Pick of the Week
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Size: pages
Price: 3.50
Apparently I've become a creature of the Pick of the Week trends here at iFanboy. My last Pick not only finally gave the honor to one of the most popular titles, but I followed in lock step the trend (at that time) of awarding 5th issues the Pick of the Week. And now here I am, following Conor with his Pick last week of Daytripper #1 with another #1 issue. This time, it's Forgetless #1 from Image Comics.
You may be wondering, "How did this happen? Especially on a week like this, with so many books and major events happening all around us. Was Forgetless #1 really the best book that came out this week? I mean I'm looking at Ron's comics and he didn't even rate it a 5! He gave it a 4! How could he have gotten the Pick wrong again? It's obviously *insert title of comic you think was the Pick*!!!"
My response to you is simple: There were a couple of books that from a craft stand point, either in writing or art, were better than Forgetless #1. In fact I have some major criticisms about Forgetless #1, from a craft stand point. And yes, some very exciting and dramatic things happened in other titles. But you see, the Pick of a Week is a fickle choice, one that I've taken the challenge of fulfilling and I'm not here to validate your devotion to any specific character, title or event. I'm guided by the strength of my interests and what gets me excited and that's exactly how we got to where we are today.
A few weeks ago, I caught a glimpse of the cover to Forgetless #1 and it burned an imprint in my mind. Similar to when I saw a poster for Phonogram across the con floor at San Diego several years ago. There was something about the imagery of the cover that snagged my attention and made me take a mental note to be sure to check out this book. I tend to listen to my gut often, and its rarely steered me wrong. My gut knew that Phonogram would be a book I'd be interested in, and sure enough that book is one of my favorite titles of the 2000s. I don't think it's much a coincedence in that I found myself drawn to both Phonogram and now Forgetless, as I feel as if the two books share a kindred sense of spirit.
Fast forward several weeks to this week, the week Forgetless #1 is released and I'm able to follow up on my gut feeling and give this first issue a shot. Writer Nick Spencer has created a world that I instantly was able to fall into. There's a party in New York City called Forgetless. The last time it's being thrown. *BOOM* I'm there and in the setting. It's almost devilishly simple how easy I was able to snap into the world of this story. Within the first issue, Spencer teams up with two artists for two individual stories rotating around this party. The first story and the meatiest was illustrated by Scott Forbes and the back up story by Marley Zarcone. To say that I had a visceral reaction to both stories would be an understatement. In fact I reacted so strongly in both directions for both stories that they require some unique attention.
The first story written by Spencer with art by Forbes is one that uses time shifting around this last night of the Forgetless party to tell the tale of two struggling models in New York City, who are also hired assassins. Our main character, Sonia, is new at the killing game, as she follows her model/assassin friend Sara. The story itself was well written, following the Roger Avary-esque style of jumping around in time to tell the story with the addition of little modern touches, like using Twitter posts to help move the story along. Focusing on Sonia's new choice in career and her hesitancy at the idea of taking a life is one that we can find ourselves easily relating to, and as could be predicted, the shit hits the fan pretty quickly. Art wise, I has some real issues with Scott Forbes work as well as the production on the book. Forbes style reminds me of a less disciplined Luna Brothers, with that cartoony/animation style that is familiar and yet unsettling. I started out really disliking his figures, as noses moved in every direction but the right one. I had other little gripes like that, but by the end of the story it didn't bother me as much and I'm guessing that given more steady work, Forbes could refine his skill as the potential is obvious in his unique style. On top of the issues with the art, something seemed off about the production on this story. The lettering was fuzzy at times, almost as if they never had a comic book printed before and didn't know what resolution to print to, and as a lettering nerd, it bugged the crap out of me.
