, then keep reading. They look to be an exact cross between Jawas and Tusken Raiders from Tatooine. That aside, this book is exactly what the Ultimate line of comics should be, flat out entertainment that is accessible to long time fans or kids brand new to the industry. B+

Zatanna #1
DC Comics
by Grant Morrison, Ryan Sook, and Mick Gray

Now that's what I'm talking about. This is what I wanted from Morrison's Seven Soldiers project. As Zatanna addresses some issues with her powers, she also begins to question her whole place in life. The dichotomy of choices between participation in the JLA or a simple stage act is actually very chilling, reminding us what different paths life can easily take. I like that she is presented as a young woman who can be lonely, funny, bitter, sarcastic, calm, or absolutely anything that a real person can feel. She comes off as so very well rounded. I really liked the inclusion of some lesser known magic figures from the DCU. I smiled and belched out a "Hah!" when I saw Ibis. Let's not forget local boy done good, Ryan Sook. Ryan is a friend of a friend, but I can objectively say that I think he's one of the most under-rated penciling talents around. We've all heard the comparisons of his early work to Mike Mignola. That his style is influenced or inspired by Mignola. I think it's time to stop that, because it just isn't fair to Ryan anymore. I really don't think it applies any longer. Does he use some dark lines and shadows? Sure. But I think we can see here that he's lost the angular, blocky style and rocketed off in his own direction of smooth, crisp, expressive lines. When I saw the panel with a topless Zatanna performing an incantation on the floor, I realized that I was actually enjoying this more than Mignola. What a beautiful, fully developed piece of work, complete with detailed backgrounds. Pair him up with inker extraordinaire Mick Gray and it's a tough team to beat. I'm anxiously awaiting the next issue of this series and how it relates to the larger project as a whole. A-

Sea of Red #1
Image Comics
by Rick Remender, Kieron Dwyer, and Salgood Sam

Let me say that I'm officially tired of the pirate thing. From movie studios, to game and card companies, to every comic publisher large or small, it seems that everyone has a pirate property to offer or one in development. The storytelling here just was not very clear. I think it's about a Spaniard who is somehow stranded and then picked up by an odd crew. I'm not sure who's who, who's represents what group, or what their motivations are. I wasn't sure if we were dealing with regular pirates, zombie pirates (ah zombies, another trend I'm growing very tired of due to market saturation) or what. Come to find out in the end piece by the principal writer, we're dealing with vampire pirates. Funny that I couldn't tell until it was explained to me. The art was pretty nice in parts and adding the sketchbook for standard cover price was a nice touch. But overall, boring content that was not quite competently executed. C

Green Lantern: Rebirth #5
DC Comics
by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, and Prentis Rollins

It's been years since I've read a GL book, so I thought I'd check in. The art seems a little unclear and crowded in spots, but great colors and nice touches with the various power ring design elements. And how cool is Sinestro? Arrogant, powerful, I love his attitude. He really looks and speaks like an alien. Nice references to Katma Tui and the Green Lantern Corps. Aside from the whole Parallax mumbo jumbo (which Johns is admittedly trying to clean up and move past), I thought the writing was really engaging. As Hal Jordan is reintroduced to his GL role in the DCU, it was nice to tour the JLA Watchtower, have Green Arrow very involved, and bounce from Earth to space so easily, reminding us that the best bits of GL history were the space adventures involving the Corps, the Guardians, and far off worlds. The long awaited scene between Hal and Kyle Rayner fell a little flat for me for some reason. I was more impressed and touched by what Hal said to Sinestro about Kyle taking over when no none else would than the words he spoke directly to Kyle. A few minor glitches aside, I'm really enjoying this series, curious to see how it wraps up. B+

The Intimates #6
DC Comics, Wildstorm
by Joe Casey, Jim Lee, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Sandra Hope

I'll preface this by saying that Joe Casey is one of my favorite writers in the last few years, but The Intimates has been a bit disappointing for me. I sort of keep waiting for it to kick in or for something dramatic to happen and we're 6 issues in, yet I still feel like it's all filler building toward something. In short, I'm losing interest. I like the idea of an academy for young heroes, I like Casey's experimentation with the CNN/Internet type scroll at the bottom of the pages, I like the Manga influence, I like the diversity of characters he's working with, and I like the industry commentary imbedded within the narrative. But it seems like lots of inventive bits that don't add up to very much. Camuncoli is a definite find, reminiscent of the early Image gang (I mean that in a good way), but with a much more polished and consistent style. I also really dig the cover and design elements provided by Rian Hughes. I'd like to see Camuncoli team up with Casey some more, Wildcats Version 4.0 anyone? I want to like it, but right now can't go more than a B-

Superman/Batman #18
DC Comics
by Jeph Loeb, Carlos Pacheco, and Jesus Merino

I actually read this book twice and I'm still not exactly sure what happened with the alternate timeline Legion folks. I'm generally a fan of Jeph Loeb's writing style, I really liked the dual dialogue of Batman and Supes, especially when they come to the same conclusion. Though they're from vastly different backgrounds and have a great contrast in attitudes, we see that they are both exceptional problem solvers. The art looks beautiful, Pacheco seems to grow stronger and stronger with every project since Avengers Forever. Laura Martin's colors really deserve mention here, they're so brilliant and lush, really perfectly rendered. One panel really bothered me and still seems to defy logic no matter how many times I stare at it and try to work the motion out in my mind. Batman is holding the Kryptonite sword in his right hand by the handle and in one motion I think he flicks it across his body, handle end up, lobs it from his right hand to his left, then his left hand grabs the blade to smack the Saturn Girl chic on the head with the handle. Huh? Wha? Why? One of the best looking books out of DC stable right now. Due to some more exposition needed to clarify the story and one super-confusing action panel, B

Strangers in Paradise #72
Abstract Studio
by Terry Moore

It's been a good 2 years since I checked up on Francine, Katchoo, David, and the gang. There was a period when I felt that SiP had "jumped the shark" when it went from relationships, sexuality, and identity to assasins, hitmen, and organized crime, but it seems to be back to some solid roots. Katchoo and David seem to be reconciling their relationship after David sleeps with her half-sister. I really am fond of the touching, realistic moments that this book is known and loved for and there were plenty to be found here. I was impressed by a beautiful 2 page spread, followed by an awesome multiple panel page that included a very "sketchy" style, the whole thing was just really interesting and engaging. Moore's art seems better than ever, the emotions in the faces, expressive poses, clarity of panel to panel storytelling, and his willingness to experiment with panel design are all very refreshing. Just a random observation, but on the cover I thought that the art on Katchoo's body looked very Frank Quitely-ish from the waist down due to the line weight and small little detail. B+

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Project Superior Limited Hardcover

Intrepid Hijinx Comics reviewer Justin called Project Superior: "one of the best comics anthologies of all time". I'm sure that when he realizes that Hijinx Willow Glen is the only shop in the area with the ultra-limited edition embossed hardcovers that he'll be here in a flash to pick one up. Limited to only 200, and priced to move at only $49, this is a beautiful gift for any indy comics lover.

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24 hours of comics

April 23rd, 2005

Last year's 24 hour comic book day event was so much fun, that we're moving the event to Willow Glen this year. Come and join us on April 23rd as we take 24 hours to write and draw a 24 page comic book!

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I suck

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the latest ultimate title

Preorder yours today! Thanks to Atomic Comics of Oklahoma for breaking this story!

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out with the comics, in with the action!

Or how about this Native American Spirit of the Water figure?

Yes, I sense the dawning of a new era of greatness for Hijinx. A world where no one will be afraid to admit they play with dolls!

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