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Weekend Wonders and Even More Comics’ Pricing concerns

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Walt

Though I’ve been largely avoiding most of DC‘s recent output, not much caring for most of the New 52 stuff…this weekend, I found myself totally drawn into their recent Injustice: Gods Among Us digital-first series. I’m pretty sure I missed the first print edition issue (see below for the result of that little interest).

injusticegodsamongus01to06

But, having given the first issue away for “free” recently, I read it…and decided what the heck…another $1.98 to spend $1.98 for a ~30 page comic story wasn’t bad at all in this age of a few $2.99 but mostly $3.99 comics.

But I got to the end of chapter 3 (each $3.99 print edition I believe “collects” 3 chapters of the story as a single issue) and was interested still, so I went ahead and got chapters 4-6. Then 7-14.

And read the entire lot of ’em.

injusticegodsamongus07to12

For something based on a videogame I haven’t played and probably won’t get to play (I own an old Wii that’s been a “Netflix box” and these days won’t even recognize wifi so just sits there), this series has been rather enjoyable–at least for a one-night, one-time, read-it-all-in-a-single-sitting kinda thing.

I might even “double-dip” and pick this up in print if I can find the first issue for cover price (and if not a first print, then hopefully no funky color variance or stupid “sketch/pencils-only” variants or such).

injusticegodsamongus1314

I’d followed the first bunch of Legends of the Dark Knight digital “issues” until I realized each “issue” was actually only about 10-12 pages, and once they started coming out in print, I’ve stuck with the print editions. And I might do the same here, having “sampled” a big chunk of stuff, and once the print catches up to this, see from there.

Friday I stopped by another comic shop with the intention of picking up Injustice #1 if they had it. Instead, I wound up buying four other things (they didn’t have Injustice #1).

doctorwhovol3issues05and06

I noticed an issue of Doctor Who from IDW. It was #6; I flipped through it, noticed it was “part 2 of 2” of whatever the story is, and saw #5 right behind it–part 1 of 2. Figured with the mood I was in, Amy and Rory on the cover of #5 and having JUST watched the midseason 7 finale The Angels Take Manhattan, I decided to grab both issues, just to check out the comics version of things, since I’m quite enjoying the tv series.

mightavengersdarkreignandaliensinhumancondition01

Despite thinking I’d gotten my fill of cheap hardbacks last week…seeing the 16+ issue Mighty Avengers: Dark Reign volume (normally $44.99) for $10.99, I decided to pick it up. That’s cheaper than buying 4 of the single issues, or like paying just under 70 cents per issue…and getting them without ads and in this single, hefty hardcover tome.

mightavengersdarkreignandaliensinhumancondition02

However, the Avengers volume stands in stark contrast to the Aliens volume…which incidentally carries a cover price of $10.99. Not horrible for what it is–a hardcover “graphic novella,” much in line with one I’d bought quite awhile back. I’m a bit of a sucker for the various Aliens comics…and not having kept up with Dark Horse Presents, I’m kinda enjoying seeing some of the specific stories serialized in that series collected as their own titles so I can buy “just” what I’m specifically interested in (so far, X and Aliens).

mightavengersdarkreignandaliensinhumancondition03

I’ve mentioned several times in the past in this blog that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stuff is my main “weakness” where I’ll overlook pricing in a way that I refuse to do with Marvel/DC in particular. Aliens books tend to be another…though I much prefer the Aliens Omnibus volumes for the “classic” comics material rather than the full-dimensioned smaller collected volumes.

Definitely an expensive weekend overall (especially with several World War Hulk digital issues thrown in there–I might not have bothered with the main 5-issue series, even at 99-cents per issue…but already having #1 thanks to the Marvel 700 #1s Giveaway, I figured having the full event “core series” for the price of a single print issue was worthwhile.

But I think this coming week is going to be fairly small, so that should make up for it a bit.

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Alien Resurrection: Found!

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Walt

20121203-140243.jpgLast year, I tracked down the Aliens and Predator films on blu-ray. I’m stupidly particular about those cardboard sleeves, which made the hunt a bit more problematic that simply being in stock or not.

I wound up missing only Alien Resurrection, as Walmart and Target don’t carry it and I didn’t want to pay a full $20+ at Best Buy, couldn’t find it at any of the used stores, and an online purchase might not have the sleeve to “match up” to the other 3 Aliens films’ cases.

The other day at Sam’s Club (in Alabama, visiting a friend) I came across the film with the sleeve…for only $10…a great price (especially as I’d expected to pay at least $15 or so) to get this.

Given Joss Whedon’s involvement and seeing hints of Firefly in it (and starting to rewatch the Firefly pilot recently) I might just get sucked back into that, thanks to this.

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Aliens #1 [Review]

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Walt

classicreviewlogowhite
Quick Rating: Good

Archeologists find themselves on a planet that probably has more in store for them than they realize.

aliens001 Script: John Arcudi
Pencils: Zach Howard
Inks: Mark Irwin and Zach Howard
Colors: Wes Dzioba
Lettering: Blambot!
Covers: Zach Howard with Brad Anderson and Wes Dzioba
Publisher: Mike Richardson
Editor: Chris Warner
Associate Editor: Samantha Robertson
Art Director: Lia Ribacchi
Designer: Josh Elliott
Published by: Dark Horse Comics

One of the books I read most back in the 90s was Aliens: Earth Hive, a novel that I did not discover until years later was based on a comics mini-series. Turned out, most of the Aliens and Aliens vs. Predator novels I enjoyed during that time were based on comics, all from Dark Horse (and all collected across the various Dark Horse omnibi). That said, the idea of new, original content created for the property, also coming from Dark Horse, was something that grabbed my attention.