If the comic book ended with this first story, Forgetless #1 is a 3 star book, at best. But it didn't end. Rather immediately after the first story finishes, story #2 begins with art by Marley Zarcone. While the writing for this story was much more straight forward and traditional, depicting the tale of three teenagers in the suburbs outside of New York City pining to go to the Forgetless party, it was the art that blew me away. After three pages I had to flip back to the cover of the book to see just who the hell this artist was. Marley Zarcone? I've never heard of him or her before, but after reading these first three pages I have to change that immediately. (upon some Internet research, I discoveed that she's a her) The art in this second story was fantastic! Zarcone's style reminded me of a tighter Paul Pope with a hint of Becky Cloonan at times. Zarcone's figures are balanced with expressive facial expressions making each figure believable with their character's energy leaping off the page via the art. Marley Zarcone is officially an artist I'm going to keep my eye on, because if these pages are evidence of her skill, she's going to be a huge talent and we'll be looking at Forgetless and rememebering back to her early work. (Oh, and the lettering on the second story was totally fine, no issues whatsoever.)
And so this brings us back to our original question. How does a book like Forgetless #1, with all it's faults and it's strong points, make Pick of the Week? Well, for me it's about the potential. The only book that I pulled off the shelf to show other people at my LCS this week was Forgetless #1 (And they were likewise impressed with Marley Zarcone's work). The only issue that I read and upon finishing immediately thought, "Man, I can't wait for the next issue to come out" was Forgetless #1. And so to answer your questions, that's how I navgate my journey to the Pick of the Week. Forgetless #1 reminded me of the excitement and potential of an independent book that is off the beaten path. It made me feel similar to how Phonogram #1 did, back in the day.
If you're a fan of comics purely from a super hero stand point, then you're going to hate Forgetless #1, almost guaranteed. But if you enjoy comic books as a storytelling medium for quality stories combined with art, then you should take the time to give Forgetless #1 a try. In the world of independent/alternative comics and comics that tell stories about "regular people" than I'm anxious for this five issue mini series to finish up and get collected so I can start recommending it to people (assuming the momentum of this issue lasts through all five issues). I love that this book is created by, as far as I can tell, new talent. Sure Nick Spencer has had some early success with his other book Existence 2.0, but I'd still brand him a newcomer. And from the art side, I don't think I've been as excited after a discovering a new artist than I am about Marley Zarcone and the potential of future work from such a talented artist.
Forgetless #1 is a testament to the potential of excellent stories that can be told in comics and I'm reveling in the fact that I'm here at issue #1 to experience it and urge you to pick up this issue, give it a shot, and maybe come along for the ride with me.
Ron Richards
Throw in some Brit Pop and this would have been golden
ron@ifanboy.com
Find us on Facebook
Graphicly - Upload Once. Distribute Everywhere.
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Some rights reserved.
As soon as I saw this, I knew it’d be the PotW. New York City + Female Leads + Magazine-Style Cover = Ron Paradise.
I’m in the UK so won’t be getting my comics til tomorrow but this is on my pull list. I *am* confused though how you can rate several books 5/5 and then choose a 4/5 book as your POTW… :/ I know you explained your pick, and it being about potential and being excited for the next issue but why not take this into consideration when rating it? I’m now off to bed really puzzled.
@deadspace – it’s simple – the pick of the week isn’t necessarily the "best" book as defined by a 5 star rating, rather it’s the book that I felt was my pick, the one I was most excited to talk to people about it – a book can still have faults and be the pick – not everything has to be (or can be for that matter) "perfect"
While I liked all my books, nothing really blew me away, so I certainly can’t argue with this pick.
@ron – maybe i just rate things differently. i think if i read a book and it made me the most excited to talk to people about then it’d have the best rating that i gave out that week. sure, your potw can be a 4/5 – i’m pretty sure i’ve done that before but only because all my other books that week were either 4/5 too or lower. anyway, i’m looking forward to reading this and i really am off to bed this time.
This has never happened before… I’ve got Power Girl and Green Lantern Corps, and I have absolutely no idea what I should make my pick… had it not been for -that thing toward the end- (not the very end… trying to stay spoiler free) GLC would’ve had it, but -that thing- really rubbed me the wrong way.
I think I’m going to have to go with Power Girl. Probably the best issue of one of the best books being published.
I didn’t get this book, as seeing as I’m on a limited budget I don’t think I will. My POW this week was Locke & Key. Absolutely love that book.
Wow did we have opposite reactions to this book. While I am in full agreement that Zarcone’s art was so good, that I also wrote her name down as an artist to follow, I didn’t have any problem with Forbes’s work (apart from the fuzziness you mentioned). My issue with this was the writing.
