tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91526465140887445232024-03-12T20:15:43.059-07:00Patrick Shand's Writerly WritingsPatrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-57722483204796983982012-09-25T09:32:00.005-07:002012-09-25T09:32:51.298-07:00On the eve of the Godstorm...<br />
<br />
In one day, <strong>Godstorm #0</strong> will be released in comic shops all over the country. To celebrate that, and maybe tease you a little bit, I'll tell a little tale of how the series came to fruition.<br />
Last April, Ralph Tedesco (editor in chief at Zenescope and co-creator of <strong>Grimm Fairy Tales</strong>) asked me to write theGrimm Fairy Tales 2012 Annual, which told the stories of Greek and Roman gods in the GFT Universe. Based on Joe Brusha's outline, I spun a yarn about the gods of old living in modern times. Some of them have adjusted quite well - Zeus is living as a business man named Gregor Brontios, Venus is a fashion icon, and Ares is... well, still loving war, and there is no shortage of that in our world. Others... not so much. Neptune has become a homeless wanderer, and Hades has been locked in the underworld after refusing to join Venus in her plan to reclaim their former glory and take over Earth. And that really was the crux of it - Venus, not content with her fortune and fame, was rallying the troops for a war against humanity... and I was the guy that got to set it up. Very gratifying.<br />
<img height="640" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s720x720/300746_574726292481_2060334929_n.jpg" width="412" /><br />
(GFT Annual 2012)<br />
The issue debuted at Wizard World Philly, the first show where I hung out at the Zenescope booth. I was in my glory - the GFT Annual was out, and the day before, Raven Gregory had called me to give me the job writing <strong>Robyn Hood</strong>. At that point, I knew nothing about the book. The conversation with Raven had gone, "Pat, GUESS WHAT YOU'RE WRITING! Robyn Hood! New flagship title for Zenescope! It's all you, man!" Annnnd that's all I knew about that book. It was called Robyn Hood and I was writing it. I was approached by Dave Franchini from Zenescope, and he congratulated me on getting that gig. "Man, I love Robyn Hood. So, you know, don't fuck it up," he said (which was the best advice I'd gotten about the book - Ralph and Raven would later repeat that to me). He told me what he knew about the book, which was that Robyn was a lady (I'd assumed, and honestly hoped, because I'd already crafted a voice for the character) and that it was spelled with a "y." Compared to what I knew about what the book would be, that was a veritable wealth of information. Then, off-handedly, he said, "Yeah, with that and Godstorm, we're gonna have some cool stuff." Before he could even explain, I knew what Godstorm had to be. The series that I set up in my annual - Venus going to war with the other gods and humanity to reclaim her former glory. He said he thought Joe Brusha would write it, and all I thought was, "That's going to be one hell of a story."<br />
Fast-forward a bit. I'm writing <strong>Robyn Hood</strong>, and going through a bit of a personal issue. The writing was going well, but I was in a pretty bad place. I was talking to Raven, who had quickly taken on the role of more than an editor but also a personal mentor, and he was giving me advice. He was like, "No matter what goes down, just look in the mirror and be like, 'I will get over this. There is no one like me. I'm Pat fucking Shand and I'm writing Robyn Hood. And probably <strong>Godstorm</strong> too. No one else can say that!' Bam!" After I'd processed the advice, I asked him, a bit nervously, "Wait, what? I'm writing Godstorm?" He laughs. "I think!"<br />
<img height="640" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/555506_574254942071_1936807088_n.jpg" width="412" /><br />
(Godstorm #0)<br />
A week later, I've got the gig and I'm crafting a story arc from the ideas that Joe gave me and Raven. I had the freedom to really make this story, which has a giant impact on the GFT Universe, my own. It follows through on the promises we set up in the annual, but it's also a crime drama; there is the epic battles of supernatural powers you'd expect from such a title, but it's also about a regretful father and a woman who turns his vengeful son into a weapon; it's a completely modern story that I was able to lace with everything I love about classical literature; it's at once the biggest, most action-packed story I've ever written and the quietest character piece I've done; it's a strange, weird mix, and I'm pumped to see what people thing. Reviews have been strong so far, and I honestly feel good about the book, and the characters have all forced their way into my heart and brain to the point where... well, just about every day, I think, "What would Zeus (or Hades or Neptune or so on and so on and...) do if I put him in <em>this</em> situation..."<br />
<img height="640" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/391409_576035663491_1916698308_n.jpg" width="421" /><br />
(Godstorm #2)<br />
If anyone enjoys the book nearly as much as I enjoyed writing it, I'll be very pleased indeed.<br />
<strong>Godstorm #0</strong> hits shelves tomorrow. For more information, follow this blog and my <a href="https://twitter.com/patshand">twitter</a>, or visit www.zenescope.comPatrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-44982241750714777832012-07-12T17:24:00.003-07:002012-07-12T17:25:05.285-07:00SLIPSTREAM coming December 2012!NOT AT SDCC ANNOUNCEMENT #1<br />
<br />
So, I'm not at SDCC. To keep myself
from being too depressed about it, I'm going to be announcing a few
projects that I have, until now, kept hush-hush about. The first
announcement is...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>SLIPSTREAM: ORIGIN</b></div>
<br />
You heard it here first - this is my first superhero comic, my first
work with Big Dog Ink, and my first time playing in the Critter
universe! For those unfamiliar with <b>Critter</b>, check out this brand new superhero universe from Big Dog Ink<a data-mce-href="http://bigdogink.com/" href="http://bigdogink.com/"> right here</a>.
Created by Tom Hutchison, the ongoing Critter series is the flagship
title of Big Dog Ink, and it is putting the fun and adventure back into
superhero comics.<br />
<br />
<b>Slipstream: Origin</b>, written by me with art by
the wonderful Owen Gieni, is the latest in a series of
one-shot Critter spinoffs. It'll hit shelves in December 2012 (for those
keeping up with the things that've been announced so far, that's the
same month as <b>Robyn Hood #4, Unannounced Project #3</b>, and
probably <b>Super Unannounced Project #??</b>). A cover will be coming soon but,
until then, here is a Critter cover by <b>Slipstream: Origin</b> artist Owen
Gieni.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/536565_10150644526986333_773521998_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/536565_10150644526986333_773521998_n.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Slipstream captures the same sense of fun that Critter embodies, but
with a sci-fi twist. I won't spoil anything, but when I started plotting
the comic, I was inspired by how much freedom Tom was letting me have
with Slipstream, so I decided to make the comic about Slipstream
building herself up from nothing and becoming the hero that we see in
the monthly Critter title. It's completely standalone, but I hope it'll
make folks eager to read more of Slipstream's adventures, because that
character has been in my head for a while now.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
Now,
because I'm a fan of hearing about the writing process, I'll give a bit
of background on how this comic came to be. It's funny that I'm
announcing this in my <b>Not at SDCC</b> blog, because this tale proves how
important it is for freelancers to go to cons. I met Tom Hutchison at
NYCC 2011. I had only had one comic published at that point (Angel:
Yearbook at IDW), but my work on Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday
Edition 2011had already been solicited. Wanting to showcase my first
work in the industry, I made a business card that had my contact info
and little images featuring cover art from my soon-to-be-published
comics. I found the Big Dog Ink booth, and was fascinated by their
titles. I gave Tom my business card, and he recognized the Grimm Fairy
Tales comic on it - funny sidebar, Zenescope editor and all around great
dude Raven Gregory was checking out the booth too, and heard us talking
about GFT. So I met Tom and Raven at the same time! Anyway, I asked Tom
if I could pitch stories to him, read up on Critter, and wrote some ideas
for one-shot stories. Tom dug Slipstream, and the rest is history. Moral
of the story? Cons are important. If you can go, go. I hope to see you
at NYCC 2012, and surely SDCC 2013.<br />
<br />
More tomorrow!<br />
<br />
-<br />
<br />
<i>PATRICK
SHAND writes ROBYN HOOD, GRIMM FAIRY TALES, 1000 WAYS TO DIE, and more
for Zenescope. He has written ANGEL for IDW, SLIPSTREAM for Big Dog Ink,
and short stories published in various anthologies by Pill Hill Press,
Rainstorm Press, and Wicked East Press. His plays have been produced in
Manhattan and he currently teaches screenwriting and scriptwriting at
Five Towns College.</i>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-74588785795990041812012-06-18T13:09:00.000-07:002012-06-18T13:09:17.305-07:00I'm Writing ROBYN HOOD for Zenescope!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iw0niRauwl4/T9-KMbj8FTI/AAAAAAAABQs/Q1WR-wJk_ww/s1600/robyn-hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iw0niRauwl4/T9-KMbj8FTI/AAAAAAAABQs/Q1WR-wJk_ww/s320/robyn-hood.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So here it is. The big news I've been teasing for a while and, really, the coolest thing I've done in my career thus far. I am writing Zenescope Entertainment's new flagship series, ROBYN HOOD. I've been plotting and chatting about this with Raven Gregory for a while now, so it feels good to finally be able to let the world know! More will be revealed this week as we continue to tease, but this series encompasses everything I love about comics and I can't wait for you all to read it.<br />
<br />
I promise all you Robin Hood fans out there, while this is clearly a new take, I'm as into the original ballads as any English major can be. Hell, when we're able to reveal the title of the first issue, I think you'll be assured that the Robber in the Hood is in good hands.<br />
<br />
TEASERS HERE:<br />
<br />
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/zenescope-robyn-hood-teasers.html<br />Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-62110569007352862972012-06-13T10:56:00.003-07:002012-06-13T10:56:39.134-07:00Reflection On: Grimm Fairy Tales 2012 Annual<br />
<div style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-image: url(http://assets.tumblr.com/images/input_bg.gif); background-position: 50% 0%; background-repeat: repeat-x; color: black; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<b><img data-mce-src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5khouUjSW1qfp1ms.jpg" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5khouUjSW1qfp1ms.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" /></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<strong>Grimm Fairy Tales 2012 Annual</strong>, which I wrote, comes out today. I drove to the comic shop, bought some copies, grabbed the rest of my pulls, and headed home. I just finished reading the book through and, even though I've obviously seen the completed comic before, it still felt a bit <em>magical</em> (cheesy as that is) having it in front of me like this. It's my fifth comic in total and my third time playing in Zenescope's Grimm universe, but I just can't get past the sense of excitement. I've got comics coming out nearly every month from here on out, and I hope to never lose this sense of joy of getting to participate in the grand, epic, longform story that is Grimm Fairy Tales.<br />
<br />
Writing comics really is the best job in the world.<br />
<br />
From now on, I think it'll be cool to write something here every time I put out a comic. Whether it be commentary, a reflection, a story about the comic, or something else entirely, it'll be a fun way to celebrate.<br />
<br />
<img data-mce-src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5khp9ecZY1qfp1ms.jpg" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5khp9ecZY1qfp1ms.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" /><br />
<br />
<br />
I actually knew about the GFT annual before I knew I was going to write it. I'd seen Sean Chen's cover to the issue and Mike Debalfo's cover to GFT: Angel one-shot (which continues some story threads from my annual) around the time I was finishing up co-writing this year's GFT: April Fools with Ralph Tedesco. My thought upon seeing those covers and hearing what those books were about was, "Man... it would be awesome if I got to write one of those." Very shortly after, Ralph reached out to me about scripting the Annual, and I enthusiastically agreed.<br />
<br />
For those familiar with the Grimm universe, this issue finally puts the spotlight on Venus (who will go on to co-star with the other devious GFT villains in the BAD GIRLS miniseries, coming next month). Zenescope has been building to a big Greek/Roman god arc for a long time now, since introducing Venus in the back of the ninth Grimm Fairy Tales trade. Raven Gregory built on the mythology of the gods in his recent arc on GFT, and it was an honor to spend this Annual with the diabolical Venus as she puts the final pieces of her plan together.<br />
<br />
For newcomers, and I hope there are a few of you, I tried to write the Annual as if it's the epic first act of badass fantasy movie. At it's core, it's a story about rebuilding and feeling out of place - the time of gods is over, so what does that mean for the gods? What is their place? Where do these epic Greek/Roman mythological figures fit in? Do they assimilate or do they destroy?<br />
<br />
<img data-mce-src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5khpp9Bwp1qfp1ms.jpg" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5khpp9Bwp1qfp1ms.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" /><br />
<br />
I was an English major in college, and spent a lot of time studying, reading, and writing about these myths. It's a dream come true to get to write comics in general, but a special privilege to write a comic with Venus, Zeus, Hades, and more. You really can't get more iconic than these characters, and I hope I've done them (and Joe Brusha's epic plot) justice. If anyone has as much fun reading it as I had writing it, I'll be pleased.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-30038719630775316232012-05-18T05:23:00.003-07:002012-05-18T05:25:27.527-07:00REVIEW: Vowels by Skye Ogden<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9vmMA0vVwYQ/S2NwB8w0xlI/AAAAAAAAHn0/Tezv0xIaH-0/Vowels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9vmMA0vVwYQ/S2NwB8w0xlI/AAAAAAAAHn0/Tezv0xIaH-0/Vowels.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
I recently had the chance to read and review a graphic novel called <strong style="margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">VOWELS </strong>by Skye Ogden. It was my first time reading a book from Gestalt Comics, and it surely won’t be my last, not only because of how interesting their other books look, but because of how damn good <strong style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">Vowels</strong> was.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
This book came out in 2007 and managed to pass me by until now. It’s a completely “silent” graphic novel, and it pulls the wordlessness off by distilling its images gracefully into visually uncomplicated but morally complex images of humor, connection, tragedy, and hope. The characters are anthropomorphic non-humans that have quite a lot in common with our society and history. The narrative follows them through different time periods and bookends stories of heartbreak with basic but visceral tales of predators and prey, and the “humans” involved in these roles are never simplified.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
