Imperial #1: A Roundabout Review

Published by Image Comics 

Written by Steven T. Seagle

Art by Mark Dos Santos 

Is this the best comic I've read all year?

The cover drew me in. I felt like a fish on a hook. The detailed simplicity reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting. And after skimming through it, I placed it back on the shelf, picked up the rest of my weekly haul, and after realizing it was a light week, I went back and picked the best copy my LCS had off the shelf. 

When I finally picked up Imperial to read, I was only paying a portion of my attention to it. After I was done, I was in awe. The book was nothing short of phenomenal. I reviewed another Marvel title for The Next Issue Outpost and even though I felt that was a 4 out of 5, I was disappointed I didn't review this comic, because not only would I have graded it a 5 out of 5, I now feel it would be a grave disservice to pass on this title. 

In the nineties, I collected Image because I was afraid I might miss the next best thing. Now I collect Image because of the diversity. East of West, Black Science, Alex + Ada, along with Morning Glories and Ten Grand continue to entertain me month after month. My boxes are beginning to fill with great title after great title, alternating from the usual. And after deciding to not get caught up in a new series, I failed. Imperial #1 is the best new book out there. 

Thanks for Reading.

Superior Spider-Man #32; A Roundabout Review

By Dan Slott & Christos Gage

W/Giuseppe Camuncoli & John Dell

This issue takes place around the same time as Superior Spider-Man #19. It tells the tale of where Otto Octavius disappeared during his jaunt to save the city in his guise as Superior Spider-Man. So I ask, what's next? Where does the Superior Spider-Man go from here, especially after the title was ended? Asking how many Spider-Men will be involved is like asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, not to mention, why didn't Marvel just start at #1 like they've done with practically everything else?

Recently, I asked a few of my friends who write for The Next Issue Outpost, what recent villain was created that was worth his/her merit. They answered, but I couldn't find anyone villainous enough, until now. This spider slayer introduced in this issue killed multiple spider-men across the multiverse and I have yet to find out his name. His first appearance in Superior Spider-Man #32 is surrounded by questions.

There have been different universes, where others have carried the mantle of Spider-Man. The most notable is Peter Parker from the 616 universe. The first I remember of a different Spider-Man (and yet the same) was from What if...? #1 (1977). That iteration of the wall crawler was displayed inside this newest book along with others from House of M, Civil War, and one that looks reminiscent of Web of Spider-Man #100. Each scene is a corpse for Otto to find. Someone is killing the various "spiders" and any that are in the way.

In the eighties, the biggest story line was the 12 issue maxi-series, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. This helped introduce one of the biggest changes in Peter Parker's life. In the modern age, Dan Slott has come a long way from writing Ren and Stimpy, and after his amazing tale of Otto taking over the Spider mantle in 31 previous, consecutive issues, I am salivating on what's going to happen in his Spider-verse. Will Otto Spidey help Peter Spidey? Will the symbiotic Spidey Suit swing through New York again? Will Flash Thompson and the Guardians arrive? How long will we have to wait until Morlun returns? And will this new Spidey killer be working for him or something far more sinister?

4 out of 5 stars 

When a Variant Hurts

I can not say I have never bought a variant. In the nineties I was guilty of wanting the gold variants from Valiant. However, when it came to the first variant I can remember buying, it was the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. I picked my favorite  between the two covers available. This is something I still do, with a few exceptions. If a variant is priced higher than the cover price, case in point 1:200, I tend to pick the cover price, after all I want to read it.

I am reminded of the saying you can not judge a book by its cover. And some of these comics have amazing covers. With all the variants that are flooding the market, it makes the nineties look like a drop in the bucket. Most recently I purchased a 3-D Sandman, and Hacktivist which both were graded by CGC as a 9.9. One was purchased off the internet, the other off of a dealer at a convention in New York.

At these conventions I love to purchase the harder to find commodity, but I have been able to get deals on these variants, which is the only reason I have bought them. However, if push came to shove and I had a choice between getting a 1:200 book with an asking price of $200; even with an awesome cover by the artist of the week, I think I would rather choose a marvel premiere #1, Action Comics #411, and/or a Ghost Stories #32. I need conventions to find these older books since my choice of LCS's do not have a quick turn around time on back issues.

Over the years Wizard World has changed from a Comic Book convention to a Pop Culture Media Event. What does this mean? It means that I have become disappointed at my home convention in Philadelphia which had the Major Comic Book Companies along with retailers that sold their books promote themselves elsewhere. As WW added more actors and actresses along with other pop culture personalities the convention changed. The change that bothered me the most was the convention hosted a lot less dealers.

If CGC wasn't at Philadelphia Wizard World for on-site grading I wouldn't have attended. The other conventions I have travelled to over the past few years are ECCC, MegaCon, Baltimore Comic Con, NYCC, NYSE, and the small local Philadelphia Comic Con. I have made it my mission to visit a few different conventions outside my home state, and of course the SDCC is one of those that I hope one day to attend.

Mile High Comics, meaning Chuck Rozanski has recently claimed, this will be the last year he attends. At a $10,000 loss I couldn't imagine him wanting to be back and quietly wonder, would Philadelphia Wizard World be better if he set up booths there? The claim that Chuck has made is that the variants take a big part of the convention goers extra pocket money. Many of these variants are sold exclusively through the company never giving the retailers the chance to sell their own product. 

The Alex Ross sketch variant of ASM #1 was selling for over $250. I even heard one dealer say to a prospective buyer "it was the book to buy". The customer asked if it would retain the value, he was told most assuredly. I shuddered. I walked away after hearing this, I couldn't stomach the speculation of a book voiced as fact. 

I remember thinking my W.I.L.D. Cats gold embossed cover would never drop in value. I purchased it for two reasons, one it would be worth thousands when I'm older and it was a really cool cover. One out if two is still true. We the fans make the market, even if speculators try to lead the way. As an example, prices recently on Strange Tales #110 are beginning to spike. So if I buy a variant it is because I enjoy the cover. But, the various variants have changed not only by cover but by the stores that offering them. Now comic books shops like Comics To Astonish, Midtown Comics, or Mile High Comics have their own "must buy here copies". How did the variant market get so hot that even LCS's needed their own covers?

So why is Chuck upset that variants are taking a chunk of his profits when his company has his own variant? Is this just a case of sour grapes or will the comic market implode once again as it did twenty years ago? And how will comic book conventions survive if the dealers decided to stop selling at them?

Thanks for Reading

Ps. Update: Mile High Comics has decided to go to SDCC 2015 after all. There is still hope. 

Sandman Overture #3: A Roundabout Review

Sandman Overture #3

By Neil Gaiman and 

J. H. Williams III

What is in a Dream?

When I was first introduced to Morpheus, it was thirty-two issues into Neil Gaiman's vast story. As each issue progressed forward, I also searched the back issues, buying each one and enjoying the story he weaved that much more. After seventy-five issues, the song was done and now after two decades, the melody lingers on. 

I visited a comic shop in Virginia while taking a few days off from work and there on the new release rack was Neil Gaiman's latest. The first issue was a great opening salvo and the second issue took off running; but the third issue gives us Hope. Dream of the Endless is off to see the City of Stars and in doing so, he intends to find his killer and to make sure he doesn't do murder him again.

J.H. Williams III has never illustrated a comic book better than this one. The panels are vibrant, the colors are rich, and the detail steals the story away to new heights. Dream travels with Dream; one is the version we knew and the other is the Dream we don't. Also, for the first time we see Dream laugh...and in the very end we see the stars are coming out. 

As dreams are lucid after we awake, they slip away much like this issue describes. I am left with a feeling of nostalgia after only moments of closing the comic. I can't wait until the next issue and wish the series was limited like the first one, for seventy-five issues, not the six that are already scheduled.

4 out of 5 Stars

Amazing Spider-Man #4: a Roundabout Review

Amazing Spider-Man #4

Written by Dan Slott

Pencilled by Humberto Ramos

Spoilers spoilers spoilers

The Long of it...

I always loved the romance between MJ Watson and Peter Parker. I grew up with the flirtations and was rewarded with issue #290, when Peter proposed. Annual #21 was a jackpot issue, with two covers to choose from. I never thought about buying both. 

Joe Quesada changed all that, treating decades of continuity with wild abandon, giving Peter a Brand New Day.  And ever since Dan Slott took over, I've truly enjoyed the title. Superior Spider-Man was exceptional, but having Mr. Parker back is like wearing comfortable shoes. 

Issue #4 of the Amazing Spider-Man never made it home unread. On my public transit commute, I realized I couldn't wait. I pulled the comic out of the brown paper bag and engulfed myself. I was finally getting more than a few pages of a character rumored to change Peter's life forever. I was expecting Silk to be another Speedball or Alpha, but Dan made her so much more. Here was a character who was built right into Peter's origin as Spider-Man. The story was even mixed with another tale from years ago with Ezekiel and Morlun, but don't tell Marvel that, they might start over again with a number one.

Cindy Moon was a classmate of Peter Parker,  and before you ask, "Why are we just hearing about her in 2014 and not 1963?", I will tell you it is because of Original Sin. If Thor could have a sister, why couldn't the radioactive spider bite one more person?

Ezekiel hid Cindy away from Morlun. She practiced her abilities in secret as Peter used his in public. She's stronger, faster, and has even developed a more advanced power set, including barbs in her webs; yes,"her" webs, but it doesn't stop there. Peter's Spider sense reacts to Cindy in a whole different manner; it attracts him to her, much like I imagine his spider tracers do after flicking them on his prey (super-villains). 