I know, I picked on Phonogram when it relaunched because I didn’t think there was much of a point to it (I may or may not have referred to it as a niche comic…ok, I did), and I wasn’t a fan of the art. This is different. It’s not that I didn’t like the concept, I did. And the characters did have great sotry potential. But the faux Tweets, and the chronological abnormalities? I found them painfully bad. Greg Rucka’s Stumptown wa a great example of how to write an easily navigable story that hops around time. This didn’t connect with me at all. And those tweets? I’d say this was some of the most dissapointingly immature writing I’d read in a while, except that last week I picked up Alan Moore’s "Dodgem Logic" which proves that someone has removed Moore’s brain and replaced it with the lobes of a fourteen year old girl from 1994. That was much worse than this.
I’m not critiquing your enjoyment of this, just letting you know my rection. I’m curious to hear more about why you picked this on the podcast, and how Josh and Conor feel. Because, really, this comic left me incredibly disappointed.
My pick for this week was The Marvelous Land Of Oz , with Elephantmen and Daredevil as close seconds. And I finally read Power Girl, which was a huge guilty pleasure. And I’m not even a boob guy.
Kudos to you, Ron, for your pick. It sounds interesting. I don’t know if I’ll pick it up, but I will glance through it next time I hit the shop. Hopefully, this thread won’t get too…interesting.
Well, blimey, this seems even more left field than some of the other left field choices, since it wasn’t even on my radar. Once again though, I’m with Ron in the sense that the pick shouldn’t necessarily be the absolute best book in terms of craft, but sometimes should be something that shows a spark creative strength and needs a bit of a boost. Sometimes something might deserve POTW status just because it’s a big, interesting surprise. I think that following this looser decision making process increases the variety of the picks, and we all know variety is the spice of life…
Got to love these guys picks! Who else "in the industry" would pick a book like this?
I haven’t picked up this book, didn’t even know of it’s existence, but that’s about to change. That Zarcone art looks fantastic. Here’s her DeviantArt page, http://shortfury.deviantart.com/ .
Thanks for at the very least, pointing out a new artist, Ron.
Not even close
If this is your thing, you’d probably love it. This isn’t my thing.
I’m with viewt. I saw this on Ron’s pull list, and went, "That’s gonna be the pick." Not in a bad way
I don’t think I’ll spring for this in single issues but I’ll be interested in hearing Ron’s opinion on the rest of the series, and if it lives up to the potential, I’ll look for the trade.
I liked the time shifiting techinque used in this book when it was done 12 years ago on a Seinfeld episode….
I am going to at least flip threw this when I pick up my books next week.
Yeah, this wasn’t much of a shocker. But more power to ya, Ron.
Brave and the Bold for me, followed closely by Locke & Key.
Not even close Power Girl 7 is the pick of the week.
Matthew
Yeah I am a bit confused myself. I read what you typed Ron and your response to Deadspace but…..it makes me question why we have a 5 star system if you made a POTW with a 4 star book. Might as well get rid of the rating system if we’re not even going to go by that anymore.
But I’m fine with the pick! I think it’s a good one and you definitely won be over with your review. Just a bit confused with the rating system now that’s all. I can’t wait to hear more about this on the podcast this weekend.
It’s all subjective. I guarantee that I use the star ranking system differently than 90% of the people on the site.
@TNC: The star rating system is for fun. It’s not a legally-binding document.
@conor/jimski: I’m just curious as all. I mean I have given a few POTW’s myself for only 4 star books. I just find it a bit odd that ron gave a couple of books 5 stars but none of them were the pick. But he explained it fully on the review so I kinda get it now.
Then again, if people want to see Uncle Scrooge or Tiny Titans as POTW then that’s ok too.
It seems the longer I’m here, the less I know. I gave it up for Daredevil, an easy PotW for me.
Too many books this week to try something new. But your review piqued my interest…maybe a pick up for the no comic week coming up.
@The 4 versus 5 star argument
I think it could be summed up by saying something like… yeah, The Shawshank Redemption is the best written/shot/etc movie I’ve ever seen, but 9 times out of 10 I’d still rather watch Back to the Future.
