Thursday, July 19, 2007

Solicitations again

Today it´s been really steaming hot throughout the day. Since it´s been a while that I have written down my thoughts about the newest solicitations I thought today is just the right day to do it.


When I did my first section with comments on the solicitaions I thought it would turn into a monthly thing where I had the chance to rant about which comics I´m psyched about, what I can´t wait to read or just speculate about the books I don´t read. And which books I would add to my reading pile if I just had more money.

Right now I´m sitting at my computer while listening to episode 264 of ComicGeekSpeak while sipping on my lemon beer. So let´s see if I can finish this post ( and my beer ) before ten when I have to prepare to tape PRISON BREAK, NUMBERS and THE UNIT. I´m so glad that in Germany they send all good tv shows at the same day at the same time. Not that we would like to watch something good on Tuesday or Wednesday.

It´s like the next MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movie starring me trying to tape it all.

4 episodes. 3 tv series. 3 cassettes. 2 tv stations. 1 man trying to tape it all. How much can one man take before he goes ballistic ? Angry fat guy - movie at eleven.

Since I´m writing this post semi - drunk I hope there are not too many spelling errors. But let´s get to the solicitations.


The covers by Art Adams alone are worth the price of admission but since there is some old content the comic is not on my pull list. Because this falls clearly into the category where you want to see the actual comic before buying it. If I see it in the comic shop or at a convention I might buy it but I won´t buy it without knowing what´s inside.


Another comic I probably won´t buy. I´m a huge George Perez fan and for me THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is one of the best series that has come out this year. I would say it´s in my top five list. But the hardcover is just outside my price range and I have all the issues anyway.


Speaking about THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD this cover has me all excited. I mean Wonder Woman AND Power Girl in one comic drawn by George Perez. What more can you want ?

The possibilities are endless : girl on girl action, wet t - shirts, pijama party and the likes. I smell boob war, brother.


I really would like to have this book on my pull list. Ever since the POWER OF SHAZAM series by Jerry Ordway BLACK ADAM has been one of my favorite characters. And even more so when they changed him from one - dimensional villain to multi - facetted struggling hero out of his time in the pages of JSA. Riding on the success of 52 where he finally got some recognition and it´s about time he got the spotlight in his own series.

The covers by Doug Mahnke look really powerful ( altough I think the art inside is done by someone else ) but right now I have to reduce my pull list not add to it.


Just an interesting cover. My brother bought the first issues of HEROES FOR HIRE because of the CIVIL WAR tie - in but it seems he has lost interest and has no plans to follow the series after that. I have no idea if the series is any good. One of the members is Shang - Chi who has been one of my favorite Marvel characters but the art I have seen so far has been rather unspectacular. Again I would have to see some issues at a con or at the store.


This is one trade I´m going to look for. I had HAWKMAN on my pull list put I canceled my subscriptio right before things got interested. So I had to get the RISE OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE story as a trade. Which by the way is one of THE best Hawkman stories ever written. And it should be a must - read for all comic writers how to use continuity.

Since then I have not read the title and from what I have read in an issue of DOLMEN about the Howard Chaykin run that might not have been such a bad thing. I still don´t know why Dc decided to let Howard Chaykin draw and Walter Simonson write since they could have sold ten times as many comics if it had been the other way around. From what I´ve read this was strictly the artists decision but I still have to wonder what could have been a good title. We´ll see who does what in this trade.


JSA is one of the best DC comics puts out and one of the comics that is actually on my pull list. Ever since the preview pics of this new incarnation I was anxious to find out how the Superman of KINGDOM COME would be involved in the new series. And after reading that the JSA´s craziest member made a little pit stop in the Kingdom Come reality I thought that was that but I never expected the Kingdom Come Superman to join the team. You just never know what´s going to happen on this book. And they have Power Girl on the team. Can´t get enough Power Girl.


Being on the subject of comics on my pull list I should really start reading THE MIGHTY AVENGERS. Right now I have the first three issues and I´m waiting for the fourth to start reading. But every new cover I see online just screams at me : Start reading bitch ! What are you waiting for ?

Issue four, brother. I swear I´ll start with issue four.


When I see this cover I have to say I really whish Tom Grummet would do the interior art also. What is he up to anyway now that he is not the regular artist of THUNDERBOLTS anymore and has finished the BARON ZEMO mini series ? I think he does one issue of mystic arcana but he deserves a regular title.

Just looking at the cover makes you wish he was doing some kind of Avengers book. I haven´t read any of the new Marvel Adventure books but I am looking for them on the next cons. Especially the one where all the Avengers get M.O.D.O.K.fied.


Another title that I would like on my pull list but which hasn´t made the cut due to monetary reasons. I got the first four issues rather cheap at Essen last year and I read the fifth one as a german translation. So far the story by Chris Claremont read like a rehash of old storylines and the art was rather mediocre. Nothing too thrilling and I ahd some trouble to distinguish certain characters. I mean before it´s mentioned in the book you don´t recognize the villain who is supposed to be an evil Professor X.

From what I have seen in the solicitations over the last year there is some art by Scott Eaton so atleast on that front the title improves a little. Maybe I will get lucky this year in Essen again.


Judging from the covers ROBIN is one of the better series of Dc. Every single cover makes me want to go and buy the book - even without word ballons. The only problem is that the art inside does not deliver what the cover promises. So for the moment it´s on my radar but not on my reading pile.


If you have read my post about She Hulk you know that this book is going down the toilet - at least artistic wise. Apparently the sales are still pretty good but the story and art is just terrible. I´m desperate. This series is on my brothers pull list but I´m still desperate. I´m so desperate that I´m hoping Peter David will save the title.

And that´s saying quite much if you know my relationship with Peter David. For me there is some great work by him but also some awful work depending how much of his ego he managed to get under control. Because I´m not mad at him because he´s a hack and he doesn´t know better. No. If he really tries and goes for it Mr. Peter David can deliver some instant comic classics like HULK : FUTURE IMPERFECT. The problem is when he´s not trying. Let´s hope he puts some effort into it and saves the title. I mean after the train wreck Dan Slott made I´m willing to give almost anyone a chance.


With this wonderful David Finch cover for Namor 5 I wrap up this post. My beer is empty and I have ten minutes till I have to change the cassette to tape THE UNIT. So that´s all for today.

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