Thursday Morning Superhero

Since next Thursday is Thanksgiving and one of my only weeks off each year, I thought I would open this week's post with the comic book creators I am thankful for.  I am thankful for the duo of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez who introduced me to the magical world of Locke and Key.  I am thankful to Jeff Lemire for making me a better father by reading the complicated father/son relationships that tend to remain central in his stories.  I am thankful for Brian K. Vaughan for continuing to push the boundaries and for gifting us the epic that is Saga.  I am thankful for Matt Kindt and his ability to cause me to question reality and to look for hidden clues beneath the surface.  There are many other creators that I am thankful for, but I feel I am starting to ramble.  I will finally say that I am thankful that smaller publishers are continuing to thrive and companies like Image, Dark Horse, IDW, and many others have provide creators the freedom to create such wonderful works of art.

Pick of the Week:
Ether #1 - It is a happy day when we have a new Matt Kindt comic and it should come as no surprise that it involves a mystery.  In what appears to be a classic whodunit set in the magical world known as the Ether, I feel that there is much to unravel about our detective and some of the interesting characters that populate the magical city.  Boone Dias is a scientist who has been traveling to the Ether's capital city, Agartha, in an attempt to gain a scientific understanding of knowledge.  On his most recent trip, his presence is requested by the mayor who needs his help solving a murder.  We learn that Dias has solved other mysteries by using the logic that is found on Earth.  In classic Kindt form we are introduced to a series of interesting characters and magical objects.  Among them is a bird known as the bloody screecher and a bullet that can change course mid flight.  While this side of the tale is enough to capture my interest, what Kindt reveals about Dias' life on Earth is what has me intrigued.  This truly is a story about two sides of a coin and it is going to be a blast learning about them both.

The Rest:
Thanos #1 - I cannot think of a better fit for a new Thanos story than having it penned by Jeff Lemire.  In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos is a power hungry Titan and a force to be reckoned with.  This is true in comic book form, but his past is filled with unrequited love and his familial relationships are a great fit with Lemire.  Thanos has returned to the Black Quadrant to reclaim his throne and restore his order once again.  His son and a couple of other Titans, teamed up with Death of course, have a plan to take it away from him.  Lemire wastes no time demonstrating Thanos' power and setting the stage for a family throw down.  Seems fitting with Thanksgiving only one week away.


Old Man Wolverine #13 - I hope you are all feeling as happy as I am that this week's entry includes back-to-back Lemire titles.  In the fitting conclusion to this series, Logan channels his time in the wastelands after he had given up everything to live a normal life.  While I love seeing Wolverine break out the claws and go berserk, it is always a nice change of pace to be reminded about how much he craves a simple life.  By channeling that desire and how truly caring he is, Logan is able to calm the young boy who has been leading the Silent Order in one last chance at setting things right.  Despite some very intense moments, the beauty that Lemire is able to inject in this final issue is a nice way to wrap things up.  Even if everything isn't fully resolved.

Batman #11 - While I wasn't feeling the last issue when Batman and Catwoman were scheming to break Psycho Pirate out of Bane's prison, I must say that this issue provided a pleasant surprise.  Things don't quite go according to plan and Tom King provides some nice surprises for his readers.  I will say having more Catwoman is always a good thing and I am intrigued to see how the Ventriloquist will pan out in the next issue.  I will admit the last issue had me fooled thinking this was a simple heist and I thoroughly enjoyed how things panned out.  Looking forward to issue #12.




POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012. 

Comic Con from Afar: Third Annual Lamentation

I try to go to cons that are nearby me in Minneapolis. (Here's me with Lou Ferrigno and me in a TARDIS at the Wizard World con this year!) But I've never had the pleasure of attending the mommacon, the San Diego Comic Con. But I hang out on Tumblr a lot. So -

Welcome to the Third Annual Nerds-of-a-Feather Comic Con from Afar post, wherein one dorkly gal gathers up some cool stuff that makes her sit up and geek out from #SDCC14. This is a totally totally biased list of things I love.