TNC: Are you hating on the Tiny Titans? Did the science teacher touch you funny when no one was looking (seriously, I thought Dr. Light wasn’t allowed withing ten miles of an elementary school)?
I was honestly shocked when Archie #600 wasn’t the POtW. But I’m really glad that Conor now gives us Archie updates in the podcast.
@akamuu: No no no! I would love to see Tiny Titans as the pick. That would be so awesome if that would happen.
I don’t now, I just think there’s too much defending going on here. I understand there’s a lot of people (including me to be perfectly honest) that has bothers you guys for the pick. Now I think we’re at a point where you need to defend like your life is at stakes to pick the week. It’s a shame it’s gotten to that point when making a POTW now a days.
The Way I Use Stars:
5 = Freaking insane. A nearly perfect book.
4 = Awesome.
3 = Excellent
2 = Average. Any book that regularly gets this rating is likely to be dropped. I don’t want to pay $3 for a story or art that’s "good enough." Fuck that.
1 = Bad. A regrettable purchase. WTF was I thinking when I paid money for this?
How do the rest of you use the rating system?
@Diahbol
5 – Really good. Pick of the week contender.
4- Good, but not a POTW contender. I’ve had a few 4′s be my pick on slow weeks, but it always makes me feel bad.
3- Average. It’ll take a lot of these in a row to get the book dropped, but it can happen
2- Bad. 2 or 3 of these usually get a book dropped. If it was my first time reading that title, I probably won’t give it a second chance.
1- Usually reserved for books I couldn’t even finish. Instantly dropped.
5- Excellent. Near perfect. This is usually something that is both exciting and incredibly well-crafted.
4 – Very good. Sometimes a good that’s technically well-crafted but fails to excite me will get 4 stars, but it’s more likely that a flawed but exciting book will get pushed up to 4.
3 – Good. I’m entertained, but there are some problems. Either with craft or the subject matter. I’m OK buying this, but… there’s gotta be something that thrills me enough to keep buying it or it drops down to a 2 and is on the chopping block.
2 – mediocre. Average, but tending toward below average. If I want to like something but there are just too many flaws… or if I’m just bored by it… it goes here. These books usually get dropped.
1 – I don’t think I ever give 1′s. I don’t buy books that are 1′s.
For POTW, I’m like Ron. The book that EXCITES me the most is the pick. It could be flawed. But if it gets me thinking about what could happen next or makes me fall in love with the concept – that kinda takes precedence over a perfectly executed book as my "favorite." Sometimes "best" and "favorite" are synonymous, but not always.
@daccampo/slockhart/Diabhol: Same way for me for the most part. Especially with how (daccampo) takes about a 3/5 book. Like this week’s Azrael; it’s not a bad title by any means but there are still big problems that need to be fixed.
@TNC: I kid. I kid. I know you’re a Tiny Titans fan. And I agree that no one, be they iFanboy staff or not, should have to defend their pick. POtWs are opinions, not declarations. I’m curious about this one because it caused a visceral negative reaction in me. But I definitely wouldn’t call it wrong. Opinions can’t be wrong. Misinformed, maybe, but not wrong.
@Diabhol: I’ve been wishy washy lately, but, for me a five star book should cause me to react out loud at both writing and art.
A four star book is something I really enjoyed, a few missteps, maybe, but I might read it again at some point.
A three star book is a shoulder shrugger. Something about it didn’t sit right, but I didn’t actively dislike it.
Two stars is bad. Usually this means the writing is clunky or the art is something I didn’t like. It might no be technically bad art, but I didn’t like it.
One star is awful. The anatomy is wrong in the art. The dialog is worse than Saved By The Bell’s. The characters are either uninteresting, or their actions are schizophrenic (which is only ok if they’re supposed to be schizophrenic).
But the whole thing is majorly subjective. If a writer/artist I don’t usually like impresses me, I’ll give their rating an additional boost. The converse is true for writer/artists I do usually like screwing the pooch without condoms or buying the bitch dinner first.
My rating system works this way:
5 – Outstanding book based on an art-writer combination, how the story made me react or if I feel it has set a new bar for the series itself. THe books I tend to give fives often include my favorite characters, but there have also been some real surprises, too.
4 – Very good. These are books that are month-in, month-out fun books to be read but they might just be using the same formulas and might need a bit of a boost. I think 4-level and above books make up 70% of my pull list.
3 – Good/Decent. This one tends to be my muddiest, as this is the grade where I’ll start considering dropping books. These are books that need definite redirection for my tastes as a fan, but are fine on their own. At the same time, these tend to be books that are getting a generous grade because I want to stick the book out and not judge it before I come to the end of a story arc.
2 – Mediocre to Bad. A bit of a catchall grade for any book that doesn’t engage me or leaves me hanging or just feel has slipped from its previous heights. At this point in my reading career, a book with a 2 is not long for the pull list. So far the only book to be exempted on this was Uncanny.
1 – Terrible. A book that I either couldn’t finish because it was so bad, or an issue of a book I’m currently reading that just flat out insults me as a reader. These books are instantly dropped. (Sole exemption Uncanny X-Men)
5-Super Awesome
5-Awesome
3-Kinda awesome
2-Not awesome
1-Opposite of awesome
@PraxJarvin: I am right there with you on Uncanny. I mean, it has to get better eventually. Right?
was the first conversation really happening at 3am, or is their some time zone happening here?
You guys do know how dorky it is to compare personal rating systems? or even having a personal rating system at all?
@JediMasterRob2001: It was happening at 3am EST, yes.
5 – I really enjoyed it AND it was really good in both story and art.
4 – I really enjoyed it but maybe either story or art wasn’t objectively that great.
3 – I didn’t enjoy it as much as a 4 or 5 star book, for whatever reason, or I still enjoyed it but either art or story had a serious flaw. But I’m still glad I bought it.
2 – Boring or bad. Sorry I bought it.
1 – Incredibly boring, incredibly bad, or straight up infuriating.
I probably give a majority 4 or 5′s, which in some sense means my ratings scale is inflated. But I like to think it means that my selection skills as a consumer are pretty well tuned to books I have a high chance of liking. If I were asked to rate a random sample of books on the site, I have no doubt my ratings would be lower.
Interesting. A lot of you are a lot more harsh than I am.
@muddi900: Rating systems aren’t dorky. Getting my last girlfriend to ecstatically call me Tony Stark while we banged was dorky. It was also *awesome*.
@muddi900 "Dorky" is in the eye of the beholder.
@muddi900 – it’s probably almost as close to as dorky as it would be to *bash* such a discussion on a comic book rating/review/discussion website.
@ohcaroline — I think everyone’s scale should be inflated. I would hope many people are not buying 1-star comic books on a regular basis.
I also agree with whoever said they were wishy-washy. That’s one of the reasons I listed my "process" above. I think it’s interesting what goes into any rating I give, but what I’m not mentioning is that it can also depend on my mood that week. Some weeks I’ll give out more 5′s than others. I don’t necessarily think the books were better that week (sometimes they are), but sometimes I’m just more thrilled to be reading or in a better mood or whatever.
This week, for example, I was totally thrilled by how Remender blended classic Dr. Strange elements with actual elements of vodou. So the first few pages, where i was getting "the hoary hosts of hoggoth" mixed with Papa Legba and Ogoun — I was totally excited. It was probably a 3-star book for me (it lost me a little later on), but I had to give it four stars just for that.
Incidentally, my pick was ALMOST Brave and the Bold for some Dr. Fate love, but it ultimately had to go to Hellblazer, which was just supremely satisfying to read.
@daaccampo I tackle all my books on a "Just this week scale." So… regardless what I gave a 5 last week, I compare this week’s books as a new set, which tends to make me generous with ratings. However, I will look back at books I’ve rated 2s or 3s in past and if I feel the books have improved this week I’ll normally bump it up on my scale, even if in some cases it closes to a 3.5, say, than a 4.
I don’t get it. Haven’t you guys prefaced the show every week saying the pow is whatever book you enjoyed the most? If Ron gave other books 5′s then didn’t he enjoy them more than a book he gave a 4 to? And if he enjoyed this more than the 5 star books, shouldn’t he have given this a 5? I don’t care that he picked this, I just don’t understand the logic of it. Ron, you so crazy.
