My Comics Portal column and reviews as well as my weekly Wayne’s Comics podcast are now available at MajorSpoilers.Com! I also write a weekly Wayne’s Worlds preview column at FirstComicsNews.Com, too! As time permits, I’m hoping to be participating in a comics podcast at WordOfTheNerdOnline.Com as well, so I’m a busy guy!
Regarding this blog, I’m going to make another effort to try and post as frequently as possible, but it will depend on when I feel I have something to say or a story I particularly want to share!
If you’re looking for new installments of my Wayne’s Comics podcast as well as my two weekly columns, Comics Portal and DC Comics And Beyond, you can find them at wordofthenerdonline.com, a great site focusing on all things comics and comics-related! Be sure to check them out!
I’m considering how to move forward on my blog, so stay tuned for more information as it becomes available!
Jeff Lemire is certainly one of comics’ rising stars. He can write and draw compelling tales, and this week, he struts his stuff in several new releases. Sadly, I didn’t get to the store in time to pick up The Underwater Welder, but I did get the rest of the books he worked on that came out this time.
National Comics: Eternity #1. “An exciting new series of stand-alone comics that feature unique takes on classic characters! JEFF LEMIRE (ANIMAL MAN) and CULLY HAMNER(RED) bring a contemporary approach to the hero we used to know as KID ETERNITY! Can introverted medical examiner Kid Eternity solve a deadly crime in just 24 hours?”
So, just what is National Comics? Here’s what dccomics.com has to say: “NATIONAL COMICS, a new print comic series, will debut this July and feature a series of stand-alone stories built around some of DC Comics most intriguing characters. The first four key characters that comprise NATIONAL COMICS include ETERNITY, MADAME X, ROSE AND THORN, and LOOKER. Each character will have a stand-alone issue.” It’s something like Showcase used to be, a place for interesting characters to get their chance before a wide audience.
I’m a big fan of Hoax Hunters, a great Image comic that’s described this way: “Cryptids. Aliens. Monsters. All the world’s bizarre secrets–what if they were real? Their existence would be debunked by a reality TV show! HOAX HUNTERS is that show, publicly disproving all variety of lore. But their real goal is the opposite: as the world’s dark corners surface, the HOAX HUNTERS cover them up. They demonstrate that the truth isn’t out there.”
I wrote a preview of the number zero issue here, and the first issue at this location. You can check out their website as well! I interviewed creator Michael Moreci during the 42nd episode of my weekly Wayne’s Comics podcast, which you can find at this link. Also, USA Today covered the book, and you can read that article on their site.
We’ve still got months to wait for the next Star Trek feature film to warp into theaters, but until then, IDW is making some great Trek comics, and two of them arrived in stores this week!
1. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who Assimilation2(Squared) #3.Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee (w) • J.K. Woodward (a) The two greatest science-fiction properties of all time cross over for the first time in history, in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMILATION2! The true horror of the Borg-Cybermen alliance has been revealed, but what course of action will Captain Picard and the Doctor agree upon? And will the Doctor’s recently resurfaced memories shed new night on the dilemma? FC • 32 pages • $3.99
It’s still great to see all the members of the Enterprise D team interact with the folks from the Tardis. However, the most fun part of this issue for me was a flashback when the Doctor (Tom Baker) works together with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of that Enterprise crew. Even the art style changes, from painting to a more standard comic-book look. It’s a very well done sequence. I laughed when the Doctor asks Kirk to distract a Cyberman, and Kirk uses one of his trademark techniques! The last page has an interesting development that makes perfect sense given that the universes seem to be changed somehow! Excellent book, as usual!
I just couldn’t decide which of the three top books that came out this week to highlight, so I’m going to review them all in alphabetical order!
1. Batman #11. The Court of Owls epic building for the past year comes to its stunning conclusion as Batman brings to light the mad machinations of the mysterious organization.
Batman finally faces his “brother” (Owlman?) and then has to pick up the pieces before moving forward. At the end of the issue, Bruce has a great discussion with Dick Grayson, and they talk about what’s been revealed about them. Great job!
With digital very likely to be a major player for comics in the future, many comics companies are getting an early start on the entire “revolution” that may see us downloading issues from an FTP site rather than going to our local comics shops … sooner than we think!
DC Comics has been putting their toe in the water a lot recently, with some books like Batman Beyond Unlimited and Smallville Season 11 appearing in digital format before they are collected into a monthly comic. (I do love that first one especially, by the way!)
Recently, the company revived a previous Batman title with Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight, which can only be purchased online … so far. Here’s the description: “On Thursdays beginning in June, a new digital Batman series will showcase stories of the Dark Knight outside of regular DC Comics continuity and feature artists and writers such as Ben Templesmith, Steve Niles, B. Clay Moore, Nicola Scott and Joshua Hale Fialkov. One all-star issue teams writer — and Lost co-creator —Damon Lindelof with artist Jeff Lemire(Animal Man, Sweet Tooth).” Each chapter retails for .99 cents.
I thought this week, in honor of the hour-long debut of Green Lantern: The Animated Series on Cartoon Network on Friday night, I’d vary the weekend format and post videos about the show. I’m a big fan of it, but then, I loved the live-action Green Lantern movie that flew into theaters. Honestly, I’ve met a LOT of people like me who hope for more GL!
Of course, the comics continues soaring right now, with Geoff Johns writing! Hal Jordan remains one of DC Comics’ most popular characters!
Green Lantern: The Animated Series features the voicework of Josh Keaton, Tony Todd, Kevin Michael Richardson and many others. Here’s more information about the series: “Green Lantern: The Animated Series is an American computer-animated television series based on DC Comics’ superhero Green Lantern. The series is set to air on Cartoon Network, as part of their ‘DC Nation’ television block. The series will be the first independent television series based on Green Lantern, not having the Green Lanterns making only guest appearances or share plot with other different superheroes. A total of 26 episodes have been ordered for the first season. The program will focus on the adventures of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and his fellow warrior ally, Kilowog against the series’ main antagonists, the Red Lanterns, led by the villain Atrocitus, and the Manhunters. Carol Ferris, Salaak, Sayd, Saint Walker, and Zilius Zox will be supporting characters in the series.“
First up, here’s a very brief commercial for the series:
That’s what I’ve been telling myself the last several months whenever I remembered how much I’ve enjoyed expressing myself on this blog. But life is busy these days, and I simply couldn’t get to it.
What have I been up to?
Well, what really put me behind was the San Diego Comic-Con back in July. Then I attended other comic-cons, including one in Baltimore, then another one in New York City. They all take time, but they are a valuable resource for someone who creates a weekly podcast.
Since comics are big in the news recently (both with new films and renumbering of books), I thought this weekend I’d highlight some of the wonderfully funny bits done by the “I’m A Marvel/I’m A DC” folks from YouTube.
First up is their latest one, with Green Lantern talking with characters from the new X-Men prequel film:
