Bansidhewail

February 3, 2012 4:20 pm I am in the anti-Land camp, and the basics have already been covered by other comments (the inconsistency of a character's appearance from one page to the next because he photo-referenced different faces is a big one), but for me, the final straw was when there was a page with a woman being tortured, and because of the photo-referencing he favors, she *still* looked like she was getting off. Bad enough that his women when performing high kicks look like they're just having their legs propped up for a kama sutra maneuver, and that when they're shouting they mostly look like they're sucking on something...but when they should be in agony but instead seem to be feeling pleasure, that's just creepy fetishistic garbage. And it takes a LOT to offend me, for real.

February 1, 2012 1:25 pm I gave my new boyfriend three books for xmas, Barry Ween, Forgetless, and the first hardcover of Ex Machina, which I think is a slam dunk for getting him hooked.

January 9, 2012 3:04 pm There's a Kahlil Gibran poem I read a long time ago that had this wonderful line: Yet what I loved as a child I love now, and what I love now I will love to the end of my days, For love is all I have, and none shall take it from me.

January 9, 2012 12:18 pm This casting is so perfect, I will be watching this movie in my head all day. I'd watch just about anything if I found out both Lennie James and Dichen Lachman were in it!

January 6, 2012 4:47 pm Wish I'd heard Conor's thoughts on A Dangerous Method a couple of weeks ago...boy I could use those two hours of my life back! I wouldn't have thought it was possible to render Michael Fassbender's screen chemistry inert, but David Cronenberg found a way. What a dull, plodding film. Such great actors, but they seemed to be restrained in some way.

January 4, 2012 4:05 pm Yep. I flat-out refuse to read one Architect because he wrote a scene that upset me so much I thought, "Never mind, can't trust this guy not to traumatize me in a frigging 616 book!" (If it had been a MAX title, or Vertigo, or Icon, or whatever, I'd see it as caveat emptor, but dude, it was a regular old Wolverine book.) Another Architect I used to really love...but I think he's overextended, because all of his characters just kind of sound the same now. They all sound...like him. Another I think is a fine enough writer but not truly that exciting or compelling. And the final two I regard as "slow-burn" writers, whose stories will turn out to be great ultimately, but whose single-issue storytelling skills are somewhat lacking...in other words, if I read them at all, it's in trades. So no Architects on my pull list whatsoever. Well, except Ultimate Spider-Man.

January 4, 2012 3:58 pm I am so with you on this! I don't want to see female characters treated with some sort of bullshit kid gloves, held up to some different standard than the male characters and forced to act only in ways that a certain type of feminist considers to be positive female role model behavior. It's so paternalistic and moral majority, really. Some readers might *wish* women weren't sexually confident or aggressive, but that doesn't mean it's an "unrealistic" portrayal, and it certainly doesn't make it offensive to all women!

January 4, 2012 3:45 pm Totally agreed on Marvel's inclusion in this list. Over the last two years, I went from about 50/50 DC/Marvel as far as my Big Two pulls to more like 80/20 by the end of 2011. The Architects thing left a bad taste in my mouth and seemed pretty lacking in class, honestly. Marvel has a few of my favorite writers on contract, and they have been there a lot longer than some of the recent hires who were named as Architects. I still love Avengers Academy, X-Factor, and both Ultimate & Amazing Spider-Man, but other than those, I just scan the Marvel list for new titles by Christos Gage, Fred Van Lente, Peter David, or Nick Spencer. I don't feel that I am missing anything by not following characters, storylines, events, etc, the way I used to (and the way I still do with certain DC character families).

January 2, 2012 2:50 pm Action 897, Lex meeting with Joker. Paul Cornell wrote one of the most perfect Joker stories ever, I think. I still giggle thinking of the scene that climaxes with: "Rich people really can't tell when you're making fun of them!" Avengers Academy 13, the Superhero Prom issue. Delightful, fun, bittersweet, a high-school movie feel (in the best possible way). Batgirl 18, helping Klarion get over his jealousy so Teekl could enjoy a little freedom on Valentine's Day. A lovely little story that really stands out in my memory of the past year.

November 30, 2011 12:28 pm I could replace just about everything in trades...but I would be desperate over my Larfleeze Christmas Special...has that even been collected?