Pick of the Week Podcast
Show Notes
Josh Flanagan’s still off on paternity leave so this week Paul Montgomery calls upon his Fuzzy Typewriter co-host Dave Accampo to join himself and Conor Kilpatrick to talk about the week in comic books!
Total Running Time: 00:59:00
Pick of the Week:
00:02:01 – American Vampire: Second Cycle #1
Comics:
00:09:51 – Daredevil #1
00:15:37 – Sex Criminals #5
00:19:37 – Thor: God of Thunder #28
00:25:31 – Ms. Marvel #2
00:31:23 – Smallville: Lantern #1
00:34:19 – Nova #15
00:35:30 – Animal Man #29
00:37:45 – Sovereign #1
00:39:53 – The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #10
Book of the Month:
00:41:20 – The Joyners in 3D
Audience Question:
00:49:13 – Wes from Newport, MN is looking for the best superheroes not from Marvel and DC (and not Invincible).
Music:
“It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”
Roger McGuinn
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Image still has Savage Dragon and the bounce. And theres also Spawn.
There’s one we haven’t heard much about since Ron left.
Thor God of Thunder was awesome.The craziest but awesome moment for me was when Mjolnir returned back to old King Thor with his Destroyer arm.
Ack! Forgot to mention First Second’s THE SHADOW HERO from Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew for superhero comics outside Marvel and DC. It’s really, really good.
My PotW was Daredevil #1. It was great.
Sad to se Animal Man go, the first couple 10 issues were awesome, but the series slowly began to become stale. This last issue could have been a lot better, but liked seeing Travel and JEff Lemire’s art.
You’re telling me that Marvel used a different writer for an issue of Superior Foes? Thanks, Obama.
The “of course” non marvel/dc superhero book: the authority
Putting aside the fact that it’s not published anymore, when it was, THE AUTHORITY was published by DC Comics.
The fuse was my potw. I dropped Daredevil, not liking the relaunching for no reason, not even a creative change this time. People are becoming wise to Marvel’s game though, these now 2 books might even be better than now 1 in some cases but the numbers are far worse. This years Fantastic Four 1 sold about 50% worse than last years and was probably a better book for example.
Okay. Book was excellent though. Numbers are arbitrary, so I don’t really understand the disdain.
I honestly don’t see how DD #1 was “excellent”. It was basically one big action sequence of “Superhero saves kid”. It had a couple kinda clever bits, but nothing nearly as innovative as what we saw in the early issues of Waid’s run. I mean, I have a subscription to Waid’s DD; I like Waid’s DD; I was happy enough with the issue and think it was okay and everything. No complaints. But to raise it to “excellent” status? Sometimes I think you guys are just on autopilot with this stuff. “A Mark Waid Daredevil comic? It MUST be great.” Can you not even tell that it obviously doesn’t hit the heights of say, the Moleman or Dr. Doom issues from a year or two ago?
Is it my favorite issue of the run? No. I still thought the storytelling in that chase sequence was excellent, as I explained on the show.
I didn’t toss out a ridonkulous or a splendiferous willy-nilly. I just said it was excellent in light of someone dropping it over a renumbering.
I can honestly say that my feelings on Daredevil were not just (ahem) blind praise (sorry). In fact, until the last issue of the previous run, I think the book was in a bit of a slump. And I also read the “Road Warrior” digital comic that bridged the two runs, and felt it was just OK.
But, as I said on the show, for me it was all about the details. I felt as though Waid had really thought through that chase sequence, adding this layer of vulnerabilities and strengths that come with a new environment.
Basically, it used a simple setup and plot to refocus the character and remind me of how thrilling and scary it would be to be Daredevil. For me, that’s excellent.
I haven’t liked the book as much since 26.
The disdain is I think these constant relaunches are bad for the industry. Fantastic four number 1 by Matt Fraction sold 114k a Fantastic Four number 1 by James Robinson sold 65k a little over a year later, so you have a probably better quality book selling much more poorly, this seems like a poor trend.
