Thursday, March 24, 2011
Art Day! Roger Robinson
I was perusing Ebay a week or 2 ago and saw some cool Roger Robinson art. I have liked his work for several years and saw a cool page from The Web issue 3, page 1. The Web was one of the better (IMHO) of the Red Circle relaunch from DC a couple years ago. The coolest part is the page featured Stephanie Brown, aka the current Batgirl. I was the only bidder on the auction and got the page for a great price. Not only that, but Mr.Robinson was doing a free headsketch for each winning bidder. I asked for a headsketch of Batgirl. I was very happy when I got the art in the mail yesterday, and the sketch was much more than I anticipated. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
What I got for my birthday
My wife took me out shopping to a local comic shop, Barnes and Noble, and Kenwood Town Center. At the comic shop I, picked up a few books:
Secret Six 31
Deadpool: Max 4 and 5(great stuff!)
Sigil 1(interesting new direction)
Carbon Grey 1
Birds of Prey 10
X-Men: Legacy 246 (Age of X, part 3. I thought Gambit was going to be featured more, based on the promos)
Marvel Vault: Doctor Strange
G.I. Joe: Cobra 11,12,13(had to order 10 on Ebay, finished out the series last night. Good stuff)
Spider-Girl 4
John Byrne's Next Men 1 and 2 (bought 3 and 4 on ebay..I read some of the original issues, but didn't follow the book, this one I'll stick with)
Wulf 1(thinking of checking out all the new Atlas books)
Daredevil: Reborn 2
DC Universe Online Legends 1,2,3 (fun story)
The Invincible Iron Man vol. 4: Star Disassembled (hae the first 3 tpbs and enjoyed them)
Barnes and Noble:
I was really disappointed at the selection of trade paperbacks here. I thought they'd dwarf Border's selection, but it was just the opposite. I wasn't going to walk away empty handed, so I got:
The Invincible Iron Man vol. 5: Stark Resilient
Green Lantern: Rebirth (i have most of the mini in single issues, but not the whole thing, and wanted to read the whole series for awhile.
At Kenwood Town Center, we went to FYE and I got the Fifth Element on blu-ray, a pair of really comfortable Ecco shoes at the Walking Spot, and then we went and saw Red Riding Hood and had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
My mom and dad gave me a Target gift card and I bought Underworld: Evolution on Blu-Ray as well as The Lost Boys: The Tribe on Blu-Ray.
My younger sister and her husband gave me an Amazon gift card, so I bought Morning Glories and Grimm Fairy Tales: Inferno tpbs and 2 blu-ray dvds: Salvage (horror/thriller where a girl is murdered and then reawakens and relives that day over and over, each time with a different ending, like Groundhog Day. I think it sounds interesting, and the cover is ultra-creepy) and Doomsday (an apocalyptic future sci-fi type thing, Rhona Mitra headlines).
My older sister got my two blu-ray dvds: Tombstone and Big Trouble in Little China.
I still have some credit left on the Target gift Card, so I was thinking of getting 30 Days of Night: Dark Days on blu-ray, if I can catch it on sale.
There are a ton of movies I'd like to buy on blu-ray(Hot Tub Time Machine, Sex Drive, All Star Superman: Batman: Under The Red Hood, and tons more).
We'll see.
Secret Six 31
Deadpool: Max 4 and 5(great stuff!)
Sigil 1(interesting new direction)
Carbon Grey 1
Birds of Prey 10
X-Men: Legacy 246 (Age of X, part 3. I thought Gambit was going to be featured more, based on the promos)
Marvel Vault: Doctor Strange
G.I. Joe: Cobra 11,12,13(had to order 10 on Ebay, finished out the series last night. Good stuff)
Spider-Girl 4
John Byrne's Next Men 1 and 2 (bought 3 and 4 on ebay..I read some of the original issues, but didn't follow the book, this one I'll stick with)
Wulf 1(thinking of checking out all the new Atlas books)
Daredevil: Reborn 2
DC Universe Online Legends 1,2,3 (fun story)
The Invincible Iron Man vol. 4: Star Disassembled (hae the first 3 tpbs and enjoyed them)
Barnes and Noble:
I was really disappointed at the selection of trade paperbacks here. I thought they'd dwarf Border's selection, but it was just the opposite. I wasn't going to walk away empty handed, so I got:
The Invincible Iron Man vol. 5: Stark Resilient
Green Lantern: Rebirth (i have most of the mini in single issues, but not the whole thing, and wanted to read the whole series for awhile.