It evokes <strong style="margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">A Contract with God</strong> in tone and, oddly enough, <strong style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">Goodbye Chunky Rice</strong> in style, but never copies either. Writer/artist Skye Ogden has a startlingly original voice (a bit ironic for a wordless book) and Vowels is a true vision. Fans of Top Shelf and Fantagraphics would do well to pay attention to Gestalt Comics, because if this book is any indication of the rest of their catalogue, they are preparing to inject a dose of much needed originality into the comics industry.<br style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;" /><br style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;" /><em style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">-Patrick Shand </em></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-92063710017380489562012-05-02T05:58:00.002-07:002012-05-02T05:58:23.669-07:00So, I'm taking a hiatus from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, and whatever other social networking thingers I do for some reason. I've got writerly deadlines during finals week, so I'm going cold turkey to prevent myself from getting all distracted. I'll be back Saturday, May 12th!Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-26878338256746481282012-03-14T14:34:00.002-07:002012-03-14T14:38:25.982-07:00Incoherent Rambling about SAGA #1<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BltXsrqqABY/T2EPyWR7YqI/AAAAAAAABOk/L4imbEsMBSw/s1600/Saga_1_cvr.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BltXsrqqABY/T2EPyWR7YqI/AAAAAAAABOk/L4imbEsMBSw/s320/Saga_1_cvr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719870359385891490" /></a><div><br /></div><div>A few hours or so ago, I finished reading the first issue of Brian K. Vaughan's new series, <b>Saga</b>. He co-created it with Fiona Staples, who always does great work... but if I'm being honest here, I showed up to the party primarily for BKV. I often go back and forth about who my absolutely favorite comic book writer is, and I almost always settle on either Brian K. Vaughan or Alan Moore. Nick Spencer, Scott Snyder, Brian Lynch, Joss Whedon - they're all up there, for sure, but BKV's work on <b>Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, </b>and <b>Runaways</b> has completely changed the way I look at comics as a medium and perhaps even the way I look at storytelling. BKV is a master, and this is the first time that I've had the privilege of following one of his comics from the first issue on the day of its release.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Saga</b> gets off to a great start. Perhaps the best start of all of BKV's series. While his other series often take a few issues to fully live up to their premise, I'm already invested in the strange characters that populate the world(s) that BKV and Staples have created. The seeds of many interesting ideas have been planted, and a lot of it hits home in really weird ways because I'm working on a book called <b>Roadkill</b> with Ian McGinty (my <b>Blood Pong</b> co-creator) that has a few similar themes. Romance in the midst of an intergalactic war is nothing new, I suppose, but I'm ecstatic and absolutely relieved that BKV's version is nothing like my own. There's nothing scarier than when the best writer in comics announces that he's doing a new series with a concept similar to something you're working on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that aside, the writing here is as excellent as I'd hoped and (frankly) expected. Especially the stuff with Prince Robot IV. That character (an alien whose head looks like a TV screen - he may or may not suffer from erectile dysfunction) proves that those worried about BKV's normally pop-culture infused writing suffering in this aliens-only story can breathe easy. Vaughan's strength is that all these characters, no matter how alien they get (and man, they get alien as all fuckout), have insecurities that we can relate to... but through the screens of fully fleshed out alien cultures.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's too early to say "<b>Saga</b> is great and will revolutionize comics," but I think this first issue has come at a great time. Image Comics seems to be attempting to prove that the comics industry has talent, that creator owned books are the future, and that the line should remain drawn at $2.99.</div><div><br /></div><div>And hell - I'm with it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>-Patrick Shand</i></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-81122642702164315892012-03-07T16:04:00.002-08:002012-03-07T16:05:58.309-08:00"Just" Work for Hire<div>I went back and forth about whether or not I'd actually write this post, but I think it's pretty important. I've been lucky enough in my career in comics to meet a bunch of awesome and talented people, and I'm grateful for that. I read a comic today that made me pretty mad, though, and it made me decide to write a post about an experience I had with the writer of said book at this past New York Comic Con.</div><div><br /></div><div>This writer is a really well-known creator of a bunch of wonderful indie books. Books I love. When NYCC rolled around, though, his latest release was the first issue of a series he'd written for a company owned property. I still respect and love the guy's work, so I won't give anymore than that. Anyway, I walked up to his booth, did the whole "nice to meet you" thing, and told him how much I loved his first issue of _________.</div><div><br /></div><div>He looked at me as if I'd just said "Would you like a bite of this shit sandwich, good sir? I made it myself. Just now."</div><div><br /></div><div>Nervous that I'd somehow walked up to the wrong table, I laughed and said, "You... you did write that book, right?"</div><div><br /></div><div>He nodded and said, "Yeah, but it was just work for hire. Did it a while ago. I guess they're putting it out now."</div><div><br /></div><div>Flabbergasted and a bit put off, I nodded, talked with him for a minute or two more, bought one of his other books, and left. Hoping he was just having an off day, I went online and searched to see if he had posted anything about having written this book. Annnd he did. He did an interview that talked about that book and another property he was writing (one that I love). In this interview, his response was dismissive of the interviewer's question and he even reiterated that both of these projects were work for hire, so that the devout fans shouldn't expect much.</div><div><br /></div><div>...What.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was let down that a creator I respect would say this about any work of his, much less work that I enjoyed. And as his just-work-for-hire series went on, I noticed the drop in quality every issue. As it went on, the levels of shits not given increased exponentially, climaxing in the final issue, which I got around to reading today.</div><div><br /></div><div>And here's my thoughts. Some pretty cool blog recently described me as an "up-and-coming comics writer" so I'll go with that. My first gig was my dream gig... Angel. Working in a world that Joss Whedon, my writerly hero, created was more than I could have hoped for - but I only had two pages with which to tell my story. I made those two pages the best damn two pages I was capable of. And after that, did I fulfill my second dream of doing a Supergirl/Stephanie Brown/Stargirl team book? Naw, I got some work for hire. I've been writing comics for Zenescope ever since and, yeah, it's work for hire, but there is no "just" in the equation. I was offered a shot at writing a good portion of their 1000 Ways to Die graphic novel. I'd never seen the show, but you can bet I watched every episode I could before I went to script.</div><div><br /></div><div>Point is this... if you, as a writer or artist or actor or whatever, can't find it in yourself to care about what you're writing, then don't write it. Just don't write it. I am the last person to say "never write for money" because, let's face it, that's an inherently flawed piece of advice to give to writers. If you're a Career Writer, what you're doing is attempting to make a living out of writing - you write for money. The dangerous thing is when you start looking at work for hire as a "just" instead of a privilege and a challenge to live up to. Thing is, there are hundreds of other hungry, talented writers out there who would love to get their hands on the book you are currently not giving a shit about.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so help you if you give a fan a weird look for saying they like your work, even if it's something you just pulled out of your ass for a check. The day I do that is the day I stop writing.</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-19405804296603598342012-03-01T14:41:00.002-08:002012-03-01T14:53:30.142-08:00BLOOD PONG: six page preview of my new creator owned comic<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Hey all. So, one more post to celebrate Creator Owned Day! Here's a six page preview of my creator owned comic, <b>BLOOD PONG</b>. Frustrated with the modern depiction of vampires as romantic creatures, CHAD and JOHN, two vampires who spend their days playing beer pong with blood, hit the town with a video camera. They’ve decided to make their own reality/horror movie that gives vampires back their badassery.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /><br /></span></span><div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" style="width:420px;height:272px" id="804792af-fcdf-c7e4-d0d9-283278f071b9"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf?mode=mini&embedBackground=%23transp&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=120301214622-790440c408ae42ca8d23cafe7e27c56a"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" wmode="transparent" style="width:420px;height:272px" flashvars="mode=mini&embedBackground=%23transp&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=120301214622-790440c408ae42ca8d23cafe7e27c56a"></embed></object><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/patrickshand/docs/bloodpongpreview?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Open publication</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> - Free </span></span><a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">publishing</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> - </span></span><a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=blood%20pong" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">More blood pong</span></span></a></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> The art is by the wonderful Ian McGinty (co-creator). We've been pitching it around, so it would be great to get any thoughts or reactions.,</span></span></span></div></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-86478006255495819912012-03-01T09:20:00.002-08:002012-03-01T09:26:25.198-08:00Creator Owned graphic novel: THOMASINA'S HUMAN ZOO (preview)Happy <b>Creator Owned Day</b>! To celebrate, I'm going to post two previews for upcoming creator owned graphic novels. First, here's a 2-page sneak peak at <b>THOMASINA'S HUMAN ZOO</b>, an all-ages graphic novel created by me and Sarah 'Pickles' Dill!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" style="width:420px;height:315px" id="afc0c157-0c5f-75cd-263a-0e732a188678"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf?mode=mini&embedBackground=%23transp&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=120301171508-e7a2e5a9300f4513bd27ca636f91e7f5"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" wmode="transparent" style="width:420px;height:315px" flashvars="mode=mini&embedBackground=%23transp&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=120301171508-e7a2e5a9300f4513bd27ca636f91e7f5"></embed></object><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/patrickshand/docs/thomasina_01-02?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=animals" target="_blank">More animals</a></div></div><br /><br /><div>THOMASINA is a work in progress and will be pitched to various publishers this summer. Leave comments and feedback, please!</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-83734974619809093302012-02-18T08:52:00.000-08:002012-02-18T08:56:59.251-08:00Shhh. I've been <a href="http://patrickshand.tumblr.com/">cheating on this blog.</a>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-48726993851108484872012-01-31T16:27:00.000-08:002012-01-31T16:30:33.900-08:00Doctor Who/Sherlock parody in my upcoming graphic novel THE COMIC CON TALES<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DSIm6LW3usI/TyiHLNLYrHI/AAAAAAAABOM/9VsFEeQQsi8/s1600/Pg%2B022%2B-%2BPROFESSOR%2BWHOM%2B2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DSIm6LW3usI/TyiHLNLYrHI/AAAAAAAABOM/9VsFEeQQsi8/s400/Pg%2B022%2B-%2BPROFESSOR%2BWHOM%2B2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703957554650459250" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 19px; "><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Here’s a preview page from my upcoming graphic novel THE COMIC CON TALES. Inspired by Chaucer’s classic “The Canterbury Tales,” this graphic novel tells the story of a group of friends who take a road trip from New York to San Diego Comic Con. Along the way, they each share a tale. This is the first page of “The Fangirl’s Tale: Professor Whom and Detective Sherrock,” illustrated by Oly Pelaez.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Of course we can’t say the names, but we’re pretty clearly parodying Doctor Who and Sherlock fanfic. The story gets pretty… well, you see, it’s from the mind of a character who writes some pretty intense fan fic, so I think anyone who has been really involved with fandom will get a kick out of it.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Comment if you want to see this happen! THE COMIC CON TALES is made up of many, many stories, comedic and serious. Every story is illustrated by a different artist, and the script is the strangest most diverse thing I’ve ever written, and I’m pretty proud of it.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Hope you dig it. Tell your friends!</p></span></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-53500989145702730182012-01-25T10:45:00.000-08:002017-10-28T12:59:11.062-07:00Final Comic Book Wednesday<div style="text-align: left;">
Welcome to the final installment of...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Comic Book Wednesday</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Issue #33</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yep, you read that right. After this issue, I'll be unable to continue my weekly blog. It's been a blast writing about the books I read here, and I think it's actually increased my enjoyment of those comics. I've been working as a Screenwriting teacher at Five Towns College, and my workload has increased threefold this semester... and I think it's time to focus all of my writing attention on - well, you know, <i>my writing</i>. I'll still write about comics, and I'll even post reviews, but I definitely can't do it on a weekly basis any more.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So alas... let's get to it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thankfully, this was a good week. Angel & Faith, TMNT, and JLD all delivered fantastic reads, and even the books that didn't totally impress me weren't quite <i>bad</i>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7nnJqkifKe8/TyMb2e3l1SI/AAAAAAAABNA/Msvnb7KGkCE/s1600/angel6cover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702432175994295586" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7nnJqkifKe8/TyMb2e3l1SI/AAAAAAAABNA/Msvnb7KGkCE/s320/angel6cover.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 208px;" /></a></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Angel & Faith #6</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Daddy Issues - Part One</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Christos Gage</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Art by Rebekah Isaacs</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Dark Horse Comics</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It makes sense that the best installment of <b>Angel & Faith</b> thus far has the best cover. Steve Morris' cover, featuring a younger Giles emerging from a Russian doll-version of Giles as we know him... it's perfect. It's perfect because it intrigues and mystifies while also accurately representing the inside story. It also functioned to tease the fandom a bit, as it was released before we got a chance to read A&F #4, which many fans thought to be the climax of the "Angel resurrects Giles" arc. However, it wasn't, and Christos Gage is telling that slowburn story over the course of the whole twenty-five issue series. What this cover did was make the fandom wonder if Giles was going to be brought back successfully as Ripper - which is a great idea, but Gage has something else in mind.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Angel, while still obsessed with the idea of bringing Giles back, continues his mission of using Giles' Watcher's Diary as a yellow pages of the supernatural. He goes after a Lophrage demon, a mosquito lookin' mamajama who we're introduced to in a kickass flashback to Giles' time in Watchers Academy. The show, because of obvious age issues, never gave us a look at the teenage, pre-Ripper Giles... but now, in this comic, all those old impossibilities are nothing but memories. Along with the rest of his senior class, Giles has an encounter with this horrifying Lophrage demon, which serves to give Angel a new mission as well as to shed some light on why Giles became Ripper in the first place.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Faith is kept busy, investigating a vampire named Mother Superior. Faith's story is still very tied to Nadira, who is about as fun to read as Rona was to watch in Season Seven, but at least the Slayer Juniors get very little page time here. As Angel brings Faith on board with his Lophrage hunt, it becomes clear quickly that the elusive Mother Superior is involved with the demon in some way. I'm just going to go ahead and spoil the reveal at the end, because... well, anyone who has seen the covers knows, and really - anyone that knows Drusilla knew it would be her as soon as the name "Mother Superior" was mentioned. What other vamp who would warrant a reveal would choose such a name?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The real reveal, though, is that Drusilla is sane. This intrigues me a lot, because the optimist in me thinks that this may be Christos Gage attempting to tie his stories into IDW's work on <b>Angel</b> and <b>Spike</b>, considering Drusilla's sanity (and the fragility of it) was a major, major aspect of Brian Lynch's final <b>Spike</b> arc. On the other hand, I can see Drusilla using the Lophrage demon to steal other people's sanity - but there's enough speculation on the boards. From where I stand, it was the best issue of the series so far. I love how we're playing with the motif of fathers (Angel - Drusilla, Giles - his father, and Faith - her father... who we meet in this issue as well), which solidifies my hope that this series isn't just throwing Angel and Faith together for the hell of it. This series is <i>about</i> something, and I'm very, very engaged.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The most awesome aspect of the book, though, is Rebekah Isaac's artwork. Her characters are the perfect marriage of stylization and capturing likenesses. The action moves nicely, the small character moments really sing, and it has a dark, consistent tone that elevates this book quite a bit. I may like the lightness and the wordplay in the <b>Buffy: Season Nine</b> book slightly better than the story Gage is telling, but Isaacs' art just makes this one the winner. That might be, though, because <b>BtVS:9</b> is such a vast improvement over <b>BtVS:8</b>, which <b>Angel & Faith </b>has just been really consistently good.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope this title continues to grow, but it really has everything right. I hope that the one-shots and the comedic stories are a bit better going forward, but Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs knock the arcs out of the park.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcPe607_PGY/TyMb3TTtQZI/AAAAAAAABNY/gT1tDDMjHS4/s1600/IDW-06_Cover-A-Art_Duncan.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702432190070866322" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcPe607_PGY/TyMb3TTtQZI/AAAAAAAABNY/gT1tDDMjHS4/s320/IDW-06_Cover-A-Art_Duncan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 247px;" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Story by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Tom Waltz</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Art by Dan Duncan</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
IDW Publishing</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I originally tweeted that this was the best of IDW's ongoing <b>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</b> series, but I'm going to amend that... it's the best since the first issue. And don't think I'm trying to turn this issue into Pluto, but I just went back and reread all of the issues, and that first one is really the <i>perfect</i> comic book. This one continues the story in an incredibly exciting way, continuing to blend the original gritty comic with the pizza-celebrating cartoon, creating a book that all generations of fans can embrace.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In this one, shit begins to hit the fan. It's revealed that Baxter Stockman hired Old Hob to bring down the turtles, and this uneasy alliance makes for great reading. It leads to the awesome reveal at the end of the issue which reintroduces the MOUSERS to the TMNT-verse, but the best think about the Hob/Stockman team-up is the humor. My favorite scene in the comic:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