See whenever I make a pick, I never really think it’s perfect. Only a select few really were the best of the best.
Like Batman and Robin #1-3, Superman: Secret Origins #1, and Incredible Hercules #136 are the only POTW’s I can honestly say that are perfect. Everything else: Definitely 5 star books but nothing that will make me say ‘greatest issue of all time’.
@skeets: The logic is explained in the review itself. And as DaveAccampo said, very estutrely, above;
"The book that EXCITES me the most is the pick. It could be flawed. But if it gets me thinking about what could happen next or makes me fall in love with the concept – that kinda takes precedence over a perfectly executed book as my "favorite." Sometimes "best" and "favorite" are synonymous, but not always."
One week my POTW only had 1 star. Then I realized I clicked the wrong comic. Is this what happened with you, Ron? You clicked the wrong button?
Let me again state that I am perfectly fine with the book. If this is Ron’s pick then it’s his pick. I just don’t understand how it can’t be a 5 star book. Couldn’t he repull the title on this site to give it a 5?
so i’ve been a little busy and only just had a chance to look at this thread…. it’s a dozy
Recount!
@TNC… you.. you didn’t just… did you seriously just ask if Ron could re-rate his book so it makes sense for you? Please tell me you just forgot to put a winking emoticon in there…
I think I have to walk away from the internet for a bit now, you crazy cats…
@Jedimasterrob2001 – when I was posting earlier it was actually about 8am where I am. I have a strange sleeping pattern
@skeets – yup, still of that opinion too.
I don’t think anyone is debating what makes a 5/5 book. Obviously this is going to differ from person to person. Some people are going to hand out 5/5s more easily than others, for example. Despite the explanations I don’t understand the logic behind "X comic is 4/5, Y comic is 5/5, and X is my POTW". I’m not trying to be argumentative, I just genuinely don’t get it.
Anyway, I read this today and I really enjoyed it. Probably a 4/5 for me. What I disagree with is that if the comic had stopped at the end of the 1st story it wouldn’t have changed my rating for it. I didn’t really get much from the 2nd story. I’m much more interested in what happens after the end of the first part.
Also, was anyone else’s issue really crappy quality in terms of printing? Mine looked like it was printed from 72dpi jpegs that were pulled off the internet. It was most noticeable in the twittering. Was it just mine?
@deadspace: Ron addressed the crappy printing in his review. It wasn’t just you.
@daccampo: I’m just going by my philosophy of ‘if it’s POTW, then why isn’t it a 5?’
I’m sorry if I just melted your brain.
@conor – ah, bugger, i skipped that paragraph when i read it yesterday cos i was worried i’d be spoilered by it. shame it turned out like that. like ron, it did bother me a bit.
@deadspace: Yeah, I’d be interested to know how something like that happened.
i haven’t had a chance to read the whole thread but from what i gathered from a quick look, i agree with TNC. There’s absolutely no logic behind picking this over a higher rated book. It re-enforces the notion i have that Ron closes his eyes and haphazardly picks some random book. And then, i get angry because i spent time reading the review for no reason…. i mean, will this be good? should i pick it up? Who knows because there’s no logic here
On the other hand, let me make this totally clear, i really don’t care either…. i just enjoy the conversation and then i’m cool with it
SO! that AVATAR is a hell of a film, isn’t it?
@conor: Yeah, I read all that and I get that a book can be flawed and be potw. I get that the potw can be based on excitement and potential rather than craft. What I guess I’m not understanding is why it didn’t get rated the highest of ron’s pulls based on that level of excitement. I guess the answer is just that Ron and I have a different way of rating books, but nevertheless I remain confused.
Wait a minute there is a rating system on here?!!?!
I’m kidding. I don’t see what all the fuss is about with the rating systems and whatnot. It’s called the PICK of the week. Not the five star book of the week.
@TNC – you didn’t melt my brain. I think I’m more astounded that so many people care about the system so much. Of course, I’m contributing to this thread, so I’m obviously fascinated by it.
Didn’t anyone else get Slockhart’s analogy above. Using his references, "Shawshank Redemption" is a great 5-star movie. But some days you just feel like watching Back to the Future. Not necessarily a 5-star movie, but a very fun movie. This week, Ron was just more excited by the potential of Forgetless and its world, but he has to acknowledges it DOES have flaws. So he gives it four stars. The stars are his way of displaying what he thinks about the writing and art and craft and overall effectiveness of the book. But the PICK separate from that. It’s a gut reaction. What made you sit up and take notice? What stuck in your head after you finished it.
Sometimes even a BAD movie can get your wheels turning. You’ll never say it was a GOOD movie, but it ends up being the thing you talk to your friends about that week, y’know? It musters up something, even if the overall package had its flaws.
I dunno. That’s just me. Carry on, gents…
But that makes no sense, Back to the Future is a 5 star movie!
At least now people will forget about the Blackest Night vs. Scalped fiasco. Merry Christmas, Josh!
okayyyy… so what’s a 4-star movie that you love to watch even though you know it’s flawed? Cut/Paste and repeat.
@drakedangerz – I rate Blackest Night vs Scalped as a 3-star fiasco. It lacked a certain punch, y’know?
@Daccampo: in one of the audio podcasts a question similar to that was asked of the ifanboys to which they responded the compairson between movies and comics is not apt because comics don’t offer that "guilty pleasure"
so…. there’s that
@daccampo-I think it’s more of a 4/5. You should go back and re-rate that fiasco so that it makes more sense to me.
@daccampo when I choose a rating for a book, I don’t just take into consideration the overall craft of a book but also my gut reaction etc that you mentioned make up what a POTW is. That, I suppose, is why me and others don’t follow the logic. I can appreciate good art and a well written story but if it does nothing for me, doesn’t make me "sit up and take notice" then I’m not going to give that book a 5/5, ya know? On the other side, I can also read a book, see it has flaws, yet, if it touched me in some way it can easily get a 4 or 5/5 from me.
Hey Edward,
As you all know, I rarely comment on my reviews, partially because I’m buy but also because I don’t feel the need to justify my opinion.
That said, I assure time is spent deciding what the pick was – I wish I could haphazardly just pick a book, that would give me 3 to 5 hours back every Wednesday night. If you took the time to read my review you’d see my reasoning and thoughts about the book, every time. Just because I don’t go with the popular opinion every time or try and dig into the less publicized releases doesn’t detract from the quality of my opinion, which is simply that – my opinion.
You are welcome to your own, I encourage you to read and rate your books and share what your pick of the week is.
As you said, you don’t care though and you’re just here for the conversation, which is fine as well – I just wanted you to be aware that I do indeed put some thought and effort into my work – that when I pick something, I do recommend you pick it up (if you’re into this type of book) with what I believe to be a review with a considerable amount of logic.
so, as you say, there’s that.
Apologies for the typo. Buy =busy
Makes perfect sense to me.
It’s like a BFF. They might not be the best human being you know (whatever that means). They may occasionally do things that really tick you off. They may suck at like, Frisbee or whatever. But there’s something about them, some kind of chemistry, that makes them your number one best buddy in the galaxy. Don’t try to analyze it too much. It’s intangible.
Just follow your hearts, guys. It’s what Ron does. It’s what I do. And that’s good company to be in.
The new iFanboy rule–> Read the reviews before you comment.
Also, it’s interesting to see everyone’s rating system. It paints the picture of both how subjective everything is and the silliness of getting upset at POWs in any way shape or form.
group hug?
@Paul: What I’m saying is that those intangibles that make a person my BFF would make me rate them higher. If I had already given other friends that weren’t my BFF 5′s then I couldn’t give my BFF a 4 because that intangible chemistry makes me like that person more.
@skeets – I can’t believe you rate your friends with a star system. Do you add and deduct points in a moleskine during social outings?
"I rarely comment on my reviews, partially because I’m buy"
Did Ron just come out?
I can’t believe you understand Ron’s crazy logic.
