Support Leroy on
Patreon.
Welcome to the I Reads You blog. It's May 2017. This post and its updates will offer news and blurb reviews.
From
BleedingCool: Spawn creator Todd McFarlane crashes a DC Comics panel at Megacon to confront an old Spawn cohort.
From
TheComicsReporter: 2017 Reuben Award and NCS Divisional winners have been announced.
From
ComicBookBin: Johnny Bullet Episode #119.
From
ComicBookBin: Johnny Bullet Episode #119 in French.
From
ComicBastards: A review of "Samaritan Veritas #1" (Image Comics).
From
BleedingCool: Jae Lee announces his new creator owned series, "Fey," at Phoenix Comic Con.
From
BleedingCool: Some news on the firing of X-Men editor Daniel Ketchum at Marvel Comics.
From
BleedingCool: Bryan Hitch will write and draw Justice League beginning with issue #32 after writing and drawing an extra-sized #25.
From
BleedingCool: DC Comics "Dark Nights: Metal" gets the front cover of upcoming "Diamond Previews."
From
BleedingCool: Rich Johnston offers the history of a book currently called "Monsters" by Barry Windsor-Smith.
------------------------
BLURB REVIEW:
Spawn #273 (Image Comics – May 2017) by Todd McFarlane and Szymon Kudranski with Fco Plascencia
I have not read a new issue of Spawn since Bill Clinton was president, but I have wanted to and just kept putting it off. On a recent visit to a “local” comic book shop, I spied a single copy of Spawn #273 sitting on the shelf. I swear that thing was calling to me.
I read Spawn for years, although I thought it was a mediocre comic book. I kept reading it in hopes that it would get better, which it never did, although I always enjoyed the art of Greg Capullo, who drew Spawn during most of the time I read it.
I still find all of McFarlane's exposition in panels to be stiff and stilted, but the dialogue deserves at least a grade of “B.” The story is about a mysterious vigilante called “The Soul Crusher” and also concerns Cyan Fitzgerald, the daughter of Spawn/Al Simmons ex-wife, Wanda, and her husband, Al's best friend, Terry Fitzgerald. I have to say that those two story lines intrigue me enough to make me want to buy another issue. [My regular shop generally does not carry McFarlane publications, which will hamper my efforts.]
So all this time later, I find that Spawn is actually a good read. Who knew? People who read it, I guess!
Posted: Monday, May 22, 2017
------------------------
From
CBR: The "
Batman and Justice League" manga will launch June 19th, 2017 in Japan's "Champion RED" magazine.
-------------------------
BLURB REVIEW:
Weapon X #1 (Marvel Comics – June 2017) by Greg Pak, Greg Land, and Jay Leisten with Frank D'Armata
Although this is only first issue, I can tentatively say that the latest incarnation of the “Weapon X” comic book is probably the second really good X-Men comic book to come out of Marvel's current X-Men franchise revival. The series premise seems to be that original Wolverine, now known as “Old Man Logan,” will lead a team to investigate the clandestine military project, known as “Weapon X,” which was thought to be disbanded.
In the first issue, Wolverine... oops... Logan (can't help myself) gets sliced-and-diced pretty badly, but he does notice that the slicers are using bladed weapons similar to that of Lady Deathstrike. Logan figures that if he can find Deathstrike, then he can find his assailants, but first he has to convince an old buddy to join him on this hunt.
So I'm really intrigued by Greg Pak's story, and I have finally figured out that I usually like what Pak writes. Greg Land and inker Jay Leisten are a good comic book art team, and well, their storytelling makes me want to come back for more.
Posted: Thursday, May 18, 2017
--------------------------------
From
BleedingCool:
R.I.P. - British comic book creator, Edmund Bagwell, has died at the age of 50.
From
Bleeding Cool: Geoff John reveals "Doomsday Clock," a miniseries pitting Superman vs. Dr. Manhattan of "Watchmen."
From
icv2:
R.I.P. - The "Golden Age" horror artist, Jay Disbrow, died on May 2, 2017 at the age of 91. He was a prolific artist drawing pre-Code horror comics. Fantagraphics Books published his "The Flames of Gyro" in 1979. And from 2000 to 2005, he published his Flash Gordon-like adventure strip, "Aroc of Zenith," on the Internet.
From
BleedingCool: Scott Snyder will leave All-Star Batman sometimes next year.
