Category Archives: comics
Going “All In” With Wolverine And The X-Men On The Wednesday Run – February 22, 2012
“One hundred quatloos on the newcomers!”
Oh man – I’ve waited, like, a loooong time to say that. And by “loooong time” I mean “weeks”. It’s probably been a good few months since I last uttered those words (I just love that particular Triskelion quote so much) a favourite original Star Trek television series line of dialogue for the few of you that don’t know. Go on. Look it up. Q-u-a-t-l-o-o-s.
“One hundred quatloos on the newcomers!” … at the casino; …amidst a business-oriented request for quotation; …in a battle of domestic chore duties between newlyweds; …when making sports disagreements between pals - interesting.
It never fails to amaze me just how many real life situations actually call for that particular sci-fi statement. Today marks an entirely new scenario: with the weekly Wednesday Run to the local comic book shop still before me, the “quatloo” quote is, now, perhaps more apt than any other time before. Here’s why: Wolverine & The X-Men #6
Avengers vs X-men Pregame Thoughts
Avengers vs. X-Men - THIS is what every fanboy and fangirl really wants. Slugfest. Mano a mano. Superhero vs. superhero. We want to see our favorites in combat. That’s just the way it is. We love when Batman fights Superman. We wait with baited breath for the next Thing vs. Hulk match. One of my own favorite Marvel Comics stories is the Avengers/Defenders clash. And let’s face it, there’s a reason that just the thought of the Avengers battling the Justice League makes us all drool just a little. It’s what we want, so why not give the people what they want.
Marvel has been having huge success in movie theaters of late. Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, all building to the big Avengers movie in May. Before that, and even now, they were doing well with the X-Men franchise. Everybody knows the characters now, even outside of the comics. And in the comics, other than Spider-Man, the X-Men and Avengers lines of titles are Marvel’s biggest. Talk about no-brainers, of course, they just have to do Avengers vs. X-Men, or as they’re calling it – AvsX.
The Comic Stop: Put Down Whatever You’re Reading And Go Experience Preacher Again
Earlier this week, Biff Bam Pop’s David Ward nominated Preacher’s Tulip O’hare and Jesse Custer as one of Our Favourite Couples. It was a suggestion David had a made a few weeks previous when we were talking about who to feature and as a result, he inspired me to go back and reread the original 66 issue run of the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon series. Reread for the fourth time.
That’s just how awesome Preacher is.
Though Bombs May Fall, Lost Boys Live Forever In The Wednesday Run – February 15, 2012
The comic book Peter Panzerfaust, the debut issue of which is released today, wouldn’t be the first time one of famed author J.M. Barrie’s fictional creations have been transported from the pages of his early twentieth century Peter Pan play and novel into the format of sequential storytelling. I’m specifically thinking of the Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie erotic graphic novel, Lost Girls, and, truth be told, that’s not bad company.
Of course, Peter Panzerfaust is NOT an overtly sexual reading like Lost Girls is, but it is, I believe, the first time that the major character of Barrie’s most famous work has lead a group of rag-tag, gun-toting, orphan boy-soldiers against German panzer tanks in World War II-era France. Anyone care to defy that assumption?
And, just like in Barrie’s original work, there’s definitely a magical feel to this particular story.
Tales from the Longbox – Star Wars #86 (1984)
Every other week, Jason Shayer will highlight an issue or a run of issues pulled from the horde of comic book long boxes that occupy more room in his house than his wife can tolerate. Each of these reviews will delve into what made that issue or run significant as well as discuss the creative personalities behind the work. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within – bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.
A long, long time ago in a decade known as the 1980s, fans didn’t easily have the option to rewatch their beloved Star Wars trilogy over and over again. It was a big deal to watch a bootleg copy of Empire Strikes Back on Beta (if you don’t know what Beta is, don’t ask). The action figures were the primary means to re-enact your favourite movie scenes and there was the Marvel Comics’ Star Wars series.
I can’t exactly recall why I never picked up the Star Wars comic book, but it might have had something to do with so many other great comics on the shelf in 1984. Reading through some of these issues, the first thing that struck me was how many great creators worked on this book. The creative teams on licensed books tend to be weak because of the expensive licensing fees, but this book enjoyed work by Walt Simonson, Al Williamson, Howard Chaykin, Tom Palmer, and Ron Frenz.
