Brontoforumus

codewords: DC Comics Marvel Image invincible

I, uh, what?

I started reading Revolutionary War. It seems like it's gonna be a good read! I like that it's based on a relatively obscure section of Marvel lore, and hopefully will keep Wolverine cameos to a minimum.

Are we allowed to talk about those weaboo comics in here?

After ~6 years (I only ever bought the books when I happened to be at a book store, they had the next volume and I had money. A rare combination) I've finally finished the run of Parasyte. It holds up throughout as one of the most thoughtful and creative comics I've read, with a lot of awesome fight scenes that feel realistic, in spite of the fact that they're generally between super powered alien beings.

Oh yeah, and sometimes crazy stuff happens like that lion attack the internet loves.



What follows that is actually even better though.

So apparently you can now get paid actual money to write Quantum and Woody fan fiction.

NOT A COUPLE

Eric's lips parted slightly, drew closer...closer...until...

"Meh-heh-heh," said the Goat.

"Wait," said Woody. "What the S-word? Eric, why are we doing this?"

"You're in a fan fiction," said the Goat.

(The Goat can talk now. For more information, see my previous fanfic, The Goat Can Talk Now.)

"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE," insisted Woody.

That's as far as I've gotten.

Kindle Worlds is basically crowdsourcing tie-in novels. And people getting paid for those is nothing new.

No, but lowering the barrier of entry down to "some guy on the Internet" is.

It makes sense for the companies, though. The stories are going to be out there anyway. (no, not all fanfiction is porn) You can either maintain a veneer of control and earn some money, or you can ignore it like they've been doing for years. It was really only a matter of time before some marketer thought of it.

Like, I have problems with it, but from a certain point of view it makes sense.

Who Whitewashes the Watchmen (by William Leung): an attempt to counterbalance some of the praise that Darwyn Cooke's Minutemen and Silk Spectre have been earning.

It takes a strong person to claim Alan Moore ain't got no issues.

Gravel's back. Ellis isn't writing it (last I heard he was working on Gravel: The Movie, though that's awhile ago now), and Wolfer isn't drawing it; Wolfer's writing it and a new guy's drawing it.

But #0 is pretty solid. $5 is enough to make me wince but it's a reasonably long, self-contained story. Plus a lengthy damn recap at the back. (Which, y'know, is kinda unnecessary since the issue does what a first issue should and gives you everything you need to know, which frankly is not very much because William Gravel is one of those pulpy characters who can go from one disconnected adventure to the next without requiring much explanation of what his deal is. He's a combat magician. He's working-class, he's fought in a couple of wars, and apparently now he's an assassin. That and a twist on the last page are really all you need to know.)

It's not quite the same without Ellis -- I think I'm going to have to start picking up Moon Knight since that's what he's up to these days -- but I think I'll keep picking it up.

Welp, The Movement is canceled.

Less and less worth reading at DC all the time.

So it turns out that when you hire two standup comics to write Deadpool, you wind up with twenty-two-and-a-half issues all leading up to him exclaiming "The Aristocrats!"

I really should have seen that coming. But I love it anyway.

As disappointed as I am with how DC has handled Batwoman, the new creative team turns out to actually be really good.

I mean, I don't give a fuck about the Wolf Spider and I doubt anyone else does either. But the Trippin' Balls issue established that the new team can hang with crazy layouts like Williams's.

But more than that, the family dynamic they're building is really, really good. Vexing as it is that Maggie's been demoted from "fiancee" back to "girlfriend" with no explanation, her relationship with Kate -- and now the introduction of her daughter to that dynamic -- feels real and relatable.

Despite DC's best efforts, Batwoman continues to be good.

So why is Dan Slott trying to turn Silver Surfer into Doctor Who?

Moon Knight #1 is pretty great. Warren Ellis is back, Declan Shalvey's great on the art, but I think this is one of those books where the real star is the colorist, Jordie Bellaire.

Also, nice sight gag at the end; I'm pretty sure Moon Knight lives in that same mansion they use in all the movies and TV shows -- X-Men, Smallville, Arrow.

Was re-reading Gus & His Gang, by Chris Blain and man, I still love it so much. On the surface a story about the girl problems of a gang of outlaws seems like a stupid premise, but what a fun, hilarious, beautiful thing it is.

Back in the day, "solid dick" was slang for straightforward advance advice.

I really really want to see the rest of the Avengers react when Cap casually asks Iron Man for some solid dick.