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Booster Gold #9 [Review]

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Blue & Gold chapter 4: Putting the Band Back Together

Booster Gold recruits his old buds so the Justice League International can help him fix Time…

boostergold009Written by: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Pencil Art by: Dan Jurgens
Finished Art by: Norm Rapmund
Colors by: Hi-Fi
Letters by: Nick J. Napolitano
Asst. Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover by: Jurgens & Rapmund
Publisher: DC Comics

Have I mentioned that I’m lovin’ this series? There’s something about it that just really works, and I’ve enjoyed each and every issue so far.
This issue sees Booster and Beetle recruit their former teammates from the Justice League International days, as they take their fight into the midst of an Infinite Crisis unfolding differently from the one we know…since Booster has messed with the timeline by saving his best friend’s life.

While the JLI is being re-formed, Maxwell Lord and those in his power continue to see to Lord’s plans for the world working out as they might have, had events from Countdown to Infinite Crisis occurred differently. The issue moves along nicely, providing some cool reunions and believable, in-character reactions to other characters’ presence. There’s also a sense of something big on the horizon, and though one can guess at the permanency of the status quo, there’s still excitement and hope as to what the outcome will be after another couple issues.

The art–as usual and as now expected–is also very good, and seems perfectly suited to these characters.

This issue is as much a treat to look at as it is to read…and getting to do both makes it one of the finest comic series I’m currently reading.
Very much recommended!

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Filed under: Booster Gold, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Infestation #1 [Review]

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Walt


Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

 

Story: 3.5/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Infestation, Infestation (IDW) [event] | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Booking Through Thursday: Heavy

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Walt

imageWhat’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?

05montecristoOffhand, I’m trying to think of any large/thick/heavy books I’ve read that would particularly trump any others. Probably The Count of Monte Cristo, read in high school.  Though that’s got enough years between happening and now that I don’t even recall if what I read was the unabridged version or if we read some sort of abridged version.

I imagine the Bible (NIV) might count—that’s certainly THE most significant book I’ve ever read. After years and years of it being any part of my life, several years back 04harrypotterI decided to take part in a 90-day bible-reading challenge with a local radio station…one of few such challenges I’ve ever completed.

Stephen King’s It may be a top candidate for length, read for pleasure sometime during high school. The fifth Harry Potter book—The Order of the Phoenix—also comes to mind as particularly thick.

03lesmisBack in 2004, I bought a copy of Les Miserables after developing a fascination with the Broadway musical after seeing a high school production with one of my best friends at her alma mater. Not sure I made it 50 pages in before being distracted by other stuff, and have yet to go back and finish it.

01capomnibusComic-wise, I think the first Ed Brubaker Captain America Omnibus is easily the largest, thickest, heaviest comic/graphic novel/whatever that I own. Though the Bone One-Volume Edition rivals it…but sadly, I’ve yet to get all the way through Bone.

Springboarding away from the topic at hand a bit, though….if we’d take “heavy” to mean substance and impact on a person for having read the work….I’d have to list the first 6 Left Behind novels, a number of Magic: The Gathering novels (primarily The Brothers’ War), several Dragonlance novels 02bone(primarily Dragons of Winter Night and Dragons of Summer Flame), as well as The Death of Superman, Batman: A Death in the Family, and DC’s Kingdom Come.

Of course…there’s loads I’m sure I’m not thinking of at the moment. But when you read enough….eventually one loses the ability to recall each and every thing read off the top of the head.

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Booster Gold #7 [Review]

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Very Good!
Story Title: Blue & Gold Chapter 2: O.M.A.C.’D

Booster and Beetle face a horde of OMACs as they begin to discover what changes have occurred in the timestream…

boostergold007Written by: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Pencil Art: Dan Jurgens
Finished Art: Norm Rapmund
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Randy Gentile
Asst. Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover: Jurgens & Rapmund
Publisher: DC Comics

It’s hard not to sound like a broken record…but I find myself enjoying this title more than just about any other monthly out there. It’s been a consistent high-hitter…great story, great art, and character dynamics that remind me why I enjoy super-heroes in the first place.

