Magen Cubed's Blog, page 31

Comic book review: FF #1

In this new addition to the Fantastic Four family by Matt Fraction and Mike Allred, the Fantastic Four are leaving Earth for four minutes, and they need replacements to watch Earth while they’re gone. So begins the first issue of FF.

As we saw in Fantastic Four #1, Reed Richards is dying, and he’s taking his family to the stars to find a cure. Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are tasked with finding a suitable team of replacements to take care of the children of the Future Foundation in their absence. Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Medusalith Amaquelin/Medusa and Darla Deering/Ms. Thing are asked to step in. Scott, still dealing with the loss of his daughter Cassie, first refuses the offer. Reed convinces him that, given his circumstances, maybe he and the children of the Future Foundation can find a use for each other. Swayed by Reed’s plight, Scott agrees, and asks each of the children to teach him about the FF and what they stand for.  Even if you’re unfamiliar with some of these characters (I myself am not the most well-read Fantastic Four scholar), the story draws you in easily and sets you up for their coming adventures.

What results is an upbeat book that finds a good balance of fun and heart. Fraction’s dialogue is infectiously entertaining, and the story is peppered with many warm little insights into the characters. Sue and Medusa comfortably discussing children and family was nice to see, as well as the chance for the kids of the FF to talk about themselves in their own quirky ways. Even Ben and Johnny, characters who usually irritate me, have some good scenes with counterparts Jennifer and Darla. Scott’s and Reed’s scenes were poignant without being cheesy, and cut to the heart of the matter. This is a book about families, the ones we’re born into as well as they ones we make, and that theme shines. Mark Allred’s pencils coupled with Laura Allred’s colors really sold me on the book, striking a perfect equilibrium of offbeat and engaging to keep things moving. Having been a longtime fan of the Allreds, I’m already looking forward to more.

Everything about this issue is just enjoyable, even more than Fraction’s other offering with Fantastic Four #1. I would recommend this book to anybody looking for a well-executed, light-hearted read.

Comic book review: Deadpool #2

Deadpool is back to square off against hordes of the undead, written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan with pencils by Tony Moore.

We pick up this issue as Deadpool is resuscitated by the ghost of Benjamin Franklin, having just awakened from a sexy fantasy involving many bikini-clad female heroes fighting for his affection. Whether an actual ghost or just a friendly hallucination, Franklin resolves to help him in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fight against George Washington’s growing zombie army. The first order of business is to deal with Teddy Roosevelt, who resumes his big game hunting at the Los Angeles Zoo. This results in a shoot-out in the elephant enclosure, where Deadpool is impaled on an elephant’s tusk in a huge, gory spectacle of blood and guts. Spurred on by Franklin’s advice, Deadpool electrocutes Roosevelt, incidentally killing the elephant in an equally gory spectacle. (The animal rights advocate in me is cringing at the thought, but whatever.) Agent Prescott is not at all pleased with this outcome, and enlists the help of Doctor Strange to stop George Washington.

There are some genuinely funny moments in this issue, but unfortunately a lot of the dialogue was too cheesy for my tastes. There was a bit of that going on in the last book too, but I was willing to let it slide as it was the opening issue and the mechanics of good characterization can take a little while to work out. I can appreciate Posehn’s and Duggan’s attempts to keep this a darkly funny book, but sometimes the jokes are just ham-fisted. That said, I do enjoy the wacky premise and the totally nonsensical treatment of historical figures. I just wish we could get a little depth back in this character. It’s a fun title, and as always Moore’s pencils sell the craziness and the bloodshed with great flare, but I guess I was just hoping for a little more.

Comic book review: Captain America #1

Captain America kicks off a new series in the Marvel NOW roll-out, helmed by Rick Rememender and John Romita, Jr. Squaring off against enemies both new and old, Captain America finds himself plunged into Dimension Z.

It’s Steve Roger’s 90th birthday, and nothing seems to be going according to plan. Remender delivers a solid first issue, opening the book on a brawl with the eco-terrorist Green Skull before Cap meets with girlfriend Sharon Carter. Pedestrians have begun disappearing from a subway travelling a line abandoned eighty years prior, and S.H.I.E.L.D. sends Cap to investigate. Stepping into the subway car, Cap finds himself zapped to the futuristic wasteland of Dimension Z, where he is immediately ambushed by monsters disguised as other passengers.