At Kenwood Town Center, we went to FYE and I got the Fifth Element on blu-ray, a pair of really comfortable Ecco shoes at the Walking Spot, and then we went and saw Red Riding Hood and had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
My mom and dad gave me a Target gift card and I bought Underworld: Evolution on Blu-Ray as well as The Lost Boys: The Tribe on Blu-Ray.
My younger sister and her husband gave me an Amazon gift card, so I bought Morning Glories and Grimm Fairy Tales: Inferno tpbs and 2 blu-ray dvds: Salvage (horror/thriller where a girl is murdered and then reawakens and relives that day over and over, each time with a different ending, like Groundhog Day. I think it sounds interesting, and the cover is ultra-creepy) and Doomsday (an apocalyptic future sci-fi type thing, Rhona Mitra headlines).
My older sister got my two blu-ray dvds: Tombstone and Big Trouble in Little China.
I still have some credit left on the Target gift Card, so I was thinking of getting 30 Days of Night: Dark Days on blu-ray, if I can catch it on sale.
There are a ton of movies I'd like to buy on blu-ray(Hot Tub Time Machine, Sex Drive, All Star Superman: Batman: Under The Red Hood, and tons more).
We'll see.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Comics I have been reading
As I said in my last post I have been getting most of my comic books from www.impulsecreations.net and have been very happy with their service. These are the monthly comics I get:
Amazing Spider-Man:
This series has been great since Brand New Day started. The last several issues have been really good. Peter has a new girlfriend (I was rooting for Norah, but Carlie is starting to grow on me), and he has his dream job as an R&D scientist/engineer type. He has pretty much resolved things with MJ. Dan Slott is perfect for writing this book. I do miss the thrice monthly shipment, but twice a month is still pretty cool. Don't get me wrong, some of the other writers who were on the rotation with the onset of BND were awesome as well (loved Joe Kelly's take). The art team is still rotating to keep up with the schedule. I was nervous about Humberto Ramos working on the book, because his style has gotten very exaggerated and cartoony the last several years and I didn't care for it, but I like what he is doing with Spidey.
Artifacts:
I have been away from the Top Cow Universe for years, but occassionally pick something up if it looks good. Artifacts is a 13 issue series which brings together all of the mystical artifacts in the TCU. Ron Marz is crafting pretty interesting story and Stjepen Sejic marks the book hard to not enjoy looking at.
Avengers:
Standard Bendis fare. Sometimes good, sometimes feels repetitive.
Avengers Academy:
Christos Gage and Mike McKone started a great series with this book about the next generation of 'super-heroes' that were under the guidance of Norman Osborn while he was in charge of H.A.M.M.E.R. He saw the potential in these kids to be dangerous. Hank Pym opens the Avengers Academy for these kids, with instructors such as Justice, Tigra, and Taskmaster. It is an interesting cast of characters. The kids soon find out it wasn't their potential to be the 'best' as Pym led them to believe, but they had the most potential to go bad, and they're not happy about the deception. The kids learn several life lessons in the book. Sadly McKone is leaving the book.
Batgirl:
This one is a favorite of mine. Bryan Q. Miller has created a very likable and 'realistic' character in Stephanie Brown, the former Spoiler-turned-Robin, who faked her own death. This book is full of fun interaction between Barbara Gordon and Steph. Steph fights fatigue (she seems to be the only super-hero to do so) between fighting crime at night and going to Gotham University during the day. She has had team ups with Red Robin, Robin (Damian), and Supergirl. Lee Garbett started off as the main artist on the book (and i am buying a few pages from Mr. Garbett as well as a commission). There were a couple other artists that did some fill-in work, and Dustin Nguyen became the regular artist on the book a couple of months ago. While I love Dustin's art, I'll miss Lee on the book.
Batman Inc.