We open with a fairly "typical" sorta scene for the Aliens property–introducing us to a couple people who think they know what they’re doing, but quickly find that whatever preparation you have, the creatures are what they are for a reason. Transitioning from that scene, we meet some archeologists headed for Chirone–though they’re unable to establish contact immediately with those planetside. We’re soon introduced to those who live planetside, and a few things click into place propelling us to the cliffhanger toward the next issue.

While I’m really not blown away by it, this is still a good book. You can glean contextually what’s up–and those who are already familiar with the property will be in familiar territory. The story introduces several settings and a bunch of characters; there’s just enough to get a vague idea of what they’re all about. We don’t know what’s going on at Chirone, though issue’s end suggests more than initially meets the eye.

The art is good–no huge complaints here. The visual design of the Aliens is at once familiar and yet something slightly different. That really isn’t a problem, though, as it’s been established by prior stories that there are a number of different aliens–they do not look identical, though one can still recognize ’em instantly for what they are.

As the first quarter of a story, this does what it should–gives us some actual interaction with the creatures, introduces us to characters and gives a bit of motivation to things, and leaves one curious of what’s to come. If you’re a fan of the property, this is definitely worth a look-see. And if you’re wondering at accessibility, I think this is as accessible as any Aliens story. The beauty of ’em is that in many ways, they’re like the zombies in The Walking Dead. They’re there, they’re a definite menace…but the real story is the people and how they handle being around the monsters.

Recommended for Aliens fans new and old…all the more if you’ve enjoyed the Aliens material Dark Horse has put out in the past.

Ratings:

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

Filed under: Aliens, Classic Reviews, Dark Horse | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

AVP: Three World War #2 [Review]

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Walt

Three World War

Script: Randy Stradley
Pencils: Rick Leonardi
Inks: Mark Pennington
Colors: Wes Dzioba
Lettering: Blambot!
Cover art: Raymond Swanland
Book Design: Lia Ribacchi
Associate Editor: Samantha Robertson
Editor: Chris Warner
Published by: Dark Horse Comics

I’ve read a lot of Dark Horse‘s Alien comics, and enjoyed those via the Omnibus volumes. I’ve yet to read much in the way of the Predator stuff, though I’m somewhat familiar with the Predator side of things from the first movie, and both of the AVP films…and a couple of novelizations of Aliens vs. Predator stories from the mid-1990s.

This issue picks up with a bunch of military people heading toward a world where Predators are present (and apparently Aliens as well), and as their guide/advisor, they have the woman who was for a time accepted amongst the Predators, who warns them of how to behave and react around the Predators if they want to stay alive. Where the title comes in–Three World War–seems to be the Aliens, the Predators, and Earthmen. Once the military arrives where the Predators are, the woman leaps into mortal combat with one, apparently following tradition by which one earns the right to speak to the Predators and be taken seriously.

The story itself seems fairly shallow, and one has to make a lot of leaps in following the action and plot, as there’s virtually no context or real sense of history given…if I wasn’t already familiar with the properties, this would seem entirely new and unconnected.

The art is where the strength of the issue lies, as the design and coloring blend for an end result that looks very much like a comic book–as it should, since this is one–and yet, also comes across as something like an adaptation of a screenplay, carrying a lot of weight of story by showing things rather than narration or exposition laying things out. The visuals seem fairly simple and not all that detailed…but these would work fairly well if this were to be an animated tv production.

As seems to be the case with most blends of these two properties, the story tends to be more about the Predators or otherwise those dealing with the Aliens, and the Aliens become a plot device…which I have no problem with. However, one really needs to either be a fan of or not mind reading about the Predators to enjoy this, as the Aliens get virtually zero presence here, and no real development…they’re just kinda there.

All in all, a solid enough issue. There seems to be more unrealized potential here than what’s already unfolded, and the book could do with a recap page (I couldn’t summarize the plot of the previous issue offhand without laying out some serious B.S.). But if you’re a fan of these properties, this is definitely worth a look-see, and if you don’t mind a highly visual-driven reading experience, this is a good series to check out. I do think this will ultimately read best as a collected volume, rather than in single issues with 6-some weeks between issues.

Story: 4/10
Art: 6/10
Overall: 5/10

Filed under: Aliens, Dark Horse, Predator | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Photos From Home #12

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Walt

Back in the spring of 1994, a friend convinced me to try out the Magic: The Gathering card game–at the time, I don’t think the game had even existed for more than 7 or 8 months. I initially missed the first novel published based on the game (Arena), but got in with Whispering Woods, which turned out to be the first of a 3-book series.  I followed the rest of the series, though never enjoyed these as much as the first 4.

In 1998 or early 1999, I stumbled across The Brothers’ War, and enjoyed the reading experience a great deal–particularly as it fleshed out a story only hinted at prior in comics and the cards themselves.  Late in my first semester at college I started picking up the other books, and enjoyed the rich story being assembled that tied together the entire Magic: The Gathering setting to that point.  I followed the series for several years and a number of the “cycles.” I’ve fallen behind by quite a few years at this point.

Two other series that I have a number of books are the Aliens series–based on the movies and Dark Horse’s excellent comics continuity. The other is MechWarrior: Dark Age, which followed WizKids’ moving that saga forward a generation or two for its then-new collectible miniatures game. You’ll also see the only 2 Mage Knight novels published…these were OK reads, but I was looking forward to more–sadly, they never did put any more out that I’m aware of.

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Aliens #2 [Review]

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 3/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Filed under: Aliens, cxPulp.com, Dark Horse | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Aliens #1 [Review]

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

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

Filed under: Aliens, cxPulp.com, Dark Horse | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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