This issue we begin to see some major fallout in the timestream due to Booster’s rescue of Blue Beetle, and see the two interact with characters in a present that’s been altered by Beetle not having been killed by Lord when he was supposed to have been. Additionally, further light is shed on the mystery Beetle, as well as the Supernova subplot.

Though it seems like Infinite Crisis just finished, it’s great to see its earliest events being revisited in this context, as we see how things could have played out. That our characters are playing in the time-stream adds to the enormity of events that unfold, while also keeping them contained to this book without having to run around buying a bunch of tie-ins to "get" the story.

The writing is spot-on as usual, capturing the attitudes of the characters seen, and continue to remind me what a great matchup Booster and Beetle are–maintaining a sense of humour as the two deal with each other and outside events, while not feeling forced (nor like some vain attempt to recapture a bygone tone from two decades ago).

The art is also very strong, keeping everything clear, consistent, and in some ways fairly iconic. I not only have no complaint with the art, but feel that it’s set a visual standard for these characters against which I’ll find myself measuring any other appearances they make elsewhere in the DCU.

This is the second issue of the Blue & Gold arc (the first was #0, a play on the Zero Hour "Zero Month" the arc tied into)…and as such this may not be the best point to jump on-board. However, if you track down that #0 issue…I highly recommend jumping in with this title (and consider the upcoming collection of the first six issues). As far as DC super-hero titles go…this is one of the best-written, most dynamic and interesting books I can see, and is my favorite DC is currently publishing.

Very much recommended.

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Filed under: Booster Gold, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Death in Fantastic Four, and Why I love my Local Comic Shop

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Walt

ff587cover_marvelstockimageI was home in this apartment tonight when it occurred to me: I didn’t even LOOK for the “death issue” of Fantastic Four. All this hype and such about it…and it wasn’t even—in the actuality of standing in the comic shop—worth my attention, apparently.

I ranted a bit about the issue from an ad a few weeks back in my post Fantastic Four, death and the return of the polybag. I would add to that list of complaints the way the publisher spoiled the story/leaked it to media on Tuesday, when ostensibly they were encouraging (“allowing?”) comic shops to sell the issue on Tuesday to allow fans and readers to get and read the issue withOUT having the story spoiled for them. Also the supposed “bonus” of random signed copies that seem to be cropping up—with a certain limited number of copies inside the polybags being signed by the writer. As if to add a further level to falsely inflate the “collectibility” of the issue.

On a much more positive side, my local comic shop was having an incredible sale on hardbacks (mainly Marvel). $10/pop. I wound up picking up Magneto: Testament (been interested in that for ages) as well as Marvels: Eye of the Camera, which I’d read the first issue back when it came out, but opted to wait for the collected volume. What better time than now? And, after going the library route to catch up on nearly HALF of the original Ultimate Spider-Man series, I’ve been morbidly interested in Ultimatum, but the libraries I frequent haven’t had it. Saw it here, figured what the hey?

So…$75 in books for only $30. And I have friends who’d be interested in reading these volumes as well, so they get increased value for multiple readers…

10dollarhardcovers

tmntatundra01Sales like this are why I love my comic shop. For lack of better phrasing…they often have “convention-level sales” at least once a month—whether it’s freshly-stocked 25-cent bins (yeah, 25…not 50!), random bargain runs ($10 for 45 of 50+ issues of the original X-Force or $15 for 60 issues of JLA, and other such deals), 50-90% off collected volumes. Sometimes these sales seem ongoing…to the point that on the “deals” side of things…I never seem to get a chance to miss going to conventions.

Also, a TMNT book I ordered from Mirage a couple weeks back came in today. Disappointed there’s no text on the spine, but it’s otherwise a great collection of the Archie Adventure Series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #s 5-10 from Tundra, from 1991.

