| Comic Books Worth Checking Out ...and Why. |
| Monthlies that I'm reading (* denotes a more intellectual read): *The New X-Men -- This title has taken a much darker turn since being taken over by Grant Morrison. Morrison has quite a bit to say about descrimination and does so in the pages of this book while still staying true to situations that we'd expect the X-Men to face. I was pretty surprised by how much I like this title. The X-titles as a whole seem to be comparing mutants to homosexuals quite a bit lately. It's made the books a lot more enjoyable for me to read. Uncanny X-Men -- Though this title isn't as intellectual as The New X-Men, it is pretty fun. I prefer the cast of this title and am pretty excited about the fact that Marvel's first openly gay character, Northstar, is set to be joining the cast in the upcoming months. Perhaps this will lead to some very interesting and thought-provoking stories. Openly gay artist (best known for his work on Wonder Woman), Phil Jiminez, is slated to do some fill-in work in upcoming issues as well. Ultimate X-Men -- A modern retelling of the X-Men mythology with a few surprises. If you aren't a purist, this look at what might have been is excellently crafted and will definitely keep you entertained. *Fables -- If you took every work of fairy tale and child fantasy, mixed it all in a blender, added one cohesive and gripping story, and sold it monthly in a comic, you'd have this book. Well worth a read...and definitely not for your toddler. Gen 13 -- Adam Warren's stint in the final issues of the first volume of this series are very much worth a read (especially the last two story arcs). This series has yet to actually begin (unless you count the #0 issue), but will hopefully live up to the expectations that the series' end left me with. Young Justice -- A very fun comic. That's it. If you want to see how great this comic can be when it takes itself seriously, check out the issue with a child's note on the cover. *Strangehaven -- Though it has a sporadic shipping schedule, this is a very well done British series. I thoroughly recommend picking up the entire run (mostly covered in two trade paperbacks). This is a story of a man recovering from a divorce who finds himself unable to leave a strange small town that he drives into one day. The cast is three-dimensional, and the subplots are just as interesting as the main story. Green Lantern -- I haven't actually had a chance to read any of this series yet, but Judd Winick is an excellent writer (as I've learned from Exiles). September's story arc will feature the beating of a young gay friend of Green Lantern and the aftermath of the event. Should be interesting. Other series that I recommend: Exiles, X-Treme X-Men, Weapon X, Avengers (the new World Trust arc), Fantastic Four (Mark Waid is doing amazing things with the book now), Ultimate Spider-man, and Out There |
| Limited Series and Specials worth your time: *X-Factor -- A story about government agents in charge of investigating cases of mutant hate crimes from the point-of-view of one of the agents. It's kinda like a story about gay rights that any audience will be open to reading. Chamber -- Another series about mutant hate crimes. This one is told more from the point-of-view of a college-aged crowd. Spider-man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do -- Written by Kevin Smith (of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Jersey Girl fame), this story is a very well written and fun adventure starring Spider-man and his former love interest, the Black Cat (and should serve as a lead-in to the Black Cat's upcoming monthly title). Smith definitely captures the personality of Spidey and the Cat very well, which seems to be a very difficult task as of late. Spider-man: Quality of Life -- Written by Greg Rucka, this title seemed to be fairly tame. It was excellent, though and dealt with some very compelling issues. It also has some very interesting surprises. Well worth a read and a look (due to it's beautiful computer generated art). Weapon X: The Draft: Marrow -- One of five lead-ins to the upcoming Weapon X monthly. This issue takes a former member of the X-Men and explores what happens when someone gets the very thing that they've wanted their entire life and then has it taken from them. And it was written by Christina Z, a very talented woman. |
| So I'm sure there's lots more for me to mention, but I don't have the time...and I need to get out and do something today. Expect more from me later. Get ahold of me if you have any questions or wanna know more about the comics that I've mentioned here...or even to get my opinion of comics that I haven't mentioned. Hope you've found this page enjoyable and helpful. |