-------------------------------------
BLURB X-MEN REVIEWS:
X-MEN: GOLD #1 (Marvel Comics – June 2017) by Marc Guggenheim, Ardian Syaf, and Jay Leisten with Frank Martin
“Back to Basics” Part 1: On the Interwebs, I have come across people saying that X-Men: Gold is writer Marc Guggenheim's return to the halcyon days of the X-Men when Chris Claremont wrote Uncanny X-Men. Claremont wrote X-Men/Uncanny X-Men beginning with X-Men #94 in 1975 until the early 1991 when he quit the franchise. Not all of those days were gold. Quite frankly, after John Byrne left as co-plotter/penciller with Uncanny X-Men #143, Claremont long run, as basically the solo writer, was inconsistent. There were some good stories, but also a surprising amount of mediocrity and redundancy, with only a few high points, high mostly because of artists like Paul Smith, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Alan Davis.
Judging only by this first issue, Guggenheim seems to be summoning the average days of Claremont. But hey, this is only the first issue; still, I don't hold out hope. I think that it will be obvious by the third issue if X-Men: Gold will be exceptional or be what most recent X-Men comic books have been, average at best.
On the other hand...
X-MEN: BLUE #1 (Marvel Comics – June 2017) by Cullen Bunn, Jorge Molina and Matteo Buffagni with Matt Milla
Now, this is an X-Men comic book in the best sense of that description. It has the original X-Men fighting an early X-Men adversary, and I am a total sucka for Juggernaut. Writer Cullen Bunn gets it where Marc Guggenheim in X-Men: Gold doesn't get it – or at least not yet. When you can't be imaginative, inventive, and original when it comes to writing the X-Men, be shocking and surprising. And Bunn delivers shocks and surprises here that are sweet, and he made invent later.
This first issue is simply a joy to read and it has a snazzy cover by Art Adams (who delivers good comic book cover art about 9 out of 10 times). I am not crazy about the art team of Molina & Buffagni, but I'll tolerate them if the upcoming issues deliver on the last page of the main story; deliver on the back-up story; and deliver on “More Things to Come in X-Men Blue.”
Posted: Wednesday, May 10, 2017
-----------------------------------------
From
ComicsBeat: Heidi MacDonald on the recent DC Comics editorial alignment.
From
BleedingCool: Updates on the Ardian Syaf controversy regarding hidden messages he placed in his art for "X-Men: Gold #1."
From
YahooMovies: Robert Kirkman, creator of "The Walking Dead," apologizes for a death in issue #167 of the comic book.
From
DCComics: Read the press release: "DC Entertainment Expands Editorial Leadership Team."
From
BleedingCool: Take a look inside "Dark Days: The Forge," the prequel to DC Comics' event "Dark Nights: Metal."
From
TheBristolBoard: An online portfolio of unusual John Buscema art, unusual for the late artist who was known for his long association with Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" and short stint as the first artist on the first "Wolverine" solo comic book series.
From
Kickstarter: Cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity has a Kickstarter. (from "The Comics Reporter)
From
BleedingCool: Apparently, Marvel destroys Las Vegas in "Secret Empire #2.
From
BleedingCool: This Jim Lee cover art for "Dark Nights: Metal" will be on a metallic cover.
From
BleedingCool: The "Love is Love" anthology added to list of 2017 Eisner Award nominees.
From
YahooTV: Marvel Comics, in a statement to ABC News, says that it hears fans' concerns about the Hydra-Captain America.
From
TIME: If you are wondering about Marvel Comics' "Black Panther and the Crew," here is an interview "Time Magazine" did with series writer, Ta-Nihisi Coastes.
From
ComicCon: The 2017 Eisner Award nominations have been announced.
From
BleedingCool: Writer Matthew Rosenberg wanted Eisner props for Khary Randolph for his "Black" covers.
From
StarTribune: Neil Gaiman says "American Gods" rooted in Wisconsin-Minnesota weirdness.
From
BleedingCool: Greg Capullo offers a pencil sketch of Wonder Woman from the upcoming "Dark Nights: Metal."
From
GoFundMe: Writer
James Hudnall really needs your help. [Thanks to "The Comics Reporter" for the heads up.]
From
PeterDavid: Another comic book creator/writer is in distress, Peter David. [Thanks again to "The Comics Reporter."]
From
YahooTV: Did you like Starz's "American Gods" TV series' debut? Here, is a recap from the site.