Cap awakens in the custody of Arnim Zola, the bio-fanatic seemingly in charge of this land of monsters and mutants. Extracting Cap’s blood, Zola tries to synthesize the super-soldier serum in order to give it to his engineered children, a little girl named Jet and an infant boy. Cap escapes, partially destroying Zola’s lab and taking the baby with him, whom was thought to have died in the scuffle. He escapes in a stolen plane, surviving a crash after a dog-fight with Zola’s men, and emerging to head out into the harsh wasteland with Zola’s son.

Full of action and insight, this issue depicts the different sides of Cap’s story, both as the legendary soldier Captain America and as Steve Rogers the man. Flashbacks to Cap’s abusive childhood and his relationship with his mother Sarah provide the background on Cap’s idealism and give-‘em-hell attitude, and serve as a character introduction for any new readers. It also serves to remind the rest of us that there’s more to Cap than just his strength and his shield, and does so in a fairly fresh way. Another thing Remender does well is to set the stage for Cap’s personal development as he considers Sharon’s marriage proposal, a topic that he tries to avoid as he steps on the train that takes him to Dimension Z. It’s a little bit science fiction, a little bit pulp-fantasy, with plenty of character to ground the story.

Some of the dialogue is a little cheesy, which tends to happen in Captain America books, and the choppy narration gets old pretty quick, with some pages simply filled with unnecessary captions. Romita’s pencils carry the story along compellingly, and that opening fight with Green Skull as the plane free-falls toward New York is easy on the eyes. That said, his faces are a bit inconsistent page to page, and the action sequences can get a little muddy. Some pages are fantastic, others not so much.

Overall it’s a solid first issue. Ed Brubaker is going to be a tough act to follow, but Remender is off to a good start.

Comic book review: Captain Marvel #7

Issue seven, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Christopher Sebela, with art by Dexter Soy: Captains Marvel old and new team up as Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau investigate a series of disappearances in the Gulf of Mexico.

When Monica promises to find six ships that have gone missing out of New Orleans, she enlists Carol to help her find them. What ensues is some classic costumed adventuring as Carol searches the ocean floor for signs of wreckage, finding instead the mysterious remains of downed ships and planes. Before she can get a better look the trip is cut short, as she encounters some very hungry sharks along the way. Back on the surface, the Captains Marvel exchange a lot of entertaining banter about codenames and self-Googling before they run into Frank Gianelli, who used to work for Carol in her Woman Magazine days. He’s in town investigating the state of the levees and after getting into a fight with Monica, agrees to help them with their search if they help him in turn.

Carol and Frank dive down to the site to document the wreckage. Just as Monica begins getting some strange readings above, a huge hole opens in the sea floor and sucks Frank inside. With Monica’s help, Carol follows the opening all two-hundred feet down to rescue Frank, discovering a huge robot that begins clawing its way to the surface. As Frank and Carol get back to Monica’s boat, the giant rises from the sea and Carol prepares for the fight.

DeConnick and Sebela deliver a fun issue, full of smart dialogue and mystery as we settle in for a good, old-fashioned adventure story. The banter between Monica and Carol is great here, and sheds light on their shared past as both heroes and Avengers without being too info-dumpy. Moments like this remind me of just why I love DeConnick’s run so far: Balancing out the heroics with quirkiness and heart. Soy’s pencils are bold and dynamic, and perfectly suited for the story. As much as I loved Emma Rios’ pencils from the last few issues, I’m glad to see Soy back onboard.

The story is pretty straightforward – heroes go on ocean adventure, giant robots ensue – but overall this was a very satisfying issue.

Comic book review: Iron Man #2

Tony continues his hunt for Extremis in the second issue of Iron Man, helmed by Kieron Gillen with art by Greg Land. Or, at least, it would be. The merry chase seems to paused this time around, set aside to introduce The Circle, a  mysterious group of high-tech knights who stretch the Arthurian legend angle a bit thin.

While developing a new AI poolside with Pepper, Tony gets a very dramatic invitation from Arthur, the head of The Circle, requesting his presence on the island of New Avalon. Iron Man obliges Arthur, jetting off to indulge this group of mecha-sporting adventurers in a gentleman’s wager. There he squares off against some new faces as well as some familiar ones, defeating one knight after the other in a show of superiority both as a designer and as a tactician. Satisfied in this beat-down, Tony flies away from New Avalon, but this won’t be the last time we see The Circle.

The issue is overall enjoyable, but I have a few gripes. I’m not really seeing how it figures into the hunt for Extremis, seeing as last when we saw Tony it was a pressing issue. Having him trot off to do battle with a new group of adversaries (who, I’m sorry, kind of drove me nuts with the painfully on-the-nose Arthurian thing) feels a little random. I know it’s still early days, and Gillen said this run would comprise of mostly episodic adventures leading to a larger plot-line, but I’m a little confused as to what’s going on. That aside, this was an issue big on action, and I liked that. Gillen still had some nice narration going on, with lovely little insights to Tony’s frame of mind as the fights progressed. Land’s work, which I well and truly loathe, wasn’t bad this time. This is mostly because everybody in a suit looks amazing, and since they were all in suits the whole time — well, there you go. It was all quite pretty, shiny, and metal.

At first I was a little disappointed with this issue, but after another read through, I rather liked it.

Worth a read: Yes, twice. If you don’t like it the first time, try again later. It worked for me.

Tony Effin’ Harris and guys just like him: The last vanguard of the old business model

As everybody in comic book fandom is well-aware by now, Starman creator Tony Harris flew off the handle this week in a hilariously ill-advised online rant about how scantily-clad faux lady nerd cosplayers are preying upon poor poor white male comic book fans and taking advantage of them…somehow. Yeah, I’m not really sure what he was talking about, either. But what we do know is that he was proud to be the one guy with the gumption to get up on his Facebook soapbox and tell us like it is!

Cue the chorus of indignant, like-minded entitled dudebros, who applaud Harris’ honesty about these hard-hitting problems facing fandom today. Here come Joe Peacock, famous for his claim that “booth babes” are ruining all our lives, and writer/journalist Dirk Manning to add their voices to this issue with equal flare. Meanwhile, in reality, everybody else is not drinking the KoolAid, and providing some much-needed smackdown. Writer Gail Simone added some love and positivity to the week by declaring Cosplayer Appreciation Day on the heels of Harris’ outburst.

My personal favorite commentary came from Christopher Sebela and Matt Fraction (Fraction is always my favorite, but that’s neither here nor there), who compared the sexism of comic fandom to the Republican party’s equally infuriating war on women this election cycle.

While the backlash to Tony Harris and guys just like him was justified, what I personally noticed in my numerous travelings of the interwebs for coverage and commentary was the lack of anger. Yeah, people were mad. There has been a grassroots revolution in fandom and especially in the cosplay community for the equal treatment of women both on and off the convention floor. A fantastic example of this is the now famous post by Tumblr user Beautilation, detailing how she turned a gross and objectifying Comic Con experience into an awesome and empowering moment for cosplayers everywhere. But even for the backlash, beyond what’s going on in conventions, comic book fandom by and large is getting a facelift. As books become more inclusive of female characters, queer characters and characters of color, the same goes for the fandom. And guys like Tony Harris don’t like that.

Say what you want about tight costumes and boob windows, the times they are a’changing. More and more women are writing and drawing for staple books. We have a mixed race Spider-Man, a gay Green Lantern, a female Captain Marvel, a growing number of Muslim superheroes, openly queer heroes are becoming more commonplace, and the race appears to be on between Marvel and DC to see which house has the most female-led titles. No, it isn’t perfect, and there are still a disproportionate amount of white dudes in capes right now, but people are trying. Because people are trying, fans who have historically felt disenfranchised are now encouraged to seek out representations of themselves in these mainstream hero books. Now creators and fans alike have to be more responsible for their behavior, and for how they treat those that have been pushed out of fan spaces for decades.