HOB: Holy...</div>
<div>
STOCKMAN: Impressive, aren't they? We've been developing them as part of a program to locate and destroy I.E.D.s on the battlefield.</div>
<div>
HOB: I.E.D.s?</div>
<div>
STOCKMAN: Improved Explosive Devices.</div>
<div>
HOB: ...</div>
<div>
STOCKMAN: A booby trap that goes boom.</div>
<div>
HOB: Ah. Gotcha.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All of the plotlines from the previous issues continue here. Casey Jones meets up with April O'Neil, the turtles and Splinter continue to talk about and debate their presumed reincarnation, and the Foot Soldiers brew up some trouble. It's all building toward something big, and I can't wait to see what the ongoing and Brian Lynch's two remaining microseries bring.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rvn6WjytpxA/TyMb2kMnn1I/AAAAAAAABNM/I8-MaUos6Xg/s1600/Aquaman_5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702432177424670546" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rvn6WjytpxA/TyMb2kMnn1I/AAAAAAAABNM/I8-MaUos6Xg/s320/Aquaman_5.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 208px;" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Aquaman #5</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Lost</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Geoff Johns</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pencils by Ivan Reis</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
DC Comics</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I liked this. I liked it a lot better than <b>JL#5</b>. It's about as "written for trade" as <b>JL</b>, but the thing about this book is that it's a hell of a lot stronger than <b>JL</b>, so the overall effect is a bit less damning. It's a quick read, but the narrative device of throwing Aquaman into the desert and then showing us how he got there by alternating from the desert to the past is strong.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The current arc is leading to a major storyline having to do with Atlantis, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I like Aquaman as this likable, badass, overlooked hero. I like that the events of the previous arc are still bothering him. I like that the new mystery is still attached to the events of "The Trench" storyline, giving this book a cohesive "big picture" feel. I like a lot of things about this book and I think that, in good time, I may even love it. This issue doesn't do much to make <b>Aquaman</b> climb to the top of my pull list, but I'm consistently enjoying it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6YHe3XxSRMo/TyMb5ZTBmZI/AAAAAAAABNw/p_j-_C4azXQ/s1600/Justice-League-Dark_5-665x1024.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702432226038356370" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6YHe3XxSRMo/TyMb5ZTBmZI/AAAAAAAABNw/p_j-_C4azXQ/s320/Justice-League-Dark_5-665x1024.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 208px;" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Justice League Dark #5</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In the Dark finale: There Was a Crooked Man</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Peter Milligan</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Art by Mikel Janin</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
DC Comics</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And the first arc of one of my favorite New 52 books comes to a close. It's a satisfying, if not perfect, ending that leaves me wondering where the hell Milligan's going to take the story. The dark tone that makes this series such a creepy read permeates this issue especially, so there is no happy ending for June Moone... but it's not heart-crushingly dark either. At the end of the issue, our team of characters isn't a team at all. Hell, they don't want to <i>see</i> each other, and I don't blame them. Milligan is cooking up some nastiness for them in each issue, and none of these people are true heroes. They lack the moral fiber of Superman and his kind, but some of them still <i>try</i> to be heroes... which leads them to clash. A lot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One minor complaint was that Constantine was a bit too much of a jerk here. I know he is no longer the man who wants to save the world that we first ran into in Alan Moore's <b>Swamp Thing</b>, but he's a bit... well, he's sort of like Spike in the finale of the second season of <b>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</b>. For those of you that don't worship at the altar of Whedon, that means that Constantine claims to only be interested in saving the world because <i>he</i> is on the world. The Constantine I've read has lost a lot, but isn't selfish enough that he <i>only</i> values his own safety. Maybe it's just him being a hardass and I'm reading too literally, but that was a bit jarring for me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The art is perfect. Mikel Janin's work is perfect for this book, and I hope he's in it for the longrun. He is perfect for this book and certainly vice-versa.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I know some folks have lost patience with the slow-boil narrative, but this is one of the most consistently enjoyable books in my pull list. I can't wait to see what fate has in store for these poor bastards next.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
-</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Thanks for reading. I'm going to keep updating this blog, so hang around. I've got a lot more to say.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-70399197984609995522012-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:002012-01-19T11:42:01.846-08:00A Comic Book Writer Talks SOPA/PIPA<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 19px; "><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><i>Originally posted 1/18/12 on </i><a href="http://patrickshand.tumblr.com/"><i>my Tumblr</i></a><i>.</i></p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">This morning, Facebook pissed me off. A bunch of my friends were equating<strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; "><em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; ">caring about SOPA</em></strong> to <em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; "><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; ">not caring a real problems such as AIDS, starvation, cancer,</strong></em> etc. I posted some snarky statuses to get across the point that being vocal about the dangers of Internet censorship doesn’t equate to being a heartless monster, but I was silly about it. <a href="http://ericacv.tumblr.com/">EricaCV</a> pointed out, though, that I may be better off using my “writerly influence to spread further knowledge and understanding about the situation.” She’s right - on Facebook I went for the lulz, and that was a bit of a mistake… because I think one of the fundamental misunderstandings about SOPA/PIPA and those of us who are against it is that we are merely scared of losing the Internet as a source of mindless entertainment.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It’s a hell of a lot worse than that. </p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Now, here’s where I stand. Piracy isn’t a shiny beacon of awesome, and I’m not <em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; "><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; ">for</strong></em> it. Obviously. I work as a writer in the comics industry, and it’s one of the most grating things to see how often our (incredibly cheap) books get pirated. Hell, take this for example. A few weeks ago, my latest comic (<a href="https://www.zenescope.com/comics/1-grimm-fairy-tales/issues/321" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); margin-bottom: 0px !important; ">Grimm Fairy Tales: Holiday Edition 2011</a>) came out, and I searched it in Google. (Yes, I self-Googled, I’m weak.) The first result wasn’t a fan’s reaction. It wasn’t a review. It was a site that offered an illegal download of the book that had literally only been out for a few hours. Bummer, right?</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">But.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I started thinking. I used to run a review site. On that site, I would talk about all things<strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; "> Buffy the Vampire Slayer</strong> and <strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; ">Angel</strong>. I would review the comics, I would post pictures of stuff that was coming out, and I would make stupid little parody images on Paint. I used Google images to pepper the site with covers from the comics to make the site prettier. That site is how I got noticed. By making friends with some of the people who worked on the <strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-bottom: 0px !important; ">Angel</strong> comic and showing that I cared about the character and that I could write, I put my foot in the door. I later wrote a story for that comic, and have since been building a career in the comics industry. The seeds for all of my current success grew from that blog… which would have been shut the fuck down in an Internet governed by SOPA/PIPA.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">So would this Tumblr. Likely, so would your Tumblr. So would countless other sites that have provided entertainment, offered education, and decreased World Suck. Yes, it’s true that the pirates would get shut down, but I say this as a man trying to make it in an incredibly rough industry… it is absolutely not worth it.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">For more information (and I can surely say more articulation) you can check out what Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Steve Niles, and many other great writers are saying all over the Internet. Look around, and see if you agree with them. It’s your prerogative. Your freedom. My point is this: without a free Internet, I wouldn’t have published a <em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; "><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; ">thing.</strong></em> And I’d wager that I would be a hell of a lot less informed about the world as a whole than I am now.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The world is at your fingertips. Don’t let them snatch it away from you.</p><p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">-Patrick Shand</p></span>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-79558510448254863492012-01-19T08:42:00.000-08:002012-01-19T11:36:26.798-08:00Morning Glories #15 review, Ghostbusters #5 review, Legend of Oz Wicked West #2 review, Batman #5 review, Birds of Prey #5 review,<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Comic Book Wednesday #32</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I had some dental surgery this week... so seriously, thank everything that is good for <b><i>comics</i></b>. Here are some books that you should be sure not to miss out on.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Image Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-36o7YWR-PTc/TxhwYPGpuWI/AAAAAAAABMs/lExVLU6U3yM/s1600/morning_glories_15_72_02.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-36o7YWR-PTc/TxhwYPGpuWI/AAAAAAAABMs/lExVLU6U3yM/s320/morning_glories_15_72_02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699428890110966114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><i>Morning Glories #15</i></div><div><i>P.E. part three</i></div><div><i>Written by Nick Spencer</i></div><div><i>Art by Joe Eisma</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone who follows this blog on a regular basis knows my feelings about Nick Spencer's <b>Morning Glories</b>. I tend to go on and on about how brilliant it is, how engaging the mystery is, how well-crafted the dialogue is, and how Joe Eisma just knocks every page out of the park. This issue is no different. It's scary, tense, and has the best use of a flashback intercut with scene "in the now" that I can remember reading. <b>Morning Glories</b> is like that TV show that you look forward to watching because everything about it just <i>better</i>, from the writing to the acting to the damn editing. This is the comic book version of that dream show.</div><div><br /></div><div>This series is a <b>Lost</b> style mystery and, at fifteen issues, it has nearly as many mysteries as that show did in its heyday. Since Nick and Joe plan on creating 100 issues of <b>Morning Glories</b>, we know that none of those answers are coming anytime soon... and yes, that's frustrating. In the best way possible. The mythology and the mystery remain in the background, with Nick keeping his attention squarely on the characters. Almost all of this issue is made up on conversation, and I love that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not only is this book great, it's also an insane value. This book costs $2.99 - the same price as our twenty page DC books... but this is a <b>thirty page story</b>. With no ads interrupting it. Yeah, <b>Morning Glories</b> is the ultimate comic book experience. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>IDW Publishing</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VStuQa2xTbk/TxhwXXjL7yI/AAAAAAAABMU/Mmp2a4W3JkQ/s1600/Ghostbusters_05_CvrA.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VStuQa2xTbk/TxhwXXjL7yI/AAAAAAAABMU/Mmp2a4W3JkQ/s320/Ghostbusters_05_CvrA.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699428875198263074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></i></div><div><i>Ghostbusters #5</i></div><div><i>Written by Erik Burnham</i></div><div><i>Art by Dan Schoening</i></div><div><i>PCOC pages by Tristan Jones</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The new arc begins with this issue. While it's not as instantly gripping as the start of the first storyline, it's still a hell of an entertaining read. The majority of the comic, before the baddie takes center stage, has an almost day-to-day feel, and it seems to be setting the tone for the ongoing adventures of these characters. Fun dialogue, great interactions, and some of the best visuals in comics - this series remains at the top of my pull list.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Big Dog Ink</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pRW51lH3yKI/TxhwXiMnKqI/AAAAAAAABMk/iiQ6t0aAZCQ/s1600/legend_of_oz_wicked_west_2_by_bakanekonei-d4l4wbb.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pRW51lH3yKI/TxhwXiMnKqI/AAAAAAAABMk/iiQ6t0aAZCQ/s320/legend_of_oz_wicked_west_2_by_bakanekonei-d4l4wbb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699428878056368802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></i></div><div><i>The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #2</i></div><div><i>Written by Tom Hutchison</i></div><div><i>Art by Alisson Borges</i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you didn't catch the first issue, the premise is simple: <i>The Wizard of Oz as a western</i>. Damn near a Tarantino-esque modern take on a spaghetti western, to get to the core of it. Dorothy Gale pulls no punches; she's badass and will punch the teeth out of your mouth you say something she doesn't like.</div><div><br /></div><div>(A lot of people say things that she doesn't like.)</div><div><br /></div><div>The story really kicks off in this one as we begin to see Hutchison's interpretations of the classic cast. The Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch are all present here, and they all make this book a bunch of fun. The most inventive reinvention (heh) is the sort of <i>living doll </i>take on the Scarecrow. </div><div><br /></div><div>The writing is fun, the art is downright gorgeous, and the presentation is flawless. The cover is extra thick, giving this book some nice weight to it. When you go to your local shop, take a glance through this book - I guarantee you won't put it down.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DC Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><i><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRWUV47ltH4/TxhwWocveqI/AAAAAAAABL8/khRafLlGJT4/s1600/Batman_5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRWUV47ltH4/TxhwWocveqI/AAAAAAAABL8/khRafLlGJT4/s320/Batman_5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699428862554765986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px; " /></a></span>Batman #5</i><div><i>Face the Court</i></div><div><i>Written by Scott Snyder</i></div><div><i>Pencils by Greg Capullo</i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you have this fun little thing called the Internet, you know what people think of Scott Snyder's <b>Batman</b>. It's nearly universally loved, and for good reason. It's fantastic. Best book of the New 52. This issue is no different. It's trippy, emotional, and... well, it's the scariest that the series has been in a long time. And I'm not talking "Joker's face nailed to the wall" scary. That isn't scary. This book is moody, foreboding, and disorienting. As Batman stumbles through the labyrinth, you'll get lost with him, shifting the book to the side, on an angle, and upside down to read. It's damn good writing with damn good art. You're missing out on a defining moment in superhero comics if you let this book pass you by.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BhY6DX3VQrU/TxhwW3E1jEI/AAAAAAAABMI/x-1AX8_z1mw/s1600/Birds-Of-Prey-5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BhY6DX3VQrU/TxhwW3E1jEI/AAAAAAAABMI/x-1AX8_z1mw/s320/Birds-Of-Prey-5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699428866481032258" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a><div><i>Birds of Prey #5</i></div><div><i>Chokepoint</i></div><div><i>Written by Duane Swierczynski</i></div><div><i>Layouts by Jesus Saiz / Finishes by Javier Pina</i></div><div><br /></div><div>This story is just <i>not</i> letting up. It's pretty obvious that Swierczynski is a thriller writer, because the mystery is genuinely interesting. Black Canary, Starlette, Katana, Poison Ivy, and (maybe?) Batgirl reach a very confusing point in their investigation of the s'ploding peoples, and I am completely stunned by the way that Swierczynski is executing this story... because I have no clue what's going to happen next. Not a shadow of an idea. I can't speculate, because I'm just so lost in his storytelling that my instinctual Writerly Instinct of "he's gonna do this, isn't he?" has completely shorted out. This is right behind Snyder's <b>Batman</b> as the best superhero title from DC.