KenOchalek

May 20, 2013 1:21 pm I haven't read his Wolverine, and only a little of his Punisher, but I think Greg has said in interviews (maybe Word Balloon from a year or two back?) that Steve Wacker had to convince him to write the Punisher. If I remember it right, it was the idea of Frank's role being not so much the protagonist, but more like the shark in Jaws (just a force of nature) that hooked Rucka on the book.

May 20, 2013 1:17 pm I just read all of New X-Men on the Marvel Unlimited app, that was a really solid book, it's too bad that a lot of the surviving characters from that era have been sidelined at the Jean Grey school lately.

May 20, 2013 12:51 pm I'll echo the recommendations for Peter Panzerfaust, Fatale and The Massive. I just read the Mind MGMT hardcover and dug the hell out of that. But the book that has me hopping foot-to-foot the day it comes out (like THIS WEDNESDAY!!) is Nowhere Men. The story still feels like it's in the first half of the first act of a very large tale, but I'm loving the fact that I don't quite know where it's taking me. Day-after-tommorrow sci-fi mixed with some tech-business drama so far, with some super-geniuses and potential super-humans thrown into the mix as well. Nate Bellegarde and Jordie Bellaire blend really well together on the artwork. Clean, open lines infused with vibrant and exciting color. And then beyond the narrative content, the artifact itself is just stunning. Clean, well-designed covers, in-story advertisements and text pieces that slowly flesh out other aspects of the world Eric Stephenson has dreamed up. It's not the most timely book (the series launched in November, but issue 5 comes out this week), so you might prefer to read it in trade, but seriously, it's a good book.

May 20, 2013 11:54 am I'm not sure there's really anything quite like Nextwave, but I think some parts of Casanova (Matt Fraction, Gabriel Bá, Fabio Moon) achieve similar levels of zaniness. And fun acronyms, lots of that in Casanova as well.

May 19, 2013 10:22 am I didn't even think to ask him at C2E2, but I've always kind of thought Azzarello is telling one big story on Wonder Woman and then moving on. I'm loving the book, so I'm not in any rush to see things change, but I would be (pleasantly) surprised if he sticks around after he resolves the Zola's Baby Saga.

May 18, 2013 9:56 am I think that much has been pretty clear for a while -- Kyle Higgins, James Tynion IV, Justin Jordan, Ray Fawkes and Ales Kot, among others have all gotten their Big 2 breaks with DC in the last two years. The question is, are they looking for new talent because they want fresh perspectives, or do they want greener creators that won't push back when they disagree with an editorial decision? I mean, as fans we certainly can't answer that question, nor should we really care. All I know is that when Batman Inc ends, I'll be down to one DC book (Wonder Woman). And I'm not sure what it would take to reacquire my interest in new DC titles at this point.

May 17, 2013 2:59 pm @Anville: See, you say you hope they tell that story, but think about it for a second -- do you really want them to tell a story just to explain why Wolverine's hair turns gray? That would be some hardcore continuity porn. I'm sure there are compelling stories that could do more than merely explain it, and I get your logic for asking the question, but I read those scenes as a look at a possible future that exists only to serve the story set in the present day. Once this present-day plot resolves itself, I think this particular possible future will go up on the shelf with all the other ones the X-Men have acquired over the years. That said, I feel like the color of his gray hair changed a couple times in the issue. If that's the case and I'm not misremembering, there's your sloppy visual storytelling.

May 17, 2013 1:33 pm I don't know any professional creators well enough to call them friends or even really acquaintances, but on the few occasions I've met creators whose work I enjoy, a positive experience led to a greater willingness to support their work. I'm still objective enough to only buy things I like, so I don't think my enjoyment has been influenced in a major way, but knowing that I'm supporting someone I find to be a good human being makes me willing to take a chance on something outside my typical taste profile.

May 16, 2013 5:21 pm I disagree completely. I mean, I'll give you Peter Panzerfaust and Manhattan Projects for featuring looser artwork, but are you reading Nowhere Men, Fatale, East of West, Thief of Thieves or Saga?

May 16, 2013 10:32 am As excited as I am for this, I think we need to temper our expectations a tiny bit. The roll out of the Marvel movie universe took years. So even though it would be really cool, I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect this show to give us a hero-of-the-week format that brings a couple dozen new characters on the scene in its first season.