Geoffrey vs. 2000AD

2000AD and Me.

I think if most people who knew me now took a moment to look at my interests and passions, they would probably lay the blame for the lot of it on the shoulders of Mr. George Lucas.

I can't deny that Star Wars was huge for me as a kid. HUGE. My parents took my sister and I to see Star Wars at the Drive-In. It was expected that I, a toddler at the time, would fall asleep.

Nope.

It is undeniable that seeing that movie began to shape me into the person I am now. Years of nerdly introspection, however, place much more of the blame/credit not on George Lucas, but rather in the newsprint-ink stained hands of an English girl named Jenny.

 I had of course had many comics and a deep love of superheroes already. But they were incidental. Comics came and went. They were not things to follow, or to collect. I got one as a treat for being good at the doctor, or I got to buy some from the thrift store now and again. A Bugs Bunny comic was as good as Superman. G.I.Joe or Swamp Thing. It was all good, all fun.

In 1985, I moved from Canada to England. It was a bit of a culture shock and things were a bit weird. American comics didn't exist at the newsagent. Just these bizarre newspaper things with weird and scary guys on the cover. And they were all in black and white! What was fun about that?

Well my older sister had a friend named Jenny and she knew exactly what was fun about that. It was through her that I directly read my first issue (prog) of 2000AD. I don't know which prog it was, but before 466. Because 466 is the first one I bought myself.

Reading this comic was the first time I can recall wondering about what happened prior to the events I just read. The Ballad of Halo Jones, a classic tale serialised over many years in 2000AD, came to an end in this prog. So all impressionable young Geoffrey experienced of Halo was her final moments before she abandoned the war she was fighting to choose her own destiny. I haven't read that story in decades and I can still see it perfect in my mind. 

And Judge Dredd! Wow. Two orgasmic colour pages in the middle (I think the story was illustrated by Cam Kennedy...) and the fascist future lawman was instantly one of my favourites. 

So I bought the next week's issue. And then the following week, 468. I meet Judge Anderson. Occult horror science fiction, pleased to make your acquaintance.

All while I am discovering this stuff on my own, Jenny is regaling me with tales of other characters I have not yet heard of. Nemesis and Torquemada. Harlem Heroes. Robo-Hunter. Strontium Dog.

Mind. Blown. 

And because Jenny could not have been more awesome or more dedicated to turning me into some kind of comic collecting nerdball she lent me to read almost the entire run of 2000AD.

So now instead of hearing about the stories from her I am rolling through hundreds of back issues. I am reading the whole Ballad of Halo Jones. I am experiencing the evolution of Judge Dredd directly, from Prog 2 through the Cursed Earth and Judge Caligula and Block Wars and Apocalypse Wars. 

And here's Slaine. And Johnny Alpha with his viking best friend Wulf and weird alien sidekick Gronk. And Rogue Trooper with his talking helmet, gun and backpack. Oh and they talk because they are programmed with the personalities of his dead friends. Ace Trucking Co. The ABC Warriors (I love those guys).

Future Shocks. Thrills. High concept sci-fi that defied any expectations I may have had in my youth and blew my mid out of the water.

Even more than that, reading such a vast collection, I saw continuity. The value and excitement of following some story over time. The collector of comics within me was born and would never again be sated.

And then, as if I needed anything else, to seal the deal on my wanting to read this kind of thing forever, MY PARENTS FORBID ME TO READ IT!

Prog 471. 5 weeks into my days as a collector.

I was told the cover was too grotesque. It was too scary and gross for me to read. No more 2000AD for you young man!

Well once a parent bans it, it becomes the only thing that matters. Yeah, it's dumb. I am sure they thought they had my best interests. So of course I defied them and walked to the newsagent and bought more issues without telling them.

Eventually they relented. I don't remember why. My folks were never the kind of parents who did that kind of thing so it really stands out. I mean, my mom bought me Saga of Swamp Thing and House of Mystery and such. So there must have been some parenty reason why. Maybe the teacher at my school complained to them or something, because I sure was 2000AD crazy for the rest of my time in England. I even expanded out from 2000AD to the odd issue of Eagle (like 2000AD, but mostly kinda boring) and to the Marvel UK Spider-Man/Zoids comic.

I was a collector. And it was all on Jenny. I bought 2000AD through prog 502, purchased the week we moved back to Canada.

Moving back form England I tried to keep up with 2000AD but it was really expensive. 26p an issue (52ish cents at the time) in England to 5 bucks an issue for imports at the comic store in Kingston, Ontario. Way out of the price range of 12 year old me for a weekly purchase.

Being printed on newsprint also meant bad things for my collection. Already kind of beat up from being shipped home by sea, they got pretty crumbly by the time I moved from Kingston to Ottawa and after a flood they were largely destroyed. I had a few issues that lasted a while longer but not long enough. Now all I have left are my 1986 and 1987 2000AD and Judge Dredd annuals (sturdy hardcovers!), as well as the Titan books reprints of part 1 of the Cursed Earth saga and part 1 of the Judge Caligula saga.

2000AD has coloured my tastes in fiction and comics since that time. Most of my all time favourite comic writers are British and once worked on 2000AD stories. The highest praise I can unleash on a sci-fi story is that it feels like it could have been published in 2000AD. In fact this is what I so loved about Rick Remender's Black Science and Jonathan Hickman's East of West. Both feel Thrill Powered and I am sure Tharg would have been proud to present either one.

Quick rundown of some of my favourite stories:

Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson meet the full cadre of Dark Judges. That was AWESOME. Anyone familiar with the story knows the best panel sequence. Maybe the best Judge Dredd panel sequence of all time. It ends with this. Yeah you know the one:

Possibly the greatest entertainment related crime is that we may never see Karl Urban recreate that on the big screen. I will pay 100 earth dollars to see just that moment!

The Robo-Hunter series which was a play on Sweeny Todd. 

The Ballad of Halo Jones.

Anything with Ro-Jaws. I loved that little garbage can.

Also anything with Nemesis. 

Johnny Alpha's hunt for the men who killed his friend Wulf.

The Apocalypse War.

Chopper.

Metalzoic.