I skipped Grant Morrison's Batman run initially but heard so many great things I have read most of the stories in trade paperback form. I actually liked it. I wasn't sure I would. So, I tried the first couple of issues, not sure how long I'll hang on, just due to the volume of books I am currently reading. Yanick Paquette's art is simply gorgeous though.
Batman: The Dark Knight:
David Finch writing and penciling. Another iffy book for me, although I am impressed with Mr. Finch's writing. It was better than I anticipated.
Deadpool:
For a long time, this was my favorite book. Then Deadpool was everywhere and over-saturated. I liked the Merc with a Mouth series. I really like Bong Dazo's artwork. I'll have to look and see what else he has worked on. the main series is still good and the recent Deadpool Max is...interesting, and enjoyable.
Freedom Fighters:
Justin Grey and Jimmy Palmiotti. Awesome.
Green Lantern:
I really want to keep reading this book, but I am getting burned out on all the epic sagas Johns is creating. I didn't read the original GL book, but came on board when Ron Marz and Darryl Banks introduced Kyle Rayner. I liked Kyle as a character and as GL. I did not like what Judd Winnick brought to the book, but weathered through the storm, so to speak. I really enjoyed the book when Johns brought Hal back with the relaunch of the title, but everything has been so cosmic (yes, I get that the Green Lanterns are space cops) I just feel like there should be some 'down time' between all the madness Johns is creating.
Green Lantern Corps:
I liked this book better than I thought I would, until all the craziness that Geoff Johns brought into the main GL title carried over here. It's good to see Kyle and Guy featured together. Some of the new GLs are pretty cool.
Incorruptible:
Mark Waid is just awesome. Here Mr. Waid is giving us the story of Max Damage as he is on the path of redemption following the 180 that the Plutonian did in Irredeemable. His sidekick(s) Jailbait and Headcase really cause Max some frustration, and it is fun to watch.
New Avengers:
I think I like this Avengers book more so than the adjective-less Avengers. Again, Bendis with his standard fare, but more of a 'day-to-day' type feel to it.
Power Girl:
I loved this book when Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner were on it. Then they left the book and Judd Winnick took over. I was nervous, but so far he has done an awesome job with the book. He ties it into his maxi-series Justice League: Generation Lost, and it works well.
Red Robin:
I love Tim Drake as a character. Loved him as Robin, and i REALLY hate the Red Robin costume. i think it's the cowl. I picked up the first two trades of the series on sale, and despite my distaste of the costume, I enjoyed the book. A recent issue had a sequence where Tim was in the Undernet, and his costume varied a little, where he had a mask instead of a cowl, and I thought that looked much better. Marcus To does great job penciling the book.
She-Hulks:
This was a fun mini-series. I didn't know anything about the younger She-Hulk, but I am a fan of Jennifer Walters. Lyra is an alternate reality daughter of the Hulk and Thundra. She knows nothing about our Earth, as it differs drastically from her world. Bruce convinces Jennifer to take Lyra under her wing. The result was very entertaining under the helm of Harrison Wilcox and Ryan Stegman.
Stan Lee's BOOM! Studio's super-hero books:
The Traveler, Soldier Zero, and Starborn. These all seem to be good, fun books. I feel Traveler is the weakest so far, while I am enjoying Starborn the most. Khary Randolph's art on Starborn really pulled me in for that series. I hope these last a long time.
Supergirl:
I followed this title faithfully for the first couple of years and then picked up issues off and on. There just so many titles and only so many dollars. Recently I started picking it up again regularly, and I am glad I did. I might need to go back and get some back issues.
Superior:
Mark Millar.....I don't know what it is about him, but I don't like him. I don't know if it's the way he advertises his books or what, but seeing his name generally just pisses me off. I did pick up Superior, mainly for the art, and so far, so good.
Teen Titans:
Again, this is one I followed faithfully for several years but ended up dropping it. I recently started reading it again, and it is much better than when I had dropped it. The creative team was changing quite a bit, and I feel the book faltered by that. With Krul and Scott on the book, I am back and glad to be along for the ride.