I'm going to skip the part about the Black Cat and the part where we find out Morlun is alive. I'm even going to skip where Silk freaks out as Peter mentions that Morlun was killed...and killed again. Silk is so enraged with this news that she quickly lands one on Peter...twice; once with her hand, and on the final page with the final panel, once with her lips!

Suffice it to say, not only was this the best Spider-Man comic I have read in a while, it was the best comic book I have read in a long time, period! I think once I get done at work I'm going to read it again.

The Short of it...

Buy it.

5 out of 5 stars 

 

Thanks for reading

Soaring as Captain America

It isn't breaking news, it's everywhere and it started on the Colbert Report.  The Falcon has been announced as the next Captain America. He isn't the first to take the mantle over and I'm sure Steve Rogers will be back. After all, the Winter Soldier more recently accepted the shield after the "death" of Rogers, and in the eighties when Steve was "fired", the US Agent had the title and the shield and yet Steve still returned, but what makes Sam Wilson worthy this time around? 

The Falcon was first introduced in Captain America #117 (Sept. of '69), which makes him slightly older than me, becoming the first (Marvel) black "American Super Hero" (remember the Black Panther is African). It wasn't until the following issue that we found out The Falcon was Sam Wilson. Throughout the years Sam was a trusted partner of Steve Rogers, and his portrayal by Anthony Mackie was nothing short of phenomenal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Falcon wasn't some sidekick. He was a partner and a friend, which makes me wonder, was this the reasoning behind Marvel's recent decision to update their Golden Age creation?

In the eighties, Marvel tested the waters with a mini-series by Jim Owsley starring Captain America's most trusted sidekick. This was originally their way to get feedback on whether a regular series should start. If the four-issue limited sold out then the Falcon would fly solo. This never happened and the Falcon continued to be a B-list hero. Sam has proven over and over again that he is true and loyal. Not since Bucky in World War II did someone have Steve Rogers back as well as Sam did. 

In the Ultimate Universe his credentials rival the smartest of Marvel's characters, but back in the 616 universe, Marvel Now started Captain America all over again with new creative teams; beginning with issue one. I tried collecting the title after this new beginning and I quit reading after issue #2. I felt uninspired to continue reading. And now, a few years later, we have Captain America, a 70+ year iconic creation that needs new life. 

I can not think of any character other than Sam Wilson more worthy of the mantle, but I question how able he is. No one can throw a shield better than Steve and catch it after knocking out his enemy. There is a certain Je' ne sais quoi about reverberating an adamantium shield off of someone's skull and having it return to sender. 

Of course, some questions remain. Why is Marvel changing the guard? Are they so desperate for new readers that they hope changing Thor into being a woman will garnish more new readers than alienate old ones? Do they think throngs of little girls will decide to pick up a comic book? With Sam Wilson becoming Captain America, will a larger black audience walk into comic shops asking to read the latest adventures? And now I'm waiting for Jean Paul from Alpha Flight to join the pages of Iron Man so we can find out Tony is bisexual for a larger gay audience. 

My biggest beef with Marvel is not the changing of iconic characters. I'm ok with that. I'm even looking forward to seeing them move in this direction, provided each title is story driven. What I don't like is that even though Sam Wilson is taking over as Captain America, he's not taking over the title. We will have to wait until November 2014 before the "All New Captain America" #1 is released, which is way different than when Tales of Suspense was changed to Captain America with issue #100 instead of issue #1 way back in 1968.

I don't plan on asking how Sam Wilson is worthy of being Captain America because I can't think of any other character who is. But I will ask this....

Who is worthy of being The Falcon?

Thanks for reading

Fuse #1

Every week I go to the comic shop. If I'm delayed, it is only by a day. I have my choices picked before I even traverse the twenty some mile distance to my LCS, which is about 15X further than the one closer to where I live. As I walk around the store, grabbing for my weekly addiction, I will try something new once in a while. And Image Comics really wants me to try something new from them this week between the pages of The Fuse #1.

The comic book is fast paced and reads like a good television show feels. I was never one for Mysteries or whodunit shows. I wasn't a fan of Murder She Wrote or Sherlock Holmes, but I remember reading five minute mystery stories in elementary school that had me guessing. To say that The Fuse reminded me of those short stories would be a disservice to Anthony Johnston, it's more like the feeling of reading a mystery and trying to figure it out before the ending reveals all. 

It's only the first issue and some where 36000 km (22,469.362 miles) above the Earth there are some questions that need to be answered, predominantly that enigma that craves to be answered first is why Detective Dietrich decided to relocate to "The Fuse", second who's killing Cabler's, The Fuse's version of homeless, and third do I really have to wait a month for issue #2?

The Fuse was an interesting read, one that I only picked up because Image has continued to impress. This was no exception. I rate this a Very Fine/Near Mint out of a Near Mint.


Thanks for Reading