Slaine in the Spoils of Annwn. Had to google the title of that one but yeah. Loved it. The scene with Nest and the unicorn is stuck right there in my brain forever.

It's been almost 30 years since I left England. 30 years of Thrill Powered goodness I would love to experience. You Brits with your ease of access to 2000AD don't know how lucky you are.

It's funny. I got into writing movies in order to maybe make it in Hollywood so that someday I could maybe write American comics so that someday after that I could maybe write for 2000AD. That dream still lives.

And it is all Jenny's fault.

Afterword:

I remember walking to the Mac's milk in Kingston, sometime shortly after I returned to Canada. I knew 2000AD was gone but as I turned that spinner rack full of American comics I clearly recall thinking "I wonder what I should collect here?"

2/3rds of that answer are used as the background on my blog. West Coast Avengers #24 and Uncanny X-Men #221.

More on those LATER.

Postscript:

I always wanted my own Judge's Shield. I recently googled that this is a thing one can get. Add to Life Cart.

Addendum:

Thank you, Jenny!

Geoffrey vs. Uncanny Avengers #18

I forgot to include this in my just posted post. Bah. Fie on me.

UNCANNY AVENGERS #18

A lot of people don't like this book. That is my impression. Maybe sale figures show differently but all I ever read is people trashing it.

Well you people are wrong. Sorry. Shhh. I know it hurts to be wrong. I hate it too. Everyone does.

But you're all wrong about this one.

IN THIS ISSUE!

Havok and Wasp united in a mutant dystopian future built on the ashes of billions of non-mutants!

Rick Remender's long term plotting keeps it all ticking and gives a sense of continuity that is story driven, not just character driven!

Daniel Acuna's art has really developed from several years back. It's always been lush and a delight to look at but nowadays it is all that and a bag of detail-filled backgrounds. I love his retro-sci-fi mutant future. Havok looks great. So does Wasp.

I really like them as a couple.

I REALLY like Havok as an Avenger.

I REALLY LOVE THIS BIT:

Om nom nom. I am eating this storyline up.

There are so many active, strong super-hero writers these days. Nick Spencer, Rick Remender, Jonathan Hickman, Mark Waid, Dan Slott, Jason Aaron, Brian Bendis, Warren Ellis, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Dennis Hopeless, Charles Soule...I want to add G. Willow Wilson to that list.

I know it is not his first love, but I dearly hope Grant Morrison takes another kick at the Marvel can. I have no idea who he would even write. Let's just say...uh...All New Champions. Yeah. Them. Sure. I'd read every issue seven times.

This joke is so good I am including it again.

Geoffrey vs. Superior Spider-Man, Hawkeye, New Avengers, and the Silver Surfer

Wow. Quite a donnybrook I have let myself in for. I think I stood a chance until I slapped the Silver Surfer on there. I am no match for the Power Cosmic.

Have I ever mentioned there will be spoilers here? Anyone who has been here surely knows this to be the case by now. It can't be that big of a deal seeing as I only write about comics that have already been out fo rmonths...ANYWAY!

SPOILERS! TOTES SPOILERS!


SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #30

Dan Slott, long time Spidey writer, had the sinister scheme to kill Peter Parker and have Doctor Octopus take over, he being the titular Superior Spider-Man. 30 issues in and finally, Peter returns from the depths of Spider-Ock's mind. And not only does he come back, Otto Octavius, so changed by his time as a hero, gives his own self up to allow Peter back.

This is some serious pay-off. Awesome stuff. almost 3 years worth of story (released at an accelerated pace over maybs 18 monthsish) coming to an amazing climax as Parker returns to face off in the final fight with his nemesis, the Green Goblin (assumed to be Norman Osborne at this point but I would not be super surprised if there is a twist at the last moment...and yes, I know this came out months ago and I could Google the answer but I won't!)

He used to be Superior, now he is once more merely Amazing.

I have seriously enjoyed this whole storyline. I think it is a tribute to how well done it is that I really want, somehow, Otto Octavius to remain a hero.

If you didn't give the Superior Spider-Man a chance, you really missed out. I can't wait to read the climax and then to read how Peter deals with the huge changes Otto made to Parker's life while he doppelganged it up.

Dan Slott and Cristos Gage wrote it, Giuseppe Camuncoli drew it. John Dell and Terry Pallot inked it. Antonio Fabella coloured it.

Awesome story.

HAWKEYE #18

Back on the West Coast, with the girl Hawkeye, Kate Spencer. More wacky private eye hijinks. Kate is probably my favourite of the Young Avengers, thanks to Matt Fraction. I love his take on her as a kind of almost female Rockford. That poor girl gets the crap kicked out of her and she just keeps on going. A lot like dude Hawkeye really. Even though they are both non-powered heroes, he sorts seems more "superheroey" for some reason. Probs his time on the Avengers. Kate'll get there.

ANYWAY! As I have mentioned before, this series is sublime. Both art and story. This issue does not disappoint. I strongly wish there were some way for this series to continue but I guess Fraction has had some setback or another (I could probably Google it but will instead decide it was a sharknado incident) and it is coming to an end qith #22. Critical acclaim and all. I wish they would Moon Knight this bad boy and let someone carry on with the same themes and style (I refer to the way Brian Wood has taken over from Warren Ellis on Moon Knight). Marvel, you have my number.

Ok, no you don't but I will give it to you if you ask.

Madame Masque as Kate's nemesis is wonderful.I loves it. I LOVES IT.

Read this comic and all its friends.

NEW AVENGERS #16

Dr. Strange is not in this issue...

Just a quick word. Jonathan Hickman is brilliant. I love this series and I am just dying to read how all his plot threads come together in Time Runs Out. It almost smells of Civil War 2. Almost. Maybs that'll be the next event, after Axis.

YOU ARE BRILLIANT, HICKMAN!

And finally, I Slott it up once more with

SILVER SURFER #1

I am going to do this whole series at some point, I can tell, because it is that brilliant. Silver Surfer as the Marvel Universe Doctor Who is such a genius and logical take on the character. And all that Allred art! Hot damn! Loverly loverly stuff. I would marry it but I am taken, alas.

I have enjoyed the Surfer for a long time. This may be the best take on him yet.

Geoffrey vs. Recent Comics and Two Marvel Pitches

I guess the problem with only writing about comics I love and think are awesome is: if I don't read those, I don't have anything to write about. This is not to say I have not been reading any comics. No no no.

Stuff I am going to write about: Morning Glories Vol. 1 and East of West Vol. 1. I ordered both of these and will write about them once i give them a second read through. I really liked both of them, but I loved East of West.

Wolverine and the X-Men: I want to write about this but I want to re-read Grant Morrison's run on New-X-Men first. Here's a thought to chew though: I read issue 2 of the second volume, Jason Latour's current run. I think it continues the spirit of Jason Aaron's run but is actually superior. I especially love his Quire.

Pitch to Marvel: Kid Omega/Marvel Boy: Burning Down The World - Quentin Quire and Noh-Varr become outcast bros who must team up to save the planet from extra-dimensional tyrant Ar-Nomon-Ra, the Palindromic Man and his plans the begin the world where it ends. Guest-starring Miss America, the Ultimate Nullifier, All new Jean Grey, Daisy Johnson, Hope Summers. Also: Introducing iZola!

Further thought: Quire, Idie, Eye-Boy, all feel more realised than they were in Volume 1. Genesis continues to be one of the more interesting characters in the ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE. I smell tragedy, terrible, terrible tragedy. I am not one of the AvX detractors. I found that crossover to be fun squared. Seriously though, Cap and friends were worried about Hope and wanted to train her? WHAT ABOUT EVAN?? That guy needs some time in K'un-L'un with Spidey.

Pitch to Marvel: Hope Summers: Fist of Chaos - Trained by Cable, Spider-Man, and Iron Fist, Hope Summers must set out on her own to master her new Chaos Fist fighting style if she has any hope of winning the Cosmic Kumate being put on by the Champion and the Grandmaster. The prize? THE ENTIRE GALAXY! Also starring Skaar - Son of Hulk and Reptil.

I am super-tired as I write this.

Geoffrey vs. The Punisher #2, New Warriors #1, Avengers World #3

Just a short thing here. As I have mentioned, I do my comics reading thanks to the Marvel unlimited service. I kiss the internets in gratitude every day for the four-coloured bounty that I reap from the digital soil of Marvel.com.

Never moreso than on a day in which I find not one or two but THREE comics that I seriously love. (4 technically, as Daredevil #36 was there too, but I covered Big Red in a dedicated series post just minutes ago).

The Punisher #2.

I have read and ejoyed a number of Punisher comics in my past. In two issues, though, Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads have delivered EXACTLY the kind of Punisher story I want to read. It cruises the exact line between silly bloodthirsty vigilante and low-level superheroics that I want Punny to cruise. This is a Marvel Universe Punisher story that is true to the Marvel Universe and the Punisher. Just. Freaking. Awesome.

This panel:

This caption:

That's the Punisher I want. I hope your run is long and glorious, Mr. Edmondson. (He's not too shabby on Black Widow, either!)

Moving on to New Warriors #1!

I know it's a little late to trumpet this. The series is cancelled with issue #12 even as I start out with #1 today. Alas and alack because this was really good. Marvel teen teams seem to have a rough time. I have barely begun and already I know I want to read about these guys and their adventures for as long as the original New Warriors ran. I hope they are kept together and brought out now and again. This was good stuff.

Also I love Speedball. Also Sungirl is awesome.

Finally we have little ol' unassuming Avengers World #3.

Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu versus one of Marvel's legit super-scary villains, The Gorgon. Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer, you wily sonuvaguns. You have written what was for my money the single best martial arts fight in comics. Ever. That was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on a digital page. Amazingly fun, brilliantly choreographed by artist Stefano Caselli. The Gorgon has been amazeballs since I first read him in Secret Warriors. Definitely an Avengers level threat, even moreso when he is riding on a dragon that wears an island for a hat.

MORE COMICS LIKE THIS PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

Read all these comics. I command it. And if we see these New Warriors again, give them some love. They deserve it.

Geoffrey vs. Mark Waid's Daredevil #1-36

I have to say, I have always kinda liked Daredevil but had never been able to love him.

I don't really remember my first exposure to Daredevil. It was one of two ways; either the X-Men crossover Inferno or in a large box of vintage back issues that a friend's dad had in the attic. Both were around the same time. I think it was probably Inferno cause those back issues had him in the ol' yellow and black in some issues, and I sort of recall that being after I had already established a knowledge of the character.

"And you're sure this costume looks ok, Foggy?"
Snicker.

The Inferno crossover was pretty good on the Daredevil end. A demon-infested New York City comes alive and tries to eat everyone. Spider-Man also had some good isues during that crossover. In fact, I think the Spidey and DD issues were better than the X-Men ones. NEITHER HERE NOR THERE!

That is DD versus a vacuum cleaner.
Nope, not kidding.

Those issues, by Ann Nocenti with art by John Romita Jr kind of coloured how I felt about the guy. A bit down on his luck and definitely involved in the world of the supernatural and superhuman. So I was kind of disappointed when, aside from those issues, it seemed like Daredevil mostly fought gangsters and ninjas on a wash rinse repeat cycle right through the Ought Zeroes and into the Tens. I hear Frank Miller's run was seminal. Maybes I will read it someday. I am sure it's worth reading. At the time I just liked my superheroes a bit more super. I still do.

Enter Mark Waid's Daredevil. After years of what I perceived as misery-porn, Daredevil decides to love life and his comic is one of pure joy married with intense, high end, superhero action. Gone are the Hand and the Kingpin's goons. Instead we have Mole Man, the Spot, Klaw, Dr. freakin' Doom, Silver Surfer:

The over-arching plot of the first 2/3 of the series was Daredevil trying to figure out who was messing with his business. Waid really stacked the deck story-wise, leading to a cool revelation that I will not spoil because of reasons. The last 3rd was DD vs. The Sons of the Serpent, a vaguely occult white power group that had infiltrated the entire legal system of New York. This story saw the end of the Daredevil/Matt Murdoch dichotomy, with the final public revelation that Murdoch was indeed Daredevil. This set of stories saw Daredevil fighting the Jester, stealing the Darkhold from Satana and other such crazy hijinx. Wonderful stuff

I'd heard about that ending and was kinda meh over the idea of it, as I liked the sort of "is-he ain't-he" set up he had in-universe, but Waid sold it so hard I bought the extended warranty and the rust-proofing. I loved how the run wrapped up and I more loved how it is going to lead into the next phase of Daredevil's adventures as he moves to San Francisco.

In the Marvel universe, San Fran is home to Utopia, the recent mutant island home of the X-Men. There's also part of the city that was turned Victorian by Mr. Sinister and last I recall there is also a Celestial standing in a park. Waid is up on his continuity and comic history so I am sure those and other elements may come into play and I hope the next 36 issues are as absolutely fun as the ones I just finished reading.

The art throughout the series has been really great. It's mostly been by Chris Samnee with some heavy lifting by Paolo Rivera and others. The covers are usually to die for. My favourite is probably issue 7:

 This cover sums up the whole series. I loved it. It was awesome. You should read it.

Geoffrey vs. Grant Morrison's Marvel Boy

The year 2000. Mankind's certain doom at the hands of Y2K was narrowly adverted and we as a species slowly crawled from the wreckage to reclaim the future that was to be ours.

At least that's how I remember the pre-9/11 world. A time of wonders.

One of these wonders from this storied, nigh-forgotten past is the 6 issue mini-series Marvel Boy, written by my absolute favourite comics writer, Grant Morrison with art by the phenomenal J.G.Jones. Colours by Avalon Studios and Matt Milla.

This comic is the story of Noh-Varr, an Ensign on an alternate dimensional Kree diplomatic vessel. After a cosmic accident sets the shift adrift through the superstructure of the mutliverse, it ends up above the 616 Marvel Earth and is promptly shot down by evil corporate mastermind Dr. Midas. Midas is a kind of ur-villain. He wear a modified  prototype Iron Man armour, bathes in gamma rays like the Hulk, and eventually gains cosmic versions of all the Fantastic Four's powers. He is like Dr. Doom squared.

He also had a daughter named Oubliette the Exterminatrix, who self describes as the Lara Croft of evil.

The series is kind of divided into halves. The first three issues are semi-one shots. #1 sets everything up. The origin. And its great. Just as Midas is a delicious melange of villainy, Noh-Varr is the fruit trifle of Marvel heroes. He's a last-of-his-kind, fallen to Earth Kree warrior with altered DNA combined with insects outfitted with fantastic weapons and training. So he's Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Namor and Thor.

Issue 2 plays up the Namor angle with Noh-Varr ransacking Manhatten, literally carving "FUCK YOU" across its face, all while keeping anyone form losing a life. This is an angry and unstoppable young man.

Issue 3 is probably one of the best Marvel comics produced. Ever. I say this knowing I am biased towards items with a particularly Morrisonian flair.In this issue we are introduced to Hexus, the Living Corporation. A cosmic level predator that destroys worlds through branding. There is a dizzy delight that comes from merely typing those words.

The back half of the miniseries is really a 3 issue fight between Midas and Noh-Varr, with Oubliette performing a face turn to join the side of...I don't want to say angels, because Noh-Varr in this series never really comes round to being on the typical good guy side. She is no longer on Midas' side. You can tell Morrison had an affection for her because she gets all the best lines.

Even though I am pushing 40 there is still a delightful frisson that comes from youth disrespecting age. Now get off my lawn.

The whole series has a real millennial vibe, one that you can forget infected everything back then, before the real end of the world in September 2011. And wow was this series forward thinking. Everything in here, the writing, art, characters, story, they are not necessarily timeless (though that is an element), they are more permanently contemporary. This series could have come out last Wednesday and it would fit right in with any comic being released today. Grant Morrison is really a master.

One of the things I loved most about this series, which leads on the ONLY disappointment associated with it, is the unfulfilled promise of more. Here's how it ended (uh spoiler alert I guess):

Noh-Varr in captivity promising to change the world into a new Kree empire with a post script promising Marvel Boy 2:001. That shit never went down.

I suppose it's not too late. Grant's off DC Comics for a bit now it looks like, doing his own thing. Hey Joe Quesada, back up the dump truck full of that sweet Marvel Movie Money and get Morrison back!

Though if he does come back to Marvel, I kinda would want him to do something new honestly. He already changed the X-Men and introduced Noh-Varr.

Noh-Varr was embraced as time went on, eventually becoming a member of the Avengers. I enjoyed those stories very much as well, but they still were missing what I feel is an essential element of his character: the potent rage at the system and the burning need to change everything. Not just slowly, but to tear it down and feast on the ashes. No writer has embraced the promise of this.

I can see why not associating a main character with a "Cosmic Jihad" would be a prudent turn after 9/11, but surely enough time has past that we can have our Space Namor back, yeah? It's a way better take on the character than a Motown-loving himbo. (Not that the Young Avengers version was entirely unsuccessful either).

Anyway, here's to the Way That Was and to the end of it.

Seriously, get off my lawn.

Geoffrey vs. Ms. Marvel #1

Ms. Marvel, Ms. Marvel. What shall we ever do with you.

Read you every issue, that's what! Man, what a breath of fresh air. I love superheroes and all the regular old air that they come with just fine thanks but it is nice to breathe in something new every once in a while, no?

Not that everything here is new. It's a classic set up. Spider-Man level classic. Teenager gets fantastic powers. The awesome part is the teenager is a female, non-white person, instead of the typical Chuck Whitecheese that usually lucks into the awesome. But classic is classic for a reason, right?

You can read all over the net how successful this series has been. It deserves it. Kamala Khan deserves a long-standing place at the Marvel table. This comic was exciting. Funny, interesting characters (and non-super supporting cast! I love a non-super supporting cast!), gorgeous art...this comic is the real deal.

Writer G. Willow Wilson, keep it up. Artists Adrian Alphona and Ian Herring, you also keep it up. I can't wait to read more, to meet Kamala's rogues, and see her grow into an A-lister.

Given her sales, I think the latter will happen PDQ, IYKWIM.

READ MS. MARVEL!

Free in Marvel Unlimited. For sale elsewhere. Trades I am sure are imminent.

(Here's a free idea for you, Marvel: All-New Uncanny Young Avengers - Marvel Boy, Ms. Marvel, Miss America Chavez, Patriot, Prodigy, Hope, Speed, Kate Bishop Hawkeye, Troll. Aaaaaaaand go. Write it.)

(OK, maybe not Troll. BUT ALSO MAYBE!)

Geoffrey vs. Black Science: How To Fall Forever

Last and certainly not least on my docket of Image Comics collections I ordered and read is Black Science,  written by Rick Remender with art by Matteo Scalera and colours by Dean White.

Black Science is the tale of an anarchist scientist named Grant McKay who creates a device to travel through alternate dimensions for a questionably ethical corporation. During testing of the device, it is sabotaged and McKay, along with his two children, his two lab assistants, his chief of security, and two corporate reps are tossed into an alternate Earth's dimension with no way home and a timer before the machine randomly jumps again.

Kiiiinda like the 90s TV series Sliders.

But Remender has taken a similar premise as Sliders, slammed it into Lost in Space, poured liberal amounts of Venture Brothers all over the resulting mass and cooked it in a 2000AD oven to perfection. Yeah, PERFECTION. This comic was AWESOME.

The first dimension is a bizarre world of fish people riding land eels fighting frogmen with electric tongues all on the backs of giant turtles. The they go to a world where Steampunk Germany is being overrun by an expansionist, supertech Navajo Empire in World War 1. Then a mixed alien semi-Utopia. Then a world where white-haired ape-men possessed by sentient gas clouds are the dominant thing. Mad ideas. Just crazy mad. I loved every page of it.

People die. Horrible people become sympathetic. A Navajo shaman gets hijacked to come along. Awesome stuff. Just a joy to read from start to finish.

Also a joy to look at! Scalera's art reminds me a lot of Brit comic artist Ian Gibson. It feels very different from most American art and brings me back to my childhood roots as a fan of 2000AD. It's lush, dangerous and incredibly imaginative. Part of why this reminds me of Venture Brothers is McKay's design. He looks like he could be The Monarch's or Rusty Venture's brother, with his sharp nose. Ward also looks like Brock Samson's uncle.

Dean White also really comes through with the colours. The opening scene with the fishmen is a rainbow kaleidoscope that just charges up with eyes. Wonderful stuff.

The other part of this that reminds me of Venture Brothers is just the set up. A desperately flawed mad scientist with two kids and a bodyguard. Rusty Venture or Grant McKay? Both! McKay is more rounded and socially active and more dangerous, but I could easily see the world of Black Science living side by side with that of the Venture Brothers. A world informed by crazy sci-fi and pulp tropes, the kind that are the background of a lot of superhero stuff, without the superhero stuff.

I can't wait for the next trade. Being familiar with Remender's long-game thinking due to following his Marvel Comics work, I am very excited to see how far this series goes. I will be aboard for every moment of it.

(PS I wonder if one day Remender will be considered the comic-world George R. R. Martin. No character is safe, man, and it is nice not knowing what to expect beyond the unexpected.)

(PPS HBO, make this show.)

Geoffrey vs. Uncanny Avengers #16

I will one day go into the whole run of Rick Remender's Uncanny Avengers. Not today. Today I bring you one awesome page of badassery, courtesy the Mighty Thor.

I. Care. Not. is pretty awesome (and he said it a couple other times this ish regarding the bad guy's boastful claims). I might have said something like "Now you serve the will of getting your ASS KICKED!" but I am not a warrior poet like Thor.

Anyway, this series is awesome and this page is as incredible a Thor moment as his much lauded "Ultron! We would have words with thee!" from Kurt Busiek's run.

Hey. I was in the middle of reading that run a while ago...I should finish it up!

Art on the first panel: Steve McNiven, inks by John Dell and Jay Leisten, colours by Laura Martin.
Art of the second: George Perez, inks by Al Vey, colours by Tom Smith.

Geoffrey vs. The Infinity Gauntlet

The Infinity Gauntlet was a 1991 Marvel crossover event series that ran for 6 issues. It detailed pretty much one fight by Marvel's top heroes against Thanos, the Mad Titan and cosmic villain who made his big screen debut in the credits of the Avengers motion picture. I forget why I felt like revisiting the series, but I am glad I did cause it is kinda awesome.

It's an important series. While it was not Marvel's first crossover (that would be Secret Wars), it sort of became the model for the "Summer Event Crossover". The big series that once a year every comic touches on in some way. Some of these crossovers have been awesome, some less so, but they sell books so they have continued unabated for decades.

It's also a relevant series because somewhere in the series are the bones of what is likely the plot for Avengers 3. At least that is what is expected by comic fans. If they do go that route (and I am one of those fans that thinks they will) it will be but a very loose adaptation. Infinity Gauntlet's main protagonists are Adam Warlock, as yet un-introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Silver Surfer, rights for film use held by Fox Studios. The story also comes from an era when Iron Man was B-list at best and I can't really imagine a scene in Avengers 3 involving Robert Downy Jr. getting his head ripped off by a female Thanos Real Doll.

Note the blood! Stark's head is totes in the can!

Infinity Gauntlet was written by Jim Starlin, the go to writer for cosmic action in the Mighty Marvel Manner. His affinity for these cosmic level characters shows and the work is a joy to read. A lot of these older comics, while still being very enjoyable, exhibit stark differences in tone and style when compared to modern comics. Infinity Gauntlet holds its own and even feels kind of ahead of its time, with a very decompressed tale told with lots of wide screen action.

This series is really just, as mentioned, ONE FIGHT. It is less than 24 hours of time. Thanos kills half the universe, everybody shows up and eventually curb stomps him (spoiler alert). That's it. But it is 6 issues, 42 pages apiece. That is a lot of story for one fight. It reads really well though. Some of the characterizations are a bit off for the era (Hulk, I am looking at you) and some characters (Gamora, Pip the Troll) seem to only be there to continue Starlin's very long form Cosmic tale of Adam Warlock and Thanos that started long before this series and continues TO THIS DAY.