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-63131359404168082792012-01-11T13:06:00.000-08:002012-01-19T09:16:07.648-08:00Comic Book Wednesday #31<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Comic Book Wednesday</b></div><div><b>Issue #31</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what I've been reading over the past three weeks. Some good, some great, some not-so-much.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aaf_Msc_L1c/Tw7588e1b_I/AAAAAAAABLg/KqeeNV2-0cA/s1600/THE-CAPE-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aaf_Msc_L1c/Tw7588e1b_I/AAAAAAAABLg/KqeeNV2-0cA/s320/THE-CAPE-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696765404093181938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>IDW</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Cape #3</i></div><div><i>Written by Jason Ciaramella</i></div><div><i>Inspired by the short story "The Cape" by Joe Hill</i></div><div><i>Art by Zach Howard</i></div><div><br /></div><div>This saga of misguided revenge gets even scarier this time around. Ciaramella cuts this tale up with flashbacks of a much more innocent childhood, giving the horrific scenes a harsh dichotomy. The story, while simple, is as riveting as it is batshit crazy (flying dude takes down a plane with a CHAINSAW), and it remains on the top of my pull list. The issue ends with the deranged Eric preparing for a showdown of sorts with his brother Nicky, who just happens to be the primary object of Eric's war on his family. Shit is going down, and I'm pumped to see how they end it all.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Microseries #2</i></div><div><i>Michelangelo</i></div><div><i>Written by Brian Lynch</i></div><div><i>Art by Andy Kuhn</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I already covered this one in my <a href="http://patrickshand.blogspot.com/2011/12/comic-book-wednesday-best-of-2011.html">Best of 2011 blog</a>, but if you missed that... man was this good. Hilarious, witty, and just pure fun. Easily the best thing to come out of the consistently excellent TMNT series from IDW.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQHX8VegEUM/Tw759sxmYlI/AAAAAAAABLw/U9Hwh2rJ_rg/s1600/whispers_1_cov_72.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQHX8VegEUM/Tw759sxmYlI/AAAAAAAABLw/U9Hwh2rJ_rg/s320/whispers_1_cov_72.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696765417056789074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>IMAGE COMICS</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Whispers #1</i></div><div><i>Written and drawn by Joshua Luna</i></div><div><br /></div><div>This is among the best first issues I've ever read. It's my first comic by Josh Luna (I bought the Ultra TPB at NYCC, but I haven't read it yet), and I'm stunned by how good it is. I read a preview of it last month, and I was intrigued by the depiction of OCD, but this... the whole story is just such a complete mind trip. Anyone who has even had even a slight case of OCD will relate, but this comic doesn't focus on just that. Sam, our protagonist, has recently discovered his strange ability to travel around town, incorporeal and invisible, visiting people he knows while he's asleep. It's a simple concept, but the execution is just... well, honestly, it's perfect. I can't recommend this enough. I bought this comic because I want to support creator owned books, but I'll keep coming back month to month because of how brilliant the writing and art is. Best book of the new year, so far.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdczqPDTEMc/Tw758ZPj_jI/AAAAAAAABLU/DSbk2MiD1XA/s1600/btvs-s9-5reg-18788.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdczqPDTEMc/Tw758ZPj_jI/AAAAAAAABLU/DSbk2MiD1XA/s320/btvs-s9-5reg-18788.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696765394633883186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DARK HORSE</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5</i></div><div><i>Slayer, Interrupted</i></div><div><i>Written by Andrew Chambliss</i></div><div><i>Art by Karl Moline</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Karl Moline is my favorite BtVS artist, so it was great to see him return for this issue. The story has been called both a sequel to <i>Restless</i> and Season 8's <i>The Chain</i>, but I liked this issue a lot better than either of those stories. While (in my opinion, of course), the former two tales got lost in the dangerous territory of style over substance, this issue delivered the awesome with dream sequences that delivered the wonkiness while still adding to the overall story of the season in a manner that is both clear and entertaining. There are some major developments here and, while I'm sure the internet is already pissed off about the end of the issue, Chambliss and Whedon are taking the series in a surprising direction that's already a hell of a lot more down to earth than Season Eight. I'm thoroughly enjoying this book.</div><div><br /></div><i>Angel & Faith #5</i><div><i>In Perfect Harmony</i></div><div><i>Written by Christos Gage</i></div><div><i>Art by Phil Noto</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I dig Phil Noto's covers, but his sequential art didn't do much for me in this issue. It was a fun, light issue - essentially, it's what you expect when you hear the concept. Harmony reaches out to Angel and Faith to investigate a particularly damning sex tape that someone is threatening to leak. There are some cool moments with Clem, who is always a joy to read, and some great Snarky!Faith lines, but man... Rebekah Isaacs was sorely missed.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ht0AqPXrvrU/Tw758PR7spI/AAAAAAAABLI/z-SEaZHsHSY/s1600/2137764-justld_cv41_super.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ht0AqPXrvrU/Tw758PR7spI/AAAAAAAABLI/z-SEaZHsHSY/s320/2137764-justld_cv41_super.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696765391959470738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DC</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><i>Justice League Dark #4</i></div><div><i>In the Dark part four: By the Light of the Moone</i></div><div><i>Written by Peter Milligan</i></div><div><i>Art by Mikel Janin</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Dark and intriguing, JLDark is everything that it should be. Considering that this book is made up of the most interesting characters in all of DC coming together to fight the baddies too dark and nightmarish for the Justice League proper to face, that's big praise. Every beat of this slow boil story has been an immersive and mind-melting experience, and this issue brings this roller coaster of a book to its highest peak. Shit is about to go <i>down</i>, and I can't wait to see how these characters deal with it. Especially Constantine. Man, can Milligan write him some Constantine. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Green Lantern #5</i></div><div><i>Sinestro part five</i></div><div><i>Written by Geoff Johns</i></div><div><i>Art by Doug Mahnke</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The fight to defend Sinestro's home planet from the team of villains that he created comes to a head. Geoff Johns creates the perfect balance of action and drama in this book, and Sinestro continues to be one of the most interesting protagonists in all of DC. Hal Jordan's romantic issues with Carole also gets resolved by the end of this issue, and that happens a bit too... easily. That plotline comes off as a bit "Let's give Hal some girl trouble," which feels a bit weak in contrast to the captivating relationship of Hal and Sinestro. I'm very glad that DC didn't just give Sinestro the Green Lantern title for a few issues for shock value - they're really going through with it, and the end product is as engaging as the idea is ballsy.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div><i>Aquaman #4</i></div><div><i>The Trench conclusion</i></div><div><i>Written by Geoff Johns</i></div><div><i>Art by Ivan Reis</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Every bit as engaging as Green Lantern, Johns brings his first Badass Aquaman storyline to a conclusion. Oh, what? This series isn't called The Badass Aquaman? Could've fooled me. Johns is pulling out all the stops here to make Aquaman the badass that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl3ZZaXLEx0">Grant Morrison already knew he was</a>. The action is great, and double page spreads are used liberally, but not in a way that takes away from the content of the story. It feels like decompressed comics <i>should</i> feel... like you're watching a widescreen film. And this... well, this is that summer blockbuster that leaves you coming back for more.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><i>Batgirl #5</i></div><div><i>A Candy Full of Spiders</i></div><div><i>Written by Gail Simone</i></div><div><i>Art by Adrian Syaf and Vincente Cifuentes</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Best issue yet. The minor flaw of Simone's recent writing pops up here again... if you hadn't noticed, it's Batgirl's very occasional incredible lame quip. I had to stop reading when Batgirl kicked her opponent in the face and said "Kiss my rear <b><i>end!</i></b>" I mean, is she seventy-five now? Besides that jarring moment, this book is damn solid. We get a follow-up on Barbara's meeting with her mother, as well as a villain twice as interesting as Mirror was. The first part of this new arc has already blown the last one out of the water, and Simone has consistently kept this book on my pull list... and with the way I've been cutting, that's no small feat. The art is mostly good, though some anatomy issues (Batgirl's pose on the first page and Bruce's weird hand on the final page) pop up, and Barbara's mom could've looked a bit less like she was Barbara's age. Despite those issues, though, this remains among the strongest of DC's recent efforts. Get it get it get it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Batman & Robin #5</i></div><div><i>Mutineer</i></div><div><i>Written b Peter J. Tomasi</i></div><div><i>Art by Patrick Gleason</i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you've liked the first four issues, you'll enjoy this. It offers nothing incredible or new, but... well, it's a solid read. Damian ventures off with Ducard, Batman's latest nemesis, and I think it's pretty obvious that he's going to turn on him in favor of Batman. There have been moments, especially in the first and fourth issue, that awed me, but if I'm going to stick with this series something major is going to have to happen to keep me engaged... <i>soon</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Ray #2</i></div><div><i>Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray</i></div><div><i>Art by Jamal Igle</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Jimmy and Justin, the writerly team behind Power Girl, deliver another really fun comic. Protagonist Lucien Gates breaks the fourth wall, telling us his story as he experiences it, and the action and monsters are highlighted with the human drama kept to a minimum. It has a certain darkness to it, but the darkness teeters on the edge, coming from the villain instead of from the hero himself like most modern superhero comics. In fact, as the Ray, Lucien is essentially a goofball. A goofball with the badass power of light, yes, but a goofball still. The comic is a quick and enjoyable read and, while it isn't as effective as the duo's other efforts, it's worth the spot on your pull list for the four issues it's going to last.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Action Comics #4</i></div><div><i>Rocket Song</i></div><div><i>Written by Grant Morrison</i></div><div><i>Art by Andy Kubert</i></div><div><i>-</i></div><div><i>Baby Steps (back-up story)</i></div><div><i>Written by Sholly Fisch</i></div><div><i>Art by ChrisCross</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Grant Morrison's main story in this month's Action is decent. As readers have come to expect from Morrison, it's pretty damn inventive; we see the destruction of Krypton and Kal-El's voyage to Earth through the mind of the spacecraft he flew in on. It loses steam once the craft lands, as it blends a bit of story from the first Action arc with something that seems to be set in the future. It's all a bit confusing and, while I'm sure it'll make sense with next month's issue, it makes for a rocky read considering the fairly straight-forward beginning. What makes the comic <i>more</i> than worth the cover price is Sholly Fisch's back-up story, which focuses on a recently wed Jonathan and Martha Kent. It's eight pages of well-written and drawn human drama, giving readers a real portrait of two people who are struggling to have a child. I've been a critic of ChrisCross's work in the past, but he does quite a nice job here... and Fisch's script is, beat for beat, perfect.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Detective Comics #5</i></div><div><i>Wheel of Misfortune</i></div><div><i>Written and drawn by Tony S. Daniel</i></div><div><i>-</i></div><div><i>Russian Roulette (back-up story)</i></div><div><i>Written by Tony S. Daniel</i></div><div><i>Art by Szymon Kuranski</i></div><div><br /></div><div>This is another book that, after this read, I'm going to follow through the trades. The writing isn't bad, nor is the art... it's just that nothing here is particularly strong. Batman watches over Gotham, Batman broods, Batman chases a villain, and then we reveal the Penguin - who was already featured on the cover. The back-up features Catwoman and the son of Hugo Strange teaming up to take on some Russian gangsters. It's not bad by any means, but I don't think it's a comic that I'm willing to shell out three bucks a month for.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Superman #4</i></div><div><i>Mind for the Taking</i></div><div><i>Written by George Perez</i></div><div><i>Art by Jesus Merino</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The first issue of this series was <i>great</i>. It was journalistic, emotional, engaging, and simply a good Superman book. Everything that has followed failed to live up to the high standard the first issue set, and I'm sad to say I'm dropping this book because it's such an iconic title, but I got six pages into this book before I closed it, sighed, and put it away. The story hasn't gone anywhere since the first issue, and it doesn't seem as if that's changing this time around. Maybe the second half of this issue is stellar, but I just don't have the patience to get through it. I'll come back to this book later, but I'm clocking out of this storyline.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Supernatural: Caledonia #4</i></div><div><i>Emma of the Isles Part II</i></div><div><i>Written by Brian Wood</i></div><div><i>Art by Grant Bond</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been a big fan of this series, but it peters off a bit with this issue. Emma meets up with Sam and reveals the reason she called him... evil siren/mermaid kind of creatures. The depiction of these beasties is cool, but the last third of the book is a bit jarring. Sam's behavior is confusing, as is some of the action. Sam witnesses <i>something</i> happening with one of the creatures (after already being dragged away by one and then saved by Emma) and then suddenly realizes how unsafe he is in his location... but he was only unsafe because he went to the beach, where he <i>already knew the creatures were!</i> Sam's fear and subsequent behavior (so scared, gotta wait for Dean!) struck me as a really weird moment in an otherwise stellar series. Hope the next issue gets things back on track.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>NEXT TIME: Batman, Birds of Prey, Ghostbusters, Supergirl, Morning Glories, Legends of Oz: The Wicked West. </i></div></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-78448706424434771942012-01-03T14:57:00.001-08:002012-01-03T14:57:18.346-08:00Yeaaaaaaah my fiancee did that.<div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year?</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-76375743618296438742011-12-31T19:32:00.000-08:002011-12-31T19:34:15.142-08:00How I am bringing in the new year<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/374253_550969037211_74001067_31311617_808991534_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 491px; height: 276px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/374253_550969037211_74001067_31311617_808991534_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-45748455888238509502011-12-31T11:14:00.000-08:002011-12-31T14:59:34.419-08:00My 2011 - A Retrospect<div style="text-align: left;">So, less than seven hours, 2011 will be over. It was... well, it was a strange one. It was the best year of my life in some ways, the worst in others. As I'm writing this, I'm trying to place how I feel about this year as my fiancee's cats run around the apartment, smashing into blinds, chewing on shoes, bouncing off the bed... and no, they're not even on catnip. They're just wonderfully strange.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm leaving this year with a lot more than I had last year. I have twelve publications to my name now, when last year I had... well, none. I have what appears to be a beard growing on my face, which makes me feel more like a writer than any of those publications. I have a fiancee. I have a bit more confidence that I'm going to be able to "make it" as a writer (lame as the phrase "make it" is), and a good deal more frustration that I haven't already.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>WORK</b></div><div><br /></div><div>At this time last year, I was working at Borders and preparing to teach a class at Five Towns College. I stayed at Borders until the bittersweet end in September, when the store closed its doors for good. I'll never really be able to articulate how much I miss Borders... not only my friends there, but the store as a whole. It has been my favorite store since I was eight or nine, and it's left a hole in the book industry that won't easily be filled. But yeah... I do miss all my wonderful co-workers.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that sexy, sexy discount.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BD4AUGHAR-k/Tv-QPf2BcyI/AAAAAAAABHg/FMt6fjsTqPA/s1600/307286_2576372614484_1409401836_2941764_232277155_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BD4AUGHAR-k/Tv-QPf2BcyI/AAAAAAAABHg/FMt6fjsTqPA/s320/307286_2576372614484_1409401836_2941764_232277155_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427049940120354" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While I was day-jobbing it at Borders, I also worked as an adjunct professor at Five Towns. That's still going on. I teach Screenwriting and Script Writing classes in the spring semester and two Script Writing units in the Fall. Though the list of prose novels that I read this year is literally 1/5th of what I'd conquered last year, I think I read more this year than ever before... because the thing about being a writing professor is that you've got a hell of a lot of screenplays to read through multiple drafts. It was enlightening, rewarding, frustrating, and beautiful to see students grow as writers in my class, and it showed me that maybe I do have a future in teaching. I always thought of my career as "write <b>or nothing</b>." But now, I think I may have to amend that to "writing <i>and</i>..." I'm proud of the classes that I taught, and I'm excited to see what I can improve for next semester.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5VTz6Ihj_-E/Tv-SrZCkgbI/AAAAAAAABKw/afsrgbzplrE/s1600/216891_532129237321_74001067_31113597_4686768_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5VTz6Ihj_-E/Tv-SrZCkgbI/AAAAAAAABKw/afsrgbzplrE/s320/216891_532129237321_74001067_31113597_4686768_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692429728173294002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A student of mine drew this fine example of a storyboard</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>featuring yours truly</i></div><div><br /></div><div>When Borders closed, though, I knew I needed another day job. I applied at all sorts of places until I was finally hired at Barnes and Noble. The pay was the lowest I've ever taken, and it was seasonal, but it was something. It turned out being the worst job I've ever had, but that came to an end today. They called me into the office on Wednesday and informed me that, as of January 1st, none of the seasonal employees (myself and two other really cool people) would be brought back. "You," they told me, "will be the first we call if we need someone to cover a shift!" Then, they expected me to work as scheduled New Years Eve, even though they failed to give me more than three days notice that I'd no longer be employed there. It's this marginalization of employees, seasonal or otherwise, that makes me look back and appreciate my other jobs, no matter how little they paid or how long they lasted. Even McDonalds is shiny in comparison.</div><div><br /></div><div>But as of today, that's the past. It's behind me, and I already have a job interview lined up. I hope that the days I'll need to have day jobs are numbered, but until I can support myself with no assistance on writing and teaching, I'm going to keep workin' em.</div><div><br /></div><div>A side note, just because I think everyone needs to know. Westley, a very large cat, is currently swatting at the chair, poking my butt in order to get attention. He's very important, after all.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QhfkaxB-Ys8/Tv-Qqbu31WI/AAAAAAAABH4/NQM5IjeCigQ/s1600/400832_2976514736102_1358850011_3160947_1273002397_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QhfkaxB-Ys8/Tv-Qqbu31WI/AAAAAAAABH4/NQM5IjeCigQ/s320/400832_2976514736102_1358850011_3160947_1273002397_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427512692856162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Clearly</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>COMICS</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VanQwWscuH4/Tv-QPFLCjZI/AAAAAAAABHU/kgrXboeJolE/s1600/260377_535366514791_74001067_31165185_8200645_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VanQwWscuH4/Tv-QPFLCjZI/AAAAAAAABHU/kgrXboeJolE/s320/260377_535366514791_74001067_31165185_8200645_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427042780515730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Angel: Yearbook. Cover by David Messina.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>In May, my dream came true. I wrote for Joss Whedon's <i>Angel</i>. My story, "My Only Friend," (illustrated by Stephen Mooney) was included in IDW's final installment of their five year long run on the title, <i>Angel: Yearbook</i>. I owe thanks to Chris Ryall, Scott Tipton, Stephen Mooney (of course), Dan Roth, and Mariah Huehner for making that dream come to beautiful fruition.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GZjpLyIOyY/Tv-QrOZzWQI/AAAAAAAABIE/2d0LOerd-5I/s1600/Angel_TheEnd.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GZjpLyIOyY/Tv-QrOZzWQI/AAAAAAAABIE/2d0LOerd-5I/s320/Angel_TheEnd.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427526294690050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was also great to see the story reprinted in the massive <i>Angel: The End</i> hardcover (pictured above), with a beautiful cover by Jenny Frison.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4haK38QLOk/Tv-QrdR62RI/AAAAAAAABIQ/IDyD9hZa88o/s1600/grimmholidayb.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4haK38QLOk/Tv-QrdR62RI/AAAAAAAABIQ/IDyD9hZa88o/s320/grimmholidayb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427530288158994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday Edition 2011. Cover by Stjepan Sejic.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Determined to use my story as a stepping stone to a career in comics, I contacted Zenescope Entertainment and have since worked with editor Ralph Tedesco on a number of projects. My first release with Zenescope hit shelves a week and a half ago. I wrote the 2011 Holiday Edition of their flagship title, <i>Grimm Fairy Tales </i>from a plot by Ralph Tedesco, based on Dickens' <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. I'm incredibly proud of how it came out.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1A5pxVv-WZg/Tv-SrtMS21I/AAAAAAAABK4/WG77cKwl2FI/s1600/385870_550788324361_74001067_31310886_155158597_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1A5pxVv-WZg/Tv-SrtMS21I/AAAAAAAABK4/WG77cKwl2FI/s320/385870_550788324361_74001067_31310886_155158597_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692429733582789458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Double page spread from GFT: Holiday 2011. Art by Anthony Spay.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I got to work with a handful of wonderful artists, who brought out the sweetness <i>and</i> the horror in this story in big ways.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-44zIfJ6bgxY/Tv-QOX4pmaI/AAAAAAAABGw/WKjf5wwYJrU/s1600/1000WTD_cover_edited-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-44zIfJ6bgxY/Tv-QOX4pmaI/AAAAAAAABGw/WKjf5wwYJrU/s320/1000WTD_cover_edited-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427030623787426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I also wrote five stories for their <i>1000 Ways to Die</i> graphic novel, which should come out a few weeks into 2012.</div><div><br /></div><div>I spent a lot of 2011 pitching, making connections, and assembling teams for creator owned projects. I'm working on more than ten pitches for graphic novels and comic books right now, and I hope to see a few of them released next year. I'm confident in the work I've been creating, more so than ever - and I'm thrilled to be working with such brilliant, brilliant artists.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nt2O1q9YNmE/Tv-RZ7veyKI/AAAAAAAABI8/FJG6bq6ovS8/s1600/Bloog%2BPong%2B1x04.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nt2O1q9YNmE/Tv-RZ7veyKI/AAAAAAAABI8/FJG6bq6ovS8/s320/Bloog%2BPong%2B1x04.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428328739195042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Page from Blood Pong #1. Art by Ian McGinty.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CPeuU__2f2A/Tv-RZrsUTtI/AAAAAAAABIs/Z0dSlBzWAmg/s1600/302686_541634468761_74001067_31253410_381817783_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CPeuU__2f2A/Tv-RZrsUTtI/AAAAAAAABIs/Z0dSlBzWAmg/s320/302686_541634468761_74001067_31253410_381817783_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428324430958290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Promo art for PLAYGROUND, an original graphic novel</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>with art by Matt Roscetti.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>SHORT STORIES</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>2011 was the year of the short story for me. Between May and August, I wrote about two stories every week. I am currently recycling a bunch of these ideas into comic book projects, so more people will be able to see them, but I loved working with small presses such as Pill Hill Press, Rainstorm Press, and May December Publications on these strange pieces of prose. I really let loose and played with bigger ideas that I've always wanted to tackle in some way, and I think a lot of them came out really nicely. There are a few glaring typos, some from editors and some from me, in the earliest of the volumes, but that simply makes me want to be more attentive to the mechanics of proofreading.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wXR3XczyN0/Tv-R7Rb0RdI/AAAAAAAABJ0/QXX64nqihPs/s1600/386665_545384244181_74001067_31287699_1584573401_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wXR3XczyN0/Tv-R7Rb0RdI/AAAAAAAABJ0/QXX64nqihPs/s200/386665_545384244181_74001067_31287699_1584573401_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428901497980370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-am0hAl11MH8/Tv-R7PTRzPI/AAAAAAAABJs/wX9DEH55Acs/s1600/386665_545384239191_74001067_31287698_1283694133_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-am0hAl11MH8/Tv-R7PTRzPI/AAAAAAAABJs/wX9DEH55Acs/s200/386665_545384239191_74001067_31287698_1283694133_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428900925295858" style="cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4GjfWJCf1mU/Tv-R6nD4_WI/AAAAAAAABJY/phb9liYap3U/s1600/309825_545383745181_74001067_31287696_772860637_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4GjfWJCf1mU/Tv-R6nD4_WI/AAAAAAAABJY/phb9liYap3U/s200/309825_545383745181_74001067_31287696_772860637_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428890123337058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6f_fWzvUBHk/Tv-R6iZmi-I/AAAAAAAABJM/YBQEpvCTV_Q/s1600/268787_535367472871_74001067_31165261_4613254_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6f_fWzvUBHk/Tv-R6iZmi-I/AAAAAAAABJM/YBQEpvCTV_Q/s200/268787_535367472871_74001067_31165261_4613254_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428888872225762" style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6eCPKDC9v6Y/Tv-R6RSEGlI/AAAAAAAABJE/FT3KYRwQXHU/s1600/225677_538388902901_74001067_31202921_5601903_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6eCPKDC9v6Y/Tv-R6RSEGlI/AAAAAAAABJE/FT3KYRwQXHU/s200/225677_538388902901_74001067_31202921_5601903_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428884277205586" style="cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YVj3mjSbS_Y/Tv-SPimGvJI/AAAAAAAABKk/gGCru4kK9Ys/s1600/392150_545384049571_74001067_31287697_1838521746_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YVj3mjSbS_Y/Tv-SPimGvJI/AAAAAAAABKk/gGCru4kK9Ys/s200/392150_545384049571_74001067_31287697_1838521746_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692429249701919890" style="cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPJIZyT7Ws8/Tv-SPNVLzvI/AAAAAAAABKY/akr8M0HjPug/s1600/388416_545383595481_74001067_31287691_1716638367_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPJIZyT7Ws8/Tv-SPNVLzvI/AAAAAAAABKY/akr8M0HjPug/s200/388416_545383595481_74001067_31287691_1716638367_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692429243993804530" style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G7_NX_-h6dk/Tv-SOzQ79DI/AAAAAAAABKI/28FYP2n_TDE/s1600/388416_545383575521_74001067_31287687_1507958883_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G7_NX_-h6dk/Tv-SOzQ79DI/AAAAAAAABKI/28FYP2n_TDE/s200/388416_545383575521_74001067_31287687_1507958883_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692429236996666418" style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JmH40y3amiA/Tv-SO5va2-I/AAAAAAAABKA/_XgBxVuhRV8/s1600/387913_545383495681_74001067_31287686_1726389249_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JmH40y3amiA/Tv-SO5va2-I/AAAAAAAABKA/_XgBxVuhRV8/s200/387913_545383495681_74001067_31287686_1726389249_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692429238735133666" style="cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I already have another short story set for publication next year, but I'll talk about that a bit closer to the release date.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>PLAYS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>A good chunk of my year was spent with the lovely folks of the Amios Company. I wrote six short plays for Shotz, their monthly festival of short plays, and a thirty minute play called Rosary which was performed five times in December for their LongShotz event.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kephWkCmPSw/Tv-QqIObwmI/AAAAAAAABHs/OfMxD0swHxM/s1600/389435_10150439036339076_193225284075_8296624_274708015_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kephWkCmPSw/Tv-QqIObwmI/AAAAAAAABHs/OfMxD0swHxM/s320/389435_10150439036339076_193225284075_8296624_274708015_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427507456524898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From Rosary (Jennifer Le Blance, Alanna Wilson). Photography by Gregg Le Blanc.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>There is really nothing like seeing your work performed live by people more talented than you can begin to imagine. I love all of these actors and directors, and look forward to another very Shotzy year.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Game Face</i>, a play I co-created with Tanya Everett and Clinton Lowe, received a staged reading on my birthday. It had a few bumps, but it showed me that all of those bumps are worth working with people as creative and talented and badass as Tanya and Clinton. To the future.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>OTHER</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote - get this - literary critique. I know, right? Weird. Five of my academic articles are going to be published in <i>Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion: the TV Series, the Movies, the Comic Books, and More: The Essential Guide to the Whedonverse</i>. I've never been in a book with so many colons, but I'm excited to branch out into (completely) uncharted territory in my writing. I hope to do more of this kind of work in 2012, because... well, it was a lot more fun writing scholarly articles than I could have imagined. Maybe I'm itchin' to be an English student again, who knows?</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, I wrote the index for Brian Cogan's upcoming book, <i>Deconstructing South Park. </i>More info on that when it comes out. It has the sweetest index you've ever not read, I promise.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>FILM</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly, my film company Stinky Burger Productions called it quits this year. Steve Wisnowski (President) and I are still planning on releasing our feature film, <i>Besiegement!</i> next year (now that we're able to edit it again), but SBP will no longer produce short films. Perhaps, in the future, there will be something else down the line. But for now... it was a good ride.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nNyWiXi3Thg/Tv-QOfFsT_I/AAAAAAAABG4/yIUQuOStuTw/s1600/29896_403770276859_119657496859_4915287_3437460_n.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nNyWiXi3Thg/Tv-QOfFsT_I/AAAAAAAABG4/yIUQuOStuTw/s320/29896_403770276859_119657496859_4915287_3437460_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427032557539314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 131px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote a short film called <i>The Sucker<b> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">for director Katie Carman (</span>Eat Me, Off Season<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">). I like describing it as "</span>American Beauty<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> with the chupacabra." Hopefully, in a few months, you'll see what I'm talking about.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>LIFE</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Had some good times with friends. Took my girlfriend to Mohonk, the most beautiful place in the world. Got engaged. Fell deeper in love. Spent a lot of time with my favorite person. <a href="http://ericacv.tumblr.com/post/14342946506/reptile-people-please-read-asap-thank-you">Witnessed a miracle</a>. Read some really, really good comics (here's looking at you, <i>The Saga of the Swamp Thing, </i>Nick Spencer, and Scott Snyder). Discovered a really, really good author (hi, Patrick Rothfuss). Opening up my own checking account. Opened up a joint savings account. Again, grew a beard.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ARJDhiVig/Tv-RZf4HpFI/AAAAAAAABIg/sN8NjOCSPpY/s1600/248637_2140221509294_1358850011_2512501_5618457_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ARJDhiVig/Tv-RZf4HpFI/AAAAAAAABIg/sN8NjOCSPpY/s320/248637_2140221509294_1358850011_2512501_5618457_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692428321259234386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Erica took this picture of me</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>before answering the question.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to everyone who enjoyed this year with me. Thanks to Erica. Thanks to my mom, dad, and the rest of my family. Thanks to Chris, Antwon, Charlotte, Rachel, Brian, Steve, Jenna, Kristina, and everyone else I saw on Christmas eve. Thanks to Tanya and Clinton. Thanks to Kibibi, a wonderfully talented woman who was unfortunately taken from us just a few days ago. Thanks to Scott, Brian, Mooney, Ryall, Jay, Ralph Tedesco, Suzanne Robb, Brian Cogan, Pill Hill Press, Rainstorm Press, May December Publications, the BiblioBabes, and everyone else who helped elevate my career. Thanks to Ian McGinty, Matt Roscetti, Jon Roscetti, Mike Hamlett, and everyone else I'm developing creator owned properties with. Thanks to Massey. Thanks to all of my students who put in the effort to learn, as well as those that pushed me to be better. Thanks to Rob Hille, Alanna Wilson, Jennifer Le Blanc, Zach Evenson, Kristy Powers, Mike Fulvio, Christian Haines, and everyone else who brought Shotz and LongShotz to life. Thanks to the cutest cats in the world, Cleese, Deanna, Westley, and Dagny. Thanks to Shannon, Ian, Sean, and... yeah, getting lazy, thanks to everyone who worked at Borders. Thanks to Scott Snyder, Nick Spencer, and Alan Moore - the work of these three writers pushed me to push myself this year. Thanks to everyone who made me think, made me love, and made me work. If I forgot your name, it's because I'm tired and anxious to spend New Years Eve the best way possible... doing absolutely nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>NEXT YEAR</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwYE7pZWzGo/Tv-QOvL6P7I/AAAAAAAABHI/EZ0VyNxd1xA/s1600/248448_534752415451_74001067_31154930_8124142_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwYE7pZWzGo/Tv-QOvL6P7I/AAAAAAAABHI/EZ0VyNxd1xA/s320/248448_534752415451_74001067_31154930_8124142_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692427036878585778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I want to write more than I wrote this year. I want to publish more than I published this year. I want to spend time with more people that I love, I want to keep falling more and more in love with Erica, I want to exercise, I want to lose weight, and I want to try new things. I want to get a book deal. I want to create. And, as lame as resolutions can be, I'm going to start working on these tomorrow morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year.