Thunder Agents:
I know nothing about volume one of this book, but it sounded like an interesting concept. So far it isn't bad. Nick Spencer is the writer behind it, and he has gotten a very full plate due to his creator owned book Morning Glories (which i hope to buy the first tpb this weekend).
Thunderstrike:
Not terribly familiar with the original character, but this is that guy's son, who has a monster of a chip on his soldier since his father was killed playing super-hero. (Not dissing the previous book or character, just didn't read any of it). Captain America delivers Kevin's father's mace to him, and by holding it, kevin turns into Thunderstrike, and looks just like his dad did when he was Thunderstrike (which is a little weird). Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz are crafting a fun title here. This might cause me to pick up some of their other recent stuff, like Spider-Girl.
X-Factor:
Peter David is awesome. X-Factor is awesome. Except for when Larry Stroman returned to the title after years. I loved his work back when he and Peter David took over on issue 71 of volume 1...but his recent work is very much not to my liking. That's okay though, because the artistic team seems to change up quite a bit.
Now, those are pretty much what i subscribe to, but i do buy a couple books a week at my local comic shop. I have also recently been enjoying the G.I. Joe: Cobra series. I bought the two trades online and bought most of the rest of the series from the back issue bin at my local shop. They don't have issues 10-12, so I'll be buying those elsewhere.
Wow, this seemed to take a lot of time to write. I think my wife is a little mad at me for spending so much time online...but I hear Real Housewives of Somewhere on the television, so I think I am safer here..LOL
Tomorrow is my 34th birthday. I am looking forward to going to a couple different comic shops and Barnes and Noble and picking up some comics and trade paperbacks. Possibly some blu-ray movies. I bought Underworld on blu-ray today and hope it looks awesome. I own it on DVD, but for $10 I couldn't pass it up to see how it looks on blu-ray and the new TV.
I'll post what I get later this weekend.
Amazing Spider-Man:
This series has been great since Brand New Day started. The last several issues have been really good. Peter has a new girlfriend (I was rooting for Norah, but Carlie is starting to grow on me), and he has his dream job as an R&D scientist/engineer type. He has pretty much resolved things with MJ. Dan Slott is perfect for writing this book. I do miss the thrice monthly shipment, but twice a month is still pretty cool. Don't get me wrong, some of the other writers who were on the rotation with the onset of BND were awesome as well (loved Joe Kelly's take). The art team is still rotating to keep up with the schedule. I was nervous about Humberto Ramos working on the book, because his style has gotten very exaggerated and cartoony the last several years and I didn't care for it, but I like what he is doing with Spidey.
Artifacts:
I have been away from the Top Cow Universe for years, but occassionally pick something up if it looks good. Artifacts is a 13 issue series which brings together all of the mystical artifacts in the TCU. Ron Marz is crafting pretty interesting story and Stjepen Sejic marks the book hard to not enjoy looking at.
Avengers:
Standard Bendis fare. Sometimes good, sometimes feels repetitive.
Avengers Academy:
Christos Gage and Mike McKone started a great series with this book about the next generation of 'super-heroes' that were under the guidance of Norman Osborn while he was in charge of H.A.M.M.E.R. He saw the potential in these kids to be dangerous. Hank Pym opens the Avengers Academy for these kids, with instructors such as Justice, Tigra, and Taskmaster. It is an interesting cast of characters. The kids soon find out it wasn't their potential to be the 'best' as Pym led them to believe, but they had the most potential to go bad, and they're not happy about the deception. The kids learn several life lessons in the book. Sadly McKone is leaving the book.
Batgirl:
This one is a favorite of mine. Bryan Q. Miller has created a very likable and 'realistic' character in Stephanie Brown, the former Spoiler-turned-Robin, who faked her own death. This book is full of fun interaction between Barbara Gordon and Steph. Steph fights fatigue (she seems to be the only super-hero to do so) between fighting crime at night and going to Gotham University during the day. She has had team ups with Red Robin, Robin (Damian), and Supergirl. Lee Garbett started off as the main artist on the book (and i am buying a few pages from Mr. Garbett as well as a commission). There were a couple other artists that did some fill-in work, and Dustin Nguyen became the regular artist on the book a couple of months ago. While I love Dustin's art, I'll miss Lee on the book.
Batman Inc.
I skipped Grant Morrison's Batman run initially but heard so many great things I have read most of the stories in trade paperback form. I actually liked it. I wasn't sure I would. So, I tried the first couple of issues, not sure how long I'll hang on, just due to the volume of books I am currently reading. Yanick Paquette's art is simply gorgeous though.
Batman: The Dark Knight:
David Finch writing and penciling. Another iffy book for me, although I am impressed with Mr. Finch's writing. It was better than I anticipated.
Deadpool:
For a long time, this was my favorite book. Then Deadpool was everywhere and over-saturated. I liked the Merc with a Mouth series. I really like Bong Dazo's artwork. I'll have to look and see what else he has worked on. the main series is still good and the recent Deadpool Max is...interesting, and enjoyable.
Freedom Fighters:
Justin Grey and Jimmy Palmiotti. Awesome.
Green Lantern:
I really want to keep reading this book, but I am getting burned out on all the epic sagas Johns is creating. I didn't read the original GL book, but came on board when Ron Marz and Darryl Banks introduced Kyle Rayner. I liked Kyle as a character and as GL. I did not like what Judd Winnick brought to the book, but weathered through the storm, so to speak. I really enjoyed the book when Johns brought Hal back with the relaunch of the title, but everything has been so cosmic (yes, I get that the Green Lanterns are space cops) I just feel like there should be some 'down time' between all the madness Johns is creating.
Green Lantern Corps:
I liked this book better than I thought I would, until all the craziness that Geoff Johns brought into the main GL title carried over here. It's good to see Kyle and Guy featured together. Some of the new GLs are pretty cool.
Incorruptible:
Mark Waid is just awesome. Here Mr. Waid is giving us the story of Max Damage as he is on the path of redemption following the 180 that the Plutonian did in Irredeemable. His sidekick(s) Jailbait and Headcase really cause Max some frustration, and it is fun to watch.
New Avengers:
I think I like this Avengers book more so than the adjective-less Avengers. Again, Bendis with his standard fare, but more of a 'day-to-day' type feel to it.
Power Girl:
I loved this book when Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner were on it. Then they left the book and Judd Winnick took over. I was nervous, but so far he has done an awesome job with the book. He ties it into his maxi-series Justice League: Generation Lost, and it works well.
Red Robin:
I love Tim Drake as a character. Loved him as Robin, and i REALLY hate the Red Robin costume. i think it's the cowl. I picked up the first two trades of the series on sale, and despite my distaste of the costume, I enjoyed the book. A recent issue had a sequence where Tim was in the Undernet, and his costume varied a little, where he had a mask instead of a cowl, and I thought that looked much better. Marcus To does great job penciling the book.
She-Hulks:
This was a fun mini-series. I didn't know anything about the younger She-Hulk, but I am a fan of Jennifer Walters. Lyra is an alternate reality daughter of the Hulk and Thundra. She knows nothing about our Earth, as it differs drastically from her world. Bruce convinces Jennifer to take Lyra under her wing. The result was very entertaining under the helm of Harrison Wilcox and Ryan Stegman.
Stan Lee's BOOM! Studio's super-hero books:
The Traveler, Soldier Zero, and Starborn. These all seem to be good, fun books. I feel Traveler is the weakest so far, while I am enjoying Starborn the most. Khary Randolph's art on Starborn really pulled me in for that series. I hope these last a long time.
Supergirl:
I followed this title faithfully for the first couple of years and then picked up issues off and on. There just so many titles and only so many dollars. Recently I started picking it up again regularly, and I am glad I did. I might need to go back and get some back issues.
Superior:
Mark Millar.....I don't know what it is about him, but I don't like him. I don't know if it's the way he advertises his books or what, but seeing his name generally just pisses me off. I did pick up Superior, mainly for the art, and so far, so good.
Teen Titans:
Again, this is one I followed faithfully for several years but ended up dropping it. I recently started reading it again, and it is much better than when I had dropped it. The creative team was changing quite a bit, and I feel the book faltered by that. With Krul and Scott on the book, I am back and glad to be along for the ride.