The art in this series is delicious. The first three issues are by master artist George Perez. Issue 4 is by Perez and Ron Lim. 5 and 6 are just Lim. Inks on the whole series were done by Joe Rubenstein. Perez deserves every accolade he gets. He really knocks it out of the park and I don't really think anyone holds a candle to him when it comes to illustrating group fight scenes. I have to say as well that Ron Lim is maybe a bit of an underrated master himself. I've always liked him and seeing his work here with the hindsight of 23 years, side by side with Perez, it really holds its own. To me, Lim's depiction of Thanos is archetypal, based on this work and on his work in the Silver Surfer series from the same time period.

Man, I wish Marvel could do a Silver Surfer movie based on some of that stuff. It was AWESOME.

Can I talk about colouring for a second?

I was reading the first 12 issues of X-Force some time ago (note how commentary on that didn't end up here!) and had this thought. Lots of people complain about Rob Liefeld's art. I grant you, it is stylized and not to everyone's taste (personally, as I get older, I kinda enjoy it more). I reallllllly don't think the penciling was ever the biggest problem with that art. I think it was the colouring.

So much detail was lost due to the limitations of the colouring process of the era. Colours were just splatted on willy nilly. It was ugly! You can't even really wade through it to enjoy or appreciate some of the art due to the colouring. This is not a condemnation of the colourists of the time. I know there were limitations due to the process.

I'd show some examples but I do not want to get too negative or critical. Instead I will go back to Infinity Gauntlet. While it does not suffer as much from the colouring issues as X-Force seemed to, there are lots of points in the series where, compared to colouring today, it really is just basic and boring. The pencils are under-served. Lim and Perez's art deserves better. I don't know if it is possible but I would LOVE to see this series recoloured using modern techniques. Do it as a nice hardcover and put it out during the release of Avengers 3. Marvel, you know it should happen.

Anyway: here's a fun scene from issue 4 which serves as a nice contrast to modern comics where Captain America and Cyclops are not as friendly.

Get 'im, Cloak!

Spoiler alert: Cloak did not get 'im.

Also: Cyclops' X-Factor era costume was pretty nice.

Other awesome bits from the series: Dr. Doom's duplicity (shame he can't be in the film, but I bet his role could be filled by Tom Hiddleston's Loki!) Mephisto's secret attempts to undermine Thanos (Hiddleston in this role for the film too), the end with Thanos becoming a farmer (cooler than it sounds, yo), heroes like Cloak working with the big guns, Dr. Strange hanging with the Cosmic crowd, Celestials using planets as weapons, Drax the Destroyer in his purple cape (I do hope there is some kind of nod to this in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie...), Black Widow saving a baby from a fire, Eric Masterson's mullet....and so much more.

This was a really fun series. I really enjoyed re-reading it and seriously, if Marvel releases a recoloured version I will buy this sucker again.

I am going to reread Infinity War and Infinity Crusade. I don't recall those being quite as awesome as this one soooooo maybe you won't see them here. But maybe you will!

Geoffrey vs. Hawkeye #16

Hawkeye is straight up my favourite Marvel superhero. Hearing-impaired, ex-con, powerless Everyman with a bow FTW. This is of course the Clint Barton Hawkeye I am referring to. He's right there on the background image of my blog, from the cover of West Coast Avengers #24, the first American comic I ever bought as a comic collector and fan, though of course faaaaaar from the first comic I ever read. At some point I will do a whole thing on Matt Fraction and David Aja's masterpiece, Hawkeye. Today is not that day. I did finish #16 of that series earlier, an issue that focused on the female Hawkeye, Kate Bishop.

Here's the best panel from that issue. A little meta, and it is only gonna be funny to more-hardcore Marvelites, but it's a good one. A real good one.

Bwah ha ha has all round.

One criticism regarding the current Hawkeyes: the sunglasses instead of masks thing. Clint Barton's classic Hawkeye costume is THE BEST COSTUME EVER. Dear, sweet Marvel. Please revert. Thx.

Geoffrey vs. Nick Spencer's Bedlam: Volume 1

Another kinda sorta violation, but this one hinges on a personal hang up rather than anything in the work itself that may read to me as an objective flaw.

I am talking about the first trade collection of the Image Comics series Bedlam, by Nick Spencer, Riley Rossmo and Jean Paul Csuka. Covers by Fraser Irving.

I am currently really enjoying Spencer's work on the Marvel Comics series Secret Avengers (and Avengers World, though I have only read issue 1) so I thought I would give this a try.

The high concept here is what if a villain somewhat like the Joker got cured and turned to crime fighting instead of crime doing. Solid enough premise for my tastes.

The art by Rossmo is scratchy and sketchy in a very appealing way. The book looks really nice. The story was good. The lead, Fillmore Press, is likable (after he is cured anyway) and the mystery surrounding his cure is honestly quite compelling.

Here's where it lost me. The opening scene is Madder Red (Fillmore's supervillain name) in his last stand. He kills a bunch of kids on a school field trip at a concert hall. This scene seemed to be a call back to the Joker's actions in The Dark Knight Returns, where he kills a studio audience and later a bunch of  boy scouts. It's chilling and frightening and very effective.

Ever since I had my daughter though, I can't stomach violence against little girls. Fiction is supposed to be fun to read and I can't find any fun in it. I can think of other scenarios that might have the same emotional resonance without killing a little girl and I have to wonder why, why specifically it had to be a little girl killed.

This has thrown me out of other fiction too. The Night Lords trilogy, a Warhammer 40000 book series by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, has two different scenes of little girls getting killed by giant cybernetic warriors. Why? I am really not sure. All I know is it threw me out of the work, which I had been loving, and after the second scene I only slogged through to the end to finish the book. The enjoyment was gone. It threw me so far out that I have not since been able to bring myself to read any more books by Dembski-Bowden because I don't want to read about the murder of little girls in my fiction based on a game of little plastic spacemen fighting each other.

Anyway. Not to slag on that dude. He's a really good writer. As I said at the start, this is really a personal peccadillo.

So. Dead little girl. I kept reading and I really did like Bedlam. I would like to see where it is going. I just hope that Spencer can maybe kill someone other than a little girl next time we need to see just how awful Madder Red used to be.

I think Nick Spencer is definitely "One To Watch". He seems to tap into the Big Ideas I really love in comics (like Grant Morrison and Jonathan Hickman). I will have to explore his other creator owned works when I have the money.