</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-51361651100873597632011-12-30T09:35:00.000-08:002011-12-30T12:06:28.929-08:00Comic Book Wednesday - Best of 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div>With one day left in the year, I'm a week behind in my weekly comic book reviews. It's the holidays, though, so what can I say? Instead of this week's round of Comic Book Wednesday, I've decided to do a bit of an awards show.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eh, who am I kidding? One ginger's opinionated ramblings do not an awards show make. Here's a run down of my favorite comics this year, as well as some stuff from years past that I think you should give a look at.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Comic Book Wednesday 2011 Not-Really-Awards Awards</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Ongoing Series - Mainstream</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88OqD7w16rc/Tv4UhiJ-lEI/AAAAAAAABDk/Sv8q4YhzIVc/s1600/Batman_Full_1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88OqD7w16rc/Tv4UhiJ-lEI/AAAAAAAABDk/Sv8q4YhzIVc/s320/Batman_Full_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692009545379779650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Batman</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Scott Snyder</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by Greg Capullo</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DC Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This is absolutely no contest. While DC's New 52 changes have forced my formerly favorite title (Supergirl) to the bottom of my pull list, Batman was left unscathed by this shiny new universe. In fact, with Scott Snyder at the wheel, this revamp of Batman is the best on-going title I've had the pleasure to read all year. Snyder's Bruce Wayne is intelligent, calculating, flawed, human, obsessed, and entertaining as all hell. While more than six titles feature Batman as a lead character, do <i>not</i> let this one get lost in the shuffle. Scott Snyder is <i>the</i> Batman writer to follow.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Ongoing Series – Indie</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qt-T5u26Uas/Tv4VvsnEAyI/AAAAAAAABFE/Ze2EgGE4SJ8/s1600/Morning-Glories_13.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qt-T5u26Uas/Tv4VvsnEAyI/AAAAAAAABFE/Ze2EgGE4SJ8/s320/Morning-Glories_13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010888215921442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Morning Glories</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Nick Spencer</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by Joe Eisma</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Image Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Again, not much of a contest here. Image, Vertigo, Avatar, IDW, Zenescope, and (especially) Archaia are putting out great creator-owned series, but the sheer quality of Nick Spencer's magnum opus is what, as a creator, I personally aspire to. The dialogue is perfect; the characters are alternately intriguing, amazing, and despicable; and the plot, as mind-fuckey as it is, creates the most interesting fictional setting since <b>Lost</b>. Nothing but praise for this series.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Ongoing Series - Media</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOM-GGONsYU/Tv4Uh9117qI/AAAAAAAABDw/lm8duCOp83A/s1600/buffy-season-9-compilation.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOM-GGONsYU/Tv4Uh9117qI/AAAAAAAABDw/lm8duCOp83A/s320/buffy-season-9-compilation.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692009552811519650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Joss Whedon & Andrew Chambliss</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by Georges Jeanty</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Dark Horse Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It's an understatement to say that Buffy: Season Eight got a bit wacky, but Joss Whedon managed to reel his imagination in and start this new season of comics with a story that was as true to the characters as any episode of the original show. It's still early in the series (we're currently four issues in), but this has already moved back to the very top of my pull list.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Miniseries – Indie</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1tARMgU-VFw/Tv4VvkBUtlI/AAAAAAAABFM/C9uRYnYkl6Y/s1600/mystic1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1tARMgU-VFw/Tv4VvkBUtlI/AAAAAAAABFM/C9uRYnYkl6Y/s320/mystic1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010885910148690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Mystic</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by G. Willow Wilson</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by David Lopez</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>CrossGen</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure if this can really count as indie, because Marvel puts out CrossGen books, but this is about as far as you can get away from your normal superhero fare. G. Willow Wilson's tale of magic, privilege, friendship, and class was two parts Harry Potter, one part Victorian, and fully awesome. With the best art and some of the wittiest writing of the year, I hope that this will return with the same creative team for a long, long run.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Miniseries – Mainstream</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYpn1bVqvvM/Tv4UicEzYoI/AAAAAAAABD8/79MdvWrHWtM/s1600/Flashpoint1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYpn1bVqvvM/Tv4UicEzYoI/AAAAAAAABD8/79MdvWrHWtM/s320/Flashpoint1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692009560927330946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Flashpoint</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Geoff Johns</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by Andy Kubert</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DC Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I was going back and forth between this and Nick Spencer's Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger. I'm still not 100% sure that I've made the right choice, <i>but</i> here's why I settled on Geoff Johns' <b>Flashpoint</b>... despite all the shit that it's gotten. This series has a lot of build-up and not much action to pay it off, but what it <i>does</i> have is more emotional payoff than I've seen in this medium. By the time I finished this series, I was a shivering mess - and I applaud Geoff Johns for that. It heralded the end of a universe, but for Barry Allen, it was the end of the hope that he'd be able to save his mother's life. It's that core of the series that makes this mini so much stronger than people give it credit for.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Miniseries - Media</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IL12VgOQoRk/Tv4UhAC675I/AAAAAAAABDM/BHVhE8n-kv4/s1600/17db5724-8f31-4655-9898-3d0c72c908eb.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IL12VgOQoRk/Tv4UhAC675I/AAAAAAAABDM/BHVhE8n-kv4/s320/17db5724-8f31-4655-9898-3d0c72c908eb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692009536223375250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Illyria: Haunted</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Scott Tipton & Mariah Huehner</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by Elena Casagrande</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>IDW Publishing</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It might be cheating a bit because I ended up working on IDW's Angel and Scott is a friend, but I'll be damned if this wasn't one of the best books of the year. This series, which is mostly a team-up between Spike and Illyria, has a perfect balance of action, emotion, and humor - basically, it's everything that <b>Angel</b> the TV show was at its best. Also, it's pretty ballsy, considering the character-altering changes made to a licensed character. I'm not sure if we'll ever get another Illyria series, but it's good to know that the comics finally lived up to the standard that Whedon set with "Not Fade Away" and Brian Lynch set with the stunning climax to his "Angel: After the Fall" arc.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best One Shot – Mainstream</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpHZODAxOFE/Tv4YjhfLm2I/AAAAAAAABGY/CS5R_YmbAZ0/s1600/Jimmy_Olsen_Cvr1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpHZODAxOFE/Tv4YjhfLm2I/AAAAAAAABGY/CS5R_YmbAZ0/s320/Jimmy_Olsen_Cvr1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692013977606527842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jimmy Olsen</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Nick Spencer</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by RB Silva and DYM</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DC Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This was my first introduction to Nick Spencer, and I've since powered through his entire impressive catalogue. Hilarious and heartfelt, this one-shot collects and finishes the stories that Spencer began in <b>Action Comics</b>. It focuses on (obviously) Jimmy Olsen, Superman's pal. I hope this gets collected in some sort of trade, because if I read this oversized issue once more, it's going to fall apart.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best One Shot – Indie</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Gotta be honest here. I haven't read any indie one-shots this year except for a few that it would be totally douchey to list. I read Scott Tipton's ANGEL: THE COVERS, which is great... but it's an art book. Tim Seeley gave me a one-shot of his at NYCC, but that's not from this year. It would be totally pretentious to even mention my Grimm Fairy Tales one shot, and it would be pandering to Zenescope to list their one shots that I read (and really enjoyed, particularly Dan Wickline's SINBAD stuff). I really enjoyed THE BEAUTY from Top Cow's PILOT SEASON event, but that is effectively the first issue in (hopefully) a series. So I fail. Instead, I'm going to leave this blank and ask you guys what indie one-shots you'd recommend to me.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best One Shot – Media</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1OiyrWljLHU/Tv4VwzySDYI/AAAAAAAABF0/kPZVuXMKUSw/s1600/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles_MicroSeries_02_Michelangelo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1OiyrWljLHU/Tv4VwzySDYI/AAAAAAAABF0/kPZVuXMKUSw/s320/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles_MicroSeries_02_Michelangelo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010907321896322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michelangleo</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Written by Brian Lynch</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Art by Andy Kuhn</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>IDW Publishing</b></div><div><br /></div><div>To get an idea of why this comic is listed here, check out this p<a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=10931">review</a> of the issue. This book just came out last two days ago, and I've already read it through twice... because it's really just that good. Brian Lynch, who wrote Angel: After the Fall and the creator-owned Everybody's Dead through IDW, has been scripting one-shots focusing on the Turtles since November. He began with Raphael, and then finished out 2011 with this issue that features Mikey attending a New Years Eve party and... and, well, getting into some deep shit. It's hilarious, a bit cute, and pretty damn fun. Can't think of a better book for both new and longtime Turtles fans.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Best New Series – Mainstream</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V0GjMIFG_Yc/Tv4VQnYM47I/AAAAAAAABEw/L7qkt49QHwA/s1600/justice-league-dark.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V0GjMIFG_Yc/Tv4VQnYM47I/AAAAAAAABEw/L7qkt49QHwA/s320/justice-league-dark.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010354235466674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Justice League Dark</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Written by Peter Milligan</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Art by Mikel Janin</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>DC Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>You won't find such an assortment of wonderfully tortured, criminally interested characters in one book anywhere else in comics. While I think these characters should also have their own books, their team-up is one of the other good aspects of DC's New 52. The book is clever, creative, and - most importantly - different from everything else out there. If you're looking for a comic that satisfies both your superhero cravings <i>and</i> that small part of you that loves being creeped the hell out, this is your book. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best New Series – Indie</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p2zXq9VlsDg/Tv4VPpZ9F5I/AAAAAAAABEQ/5UW_wL1uZdQ/s1600/InfiniteVacation_01_04s.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p2zXq9VlsDg/Tv4VPpZ9F5I/AAAAAAAABEQ/5UW_wL1uZdQ/s320/InfiniteVacation_01_04s.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010337599821714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Infinite Vacation</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Written by Nick Spencer</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Art by Christian Ward</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Image Comics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Though it only came out a few times in 2011, this book is one of the best new creator owned properties since American Vampire and iZombie. It's got all of the humor and what-the-fuckness that Nick Spencer always offers, but what makes this series go above-and-beyond is Ward's beautiful art. Just open one these issues in a comic shop and I dare you to leave the store empty-handed. Utterly gorgeous, even (especially) when it's so terrifying it makes you squirm.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best New Series - Media</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X98j_TsxWnU/Tv4VPepXdsI/AAAAAAAABEI/IbPcWJYAz8I/s1600/ghostbusters_ongoing_at_idw_by_tristjones-d3drnx6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X98j_TsxWnU/Tv4VPepXdsI/AAAAAAAABEI/IbPcWJYAz8I/s320/ghostbusters_ongoing_at_idw_by_tristjones-d3drnx6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010334711674562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rQri0M75m-w/Tv4VPyLimYI/AAAAAAAABEo/2EgOIDMJlG4/s1600/Jimmy_Olsen_Cvr1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Ghostbusters</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Written by Erik Burnham</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Art by Dapper Dan Schoening</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>IDW Publishing</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I had a couple of ways I may have gone for this. I'm loving <i>Buffy: Season Nine, Angel & Faith, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, </i>and Brian Wood's <i>Supernatural</i>... but this comic does something very rare. I'm still scared that Ghostbusters fans might seek me out and stab me to death, but at just five issues, I already like this comic better than the movies. It's brilliant. <i>Brilliant</i>. The dialogue is the best Ghostbusters comics have ever seen, incredibly interesting things are being done with the characters, and Burnham is embracing all of the Ghostbusters tropes while also paving his own way. And that, my friends, is everything a tie-in comic should aspire to be.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Webcomic</i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aL-H4ji5NtY/Tv4YjDugF0I/AAAAAAAABGA/Dl9xX3Sp_Wg/s1600/superhero.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aL-H4ji5NtY/Tv4YjDugF0I/AAAAAAAABGA/Dl9xX3Sp_Wg/s320/superhero.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692013969617721154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 75px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Adventures of Superhero Girl </b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks</div><div><br /></div><div>I joined the party late, but I think I'm sticking around until everyone else is long gone. Yeah, gonna be that guy. This is one of those excellent comics that you visit for a few laughs... and before you know it, you've gobbled up the entire thing and you're late to do that super important thing that you now realize wasn't nearly as important as spending your day reading this excellent strip.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Artist</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5tet9mSCvis/Tv4VP-no-SI/AAAAAAAABEY/zxI_qzOd1Pw/s1600/izombie_promo-780261.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5tet9mSCvis/Tv4VP-no-SI/AAAAAAAABEY/zxI_qzOd1Pw/s320/izombie_promo-780261.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010343294368034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Michael Allred</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(iZombie)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Chris Roberson's amazing entertaining creator-owned book <i>iZombie</i> is one of my favorite series, so I had to give this to Mike Allred. His retro-inspired art is perfect for this book, adding to the off-kilter tone that Roberson plays both up and against. More than any other artist this year, Allred's style kept me lingering on each panel a bit longer than necessary. I hope he and Roberson stay on this underrated book for a long, long time.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Best Cover Artist</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SUI6dZ-hWKg/Tv4VwrUijhI/AAAAAAAABFo/nhvOmRZ7tk8/s1600/spike5ri_jennyfrison.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SUI6dZ-hWKg/Tv4VwrUijhI/AAAAAAAABFo/nhvOmRZ7tk8/s320/spike5ri_jennyfrison.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692010905049665042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LKAsZ7gcm4c/Tv4YjWMtMpI/AAAAAAAABGM/tikNsjN_Dr4/s1600/tumblr_l1pv4rvJJp1qzyhb5o1_500.