Thunder Agents:
I know nothing about volume one of this book, but it sounded like an interesting concept. So far it isn't bad. Nick Spencer is the writer behind it, and he has gotten a very full plate due to his creator owned book Morning Glories (which i hope to buy the first tpb this weekend).
Thunderstrike:
Not terribly familiar with the original character, but this is that guy's son, who has a monster of a chip on his soldier since his father was killed playing super-hero. (Not dissing the previous book or character, just didn't read any of it). Captain America delivers Kevin's father's mace to him, and by holding it, kevin turns into Thunderstrike, and looks just like his dad did when he was Thunderstrike (which is a little weird). Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz are crafting a fun title here. This might cause me to pick up some of their other recent stuff, like Spider-Girl.
X-Factor:
Peter David is awesome. X-Factor is awesome. Except for when Larry Stroman returned to the title after years. I loved his work back when he and Peter David took over on issue 71 of volume 1...but his recent work is very much not to my liking. That's okay though, because the artistic team seems to change up quite a bit.
Now, those are pretty much what i subscribe to, but i do buy a couple books a week at my local comic shop. I have also recently been enjoying the G.I. Joe: Cobra series. I bought the two trades online and bought most of the rest of the series from the back issue bin at my local shop. They don't have issues 10-12, so I'll be buying those elsewhere.
Wow, this seemed to take a lot of time to write. I think my wife is a little mad at me for spending so much time online...but I hear Real Housewives of Somewhere on the television, so I think I am safer here..LOL
Tomorrow is my 34th birthday. I am looking forward to going to a couple different comic shops and Barnes and Noble and picking up some comics and trade paperbacks. Possibly some blu-ray movies. I bought Underworld on blu-ray today and hope it looks awesome. I own it on DVD, but for $10 I couldn't pass it up to see how it looks on blu-ray and the new TV.
I'll post what I get later this weekend.
Yeah, I am a slacker...
Wow…
It has been a long time since I have posted here. I feel bad if anyone used to look at this on a regular basis. It has been a busy couple of months. I have now been working at my current job for over a year (technically I was hired on full time at the end of May, but I started March 1, 2010 as a contract employee). Overall it has been going pretty well. I also have a birthday this weekend. I’ll be 34 years old. That hurts even more seeing it on the screen as I type it.
The last several months I have been splitting my comic orders up between my local shop and an online store, Impulse Creations. They are awesome to order from. I have tried a few different online ordering shops, but this one seems to be the best. They have many different options for shipping, which is nice. The discount is good as well. I get a slight discount at my local shop, but nothing like I get through ordering online. I still visit my shop every Friday and pick up a few things. I’ll try to start posting more about the comics I am currently reading and enjoying (or not enjoying).
I recently received a bonus at work which has allowed me to buy a little bit of art. I am getting a couple of Batgirl pages from Lee Garbett (who designed the current look). I am also going to get a commission from him. Batgirl, of course. I am also getting something from Tom Grummett, whose work I have been a fan of for many, many years (since his work on New Titans back in the 90s). I am getting another Batgirl commission from an artist repped by a www.comiconart.com, the artist Celino. I really hope that turns out well. Lastly I commissioned Darryl Banks. I have a couple pieces by him in my collection. Darryl worked on Green Lantern and designed the GL Kyle Rayner. He worked on Green Lantern for quite awhile and did a host of other work as well. A nicer guy couldn’t be found.
My son Oliver is 17 months old, and he is so much fun. He is such a happy kid, but lately he has been having some tantrums. He is currently going through a momma’s boy phase. It’s funny sometimes, but we are trying to break him of it a little bit. He has been getting a few more sugary treats the last few weeks and it is hilarious to watch him when the sugar kicks in. he has the best laugh in the world.
We also recently bought a new television. We had a 32” tube that weighed about 300 pounds. We finally replaced it with a 40” Philips 1080p 264hrz flat screen LCD. I then bought a blu-ray player to go with it. I rented Clash of the Titans on blu-ray the other day and the difference between that and my old tv/dvd was unreal. This almost looked 3-D. To be honest I did get a little nauseous a couple of times watching it, just because I wasn’t used to it.
Like I said, I’ll try and post more often.
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