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Booster Gold #0 [Review]

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Blue & Gold chapter 1: The Secret Origin of Booster Gold

Booster and the Beetles encounter Parallax mid-Zero Hour in the timestream, and Booster confronts his past as the heroes are stranded in the future…

boostergold000Written by: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Pencil Art: Dan Jurgens
Finished Art: Norm Rapmund
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Randy Gentile
Asst. Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover: Jurgens & Rapmund
Publisher: DC Comics

You know a book’s good when your primary complaint is a total fan-boy nit-pick with the issue’s cover. As a Zero Hour tie-in (complete with replacing "#7" with "#0"), I had honestly hoped to see the Zero Hour logo on the cover, making the cover fit in with the old 1994 zero issues. We do get the sharp silver coloring in the logo, which keeps it from being a complete bust.

As Booster and the Beetles discuss where to go from here, they encounter fellow time-travellers Parallax and Extant, circa DC‘s Zero Hour: Crisis in Time story from 1994. After a battle with the villains, the heroes find themselves stranded in the future–specifically at a day Booster remembers all too well. They scramble to salvage their mission, while Booster contemplates his role in affecting Time, and an even larger threat quickly becomes apparent.

The story itself here is very good–it keeps things moving forward in a believable way, also allowing the characters to interact with events in a nearly-fourteen-years-old story without seeming implausible (and if you’re not familiar with that story, you’re still in great hands as all you NEED to know is given to you in-context, without coming across as totally cheesey recap-conversation/thoughts!)

Visually, the artistic team–Jurgens, Rapmund, and Hi-Fi on the colors–deliver an excellent product. The Blue Beetles, Booster, even the Zero Hour villains all look spot-on, and really look just about the best I’ve ever seen ’em.

Right now, I’d have to say that Booster Gold is by far my favorite super-hero book out there. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s serious…it builds off established continuity without being slave to it, and still has plenty of room to keep pushing the characters’ stories forward and open up new territory.

This issue kicks off the 2nd arc of the title, and makes a good jump-on point if you’ve been considering whether or not to pick up the book. Both as something "new" to check out or as a continuing purchase, I highly recommend this issue, and the title in general.

Ratings:

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Filed under: Booster Gold, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Spawn & The Rocketeer

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Walt

Spawn #200 hit a couple weeks back, and I got to thinking about that title’s nearly 20-decade existence, and how far it’s come since the mid-1990s—almost 3/4 its existence ago. Got to thinking, also, about the live-action film, and found myself interested in seeing it again.

Then there’s The Rocketeer, which sits alongside Dick Tracy as one of those “big” movies from the late-1980s/early-1990s that I—to this day—have never actually seen, though I recall being rather aware of both due to the various promotional things going on at the time.

Spawn, I brought on myself. However, I am hereby officially placing blame for The Rocketeer (which was the reason I stopped in at Buybacks to begin with) at the feet of Michael Bailey (Views from the Longbox, From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast, and other podcasts).

Still…not bad for less than $10 combined, and with tax!

spawnrocketeerdvds

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Booster Gold #2 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: 52 Pick-Up, chapter 2: Leggo My Ego

Booster vs. Sinestro…for the fate of Guy Gardner?

boostergold002Written by: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Layouts by: Dan Jurgens
Finishes by: Norm Rapmund
Colors by: Hi-Fi
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover by: Jurgens & Rapmund
Variant cover by: Art Adams
Booster Gold created by: Dan Jurgens
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue’s mission for Booster? Stop a determined Sinestro from making contact with Guy Gardner. Should he fail, the Sinestro Corps. would come about years sooner than it should, and would lead to Sinestro’s successful conquering of the universe. As Booster attempts to keep the two men from meeting, Rip goes on a field trip, and a figure from Booster’s recent experiential past returns, promising significant trouble.

This is another fine issue of this still-young series. We get a "complete" story in Booster being told what his "mission" is, the context surrounding said mission, and Booster diving in to attend to business, with the conclusion of the mission impacting what’s to come in the next issue, all while several sub-plots (awesome–they still exist!) advance and promise to emerge to the forefront before too terribly long.