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LKAsZ7gcm4c/Tv4YjWMtMpI/AAAAAAAABGM/tikNsjN_Dr4/s320/tumblr_l1pv4rvJJp1qzyhb5o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692013974576247442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jenny Frison</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(Angel, House of Night, I Vampire, Hack/Slash)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>For me, there's no better cover artist working in comics. She's distinctive, consistent, so wonderfully strange in her concepts, and... well, the work speaks for itself. When it's not utterly terrifying, it's painfully beautiful. Jenny has been getting more work lately than I've been capable of tracking, and no one deserves it more. I can't think of a single other cover artist whose books I will buy <i>just</i> for the cover - but her work is just that good.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Best Writer</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keMreNHuBF4/Tv4UhE1Oa5I/AAAAAAAABDY/bQhnFM1xyOM/s1600/2082318-scott_snyder_large.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keMreNHuBF4/Tv4UhE1Oa5I/AAAAAAAABDY/bQhnFM1xyOM/s320/2082318-scott_snyder_large.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692009537508109202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Scott Snyder</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>(American Vampire, Batman, Swamp Thing)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Scott Snyder and Nick Spencer's work really defined my reading schedule this year. However, it's Snyder's inspiration posts about the craft of writing, his pitch perfect scripts, consistency and intriguing ideas that pushed him (slightly, because I love me some Nick Spencer) to the top for me. This is a man who, after this year, has gotten me hooked. He's joined the ranks of Alan Moore, Brian K. Vaughan, Joss Whedon, and Nick Spencer in the <i>I'm Going to Buy Everything They Write No Matter What</i> club. It's because the books are great, yes, but also because Snyder's phenomenal work makes me want to be a better writer. And what else can a guy ask for?</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>Just for kicks, here are a few other recommendations.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>An Elegy for Amelia Johnson. Written by Andrew Rostan. Art by Dave Valeza and Kate Kasenow.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Fly. Written by Raven Gregory. Art by Eric J.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Hack/Slash. Written by Tim Seeley.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Growing-Up Comic. Written and drawn by Matt Roscetti.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The God Machine. Written and drawn by Chandra Free.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>27: First Set AND 27: Second Set. Written by Charles Soule. Art by Renzo Podesta.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>All right, friends. See you next week for another set of reviews for <b>Comic Book Wednesday.</b></div></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-77828242171116482302011-12-27T09:07:00.000-08:002011-12-27T11:51:18.849-08:00Review Round-up<div style="text-align: left;">I've been slacking on the reviews, so here's a big round-up of the last few weeks of comic book goodness.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OCkTP4NRz94/Tvogjla0XLI/AAAAAAAABC8/eWvBzyTmMSk/s1600/IDW-RobersonEllis-Memorial-014.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OCkTP4NRz94/Tvogjla0XLI/AAAAAAAABC8/eWvBzyTmMSk/s320/IDW-RobersonEllis-Memorial-014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690896874848148658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>IDW Publishing</b></div><div><i>- Memorial #1</i></div><div>Chris Roberson's new creator owned series was one of my most anticipated reads of this month. iZombie, his Vertigo series, is one of the best books on stands, so I was expecting this book to deliver... big time. It delivered, sure, but I'm not as hooked as I expected to be. I'm certainly going to buy the trade (or, knowing IDW, the big beautiful hardcover), but I'm not convinced that this book is going to keep me coming back on a monthly basis for the floppies. I love Roberson's writing and I want to see him keep putting out great material, so I'm reserving judgement of this series until the second issue.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5</i></div><div>Last issue, Raph was reunited with his brothers, and this issue spends a lot of time showing how these four are going to function as a unit. However, the most interesting aspect reveals why these Teenage Mutant Turtles are... well, Ninjas. We get a surprisingly intense flashback to Feudal Japan that reveals the four turtles, Splinter, and even Shredder were reincarnated from past lives. The series ends with a sweet, very Christmassy moment that shows Splinter giving all four turtles their own (differently colored) mask, while also giving an in-text reason for the wearing of the red. It simultaneously embraces the original comics and the cartoon, and that is, I think, the best route to take this comic. Loving it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Ghostbusters #4</i></div><div>So, about loving things. The first storyline comes to a climatic conclusion in this issue. While some fans have complained about this being a retread of the first movie, what this series has been doing is developing and expanding upon the mythology that made the first flick as awesome as it was. The quippy dialogue and tone are all present here, but Dapper Dan is given the chance to really flex his penciller muscles for the action scenes. So, so good.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyVheu_sB5k/Tvogiu9oiXI/AAAAAAAABCc/S1Q-15sJMBE/s1600/BM_Cv4_ds.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyVheu_sB5k/Tvogiu9oiXI/AAAAAAAABCc/S1Q-15sJMBE/s320/BM_Cv4_ds.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690896860230224242" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DC Comics</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div><i>- Batman #4</i></div><div>Scott Snyder's <i>Batman</i> continues to be the best superhero book on the market. The mystery of the Court of Owls deepens. Bruce is put at odds with Dick and, seemingly, everyone else in his life as he continues his war against this mysterious group (and sleep). With 2011 coming to a close, I can now say that this is <b>easily</b> the best of the New 52. As a side note, though, I'd like more of an idea of where Damian is through all of this, as he is <i>very</i> present (and rightfully so) in every moment of the <i>Batman & Robin</i> series. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Batgirl #4</i></div><div>Opening with a terrifying image of Batgirl once again bound to a chair, this comic doesn't let up. While I'm still not sold on Mirror's hokey M.O., no matter how nicely it ties into Barbara's character arc, this issue is bursting at the seams with character moments. Sweet, smart, and loaded with kick-ass action, the fourth issue of Batgirl proves to be another solid installment.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Batman & Robin #4</i></div><div>The slow boil of this series really, really intrigues me. While I'm getting tired of the repeated image of Damian killing little creatures to show how disturbed he is, the visuals here are almost always great. There's a wonderful scene where Damian visits the Waynes' graves just to tell them how much of a stubborn ass their son is. The villain named Nobody (fan of classical literature, maybe?) is interesting as hell, and has a very theme-centric M.O. that, unlike that of Mirror's, completely works. So interested to see where this is going.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Nightwing #4</i></div><div>Higgins takes a break from the main story arc and follows up on the Batgirl/Nightwing crossover from last month's issue of <i>Batgirl.</i> They have a fun dynamic, but the exchanges between the characters don't sing the way they do when penned by Gail Simone. This comic has been mostly fun to read, but I think it's time to drop the monthly and wait for the trade.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Birds of Prey #4</i></div><div>Continuously the biggest surprise of the New 52. The characters are great, the action is great, the plot is great, the writing is great, and the tone is... you get the point. Beat for beat, this is second only to Snyder's <i>Batman</i> in the DCnU... and this is the best issue yet. I have questions about Batgirl's sudden desire to play in the BoP sandbox, what with her stance in #1, but I'm surely sticking around for the longrun to see all of my questions answered. Oh, and Starling needs her own series, stat.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Justice League #4</i></div><div>The decompression has gotten completely out of control. The last five pages consist of two double page spreads and a full page reveal... but each image accomplishes the same effect. It's done either to take up page space or to give the comic a cinematic feel, the latter of which is a good idea, but it just doesn't work. While the action in the comic is decent, none of these issues aside from #3 have lived up to what a Justice League comic should be. Hell, the story is so flimsy that it doesn't live up to what a comic focusing on any of the given JL heroes should be. If you're looking for a good example of why Geoff Johns is one of the best writers in comics, a game of "anywhere but here" might be in order. <i>Aquaman</i> is great, <i>Green Lantern</i> is great... but this is just twenty one pages a month of unfulfilled potential.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Green Lantern #4</i></div><div>Really, really solid. In Geoff Johns' hands, Sinestro is one of the most complex characters in superhero comics. He's beginning to give off a bit of a Severus Snape vibe, what with his loyalties split and his spoiled morality challenged, and I can't wait to see what Johns is going to do with him in the longrun. It seems that he's keeping both Hal and Sinestro as Lanterns, which has the potential to be a fantastic team. If #1-4 are evidence of what is to come, this book will no squander that potential.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Supergirl #4</i></div><div>It's a lot better than last month, but... I just can't bring myself to care very much. The art is great and the writing is competent, but we're not given enough of Kara as a character to care much about what she's going through. There is way too much focus on Tycho as a villain so early on, and it's taking page time away from the development of Supergirl herself. She's my favorite character in the old DCU, so I'm in it for the long run, but this book has sadly fallen to the very bottom of my pull list.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wonder Woman #4</i></div><div>Devastating and epic. That's mostly what this book is. There's a club scene with Wonder Woman and Strife trying to let off some steam, but we spend so much time with other people <i>talking</i> about what Wonder Woman is doing and with Strife being creepy that we really don't get the chance to see what Wonder Woman is doing in this club. Is she trying to distract herself? Is it working? I love the idea of her letting off steam, but I'd rather see how she does it than to see others reacting to her doing it. That may've come out wrong. Anyway, the stuff back of Paradise Island is horrific and shocking, and easily overcomes the flaws inherent in the presentation of other scenes. This is a really slick book, and I'll be sticking with it as long as Azzarello is on it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>- The Ray #1</i></div><div>This is a fun new series from the writers who made Power Girl awesome. The writing is bright, cheery, and quirky... and then pitch black dark by the end. It's a strange, strange read, but I'll be back to see where two of my favorite creators take this new hero. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bv_rNEJKDbM/TvogiwDYe1I/AAAAAAAABCk/ckG8iaR8WcM/s1600/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer_Season-9_4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bv_rNEJKDbM/TvogiwDYe1I/AAAAAAAABCk/ckG8iaR8WcM/s320/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer_Season-9_4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690896860522773330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Dark Horse</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #4</i></div><div>This is everything that a finale to a first arc of a comic book "season" should be. It finishes the story while building on the overarching plot of the season, it's emotional without being too much too soon, it gives new characters page time without taking away from the established/oldies but goodies, it ends with a twist that doesn't come off as shock value for shock value's sake, it's funny, it's true to the show that it's continuing, and it's just very, very good. I'm really digging Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs' work on <i>Angel & Faith</i>, but <i>Buffy: Season Nine</i> is just completely nailing it on the writerly front. Now, if only we could get Isaacs on <i>this</i> title...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhuufEFBSgI/Tvogi-TSqII/AAAAAAAABC0/iYveFYs4E2A/s1600/HELLDORADO-01-CVR-B-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhuufEFBSgI/Tvogi-TSqII/AAAAAAAABC0/iYveFYs4E2A/s320/HELLDORADO-01-CVR-B-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690896864347596930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>APE Entertainment</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>-Helldorado #1</i></div><div>I won this through a really strange Facebook contest. The APE Facebook page posted that the first five people to call a certain editor would be given a free comic. I called, talked to the dude (nice guy) who was surprised that anyone saw that, and was subsequently shipped this comic. It's a western kung-fu horror that is surprisingly readable. It takes a few pages longer than necessary to really get going, but the book banks on the likability of the characters. And then, it kills them as all hell breaks the fuck loose. It's a horrific book with enough blood to have the names Ennis or Millar attached, so I'd encourage fans of good ol' blood splatterin' horror to pick this one up.</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-88439756368566569492011-12-18T11:34:00.000-08:002011-12-19T08:51:38.335-08:00Theatre in NYC: Long Shotz Arrivals and Departures<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jhzfvc2nBwM/Tu9o-5KafwI/AAAAAAAAA_o/CIBs547gcBQ/s1600/390645_10150439028119076_193225284075_8296595_1595820723_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jhzfvc2nBwM/Tu9o-5KafwI/AAAAAAAAA_o/CIBs547gcBQ/s320/390645_10150439028119076_193225284075_8296595_1595820723_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687880284097904386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photo by</span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photogregger"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Gregg Le Blanc</span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div>Saturday was the closing performance of Long Shotz: Departures. My half-hour play, ROSARY, went up five times as a part of this event, and I'm not really sure how to go about describing my experience. Yeah, I know, I'm a writer so I'm supposed to be good at the whole <i>words</i> thing, but... well, sometimes words don't make the shapes you want them to.<div><br /></div><div>I started working the Amios, the theatre group that put together Long Shotz on their monthly project: Shotz. On the first Monday of every month, they put on a show of six short plays. The plays are hilarious, moving, and, more often than not, really fucking good. I first joined these fine folks in December 2010. Rob Hille directed by play <i>Jelly Pants,</i> which starred Jennifer Le Blanc (who I knew prior staged readings), Alanna Wilson, and Dan Balkin. It was about a girl (alive), her sister (ghost), and her date (confused). Also Christmas. Rob and the cast really impressed me with... well, how much <i>better</i> the performance was than the actual script. Humbling, that.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lrjwnpj4I7A/Tu9o-ULyQII/AAAAAAAAA_c/2gdcuL3oEpI/s1600/389435_10150439036339076_193225284075_8296624_274708015_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lrjwnpj4I7A/Tu9o-ULyQII/AAAAAAAAA_c/2gdcuL3oEpI/s320/389435_10150439036339076_193225284075_8296624_274708015_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687880274171543682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Photo by</span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photogregger"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "> Gregg Le Blanc</span></i></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Fast forward to nowish. Since then, I've written a hell of a lot of short plays for Shotz (<i>Shadow Freude vs. Captain Happy Socks; Lesbianism isn't Contagious, You're Just Gay; Bargaining with Dragons; Furry Cuffs; </i>and <i>The Moment that Something Slips Your Mind</i>). I was thrilled to be invited to participate in their Long Shotz event (six half an hour plays, half of 'em about leaving NYC forever, and the other half about arriving in NYC) and knew that I wanted to gather the folks that made <i>Jelly Pants</i> so good. Rob Hille, director and miracle man, worked with me throughout, making the script stronger with his brilliant ideas. I was lucky enough to have Jennifer Le Blanc and Alanna Wilson, two of the best actresses in the city, giving life to my words again. And then, there's Zach Evenson. This fine gentleman took a character that could've been... well, could've been a cardboard cutout and made him into a human. And, as Zach himself once said, "kind of a goober."</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYLIZZapeEo/Tu9o_NFQKsI/AAAAAAAAA_0/b2z8T9LJ2N4/s1600/391086_10150439046079076_193225284075_8296660_439181468_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYLIZZapeEo/Tu9o_NFQKsI/AAAAAAAAA_0/b2z8T9LJ2N4/s320/391086_10150439046079076_193225284075_8296660_439181468_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687880289444965058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Photo by</span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photogregger"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "> Gregg Le Blanc</span></i></a></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Rosary</i> is about... well, putting childish things away. It's about realizing who you are, realizing how you've changed, wondering what Old You would think of Now You, and asking yourself the important question: "Am I a good person?" The play is very, very close to my heart, and probably the most personal thing I've done in theatre. Granted, it's about lesbians and priest, and I can't really say that I'm either of those, but it's still a big piece of me. Hell, it's a lot more than a piece. So I guess the whole point of this blog is to thank Rob, Jennifer, Alanna, and Zach for doing such a lovely job. I'm going to miss seeing this play go up - so I'm going to submit it like hell to everyone who will read it. Let's see if we can get this thing produced again.