There’s backlash to that backlash, coming from guys who bemoan women in superhero t-shirts and having to write for somebody other than white dudes, but that comes with the territory. I can’t even be mad, because these voices are getting drowned out in the groundswell of positive creativity. I’m not an optimist by nature, but what I’m seeing on the rack at my local comic book store gives me hope: Comics being written by people who care about the mythology and the fans they’re writing for, and fans who want to see these books thrive. So Tony Effin’ Harris and guys just like him can sit and spin for all I care. They won’t be getting my money any time soon.

Comic review: Iron Man #1

When I heard Kieron Gillen was taking over Iron Man during the Marvel NOW roll-out, this book shot to the top of my must-read list. Helmed by Gillen and penciled by Greg Land with Jay Leisen on inks and Guru eFX on colors, this title follows in the footsteps of Matt Fraction’s and Salvador Larocca’s award-winning Invincible Iron Man, which wrapped up its run last month. (One of my favorite runs of this or any book, period.) After all the hype, can Iron Man #1 live up to the talk?

Having recently returned from his jaunt of self-discovery at the end of Invincible Iron Man #527, Tony Stark is back on Earth, sorting out his affairs and looking to get laid. (Not much of a surprise there.) While attempts by Pepper to steer him away from the rather buxom blonde that he meets at M.J.’s night club threaten to ruin his evening, the dramatic message he receives from Maya Hansen puts the kibosh on any extracurriculars. Maya emerges from captivity beneath the sewers of Buenos Aires, chased by an AIM Beekpeer. She’s able to put out a message to Tony before meeting her death, warning him that she’s been kidnapped and forced to recreate Extremis for AIM. This is, of course, very bad.

Tony vows to keep Extremis out of AIM’s hands, and to honor Maya’s wishes to put that particular genie back in the bottle, a desire Tony knows all too well. After shaving off the legendary facial hair, he goes undercover to an AIM sales presentation and hacks their systems. Cue the awesome fight sequence with some Extremis-enhanced goons and the debut of the new armor, a rather sleek gold and black number. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the armor when I first saw the preview art (he sort of looked like a Decepticon to me, sorry), but it’s grown on me. After thoroughly crashing AIM’s party, Tony gets a lead on the others now in possession of Extremis, which sets the stage for the next adventure.

Overall, Gillen delivers a solid story. While not a particularly daring first issue, it does set the tone of Tony’s continued adventures and addresses some of the themes that will be dealt with. His Tony Stark is at a believable crossroads when the story opens up, a personal dilemma I hope to see explored in coming issues, and his characterization walks that fine line between snarky and sincere very well. I found some of the dialogue to be a little too info-dumpy for my tastes, but as this book is meant to be accessible to new readers as well as returning fans, I won’t dwell on the occasional exposition. My only real criticism of the writing was that I wasn’t too sure why Pepper was at M.J.’s trying to cock-block Tony in the beginning, other than for the lovely banter. (Which was, of course, lovely.) She came off as kind of out of place and a bit flat, like a bit of window-dressing to explain that, yes, Tony Stark has friends and, no, we’re not sure why, either. Again, for the purposes of exposition, I get it, but let’s not make a habit of it, because I love me some Pepper Potts.

Now, let me get to my biggest gripe: The art. Why is Greg Land on this book again? Because I certainly have no idea. Land’s pencils are stiff and weird, not unlike Barbie and Ken dolls dressed up like Marvel characters. His faces are inconsistent and awkward, and, as always, he just keeps recycling the same poses from book to book. (Also, I may or may not have stood in the comic book store shrieking, “Count the blowjob faces! Count them!” That is really here nor there, though.) Guru eFX’s colors try to add depth where there isn’t any, dressing up bad pencils to no real avail. I will say, however, that the action sequences, as well as Tony’s sunset flight at the beginning of the book, were absolutely stunning. Really, any panel with the armor present is kinetic and beautiful to look at. The problem is, all the stuff in the middle is kind of inexcusable, and completely detracts what is otherwise an interesting story.

Worth a read: If you love Iron Man like I do, or you’re just curious to see what all the fuss is about, it’s worth picking up. It’s still early days, but if the art doesn’t kill me, it should prove to be an enjoyable book.

