Freak Comics

Ok people, it’s time for my semi-regular “I’m an idiot” confessional. I really do love writing for this site and don’t intend to give it up. It’s a really fun hobby and I feel like in some small way I provide entertainment and perhaps value for some people.
Don’t get me wrong, the site takes effort, and that’s something I’ve lacked in these past few weeks. I could blame this on the fact that I’m looking to rent a new place, or the fact that I have around 70 comics piled up on a shelf waiting to be read, or the fact that I’m loaded up with side work… or even the visitors that have been gracing my front steps. But I don’t think any of those excuses are the real reasons for the almost nonexistent postings.

I feel the real reason I’ve been so late in posting is that I’m starting to feel like it’s a side job, and I don’t want that to happen. Writing reviews or articles is easy enough, and checking out site stats is fun. The hard and time consuming part of this site are the press releases. They take a long time to reformat (Marvel just can’t seem to send well formatted paragraphs… and boy do they love their capitol letters), the photos have to be resized and placed in to lightbox containers, and they come in on a daily bases (usually 3 a day) so if I don’t keep up with them, they pile up very quickly.
So all this work gets put in to something that basically boils down to an advertisement. I feel like I’m doing all this work for Marvel and Image and really not seeing any return of investment outside of decent traffic that these “articles” drive to my site. These press releases are available on many other websites, including their originator’s sites.

So now I turn to you for advice. Do you really care about the press releases? Should I nix these and concentrate on delivering better original content more often, or do you actually enjoy getting your “news” from my site?

Your thoughts and opinions are much appreciated on this matter.

A mere two weeks before the second issue of its fledgling run hits the stands, Image Comics is announcing a complete sell out of Manny Trembley and Eric A. Anderson’s SAM NOIR: SAMURAI DETECTIVE #1!

“Just to have SAM NOIR published through Shadowline was a milestone for me and to see the reaction we’ve gottten so far resulting in the issue selling out is honestly more than i could have imagined,” said Trembly. “I just want to say thanks to Jim and Kris for seeing the potential and giving us a shot.”

“From start to finish, bringing this book to life has been an absolute blast,” says Anderson, “and for a couple of newbies to the comic world, I can’t think of a bigger surprise than for the first issue to sell out as fast as it has!”

SAM NOIR is also becoming a favorite among critics, being called “Surprisingly heavyweight and funny” by the Las Vegas Weekly, “Quality” by Fractal Matter and “Compelling” by Broken Frontier. SAM NOIR continues to be piled on with positive praise.

As a way to get the book in to the hands of those who may have missed it, Image Comics is posting the entire first issue on its website in time for fans to read before issue #2 hits.

“quote from Jim V” - (we’re so proud to have this book sell out and thanks to feedback from retailers, we realize that this was a gem that slipped under the radar for many. by providing the first issue for free, we hope that retailers take this opportunity to re-evaluate their orders to meet demand).

SAM NOIR tells the story of Sam, a masterless samurai who works as a private detective. Hired to follow a woman named Jasmine, he falls in love even though he has never spoken a single word to her. When she is murdered before his eyes, he embarks on a quest to find her killer and avenge his “love.”

“It’s kickass to know people are genuinely interested in Sam and his world,” says Anderson. “Good thing we’ve already started work on his next little adventure.”

“We’ve got a barnstormer of a second series planned,” adds Trembly, “and if all goes well, we’ll keep bringin’ the noir - Sam Style.”

SAM NOIR: SAMURAI DETECTIVE is a black & white miniseries which retails for $2.99. SAM NOIR: SAMURAI DETECTIVE #2 (AUG061776) and #3 (SEP061827) are both available now for advance reorder.

I didn’t give Justice League of America #1 a great review. I felt like it was moving too slowly and that the story was poorly done.
I would now like to reconsider what I initially thought after reading issue #2.

First off, I don’t think the current story for this title can be judged on a single issue basis. It’s obviously a story that will take a few issues to fully flesh out, and I’m OK with that. The best stories don’t get summed up in a page or two. The pacing is actually pretty nice, and the dialogue is excellent.

Previously I was nearly ready to cancel my “subscription” to the series because of the unexpected progression of the story, but I’ve come to enjoy it actually. Still, I’m sticking to my guns on the whole picking of members thing: it’s really getting old. For those of you who don’t know: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have been sitting in the Batcave for two full issues rummaging through photos of various super heroes attempting to decide who will be in the new Justice League of America. This may be a necessary vehicle to drive the story, but it feels more like a lame way of writing the Big Three out of the story for the time being.
I’m not completely obsessed with these characters and don’t feel that they have to be featured throughout the issue… but it’s really boring to watch them vote on the members. It’s like watching a bunch of geeks sit around a table at a comic book convention trading cards.

I’m going to give this issue a higher rating for story than issue #1, mainly because it was a bit more interesting… but also because I was a bit harsh with my initial assessment of the series as a whole.

I would recommend checking the series out as it’s redefining the Red Tornado and setting the stage for events to come quite nicely.

As you may know I’ve been a fan of the Secret Six team since the Villains United series (a lead in to the Infinite Crisis). I really loved the first issue, but have become increasingly disappointed with the series with each issue.
I just finished Secret Six reading #4 (Secret Six vs. The Doom Patrol) and I really wasn’t that impressed… and was slightly disgusted.

In this issue we get to see Savage feed Cheshire and Dr. Psycho a plate of grilled Solmon Grundy, which Savage himself partakes in as well. He does this to punish them (Grundy included) all in one shot for failing him. Maybe I’m just going soft, but I found this to be rather over the top. The rest of the comic consists of a large fight between the Doom Patrol and the Secret Six.

As a whole, the series has been feeling more and more disjointed. The Savage story seems contrived and last minute. I’m sure it was planned from the start, but it’s just really lame.