EDIT: Totally forgot to shout out Superior Foes of Spider-Man. That is an AMAZING series.

Geoffrey vs. Velvet Volume 1: Before the Living End

This post will kinda sorta violate the ethos behind these blog posts. Since I have yet to publicly define the ethos of this blog, I shall do so now.

When it comes to talking about comics, or indeed any form of so-called "geek media", so much of what is written is negative. It's just nerdrage after nerdrage about everything from Pakistani Ms. Marvel to J.J. Abrams on Star Wars and blah blah blah. If you are a geek/nerd/some other identifier that gets what I am talking about, you know what I mean. You've probably done it. Nerdraged. I know I have.

If I am going to spend time writing about comics, which I love, I am not going to indulge in this. It's low-hanging fruit to come up with witty barbs with which to sting the hands of those who would craft these geek media artifacts which I may scorn.

This blog is only for me to write about comics (and maybe other stuff too but for now comics) that I love. I sorta dropped the ball on that in my New 52 post, which was not overly negative but really did indicate my feelings about the failings of the...see? There I go. Not gonna do it.

So. Comics I love.

Which brings me to Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's Velvet: Volume 1 - Before the Living End.

I decided to try some creator owned stuff. I picked three comic writers that I genuinely enjoy and ordered the first trades of some of their series. All coincidentally Image publications. The already mentioned Velvet, Bedlam by Nick Spencer, and Rick Remender's Black Science.

Since I paid for and read all three, I feel like I want to write about all three, even if my level of love for the three works is varying and therein lies the violation in a kinda sorta way.

I did not love Velvet. I guess I liked it well enough. Epting's art (colours by Elizabeth Breitweiser) is wonderful. The character of Velvet Templeton is different and compelling (a middle aged bad ass female spy). The rub is that I guess I do not love pure espionage stories. This work seems very old school James Bond. The story turns, while not being maybe that surprising, are well told and since this is but the first chapter of an ongoing, I suppose it could surprise the reader well enough down the line.

So. Lukewarm? Yeah, I guess. I was kind of disappointed. I LOVED Brubaker's run on Captain America and have loved some of his other work. I really felt the ball was in my court for loving Velvet.

I'd still recommend it to people who like pure espionage stories. I am not super familiar with the genre, as it leaves me cold, but this does seem like a comic that would really blow someone into that kind of thing away. I honestly think my parents would LOVE it but getting them to read graphic fiction would be a huge feat. I will probably try anyway.

I really want to support creators of work I love and I genuinely feel bad that I did not like this as much as I was thinking I would going in.

Geoffrey vs. Afterlife With Archie

I am no Archie aficionado. As a comics fan and long time comics reader, I know I must have owned Archie comics during my past, even if I never collected them. I am sure those grocery store digests must have made for some easy and disposable reading at some point in my life.

So while not an Archie fan, I am not a hater either. I guess I can appreciate the charm and admire the Jugheadian fantasy of being able to eat a seemingly unending plate of cheeseburgers.

Recently, the fine folks at Archie Comics, after over 70 years of accumulated stories, decided to spice up the already spiced up world of Archie by killing Jughead, turning him into a zombie, and having Riverdale overrun with a cannibalistic orgy of violence.

Just another day in the Afterlife with Archie!

I bought the first trade recently and was very, very impressed.

It's not played for laughs and a lot of the comic style hijinks from the regular comics seem to come across as being a bit more sinister. But it's also not played for grossness for grossnesses sake either.

The series is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa with art by Francesco Francavilla. Aguirre-Sacasa is a writer and producer for the TV series Glee. I don't have much to say about Glee because I have never watched Glee. That's about all I know about Glee. I can sure tell you though that his writing on Afterlife with Archie is stellar.

I think it's ballsy to take a 73 year old perpetually teenaged wacky hijinks comic character and translate it into a dark, serious, mature work that echoes old EC Comics horror stories. Ballsy is kind of Archie Comics' brand these days though, as they introduce openly gay characters and give them their own series (Archie's pal, Kevin Kellar) and advance the plot through two different series exploring Archie marrying Betty and Veronica. The latter isn't as ground-breaking as the former but it is still pretty big when most of Archie's adventures seem to involve thwarting Reggie's attempt to cheat on a high school test while eating cheeseburgers at Pop's and mooning over the same two girls.

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE!

Back to Zombie Jughead. Juggy's dog Hot Dog gets run over and he approaches Sabrina the Teenaged Witch (sadly not played by Melissa Joan Hart - the only flaw in the story I think) to Pet Semetary the furry brute back to life. Faster than you can say "Necronomicon", zombie Hot Dog is spreading the undead cannibal plague all about Riverdale and a horde led by Jughead "Zombie" Jones is surrounding the surviving Riverdellians, holed up at Veronica's Lodge Manor.

There are dark character moments, strong action beats, scary and constructive uses of the zombie tropes, and really clever plays on 70+ years of character building that pay off even for casually Archie-aware readers, such as myself.

All round I have to say this is the best zombie comic I have read. Sorry, The Walking Dead. It's also one of the best horror stories I have read in a while too.

Now, about that art...

Holy crap do I love Francesco Francavilla's work!  GALLERY GO!

The above is his cover to Avengers Arena #16, featuring Cammi, a Marvel character. It's dark, retro, modern, dangerous...AWESOME!

Fantomex Max #1. It's Jim Steranko and Mike Mignola's art love child for this fantastic take on personal fave Grant Morrison's Danger: Diabolik expy Fantomex! AWESOME!

Check that out! Jason has never looked better! AWESOME!

I love how he uses red. And somehow he makes post-AvX Cyclops look like a Kirby-created classic. AWESOME!

This is just a piece Francavilla did for kicks. JUST FOR KICKS! This comic doesn't exist but I wish Steve McQueen had been Batman. AWESOME!

Here's a take he did for horror writer Joe Hill's novel N0S4A2. Which was the best horror story I have read in years. MORE AWESOME RED! Has he made some devil-deal to use the blood of angels in his art? I don't know and I don't care because it is AWESOME!

I forget what this was from. I think it was just a pin up in a What If?. AWESOME!