Marvel is abusing the number 1. In doing so they gave me a jumping off point.
@flapjaxx: << Sometimes I think you guys are just on autopilot with this stuff. “A Mark Waid Daredevil comic? It MUST be great.” >>
Except I said otherwise on this very show. I said it was fine but not great.
@Arathi411: I’m completely the opposite. New #1s are, for me, the best thing a comic book series can do. I don’t need big numbers. I don’t even look at the numbers. But a new jumping on point is crucial for me. I’ve read probably just about every super-hero from the big two at one time or another — I’ve learned to jump on and jump off whenever my interest waxes or wains.
I’ll suggest this: new #1s are the most HONEST thing comic book companies can do. Is a new #1 a jumping off point? Sure. But that means they weren’t capturing your attention. Each new #1 means they have to constantly be putting up their A game to attract as many readers as possible, telling the best stories possible.
Batman number 29 was the best selling comic this month, it was number 29. The artist and writer have been on fire telling the best story possible. It can be done at any number, it outsold all marvel 1’s. BPRD did not have numbers it went to 1 a lot with miniseries, I bought it but it could get confusing to organize over time, and for people trying to go backwards. I bought it then and now it says 116 on it and I still buy it. No one cared when a BPRD 1 came out before the numbering, they did it too often to get new people, marvel is doing this.
The new number 1 is a tool, if you use a tool too much it becomes dull and ineffective.
I understand the points you guys are making as a reader. I don’t care either, as I said it wasn’t doing it for me anymore for the most part. I jumped on many of the new 1’s and Green Arrow at 19. If you are going to honestly use new a number 1 I think it should be something new and different.
I guess I just didn’t want to reward them for slapping a number 1 on something that wasn’t new. Now when they relaunch it again in 12 months and the book actually is radically different, even less new readers may jump onto something special, and that is doing the comics community a disservice.
Also I’m sure American Vampire was probably pick worthy, I trade wait the super nice hardcovers for this one though.
Best superheroes not on Marvel or DC: Astro City, Mangus, Robot Fighter, Hellboy, Miracleman (started out Brit), GrimJack, Tarzan, Doc Savage
Re: non-big two superheroes, mark waid’s Incorruptible and Irredeemable (both published by Boom) are quite good, as is his Insufferable (thrill bent / comixology).
I’d toss Dean Haspiel’s The Fox in as a fun, non big two superhero book which Conor alluded to at the end of the discussion.
My own POTW was Transformers Regeneration One #100. Simon Furman’s farewell to the classic Marvel ended with the touch of melancholy that a goodbye to such an old friend should engender. The art by longtime collaborators Geoff Senior, Andrew Wildman, and Guido Guidi set a perfect tone to the finale. Guidi’s homage to Bill Sienkiewicz’s cover to issue one put a bow on the present that was the Regeneration series.
I could not be more excited that American Vampire is back! It has been my favourite comic book since I discovered it a couple years back.
You guys have to know that my mother will never listen this podcast.
A couple of superhero-ish ones I really like are Rocket Girl (Montclare and Reeder, Image) and Black Beetle (Francavilla, Dark Horse). People generally had good things to say about the first issue of Starlight (Millar and Parlov, Image), but I haven’t got around to reading my copy yet.
Conor, did you say you don’t see “superhero” as a genre? Just a character-type found in other types of genre fiction? Or what is your take?
I did indeed. I consider superheroes to just be a character type through which you can tell a romance story, a detective story, a horror story, an adventure story, a workplace comedy story, etc. etc.
I’ve always though of super-heroes as a “sub-genre” for similar reasons to Conor. Like… they are horror stories or adventure stories or detective stories, etc. — but with a set of extra guideposts that include some of those classic super-hero trappings. If I had to sum it up with any kind of over-arching theme it would be that these stories tend to focus on the nature of power and responsibility.