Comic review: Deadpool #1

Marvel NOW continues its roll-out this month with Deadpool #1, written by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn with Tony Moore on pencils. While I myself am suffering from a bit of Deadpool-overload after his recent rocket to notoriety (seriously,  I can’t swing a dead cat at a convention without hitting three Deadpool cosplayers choreographing dance routines in the parking lot), I have to be honest: This is a fun book. I wasn’t too sure what to expect after Daniel Way closed his fairly epic (and often hilarious) run on the book, but whether you’re a life-long fan or new to the Pool, this title has a lot going for it.

The book opens up with a monologue from my personal favorite Captain America, as he’s tasked by S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop a well-intentioned but foolhardy necromancer who’s taken up bringing U.S. presidents back from the dead to make the country a better place. After Cap is caught decapitating an undead Harry S. Truman, S.H.I.E.L.D. pulls him off the assignment, not wanting its heroes to be seen bringing the smack-down to zombified historical figures. Enter Deadpool, who is recruited after bringing the pain to both a giant monster attacking Manhattan and an electrified reanimated FDR. What ensues is a crazy confrontation between Deadpool and a horde of zombie flesh-eating, beer-swilling presidents in Independence Hall, wherein Abraham Lincoln shoots DP in the head to a chorus of cheering Founding Fathers. This is really the highlight of the book, just because I can’t make this stuff up.

Full of gags, gore and silliness, this book just might be the most offensive title in the Marvel NOW roll-out. That’s what makes it great. Duggan and Posehn, tongues firmly in cheek, deliver snappy dialogue and one-liners at breakneck speed. Fans might lament Deadpool’s missing inner monologue, but at a first read, I barely noticed the change. Having grown up during Joe Kelly’s beloved run in the late 90s/early 00s, prior to Way’s use of Deadpool’s dual voices, it feels like a return to the older stories that I remembered. Of course, I need to talk about Tony Moore. His style finds the right balance of fun and attention to detail, both exciting and irreverent, detailed but pleasantly cartoonish. It really makes this book for me, perfectly capturing the gore and the insanity of Deadpool’s world.

Because it is Deadpool’s world, we just get to play in it.

Worth a read: If you’re a returning fan or just looking for a fun book with a lot of laughs, I highly recommend it.

Comic review: Captain Marvel #6

Carol’s travels through time come to a big and action-packed conclusion in issue #6 of Captain Marvel. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and penciled by Emma Rios, the six-part arc comes to a satisfying end, with plenty of energetic action scenes and a few unexpected surprises. Coming face-to-face with her own past, Carol must choose which path she wants: The chance to avert the disaster that gave her these powers, or the resolve to shed her self-doubt and live up to the potential that she’s been granted. The way this story closes is both heartfelt and exciting, harkening back to the tone of the opening issue as Carol accepts her mantle and becomes the woman she was meant to be. As it’s proven to be since the jump, this is a superhero book that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.

DeConnick’s writing is very sharp here, with a lot of great moments between Carol and Helen as well as Tracy and Avenger Jessica Drew. The action and adventure is grounded by poignant moments in Carol’s timeline between Tracy and Jessica, as Tracy prepares for surgery and Carol is nowhere to be found. Helen emerges as a strong and tenacious presence here, not just as Carol’s mentor but in her own right as well, helping Carol come to terms with her mantle and identity. Carol’s narration, as always, shows the strength of her character in very organic ways, and is enjoyable to read. Some of the best lines in the book are in Carol’s internal monologue, although the dialogue throughout is smart and on-point.

Rios’ art really shines this issue as it did the last. She deftly captures the quiet intimate moments and the high-flying action with equal flare. Jordie Bellaire’s subtle and evocative colors flesh out the art to help make the book both an engaging and visually unique experience. I really enjoyed this arc, which admittedly had me a little nervous when it first opened, and proved to be a fun, uplifting action and adventure romp. This book has surpassed my (admittedly jaded) expectations and established itself as a rock-solid title with a stellar creative team, proving that a female-led superhero book can sell without sacrificing heart and storytelling for sexy anatomy and cheap gimmicks. As Carol comes home, I have high hopes for the next adventure.

Worth a read: If you’re looking for a refreshing superhero book, give this one a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

Everything you never wanted to hear about writing

Or: A practical field guide for every question every writer has been asked since forever, plus a few others I found along the way.