I love his art because it feels simultaneously modern and classic. Like I could have found this in 1922, 1952, 1982 or 2222. Timeless. These could be covers, panels, posters...they just work. The composition is so brilliant, with the lights and darks and OH MY GOD THE RED.

Yes I am gushing. But I have not found an artist I have enjoyed this much since Frank Quitely. (Aside: Laurence Fishburne looks like a living Frank Quitely drawing. Go ahead, watch an episode of NBC's awesome show Hannibal and tell me I am wrong. You cannot.)

Should it ever come to pass that someday I am a writer of illustrated fiction, I would love to work with Francesco Francavilla.

Ahem.

All that aside, I really did like Afterlife with Archie and I will definitely be following it in trades as it goes along.

Geoffrey vs. Deadpool #22

I have a love/indifference relationship with Deadpool. I used to think he was a worthless 90s relic buuuut...lately I have noticed he is kinda hilarious in the right hands. Those hands right now are writers Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan. Posehn is an actor/comedian who you have definitely seen in things. Duggan is...some guy, I dunno. But he seems to know his way around a pen.

ANYWAY! I never cared for Deadpool because I felt his overall design was unappealing (cheap Deathstroke knock-off), his powerset was ill-defined and weird in the way of most 90s Marvel mutant characters, and  he always seemed to be featured in punny-not-funny stories that were clearly outside continuity.

I started to get the appeal a bit after reading his appearances in Rick Remender's run on Uncanny X-Force. Deadpool worked in there. I kinda thought it was just due to the situation in that particular book by that particular writer.

Then I read the most recent run on Thunderbolts, written by Daniel Way and later by Charles Soule. I liked Deadpool there too, especially his interactions with the non-mutant portion of the Marvel universe.

So I decided to give Deadpool's main series a try, starting with the storyline called "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", which involves, in the broadest terms possible, Deadpool going to North Korea to look for his daughter, accompanied by Captain America and Wolverine.

This storyline was action packed, funny, and emotionally moving. What more could you want, right? So now I quite like Deadpool.

Here is my fave panel from issue #22. This made me crack up but it probably won't make too much sense out of context, even though Deadpool explains it all with dialogue in-panel Art by Mike Hawthorne, colours by Jordie Bellaire.

There he is, flying along in Phil Coulson's car. Hee hee hee! Delightful!

Anyway. I like Deadpool.

Added bonus contextually hilarious panel from Thunderbolts # 15, written by Soule, art by Jefte Palo.

Oddly enough, both the above panels are from stories in which Deadpool uses a hansom cab. Is that his signature vehicle? If not, it should be.

Geoffrey vs. Ed Brubaker's Captain America

I was into Captain America long before I ever started being into comics. I can remember throwing frisbees and pretending they were the shield. Also garbage can lids.

I think my appreciation of Cap goes back to this:

This little black and white softcover paperback was bought for me on a camping trip probably in 1982, the year it was released. So I would have been 7. This book contains a two part story about Captain America fighting a Nazi vampire, and a 1 part story about Cap running for President. Story by Roger Stern, art by John Byrne.

This panel:

Probably is the one that sold me on superheroes in general. Buncha good guys I had no clue about, bunch of obvious, creepy bad guys...to this day I thrill at panels like this. These issues are why Union Jack and Spitfire remain some of my Marvel faves, even though they are definitely lesser lights of the superhero universe.

These issues were originally in Captain America 250 and 253-254. If I still had this book, I think I would give it a read tonight. Instead I will read it on the Marvel Unlimited app sometime soon.

Oh check out this panel:

Awesome.

My favourite run of Captain America, this time in my early years of comic collecting in North America, is probably the mid-late 300s of the series, so late 80s and early 90s. This stuff was written by Marc Gruenwald with art primarily by Kieron Dwyer and Ron Lim. The Bloodstone Hunt, from issues 357-362 pretty much defined how I like my superhero stories.

And Cap's Rogue's Gallery! Man, it is awesome. It is an often overlooked one but it contains some great villains. Red Skull (mais oui), Arnim Zola, MODOK, A.I.M., Baron Zemo, Strucker, Hydra, Viper, Batroc the Leaper, the Serpent Squad, Crossbones, Mother Night, Flagsmasher, Sin...these are seriously bad people, as well as being complex characters.

Anyway so I love Captain America blah blah blah.

So why did it take me so long to get around to reading Brubaker's acclaimed run? Well I like Brubaker as a writer (as mentioned before, his Smells Like Teen President is a long standing fave of mine...). I like Cap. What was the deal?

Bucky. Cap's teen sidekick, dead since WW2, and jokingly referred to as the one Marvel guy who doesn't come back from the dead. Well Ed Brubaker brought him back from the dead and made him a Soviet era hitman.

I was kinda Meh to that idea.

With the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I thought I might delve into the Marvel Unlimited archives and finally read the Winter Soldier storyline. See what was what.

My expected 6-12 issue read turned into a marathon 100 issue festival of shield slinging red, white, and blue.

Like all other great superhero comic stuff, this run takes the best parts of the past and spins them up modern. The changes are the stylistic story elements, not the story substance. Given Brubaker's success with crime style comics, I guess I kind of expected a lack of superhero type stuff, but nope. It's all there. And all rooted firmly in the Marvel Universe. Serpent Squad, Crossbones, Red Skull...and he even goes superhero nuts with the concepts, giving the world Zola-Skull, which is a simultaneously goofy and terrifying image, and MODOCs, and just plain fun stuff that felt modern and mature.

My largest concern, Bucky's return, was handled with what I guess should have been expected skill. This was no hack job. That guy came back, he earned his return and he redeemed his checkered past. And he was a different Captain America during his time in the suit too, but was still a really solid Captain America.

It was great. I wish it could have gone on forever.

Oh and Steve Epting's art, as well as Butch Guice and Alan Davis and everyone else, was all just wonderful.

Read it when you can. It's all TPBed up or also available digitally through Marvel.com or on Marvel Unlimited.

PS: Even squeezed in Diamondback.  Sweet.

Geoffrey vs. The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #6

Two panels from Superior Foes of Spider-Man #6, written by Nick Spencer, art by Steve Lieber and Rachelle Rosenberg, letters by Joe Caramagna.

Both these panels are from the same page. 

So funny.