Review: Superman vs. Muhammad Ali

Recently, DC Comics (out of the blue) decided to reprint this is a hardcover special edition. I waited outside the comic store that wednesday morning, hoping to be the first in line to pay for this book. Soon i was sitting on the train beaming at my new aquisition. There were some snooty hipsters sitting behind me. One of them leaned over and asked "Why would you buy that old corny marketing ploy?". I pointed to each of the words on the cover. Neal Adams. Denny O'Neil. Superman. Muhammad Ali. VS!!! Why does everything have to be Sandman?! Can't I just go to a comic store to see an artists illustrations of action and adventure without it having to be a life-altering experience?!
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali is the story of how Superman and Muhammad Ali wound up Boxing eachother for a chance to represent Earth against the champion of an intergalactic warrior race. Before you start nerd-raging about how Ali couldn't ever beat a Kryptonian powered by a yellow sun, I'll have you know that Superman had his powers shut off for the fight. And before you start nerd-raging about how A de-powered Superman could never beat "The Greatest" in the sweet science, I'll remind you...he's Superman :)
I told those hipsters, the same thing I'll tell all of you: "Life is too finite. Stop and smell the roses sometimes...and buy 'smell the roses' I mean 'buy this book'"!
Amazon link applied thusly. Its all over the place, though since it was reprinted so recently. There's also an oversized version which, I hear, is how the original came out back in '78.

Review: Ultimates3

This is the cover...of the first issue! The FIRST thing we saw on the stands from this series, was this very image. When word came around that Joe Madureira (Ma-Duh-Reh-Ruh) was coming out of semi-retirement (video game concept art had him) to work on a Marvel title, we all thought it would be Spiderman. Turns out, he had an even bigger fish in mind. The Ultimates is about an alternate reality that's much more seriousface than 616. Kind of like Reality television for superheroes. I am not a fan. The first two volumes were mindless fluff, so when Jeph Loeb took the reigns of the third series, I did not expect "Watchmen-with-Avengers". I'm not sure why other people did. The series has never been about anything but set-ups for big fights that have lackluster resolutions, but just because it had that Reality TV feel, people felt like it was much more substantive than it was. You will hear more of this rant when I review Ultimates 1&2...this is about Ultimates 3. I love Jeph Loeb. He's brilliant. His stories are not always The Long Halloween, but if its not meant to be something seriousface, Loeb WILL provide thrills and chills. Madureira is the genius voice of a generation. Plain and simple. People complain about him missing deadlines, but i feel as though its always worth the wait (...whith the exception of Battle Chasers #6...wtf was that?!). Ultimates 3 was very corny. It half-heartedly tried to keep the real-world pretense of the original series and failed. It half-heartedly spun a mystery plot that no one cared about. Fail....However, Mad opted go straight from pencils to digital colors. This maid for a very unique and dynamic visual style. Win! The hardcover has no "special features" which was not only a fail, but unexpected since we'd seen concept art in wizard long before the series began. The high quality of the print ads an extra dimension of awesomeness to the colors of Chris Lichtner. Win... average those up and you get: Win!
Huh? Amazing artwork is not enough to carry a 5 issue miniseries? My reply to that is: STFUDIAF!! Obviously it IS enough because even you bought it! Get your priorities straight!
Now I totally wouldn't have gotten the hardcover, since it has nothing the floppies didn't have, if it weren't for the fact that the relative unpopularity of the title has dropped the pricedramatically. Is Ultimates 3: Who Killed the Scarlet Witch worth the $25 cover price? Only to Madureira fans. Is it worth the $10 bargain bin price? Hellz yeah! That's all I have to say about that.

Amazon has plenty of copies...its gorgeous...really.

(more of my "Madureira is awesome" rant when I review Battlechasers)

Review: I"s

"EPIC ROMANCE" is probably the best way to describe this series. Fifteen volumes of EPIC ROMANCE! You think you're reading a typical gakuen (high school slice-of-life) story with racy fanservice splashed in here and there, then BAM! EPIC ROMANCE!

The story starts out being about a somewhat average highschool boy who frequently drifts off into daydreams, named Seto Ichitaka. Its revealed that he fancies a classmate, Iori Yoshizuki, who's recently been featured in a local magazine's swimsuit centerfold. The two of them are "randomly" paired to put together a skit for one of the school's many pageants (I swear that school is always celebrating some holiday). Once the two are alone, Seto, in an attempt to not seem too into her, ends up making her feel totally insignificant. And Iori, in an attempt to feel significant starts presenting him with ideas for the pageant. She writes on the front of an empty notebook "I''s" (since her first name starts with an I and his last name starts with an I). Iori gives him the book and then runs off. Seto thinks that he was so horrible to her that she couldn't stand to be around him. Madcap antics ensue as the two repeatedly neg each other by accident. This is what we've come to know as "Romantic Comedy", i know. But just when you think things will get wacky, BAM! Stuff gets serious. You start to empathize with the characters and almost forget that its a gakuen comic, then BAM! EPIC ROMANCE! I'm not kidding. This manga has warmed even the coldest hearts. The artwork is unbelievable. Masakazu Katsura (Of Video Girl AI, DNA2, and Zetman) proves that he's a distinguished professional. I could honestly go on and on about this manga until we all turn into butterflies, but none of that will actually matter if you don't take a chance and actually read the series. Most of the people i've referred it to, finished the first volume and then didn't come up for air until after the fifteenth. Viz has translated the series and they did actually censor some of the racier panels, but for the most part, it doesn't affect the story, so I can't complain...much. Here's a link. Probably won't find it in libraries as it can be sort of "mature" at times, but the franchise bookstores have them. I think. Here's an amazon link to the first volume. I would have put links to all 15, but that would be ridiculous.

Review: Silver Surfer: Parable

Finally I found a copy. For the last year, I've been combing through comic stores, interrogating employees, and doing everything I could to find something I'd only ever heard about. Someon told me that there was a Silver Surfer story, illustrated by Moebius, and written by Stan Lee. Now, I'd been desperate for an inkling of Moebius art for a long time. Otomo, Darrow, even Quitely cite Moebius as an artistic influence, so I was dying to see this apocryphal artist's work. Add that to Stan Lee, who loves Silver Surfer above all his creations, writing? Brian-charles bait. I'd all but given up hope, when my girlfriend asked me "Have you tried Amazon?". Its in short supply there, but it IS in fact on Amazon.com. After I ordered it, I just sat next to my mailbox for two weeks waiting for the package. I'm not kidding. Then...Finally I had a copy.
Smaller than i'd hoped, but hardcover, so it feels like a treasure anyway. Before actually reading the story, I dug into the suplimental material. In the old days, Hardcover reproductions of comics, almost by law, came with special features like a DVD. At the beginning, there's an intro by Stan-the-man where he explains how the project came to be. Now, I don't know if any of you have ever heard the godfather of Marvel speak, but let me tell you, He's very charismatic. He has this was of romanticizing things just enough to make them more interesting than they are, but not enough to make you wonder if he's telling the truth. That was cool, but what really made my heart smile was the "Making of" section at the back of the book...by Moebius! It has sketches and thumbnails and inklings. All the things you want to see at the back of a harcover. The story is great of course. The artwork, also great. Both a bit dated, but still fresh and elegant. The lettering's terribad, though. Moebius opted to do the lettering himself, and I guess he forgot it until the last minute and had to scribble them out on a trainride or something. Anyway, Silver Surfer: Parable is a must have, for comic artists. Seriously.