</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KlQnWR2w8z4/Tu9qLOtd4GI/AAAAAAAABAA/ZJ1B4DeJHVk/s1600/392944_10150439049039076_193225284075_8296678_1922059176_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KlQnWR2w8z4/Tu9qLOtd4GI/AAAAAAAABAA/ZJ1B4DeJHVk/s320/392944_10150439049039076_193225284075_8296678_1922059176_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687881595552129122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px; " /></a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Photo by</span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photogregger"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "> Gregg Le Blanc</span></i></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While it was thrilling to see such brilliant people deliver my words, it was also great to see the other five plays that made up LongShotz (both Arrivals and Departures). The other two Departures plays were <i>The Counter Offer </i>and<i> Whatever Happened to Baby Ngozi? The Counter Offer</i> was laugh out loud funny and the cast (Justin Yorio, Kelli Crup, and Jenna Panther) had the incredible chemistry it took to sustain the energy and humor. <i>Whatever Happened</i> boasts Michael Fulvio's best performance - and trust me, that's saying a lot - and introduced me to Rob Robinson, who kicked a lot of ass. Also, best use of a scarf in a play.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Arrivals show, which I finally caught last night, was just as great. It kicks off with Imogene Byrd's <i>One Step Beyond</i>, which examines the tediousness of marriage and motherhood in a surprising and fresh way. Then we get to <i>Little China</i>, a play about lurches, jerks, cats, and lesbians (I sense a theme...) written by Justin Yorio, who shows that he isn't just one of the funniest actors in theatre... he's also a damn good writer. The night ends on a somber, weird, hilarious, and moving note with P. Seth Bauer's <i>The Very True Chronicles of Aloysius the Traveller, in the Great Land of New York City. </i>The writing is great, moving at an incredible pace from balls out ridiculous to quietly pensive with surprising grace. Christian Haines, the mastermind behind amios, plays a damn good insane traveller/Christ figure. The play perplexes in ways both humorous and philosophical, and... well, I wish I was able to see it more than just the once.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll try to not make this pretentious, but if you want to see amazing theatre, check out <a href="http://www.amiosnyc.org/">amios</a>. I'm not just saying that because I've written for them. I keep going back to them because these folks are talented, consistent, and overall damn wonderful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, off to write. And grade. And do the holiday thing. Oh joy.</div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-56540253836638639612011-12-09T12:41:00.000-08:002011-12-09T13:23:45.997-08:00My GRIMM comic in stores 12/21!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAJlWtW58Aw/TuJ7CLAwfJI/AAAAAAAAA9s/Et-hGku7MOg/s1600/grimmholidayb.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAJlWtW58Aw/TuJ7CLAwfJI/AAAAAAAAA9s/Et-hGku7MOg/s320/grimmholidayb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684240956940909714" /><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; ">Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday 2011 - Cover B by Stjepan Sejic</span></div></a><div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a bit of a sap. I've always loved holiday specials. I think it may have started with the episode of <b>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</b> where Angel, taunted by the ghosts of those he has murdered, attempts to end his life. It was a powerful episode, that simultaneously embraced the tropes of the "holiday special" while also flying in the face of stereotypical holiday cheer. <b>Roswell</b> also did Christmas episodes really well.<div><br /></div><div>I guess it was only a matter of time before I tried my hands at a holiday special.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UtrlCdzIfTc/TuJ7CeLgxkI/AAAAAAAAA94/CuEpgwfN3a4/s1600/grimmholidaya.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UtrlCdzIfTc/TuJ7CeLgxkI/AAAAAAAAA94/CuEpgwfN3a4/s320/grimmholidaya.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684240962086291010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover A by Mike Debalfo</i></div><div><br /></div><div>In a bit less than two weeks, my issue of Grimm Fairy Tales hits the shelves of comic books everywhere. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Grimm Fairy Tales is the long-running flagship title of Zenescope Entertainment. The series and its many spin-offs are populated with rich characters that play roles in an intricate mythology that incorporates the realms of Myst (essentially Fairie Land), Oz, Wonderland, Neverland, and Earth.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote this year's giant sized holiday special, which features some of the Grimm characters in very interesting roles. It's a horror comic, and we really go for the scares... but it's also one of the most romantic things I've written.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHbmeKpKQMY/TuJ7DGXy3QI/AAAAAAAAA-M/aN7gVmlS1q0/s1600/gft-pencil014.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHbmeKpKQMY/TuJ7DGXy3QI/AAAAAAAAA-M/aN7gVmlS1q0/s320/gft-pencil014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684240972875226370" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Page 14. Art by Reno Maniquis.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the solicit: <i>Zenescope presents a very special Grimm Fairy Tales version of a Christmas Carol. Sela puts her own spin on the classic holiday tale while trying to teach a future princess of Myst a valuable lesson.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>You can pre-order the comic <a href="http://www.tfaw.com/Comics/Profile/Grimm-Fairy-Tales-Giant-Size-2011-Holiday-Ed-Cover-A-Debalfo___395142">here</a>, or simply visit your local comic shop on Wednesday, 12/21. It's been incredibly exciting working on this book, and I think the story came out cool. Let me know if you agree!</div></div><br /></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-21228988136170976622011-12-08T18:25:00.000-08:002011-12-08T19:03:20.244-08:00Supernatural Caledonia #4 review, Action Comics #4 review, Detective Comics #4 review<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Comic Book Wednesday</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Issue #30</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Part Two of Two</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, things are crazy. On the teaching side of things, we're in crunch time and looking down the barrel of Finals Week over at Five Towns College. On the writing side, I'm getting gigs, which is good. On the day job side, I'm working at a bookstore during the holiday season. So I don't have much time for comic reviewage. Instead of the normal posts, I'll do a bit of a bullet point list of things I dug or didn't dig in these issues.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3IMEpXdsEI/TuF4tHXpQ9I/AAAAAAAAA9g/pLfLB7s6caY/s1600/20890_400x600.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3IMEpXdsEI/TuF4tHXpQ9I/AAAAAAAAA9g/pLfLB7s6caY/s320/20890_400x600.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683956921185944530" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Supernatural: Caledonia #4</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Emma of the Isles - Part 1 of 4</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Brian Wood</div><div style="text-align: center;">Art by Grant Bond</div><div style="text-align: center;">DC Comics</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>+ Picks up years after the last two issues, but the tone is consist with them.</div><div>+ The horror gets pumped up a bit.</div><div>+ Fun research scenes.</div><div>+ Art is stylized and great. Likeness fiends may hate this kind of stuff, but it adds something very different and very cool to this property.</div><div>- Sam is really the only character this time around, so we don't get the fun banter and exciting romantic connection that we did last time.</div><div>- The cover made it seem as if Dean would be a part of this, but he's only referenced. I don't mind the attention to Sam, but you can't tease Dean if you're not gonna deliver. </div><div><br /></div><div>I left the issue wishing this were an ongoing. And that I were writing it. But that's a different story. You should own this if you even have a passing interest in <b>Supernatural</b>. It's great.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EqKW7DzxaXc/TuF4shQ5M0I/AAAAAAAAA9I/a203zNQUKUE/s1600/20804_400x600.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EqKW7DzxaXc/TuF4shQ5M0I/AAAAAAAAA9I/a203zNQUKUE/s320/20804_400x600.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683956910957081410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Action Comics #4</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">DC Comics</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>MAIN STORY: Superman and the Men of Steel</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Grant Morrison</div><div style="text-align: center;">Pencils by Rags Morales</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>+ Lex Luthor is more interesting than he's been in a long time. He has a certain nervous power that permeates every scene he's in.</div><div>+ The dichotomy of the police needing Superman to save them while wanting to arrest him was great.</div><div>- The action is a bit hard to follow.</div><div>- Not as many cool character moments as you'd expect from Superman's first big battle.</div><div>- Not as much intellect as you'd expect from a Grant Morrison comic.</div><div>- To be continued in Issue #7. Really?</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>B</i><i>ACK-UP STORY: Hearts of Steel</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Sholly Fisch</div><div style="text-align: center;">Art by Brad Walker</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">+ Sholly Fisch, whose whose work I haven't read before, takes a simple fight and, through clever narration and an even cleverer solution, turns it into the highlight of the book.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+ The introduction of Steel was cool.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Steel is almost indistinguishable from Cyborg.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAADNQDBeEY/TuF4s26OnmI/AAAAAAAAA9U/oCYw22gG8dk/s1600/20810_400x600.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAADNQDBeEY/TuF4s26OnmI/AAAAAAAAA9U/oCYw22gG8dk/s320/20810_400x600.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683956916767596130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Detective Comics #4</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Main Event</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written & drawn by Tony Salvador Daniel</div><div style="text-align: center;">DC Comics</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">+ There is an incredibly emotional and well-crafted scene between Gordon and the captured Olivia that made this comic worth reading.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+ The interaction between the folks at GCPD is well done.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- The story itself just isn't compelling enough. Batman isn't particularly interesting in this title, unfortunately. And that is almost <i>never</i> a problem. I don't understand. The story doesn't add anything new or interesting to the Batman mythos. If it weren't such an iconic title, I'd consider dropping this.</div><div style="text-align: left;">+ Had to end on a plus. Back to the first reason... TSD has to chops to make this book work. If he can pull off a scene that moving, he can make this book something to look forward to. I hope it just keeps getting better from here on out.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>NEXT TIME: Batgirl #4, Batman & Robin #4, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #4, Green Lantern #4, Ray #1</i></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152646514088744523.post-5810952444033685552011-12-07T16:58:00.000-08:002011-12-07T17:29:37.954-08:00TMNT microseries Raphael Review<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Comic Book Wednesday</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Issue #30</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MeT5Npys-D8/TuASUCSLXfI/AAAAAAAAA8U/PLjorJspOgE/s1600/prv10619_cov.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MeT5Npys-D8/TuASUCSLXfI/AAAAAAAAA8U/PLjorJspOgE/s320/prv10619_cov.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683562865161362930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>MICROSERIES #1: Raphael</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Brian Lynch</div><div style="text-align: center;">Art by Franco Urru</div><div style="text-align: center;">IDW Comics</div><div><br /></div><div>It feels like old times.</div><div><br /></div><div>It seems like ages, but only four years have passed since I began reviewing IDW's ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL. It was the official continuation of Joss Whedon's epic show (my favorite of all time) written by Brian Lynch. I'd done coverage on my blog of Brian's previous work in the Buffyverse (two SPIKE miniseries), but it was ATF that made me realize how great a writer this guy is. Over the following years, my blog <a href="http://buffyversecomics.blogspot.com/">Buffyverse Comic Reviews</a> covered all of his comic book work, and while it was honest and critical when I felt something was off, I found myself resorting to hyperbolic praise more often than not. Thing is, looking back at his work on IDW's ANGEL and SPIKE titles... those books, for my money, are more often than not... well, fucking brilliant.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm thrilled that Brian contributed scripts to this TMNT "microseries" (four spotlight issues focusing on each of the turtles), because not only did this franchise define my childhood, it's also one of this year's most enjoyable new series. So realize that I mean absolutely no offense toward the main TMNT series when I say that this is far and away the best IDW title I've read all year. And if you frequent this blog, you know I read a hell of a lot of books from them.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUWtzU9rlNg/TuASUbi1LjI/AAAAAAAAA8o/JdGlY1FcE-A/s1600/prv10619_pg2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUWtzU9rlNg/TuASUbi1LjI/AAAAAAAAA8o/JdGlY1FcE-A/s320/prv10619_pg2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683562871942098482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's got the humor and snarkiness, but not as much as you'd expect. It shows a somewhat sullen Raphael; while he's no stick in the mud, and not even close to the sort of Frank Miller characters that the original comics were parodying, he's not crackin' wises in every panel. He's got some serious issues communicating, and his conversations with Casey, while seemingly light, speak volumes without really <i>saying</i> much. Brian, through a few well-placed lines, communicates that while Raph (who was missing until last week's issue) has grown to love his brothers quickly, it isn't nearly as easy as "Raphael is taken in by the others, everything is okay, copious amounts of pizzas are ordered." There are some serious issues here, but all of this serves to simply add texture to the comic, flesh out the characters, and give a nice context to the story being told.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHFRUzxedcA/TuASVMWwCBI/AAAAAAAAA8w/BBX4Mc2QCJ0/s1600/prv10619_pg4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHFRUzxedcA/TuASVMWwCBI/AAAAAAAAA8w/BBX4Mc2QCJ0/s320/prv10619_pg4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683562885044766738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And the story... holy whoa. A <i>lot</i> more major plot developments happened here than I expected. Things that I would have thought would be saved for the main title, so the element of surprise was extreme. In this issue, a run-in with a mutant fox (being chased by thugs who longtime fans will recognize as the pre-mutation forms of Beebop and Rocksteady!) leads Raph to the revelation that some dark and mysterious baddie wants to know where the turtles' hideout is. Turns out, that villain is...</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div><b>(If you don't like spoilers, see you tomorrow. This is too big to hold back.)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div>-</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Shredder.</div><div><br /></div><div>What.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tfHikgFE65I/TuAS0qaCQKI/AAAAAAAAA88/ALEraNi39rw/s1600/376538_10150497854600540_502610539_10906338_634597778_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tfHikgFE65I/TuAS0qaCQKI/AAAAAAAAA88/ALEraNi39rw/s320/376538_10150497854600540_502610539_10906338_634597778_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683563425687552162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Talk about a reveal. I'm not sure if each of these one-shots will build on the plot Brian whipped up in this one, or if they're saving all of that for the main series and this just served to give us an unexpected and exciting peek at the dangers we've been waiting for, but all I know was that this was an absolutely great read. Franco Urru, who collaborated with Brian on more than twenty-five Buffyverse comics, does art chores for this book, and he brings such movement to the action scenes. He also nails the quiet scenes, but if you want to read me carrying on about how Franco is the best artist working in comics, you can read any given ANGEL review on my Buffyverse blog. Seriously - you can keep your big Marvel and DC names. Can't beat Franco. And with colors by Fabio Mantovani, this makes for one beautiful book.</div><div><br /></div>Reading Brian Lynch's ANGEL and SPIKE comics was what made me realize that writing comic books was something I'd be interested in doing for a living, and everything that made those books so wonderful is present in this comic. What more can you ask for?<div><br /></div><div><i>TOMORROW: Supernatural, Action Comics, Detective Comics</i></div>Patrick Shandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814742448994927728noreply@blogger.com0