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Josue

Name: Joe Cannon

Bio: Long time comics reader - "The Death of Phoenix" (with Scott & Jean on the cover) was the 1st issue of X-Men I ever read.  Loved X-Men & Spider-Man as a kid, along with Micronauts, ROM (hey, I was young) and G.I. Joe (for the 1st twenty issues or so).  "Dark Knight" came out when I was in high school & I've been a Batman fan ever since. "Born Again" was the 1st Daredevil series I read & I followed that for years. I stuck with comics all through college & the dreaded 90s, checked out through most of grad school & most of my early professional career but came back with a vengance about two years ago. I'm somewhat of a closeted fan (none of my friends read comics anymore) but my wife is cool with it, so that helps.  Reading this site & listening to the podcast is a great outlet because (outside of comic store visits, which are quick) this is the only way I get to talk about my semi-secret hobby.     I-Fanboy turned me onto Y The Last Man & Green Lantern - two comics that couldn't be more different, but I couldn't enjoy more.      


Reviews
Josue's Recent Comments
February 26, 2013 12:20 am Jim- loved your article, particularly since I've been feeling major nostalgia for "the old comics days" - back when a bike ride to 7-11 & $1.00 bought you 4 brand new comics, or two packs of Star Wars cards and two comics - my 8 year-old mind boggled with the possibilities!! Don't get me wrong. I got an I-pad 18 months ago & got into digital comics in a big way - back issues being one of the best perks. But I have to admit, a combination of having a 2 year-old son & moving and unearthing a ton of comics from those blissful trips to 7-11 from my youth, has made me think about my lifelong hobby (with brief hiatuses here and there). Digital comics definitely fulfill my adult need for "what happens next?!?"" narrative instant gratification, but I really miss the coolness, the uniqueness of an actual, physical comic book. Especially the old ones. Part of it was the old thrill of the chase, rummaging through the bins in comics shops and used bookstores. Part of it is pure nostalgia - just how many times did I read the 1st 30 + issues of The Micronauts anyway? Part of it was the fact that you got so much for so little money - that was a hell of a lot of joy for (. ) cents (insert age identifying price point HERE). But the "old comics feeling" is kinda like first love - you never really forget it. I have no idea what comics will mean to my son when he hits the magic age of 8 or so - who knows what comics will look like by then? But I hope I can pass on my love of a real, live comic book to him. So til then, I'll make the time to keep giving a little love to my old comic shop I've largely forsaken these last 18 months. Digital is likely the necessary future for comics as an art form & narrative, but comics as a hobby, to me, still needs the old brick & mortar shops. I'll do what I can to help keep 'em afloat.
March 14, 2008 11:58 am

Really enjoyed the show. Very thoughtful and interesting.

As a teenager, I really liked Wolverine - particularly reading the Miller miniseries. I always liked that despite all his strength & powers, the one thing he can't seem to master is ... himself.  I loved that take on him - the slightly tortured guy who wants to be more than he is. Plus, he had major anger management issues and most teenage guys can relate to that.

I also loved Daredevil because he turned his greatest liability into his greatest strength - what could be more heroic than that? Also, he hooked up with all the best superhero chicks and most teenage guys would like to be able to relate to that.

 Lastly - Batman - for all the reasons Connor said - "If I work out REAAAALLLLY hard everyday, maybe I could be that tough" - until you discover girls, junk food and beer and lose focus ;-)

March 14, 2008 11:35 am Sold out before I got there. Serves me right for not putting it on my pull list. Waaah.
March 14, 2008 11:33 am I know this is a redundant point, but it really did amaze me how much reading this was like watching a new episode of the show.  I don't read the Buffy stuff, so I guess it kind of surprised me.  Makes me sad we're not getting any more episodes/movies, but that's another topic.
March 14, 2008 11:30 am Ditto what everyone else said. Now THAT was a cliffhanger. I was genuinely annoyed when the issue was over. Looking forward to next issue.
March 14, 2008 11:28 am

This was a so-so issue for me.  The idea of the battle & the fake out was cool, but space battles are rarely very visually exciting in comics as they are in movies. They just don't translate well without seeing actual movement - it sucks the energy out of it. Still, Gar Stazi is a good character & I hope he turns up again. Back to the Cade & Co storyline next issue, I hope.

 

March 13, 2008 1:01 pm I thought you guys weren't baiting us with vague announcements anymore ;-)
March 11, 2008 11:49 pm

OK... I'll say it. I didn't enjoy this at all. Alan Moore's a genius and everything, I loved Watchmen, V for Vendetta, the 1st vol of League of EG ... but this just felt ...indulgent. Kind of like some of David Lynch's last few movies i.e. I'm glad the writer/artist is fascinated with their topic but I'm kinda bored.  I'm very impressed with Moore's knowledge of literature but playing literary "Where's Waldo?" just didn't make for a good read this time out, particularly with some of the more obscure references. Artistically, mixing all the formats was an interesting experiment & my hat's off to him for that but at the end of the day, I just wasn't entertained.

  And not to knock on Josh's review but I think describing all the sex in this book as "acknowledging the characters are human" is REALLY stretching it - kind of like when people say  RAMBO is a deep reflection on war and human nature.  Sometimes an action movie is just an action movie and a sex scene is just a sex scene.  I thought all the sex in this story and the last volume was just kind of  stupid. It didn't really advance the story and felt more like, "let's show the characters having sex because we can."  I realize that Moore seems a little fixated on this topic as of late, but in the context of this story, it feels more like a lame peep show than story advancement.   Just because Moore wrote it doesn't really give it any more gravitas, IMO, obviously.  Also, side note, what's the deal with characters constantly being raped or almost raped in much of his work?

I realize I'll probably be burned at the stake for this review, but just one humble reader's opinion. Still love Moore, hope the next one's better.

 

 

 

March 11, 2008 12:32 am "It's a traaapppp!"   It saddens me that there's so little love for this series on  the site. No matter, here's a post so it won't feel unloved.
March 11, 2008 12:29 am I do miss me some Firefly.... so this'll do, I guess.