As such, it seems that the writing team is in great form here, providing us with an entertaining story, but also laying foundation for the meta-arc that will likely be at least the first TPB…establishing an ongoing story that works in larger form, while making it feel worthwhile to be reading the short-form single issues as they’re released.

The art team is also in great form, providing visuals that convey the story and character emotions in a clear, detailed way without being hyper-detailed nor so realistic one might be tempted to forget that this is, in fact, a comic book.

Blended together, this is another very enjoyable issue that is well worth being picked up. And even if you didn’t nab #1…I would gladly argue that this issue justifies tracking down both issues of this series-so-far to get in on an engaging, enjoyable read!

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Filed under: Booster Gold, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Fall of the wizard

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Walt

Well…that sucks.

Wizard Magazine really seemed to go downhill the last few years. But it seemed like the sort of thing that would stick around, anyway.

But as of today, Wizard as it was known…is no more.

Goodbye, another chapter of childhood.

oldwizards

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Booster Gold #1 [Review]

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: 52 Pick-Up, chapter 1: Secret Origins

Booster Gold finds that despite saving the multi-verse, Time is still broken, and it’s up to him to save it–in a rather surprising way.

boostergold001Written by: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Layouts by: Dan Jurgens
Finishes by: Norm Rapmund
Colors by: Hi-Fi
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover by: Dan Jurgens
Variant cover by: Art Adams
Special Thanks to: "Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid…but definitely not Keith Giffen!"
Booster Gold created by: Dan Jurgens
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue rocks! It presses a lotta my fan buttons, and is one of very few issues of late that I put down and probably had some silly grin on my face, having just simply enjoyed it that much.

We pick up with Booster Gold a couple months after the events of 52, as he’s working to make it big again and get a shot at joining the current Justice League…even though none of it’s quite the same without his best buddy Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) around. Unfortunately for the would-be hero, other forces–and people–are at work in the timestream, and Booster finds himself drawn back into facing a crisis that threatens to keep him from his public and rise to genuine fame.
Throughout, we get a number of great character moments and interactions that speak to the potential of coming issues and stories, even as they add to the depth of this very story.

The story here seems really solid to me–and if there was a lack of solidity, it didn’t stand out to me. This issue–and series–builds on the events of 52 and takes up some dangling threads to start tying stuff up in one way or another. Booster is written in such a way that he’s not only true to classic/iconic form, but is also given some actual growth, leaving plenty of room for continuing growth as a character, without ditching or disrespecting the past.

We get a lot of what makes a great first issue for a new title: exposition/flashback to catch the reader up or introduce new readers to the state of affairs; prominent use of the title character; introduction of new and old characters for supporting cast; guest-stars to show what it is that makes this character stand on his own; a plausible story that builds on existing continuity without being bogged down; and several bits of foreshadowing and outright teases of what’s to come, that fit right into the context of the story without feeling forced.

The strength of continuity and the feel of the main character himself certainly must come partly from the fact that Johns was one of Booster’s writers from his last adventure.

Visually, the cover stands out immediately, with a fun, iconic sort of picture–and though I hadn’t realized it when I first noticed it and thought about what a cool image it was–the standard cover is by Dan Jurgens, who has had a certain place in Booster Gold history.

The general artwork in the issue is also very good…it captures the sheer fun-ness and energy of things. It’s not the most hyper-detailed, nor is it overly simplified…it clearly shows who’s doing what where and when, gets across what’s going on, and as a whole does a great job of doing what the art in a comic is supposed to do.

While this issue’s story, and perhaps very existence spring directly from 52, you need not have read that story to understand what’s going on here–and the details from 52 that do matter are recapped in the flow of this issue’s story. Though this looks to have elements drawn from all parts of the DC multiverse, and the ability to touch any and all titles that are part of the main stable of DC books, this issue feels very nicely self-contained, and a decent jumping-in point even if you’re not familiar with the DCU.

Taken as a whole, this issue is one of the single most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year, and I definitely recommend it–especially if you’re a fan of the character, of 52, or of the "new" multiverse.

Ratings:

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Filed under: Booster Gold, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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