But, y’know, these are all just artificial labels, anyway. 😉
By the by, always enjoy it when you’re on the show Dave. You actually jumped-in on a Smallville comic. That’s dedication.
Here’s my two-cents: Best-non DC superhero books being published right now: Harbinger, Sex, Danger Club, Copra (self-published, super-indie take on Ostrander’s Suicide Squad), BPRD kind of, Archer and Armstrong.
The Bounce, Luther Strode and The Last of the Greats are well-liked but I haven’t read them.
If we’re talking hall of fame,:
Irredeemable .
Astro City started off at Image and pre-DC Wildstorm so it should count.
Grant Morrison’s Zenith.
The Boys, which is a f-ed up superhero story famously mostly not published by DC. It’s easy to get grossed out and give up on the book, but it’s worth sticking around.
And The Spirit of course.
I’d love to get a hold of Copra.
You have to buy them on Etsy as the issues come out, it’s pretty much the only way. I know there’s a comic store that then prints compendiums, something like three issues at a time
I missed out on issue 3 on I haven’t been able to find it since. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass, but it also makes it special in a way. Makes it feel special in this world of reprints and digital day-and-date, a return to the great hunt, a little bit like when I had to track down every isssue of Ostrander’s Suicide Squad, which makes it perfectly fitting.
Anyway, season 2 is going to start soon with issue 13, so there’s your chance.
Really surprised you didn’t pick the Stray Bullets Uber Alles Edition for the Book of the Month (especially considering how involved Ron seems to have been in its move to Image). Joyners is good as well but I don’t feel it has the same weight that Stray Bullets does.
I’d love to hear your opinion on it. Maybe the next Booksplode after Paul finishes Akira? He does seem to like long books! 😉
I need time to actually read the Uber Alles Edition, which is massive. Believe me, it’s hard narrowing it down to just one book every third month.
Yes, a Booksplode is certainly possible. As is Stray Bullets getting the BotM nod in a future month. Unlike the PotW, it doesn’t really matter when the book came out.
Have you seen the size of that book? It’s going to take me four years to finish it.
I wished Paul HAD picked the Stray Bullets volume, so I could have chimed in on my love for that series. Now, I just have to try to weasel my way onto a Booksplode or something. 😀
It’d be great to have Dave on the Booksplode if you’re thinking of Stray Bullets. Really been enjoying the guest presenters these last two weeks.
Conor: I know the feeling when it comes to those huge books. I’m usually pretty good to get through them but after buying the Simonson Thor Omnibus on release day a few years back I still haven’t read further than the introduction.
What did you guys think of Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #2 if you read it? I quite enjoyed it. Love the artwork & throwback feel s.h.i.e.l.d. spy stuff. I’m sure it might be seen as just a promotional tool for the upcoming cap movie, but I think it’s a pretty true little slice to the Brubaker storylines. Not a huge fan of the Bucky flashback where he remembers Cap telling him never to shoot an enemy in the back. I get what they’re doing – again maybe to push the movie, but at this point in the soldier’s “career” I wanna see him still more of a brainwashed slate & ruthless.
I’m really enjoying it, I just wish that the main character was Nick Fury and not this other agent that I don’t care about.
Superhero comic that’s not from the big 2: “Anti-Hero” by Jay Faeber (writer of Dynamo 5) from Monkeybrain Comics. It’s both a traditional superhero comic and a crime comic as well. I highly recommend checking this out.
*Faerber
I always smile when Smallville season 11 gets a mention, excluding the first arc it’s been a pretty great run.
am I the only one that thinks the smallville superman costume looks better than the new 52 one? Also I haven’t mentioned how I want them to bring back the underwear in a while so I’ll do that here so that I won’t have to mention it for at least a week!
Did anyone of you read Wonder Woman? I think the last couple of issues have been really good!
I did. It was another solid issue. The book really sings when Chiang is drawing it.
Yea it was excellent, just sad this run is ending.