I expected more out of Secret Six. It had a very interesting direction but apart from the first issue has failed to meet my expectations. At the end of it’s six issue run, I will post an over all review of the series. Perhaps reading in succession will change my perception.

Best-selling author Gregg Hurwitz, the writer behind the Kill Clause and Last Shot, will be revamping Foolkiller for the Marvel MAX line. Hurwitz is bringing his gritty, street crime writing sensibilities to the hard-edged anti-hero Foolkiller for a five issue mini-series this winter. A sneak preview of the series can be seen this Wednesday when the MAX Sampler hits stands.

“The transition from novels and screenplays has been a lot of fun,” said Hurwitz. “It’s amazing to work with artists and see the creative process. Unlike TV or novels, comics have less production time so you get that sense of almost immediate gratification.”

When asked how he decided to try his hand at comics, Hurwitz said, “I was doing a book signing in Florida with Brad Meltzer and I mentioned to him that I had always loved the Punisher. He put me in touch with Marvel Executive Editor Axel Alonso and things clicked, which led to Foolkiller.”

Besides being a best-selling novelist, Hurwitz also has television and screenwriting credits to his name. Now, he’s looking to add best-selling comic scribe to his list of accolades.

Pick up Marvel’s MAX Sampler this Wednesday for a sneak peak into the Foolkiller series coming this February as well as other upcoming MAX series. For fans of hard-edged, over-the-top street crime, you do not want to miss Foolkiller by Gregg Hurwitz and artist Juan Barranco.

For more on Gregg Hurwitz, be sure to visit his website at www.gregghurwitz.com.

Max Sampler (Jul068031)
Written by Paul Cornell, Garth Ennis, Alexander Irvine, Mike Raicht
Penciled by Trevor Hairsine, Russ Braun, Kyle Hotz, Arthur Suydam, Richard Corben, and More
32 Pgs./Max – Explicit Content …$1.00
on Sale – 9/15/2006

In order to keep the hottest series of the year in stock and on shelves for readers, Marvel is going back to press on the red-hot Civil War #3 with a Thor Returns Variant Cover.

The comic event of the decade just gets bigger and better as the long-missing Thor returned…and was shown to be on the side of the Pro-Registration heroes. The Thunder God’s return in Civil War #3 is one of the biggest comic moments of 2006, making this issue a must-have.

The reaction to Civil War has been tremendous from the beginning and as this event marches on, it keeps getting better and better.

Civil War keeps gaining momentum so be on the lookout for the 2nd printing of Civil War #3 with the Thor Returns Variant Cover.

Civil War #3 (of 7) Thor Returns Second Printing Variant (Aug068071)
Written by Mark Millar
Pencils & Cover by Steve Mcniven
32 Pgs./Rated T+ …$2.99
Foc – 10/19, on-Sale – 11/8/2006

As Civil War rolls on and “New Avengers Disassembled” continues, the Sentry chooses his side in New Avengers #24. The man with the power of a thousand exploding suns has the power to end this war, but which side will he choose?

With guest penciler Pasqual Ferry, Bendis presents the next chapter of “New Avengers Disassembled” spotlighting the Golden Guardian of Good, the Sentry. As the Sentry meditates on what course of action to take, he takes a trip to the blue area of the Moon to pay a visit to the Inhumans.

The Inhumans and Earth are currently embroiled in a Cold War as a result of the events of Son of M. So what does a meeting with the Sentry mean for Earth?

Do not miss this important chapter of “New Avengers Disassembled” as this issue ties together Civil War, New Avengers, House of M, and Son of M. And more importantly, the man who could change the tide of the war by his lonesome, the Sentry, makes his decision in New Avengers #24.

NEW AVENGERS #24 (JUL061986)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art by PASQUAL FERRY
Cover by ADI GRANOV
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
FOC – 10/5, On Sale – 10/25/2006

Although it doesn’t even hit stands until December, reviewers are already in love with the new Image Comics series MELTDOWN. Early rough draft copies of the book that have made it into the hands of reviewers have received some of the most overwhelmingly positive reviews in recent memory.

Astoundingly, no reviewer has given MELTDOWN anything less than their highest rating. It has garnered 5 out of 5 bullets on SilverBulletComicBooks.com, 5 out of 5 stars on ComicCritique.com, and Comic Buyer’s Guide made it their Pick of the Month with 4 out of 4 stars.

MELTDOWN tells the story of a reluctant super-hero whose own fire-based powers are killing him; melting him down from within. He’s only got 7 days left to put his life in order, and to make amends for all of his regrets. The script is by David B. Schwartz, artwork is by Sean Wang (creator of the smash-hit indie comic “Runners”), colors by Guru-eFX, with covers by industry superstars Chris Bachalo and Greg Horn.

“These reviews have been absolutely astonishing,” said David B. Schwartz. “It’s always scary to send your work off to the critics. You just kind of keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. But, to have this kind of over-the-top praise is really more than we could ever have possibly hoped for.”

MELTDOWN has been called “one hell of a good read” by ComicCritque.com, while Comic Buyer’s Guide lauded it as “absorbing,” “masterful” & “stunning,” with “striking” artwork, and PaperbackReader.com says “superhero comics do NOT get better than this.”

SilverBulletComicBooks.com hailed MELTDOWN as “a slick, involving, emotional tale that is only made better by Sean Wang’s awe-inspiring artwork… MELTDOWN delivers the goods, creating a super-hero epic with true heart and passion… Hopefully, people will take heed when I say that this is a must-buy once this series hits the comic stands.”

MELTDOWN is a two-issue prestige-format mini-series available for pre-ordering in the October Previews (on sale now!). Each issue of this full-color series will retail for $5.99 and issue 1 is scheduled to be in stores on December 6th, 2006.