December 2009 News Posts (17)

'Happy New Year' or: 'A quick way to get everyone to read this important message!'

Happy New Year, Legionnaires!

There are several things happening on the board that I want to draw everyone's attention to:

1) Two valued Legionnaires, Jeff of Earth-J and The Baron, are having trouble getting on the site from certain computers. I'm no expert, so I'm not sure what to advise. Those of you with computer smarts, please go to the Is Anyone Else Having This Problem? thread and… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on December 31, 2009 at 11:30am — 3 Comments

'The Unwritten,' 'Air' bring smarts to the table

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Dec. 29, 2009 -- The Unwritten, a new series by Vertigo/DC Comics, is one smart comic book.

The surface narrative follows Tommy Taylor, a young man who was used as the basis for his father’s popular series of books about a boy wizard, also named Tommy Taylor. Taylor… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on December 30, 2009 at 1:09pm — 4 Comments

In comic shops Dec. 30, 2009 (the Diamond skip week)

Blackest Night #6
Marvel Siege prologue (FREE while supplies last)
Marvel 2010 calendar (FREE while supplies last)
Fall of the Hulks Alpha variant (cover price while supplies last)

Now, these will be there IF your local store ordered them from DC and Marvel...check before you brave the blizzards.

Added by Doc Beechler (mod-MD) on December 28, 2009 at 3:43pm — 11 Comments

The Best of Boxing Day

After writing a Christmas article last year, I wasn’t really sure what to write for this year. Knowing that the article would probably be posted

the day after Christmas, my wife Ana suggested that I write an article

for Boxing Day about some of the best fights. You see, I’m a…

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Added by Chris Fluit on December 26, 2009 at 9:15am — 2 Comments

Deck Log Entry # 96 Merry Christmas 2009!

No-one would ever call Sewell Avery a softie. Few other men would have the spine to defy the President of the United States.

Born in 1873 to a wealthy family of lumber barons, Avery attended public schools in Michigan and graduated from the Michigan Military Academy and then law school. In 1894, he went to work for what would become known as the United States Gypsum Company . From boyhood, he had been taught that…

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Added by Commander Benson on December 24, 2009 at 6:30am — 5 Comments

'Sub-Mariner': Why I read Golden Age comics

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Dec. 22, 2009 -- One of the reasons I like reading collections of old comic books is the historical insight one can glean from these bits of pop-culture flotsam. The latest collection of World War II era comics, Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Sub-Mariner Vol. 4 (Marvel Entertainment, $59.99), is a prime example.…

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Added by Captain Comics on December 23, 2009 at 12:30pm — 5 Comments

'Some New Kind of Slaughter' might be kind of daunting for casual reader

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

I enjoyed the graphic novel Some New Kind of Slaughter – or – Lost in the Flood (and How We Found Home Again): Diluvian Myths from Around the World. But the book (and, obviously, the title) nearly wore me out.

Slaughter (Archaia, $19.95) is by A. David Lewis… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on December 19, 2009 at 1:05pm — 5 Comments

Deck Log # 95 Time to Hit the Captain Comics Emergency Signal

One of the benefits of being associated with Captain Comics all these years, and from writing my Deck Log column, is that I've gained a modest on-line reputation as a Silver-Age expert, and for being knowledgeable about pre-1980's comics, in general. I'll tell you right now---I'm no Craig Shutt or Bob Rozakis. But I do O.K. Enough to get frequent requests from webmasters to reference my material on their own sites. And on the two or three other comics-related… Continue

Added by Commander Benson on December 18, 2009 at 5:00pm — 42 Comments

Comics for Christmas Eve Eve (Dec 23), 2009

ABSOLUTION #5 (OF 6) (MR)

AGENTS OF ATLAS TP DARK REIGN

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #616 GNTLT

ANGEL ANNUAL #1

ANGELUS #1 (OF 6)

ANITA BLAKE PREM HC BOOK 02 LC NECROMANCER

ANITA BLAKE PREM HC BOOK 02 LC NECROMANCER DM VAR ED

ARCHIE #604

ARKHAM REBORN #3 (OF 3)

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #31 SIEGE

AZRAEL #3

BART SIMPSON COMICS #51

BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #12

BATMAN THE… Continue

Added by Doc Beechler (mod-MD) on December 18, 2009 at 1:30pm — 13 Comments

The Portrayal of Pastors and Priests

In November, I met a pair of priests. Not really. They were actually actors pretending to be priests. Yet, as a pastor myself, I’m generally quite interested in the portrayal of pastors and priests, whether it’s in movies, television, comic books or novels. And the two priests that I met in November were quite refreshing.