You have to actually write.

Not just talk about writing. Not just blog about writing. Not just write cute little Twitter posts about #thewriterslife. Not just wax philosophic in English classrooms, sighing wistfully as you stare out the window and dreaming of your life as a writer. Shut up — no, seriously, just shut up. If you spent all of that time actually writing something down, instead of just talking about it, you probably would’ve finished that book by now. Paintings don’t paint themselves, and stories don’t write themselves, either. You have to work, so just shut up and do it.

Writing isn’t easy.

The fact that I have tell people this is kind of ridiculous. Polished manuscripts don’t just fall out of you and neither does talent. You have to practice it in order to get better. And then you have to keep practicing if you want to be any good at it. And then it’s going to be a long, frustrating process for the rest of your life, with lots of throwing crap and threatening to set your computer on fire. Okay, so, yeah: You read that news story about that 16-year-old wunderkind who got a three-book contract before she graduated high school. That’s great, but you’re not her, and you’re never going to be her, so you’re going to have to work like the rest of us.

Being good isn’t always enough.

Being good won’t guarantee you a book deal. Sorry, but it’s true. Market trends and the business model dictate what gets published and what doesn’t. If you think writing a good story is enough to make you rich and famous, you’re wrong, okay? Maybe you’ll get lucky, but even if you have the greatest manuscript ever written, if no publishing company on Earth can make a buck off of it, it will never be published. Be smart: Know your genre, know your market, know the publishers you’re submitting to. Know what they want, how they want it, and why. (Nothing is worse than wasting your time sending manuscripts to the wrong publishers, or wasting theirs by sending them stories with no regard for their submission guidelines.) Beyond that, it’s just the roll of the dice.

There’s no easy way to get published.

Say it with me now: There’s no easy way to get published. There’s no pill, magic button, or pyramid scheme known to man that will help you publish your book. Again: You will have to do the work.

Writing very rarely pays the way you want it to.

Unless you’re Stephen King or James Patterson or J.K. Rowling, and you’re a brand-name responsible for a multi-million dollar franchise, you will have to keep a day job. You can freelance, and maybe you can get a job as a staff writer somewhere, but otherwise, writing is always going to be a second income. Even then, it might not be much of one. Be realistic and don’t quit your day job just because you sold a few stories or poems.

If you’re writing to get famous, stop.

There. I said it.

“I don’t have time” isn’t an excuse.

Nobody has time to write. They have jobs and kids and school and dentist appointments. They make time, because they have to. “I’d love to write, but I just don’t have the time” is like saying “I would love to be a professional athlete, but I don’t have the time to train.” If you actually care about something, you’ll find a way to make it happen. Musicians make time for music, artists for art, singers for singing, swimmers for swimming, runners for running — you get the idea, right? If you’re not dedicated, or it’s just a nice little hobby you do for fun, pursuing it professionally is not for you.

Writing is not a beautiful, selfless craft that makes the world a better place.

You’re writing for an audience. You’re writing for yourself. Hopefully you enjoyed it, and others did, too. Maybe even you made a little money out of it. But, please, don’t write yet another blog post about how you’re selflessly using your talent to solve world hunger or make the future brighter for our children, or whatever masturbatory crap is trending on Twitter these days. You’re not a special and unique snowflake, and don’t act like your YA urban fantasy novel about teenaged angst and unicorns is some precious gift made of words and wrapped in love that will make the sun come out on a rainy day. Get over yourself.

Not everybody can write.

Sure, we can all string words together to make complete thoughts and sentences. Some of us are even pretty damn good at it. It’s called language. However, it’s not the same as being able to create and execute a complex narrative and tell a fully-realized story.  It’s just not. Writing is all about tone and intent, and using your story as a vehicle to convey a larger idea to the audience. That takes time and patience and training, and most of all, the ability to pull bullshit ideas out of thin air and make them sound believable. The same way I can’t design buildings or play the guitar, or even finish my geometry homework, you might not be able to write. That’s just how it is. It sucks, but that’s life.

So if you’re going to write, do it. Everybody else, just find something else to do with your time. Maybe take up crochet, or bowling? Bowling’s fun, and like writing, you can do it while you’re drunk. It’s a win/win.