ALL MARVEL, ALL THE TIME
I saw Guardians of the Galaxy last night, and it. was. freaking. fantastic. (though my sister-in-law disagreed: “Heroes in space? That’s just not believable”). So it was doubly awesome to hear that Guardians 2 is already a thing that's happening.

Some Avengers 2: Age of Ultron footage was shown, which I would give my left nut to see. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver! They can’t call them mutants, since that would impinge on Fox’s licensing of the X-Men - even though both characters were in X-Men: Days of Future Past. You can catch a glimpse of them in this lovely retrospective from Marvel (but it's just the same brief moment from the end of Winter Soldier) :


Ant-Man too had a teaser shown, even though they haven’t even started filming.

The big panel ended with this delicious dish - Josh Brolin (Thanos) wearing the Infinity Gauntlet!!

LEGEND OF KORRA

Nick announced that Korra was moving off-air into digital-only the day before the Korra SDCC panel. Thankfully, show creators Konietzko and DiMartino helped me turn down my worry. We’ll still get all of Book Four.

WARCRAFT
The World of Warcraft movie still has more than a year of post-production, but they showed a bit of footage. Director Duncan Jones, said "We really want to make this an origin story. We want to show how the world of Azeroth falls into conflict between orcs and humans.” Well, I’ve only got one thing to say to that… For the Horde!

OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS

Of course there’s tons more stuff - Sam Raimi made more promises (this time an Evil Dead series!!), WarGames is getting remade, Firefly Online is still not here (but still using the Papyrus font), Jack Black is doing R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps movie, Mockingjay blah blah blah - but we gotta wrap up with the cosplay.

Thursday Morning Superhero

The best news of the week has to be Saga taking home a Hugo.  Congrats to Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples.   If you haven't checked out their Hugo Award winnings series you owe yourself a favor to pick it up.  A big week for DC with the debut of Forever Evil some new talent is getting a crack at things in Villains Month.

Pick of the Week:
Trillium #2 - Jeff Lemire's next gem of a comic continues as Nika, from the year 3797, struggles to communicate with William on earth in 1921.  As they attempt to figure out why the temple that let Nika pass from the Atabithi colony to earth has sealed itself.  Nika's attempt to protect the Atabithi may have fallen short as she learns upon her return to her own time that the attack is imminent.  I am on pins and needles to see what happens next.  The air of mystery is still thick with this one and Lemire has me hooked.

The Rest:
Marvel Infinity #2 - Jonathan Hickman drops a bomb at the end of issue 2 as things look bleak for Earth.  Thanos and his army seem unstoppable, but with the help of the builders all hope isn't lost.  In an act of desperation, Black Bolt enlists the help of the Illuminati to thwart the Titan's plan.

Forever Evil #1 - The New World Order have arrived on earth as Ultraman and his crew of villains are hell bent on destruction.  Stage one appears to be busting out every criminal out of jail and forming a team that seems unbeatable.  Superman is nowhere to be seen and things look bleak.  While the story is nothing new, the writing worked well and I actually enjoyed this one.  I am on board for issue #2.

Artful Daggers #7 - The best bargain in comics continued this week as the Tricksters are fighting amongst themselves.  Colin disapproves of Marcus' methods and is fearful that the First of Cornwall will be so outraged that, with the help of a corporation, may target the Tricksters.  Did Arden sell out the Tricksters in order to secure stronger footing with Kent United?  Thrilling and stressful issue that is making the wait for new material difficult!

Batman #23.1 aka Joker #1 - This one-shot featuring the Joker for the Forever Evil event was a fine story, but really didn't do anything for me.  I appreciated how the storytelling connected to Joker's youth, but it is ultimately forgettable.  

What I Should Have Read:
X-Men Battle of the Atom #1 - Brian Michael Bendis pens a new event for the X-Men as Beast brings the original five X-men from the past to the current to see the ramifications for its decisions.  All out war with some sentinels breaks out and the issue ends with X-men from the future making an appearance to prevent the current X-men from sending the old X-men back.  Three teams of X-men from different times penned by Mr. Bendis.  Might have to check this one out.