This was one one of the most bleh books I’ve had the… pleasure… of reading in a while. The art was dodgy, at best, and often hard to follow. The coloring did it no favors by any stretch. The story telling was (deliberately?) confusing. I found not a single character in the whole story that I didn’t want to see violated and dead in some atrocious manner. They were entirely caricatures or people and had not the slightest ring of truth to them. The book flails desperately at being avante but succeeds only in being senseless.
And, no, that is not a statement on Ron’s awesomeness. He seems terribly awesome, but on this topic we must make our seperate ways.
There are better films than Reign of Fire…
But I don’t like them as much.
hahahahaha
I love this place and this thread has awesomeness all over.
Isn’t there a rating breakdown guide somewhere on this site? I believe I follow it when I rate my books. A 2 is average (although that doesn’t make too much sense when you do some division). I follow it anyway.
I’ve had books that were rated a 3 be pick of the week. I usually have books rated 4 be pick of the week just cuz I don’t give out a lot of fives. Basically the best book I read that week is what I pick; however, I have never selected a lower rated book as POTW when there is a higher rated book that week.
I got to assume that after writing countless POTW reviews sometimes you might go with the book you have the most shit to write about even if you might want to pick Captain America (but you have already talked about that book and its team 5 other times and it is 2 am and you don’t feel inspired).
I could be wrong though.
Ron, you rule and your rationale works
@Neb: that’s a good rule. however i read the review, i didn’t have time to read the whole thread.And to be totally honest i’m not going to.
@Ron and Paul: First up, let me explain where i’m coming from. As Paul said, the pick is intangible. yeah, that’s fine but you must be able to see with that system or idea in place the pick could seem random to the iFanbase. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just the way it.
When i said, i don’t really care. I meant that. I mean it in the same way i don’t ultimately care about what happens on TV… which is not to say i don’t enjoy it. if i agree or disagree with the pick, my normal response is, oh, ok, alright then. BUT i enjoy the experience.
I hope that you take my honest opinion here as a compliment because. It. Is. Favourable.
Is there any reason why the Pick Of The Week has a Wednesday/Thursday morning deadline?
Why not give yourselves an extra day to read your stack and write the review?
wow..I actaully considered buying this..read it at the store..and hated it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am very interested to listen to the podcast to see how Ron could possibly pick this as POW. Hey thats the fun of iFanboy..to debate ridicules POW like this.
The emotional capital users of this site have invested in the PoTW amazes me. Ron highlighted a book he liked and, further, that he wants to lead the discussion with. Full stop.
And the crowd goes wild.
Awesome Moleskine reference, Mr. Montgomery. You truly deserve the fedora on your Mad Men’d avatar’s head.
My pick of the week was Chimichanga #1. You all suck and are ruining the comic book industry by not buying it.
No debate allowed.
This here be a fascist commenter’s box.
I just realized that because of how ridiculous the poster’s above me are, some people may actually think my last comment was serious. That is sad.
But seriously, Chimichanga #1.
Why are they ridiculous?
Locke & Key’s the real pick of the week.
@edward- My comment wasn’t directed specifically at you. It was more the general vibe I get week in and week out from the folks in the community. Sorry my comment irked you in anyway. :)
@josh- Reign of Fire is so so awesome.
and by the way guys, if anyone thinks i’m only this obnoxious in an online environment – an ex threw a drink at me in a bar last night.
Seriously, just like a movie….
No one thinks that.
@Conor – I have request, when doing the podcast please talk about Power Girl.
awww, shucks, cheers paul
No, we assume you’re obnoxious everywhere.
Cheers.
5 – great book, enjoyed it a lot
4 – almost there, some flaws
3 – should have been better
And I don’t buy or read 2 or 1 books.
What a strong week for me. Lots of 5 star books. In the end, Power Girl was just too awesome to not make the pick, although Cap: Reborn certainly made a strong case. Looking forward to this week’s show.
@miyamotofreak: um, yes… that was my exact point too.
i still haven’t had a chance to read any books yet, very busy time of year
Paul was talking about me. I totally suck at frisbee but I make up for it in practical jokes, borrowing money and uncomfortably long hugs. Don’t I Paul?
@TimmyWood – At waist level too, yeah.
oh, well, in that case…. go fly a kite paul (ouch!)