The first was Father John… Continue

Added by Chris Fluit on December 18, 2009 at 8:32am — 3 Comments

'Persepolis': An academic approach

Here's a new thing: A paper I submitted on a graphic novel. It's an academic approach, not often seen in our discussions. I hope you folks will enjoy it.

Introduction

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is a memoir. But it is evident from the 2002 “Introduction” that author Marjane Satrapi had higher aspirations than just a coming-of-age story:

Since (the revolution) this old and great civilization has been discussed mostly in connection with… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on December 16, 2009 at 10:10am — 4 Comments

New Comics for 16 December 2009

AIR #16 (MR)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #615 GNTLT

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS ANTI VENOM #3 (OF 3)

AMORY WARS TP V2 SECOND STAGE TURBINE BLADE

ANGEL #28

ART OF STEVE DITKO HC

ASTERIX HC ASTERIX & OBELIX BIRTHDAY

ASTONISHING X-MEN #33

AUTHORITY THE LOST YEAR #4 (OF 12)

BATMAN #694

BATMAN 80 PAGE GIANT #1

BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM SPECIAL

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #39

BATMAN DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES HC V6

BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #7

BETTY… Continue

Added by PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod on December 13, 2009 at 8:16pm — 12 Comments

Geoff Johns’ Ten Best Books

I have a confession to make. I’m not afraid to borrow ideas from other writers. Since we’re talking about comics, we’ll just call it an homage. Like this one. Earlier this fall there was debate over at Comic Book…

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Added by Chris Fluit on December 11, 2009 at 8:59am — 8 Comments

Reviews: 'Mouse Guard,' 'Who Is Superwoman,' 'Things Undone'

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Dec. 8, 2009 -- “It’s Lord of the Rings with mice.”

So said my wife and sidekick, the vivacious Video Vixen, about Mouse Guard Vol. 2: Winter 1152 (Archaia, $24.95). And, yes, it is set in a quasi-medieval fantasy world with its own history, languages,… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on December 9, 2009 at 10:46am — 1 Comment

New Comics for 9 December 2009

copied from memphiscomics.com

ACTION COMICS #884

ADVENTURE COMICS #5 (BLACKEST NIGHT)

ALTER EGO #90

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #614 GNTLT

ANCHOR #3

ANGEL HOLE IN THE WORLD #1

ANYWHERE #1 (OF 6) (MR)

AOD ASH SAVES OBAMA #4 (OF 4)

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #138

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #20

BATGIRL #5

BATMAN THE CULT TP NEW PTG

BEYOND THE… Continue

Added by PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod on December 4, 2009 at 4:55pm — 17 Comments

Mark Waid’s Ten Best Books

Last week, I wrote about one of my favorite comic book writers, Kurt Busiek. This week, I’m going to write about another favorite, Mark Waid. Waid has been every bit as important to me as Busiek. The two of them are like twins in my mind- drawing me into comics in the mid-‘90s and giving me…

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Added by Chris Fluit on December 3, 2009 at 11:28pm — 9 Comments

Reviews: Sgt. Rock's 'Lost Battallion,' Marvel in the '60s, 'Menace'

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Dec. 1, 2009 -- Sgt Rock: The Lost Battallion is what people are talking about when they say “labor of love.”

This hardback (DC, $24.99) collects the six-issue miniseries of the same name, written and drawn by Billy Tucci (best known for the female samurai story… Continue

Added by Captain Comics on December 2, 2009 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments