civil war II | Geekscape

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 11/23/16

by KarsonNovember 23, 2016

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it!

It’s a quiet week from the big two publishers if you’re tastes are anything like mine. So let’s brush over them before getting to Image, who is responsible for all of this week’s sexy releases.

Marvel

I’m sure someone, somewhere once said “war never ends” or something like that. Well, I doubt they would have been referring to Marvel’s Civil War II, but they definitely could have been. Despite Marvel’s New or Now or Whatever the Heck reboot being in full effect, we still haven’t learned the conclusion of Civil War II. We get one step closer today though with the series’ seventh issue. If you’re caught in the web of Clone Conspiracy, the second Prowler tie-in issue is also out today.

DC

Nothing too crazy out of the DC camp this week. A lot of good titles but nothing I’m dying to read. Titans #5 is probably the book I’m anticipating the most, with Action Comics #968 in a close second.

Image

Get ready. There are a ton of great Image titles to read this week!

Outcast has lost a lot of it’s steam for me the past few issues, but I’m still excited to be reading another one this week.

Perhaps the series I’ve been most surprised by this year is
Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Snotgirl. I started reading this solely because O’Malley’s name was on it but after three issues I’ve really enjoyed the fresh feeling art and surprisingly interesting story line. Hopefully it gets even better with the fourth issue.

It seems like forever since we’ve had a new issue of Jason Aaron’s The Goddamned, and that’s because it has been! Well, since June. In case you forgot, here’s a snipped of the book’s description:

It’s 1,655 years after Eden, and life on Earth has already gone to hell. The world of man is a place of wanton cruelty and wickedness. Prehistoric monsters and stone-age marauders roam the land. Murder and destruction are the rule of the day. Humankind is a failed experiment. This is life before the Flood. The story of man on the verge of his first apocalypse. Welcome to the world of the Goddamned.

If I recall correctly, the first four issues were solid, so it’ll be fun to get back into this world.

Since it’s release, I’ve been saying Jonathan Hickman’s The Black Monday Murders is a book you’ll probably want to read in trade. Well, now is our chance! Sort of. The book’s first arc concludes in issue #4 today. So however you get your hands on the four issues is up to you but rest assured, you won’t regret doing it. Honestly, that’s probably what I’m most excited for this week. However, Image has one more title up it’s sleeve that I think’ll be even better!

Best Bet

A.D.: After Death Vol. 1
📝 Scott Snyder
🎨 Jeff Lemire

WHAT IF WE FOUND A CURE FOR DEATH? Two of comics’ most acclaimed creators, SCOTT SNYDER (WYTCHES, Batman, American Vampire) and JEFF LEMIRE (DESCENDER, Moon Knight, Sweet Tooth) unite to create a three-part epic like no other, set in a future where a genetic cure for death has been found. Years after the discovery, one man starts to question everything, leading him on a mind-bending journey that will bring him face-to-face with his past and his own mortality. A unique combination of comics, prose, and illustration, A.D.: AFTER DEATH will be serialized monthly as three oversized prestige format books written by SNYDER and fully painted by LEMIRE.

All I had to do was see that creative team and I knew this book was on my pull list. Having an innovative storyline and blending mediums together takes it to another level. While we won’t get it’s conclusion until the end of January, this has book of the year potential written all over it.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 10/26/16

by KarsonOctober 26, 2016

Sadly, Steve Dillon passed away this past week. For me, Dillon was on of the first artists I learned by name and style. Nothing against Garth Ennis but it was Dillon’s art that drew me into Preacher for multiple readings. It was his artwork that had me excited about the ongoing Punisher series. It’s hard to believe just a few months ago we were raving about how awesome it was to have him back on Punisher, and now he’s gone. His work will live on forever though, and I highly encourage you to check some of it out if you haven’t yet. 🙏

Honorable Mentions

With all the Super characters going on in the DC Universe right now, you’d think I would be suffering from Super fatigue. That’s not the case yet though. Action Comics #966 is out and I couldn’t be more excited. Lois is back to work at the Daily Planet and Superman continues to investigate who’s responsible for Doomsday. Maybe another Mr. Oz appearance? My enthusiasm for Outcast has been waining, but maybe this issue will bring it back up. After being wowed by the last issue of Civil War II, I’m mildly intrigued by Civil War II #6, is Spider-Man going kill Steve Rogers?

Most Excited For

Seven To Eternity #2
📝 Rick Remender
🎨 Matt Hollingsworth, Jerome Opeña

Now face to face with the God of Whispers, enslaver of worlds, all that stands between Adam Osidis and his heart’s every desire is one simple compromise, to bend the knee.

Honestly, there wasn’t anything I was waiting all week to read but the first issue of this series was solid. It’s always fun to witness Remender construct a world, especially with Hollingsworth by his side.

Best Bet

Black Widow Vol. 1: Shields Most Wanted
📝 Mark Waid, Chris Samnee
🎨 Chris Samnee

Collects Black Widow (2016) #1-6.

They wowed you with DAREDEVIL, now the Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee take Black Widow to new heights — by forcing her to go on the lam! Natasha has a lifetime of secrets, and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once-greatest asset, she seeks out her own answers in a knock-down, drag-out tale of action and espionage! But the Widow’s hunt for the Weeping Lion sends her back to the one place she never wanted to go! With a little help from old friends — and old enemies lying in wait — she’ll face the new incarnation of the Red Room: the Dark Room! But as S.H.I.E.L.D. closes in, Natasha finds herself on a collision course with the Invincible Iron Man!

I raved about it last week, and I’m going to do so again this week. Black Widow is go-go-go. It experiments with new ideas and ways of storytelling every issue. There are action moments, high tension moments and even some funny ones. Waid and Samnee are proving to be masters of the comic book medium. This series will be on my Best Of Year list (and I’m sure many other people’s) if you haven’t checked it out yet I highly encourage you to do so!

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonAugust 3, 2016

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, New Comic Book Day! Weekly Reads is where we take the time to reflect upon last week’s titles.

DC

If you’ve been around for awhile, you’ll know I’m hooked on DC’s Rebirth right now. I keep telling you I’m going to cut back but every week I’m still picking up and reading everything I can. This week was no different.

💪 Action Comics #960

God damn, Action Comics is living up to it’s title right now! Not only does Superman’s battle with Doomsday continues this issue, but we got Wonder Woman in on the action too! It is also revealed very early in the issue that there is cloaked figure observing the battle from afar, who is presumably responsible for Doomsday’s latest appearance. If you like your comics light on dialogue and heavy on action, this book is for you.

💪 Red Hood & the Outlaws – Rebirth #1

My lack of DC knowledge was put on full display reading this, I had no idea Red Hood was Jason Todd! So that was cool to find out. Man oh man, does DC have a lot of series with Batman involved (and still more to come!). I love how these Rebirth titles pay homage to iconic character moments, here we have Soy recreating the horrific events of “A Death in the Family” and it looks SO good! Lobdell did a perfect job capturing the friendly but strained relationship between Todd and Batman. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series. This is probably my favourite of all the Rebirth issues so far.

👌 Batgirl #1

If you are worried about character baggage and not understanding what is going on in a book, this is a title for you. Batgirl is probably the most accessible of DC’s Rebirth titles. That said, the stakes didn’t feel high enough to peak my interest.

👌 Detective Comics #937

I’m enjoying the run so far. It’s nothing extraordinary but I’m entertained every issue. Again, if you are looking for a more Batman focused book, look elsewhere. This title pays much more attention to the team of Batwoman, Clayface, Red Robin, Spoiler and Orphan.

👌 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1

You better know a thing or two about Green Lantern going into this or I fear you might get lost. Surprisingly, I’m more interested in Green Lanterns than I am this title but we’ll see where it goes.

👎 Nightwing #1

… I don’t have much to say about this book. Nothing really stood out for me. I think it’s probably heading in a cool direction but this issue wasn’t very memorable.

👌 The Flash #3

Flashes are everywhere! More and more people keep receiving the speed force, so much so that there’s now a training centre. Giandomenico’s art in this is great. I was growing tired of people becoming speedy but by the end of the issue we have a twist that will hopefully tug the series in a more interesting direction.

👎 Wonder Woman #3

I hate to give this book a thumbs down, because for all intents and purposes, the creative team is doing a great job. In fact, Sharp’s art is some of my favourite from all the Rebirth titles thus far. I blame my disinterest in this book entirely on my lack of Wonder Woman knowledge, I really don’t have a clue what is happening right now. Perhaps if I sat down and read 5 or 6 issues at a time I wouldn’t run into this problem. I think this series will be easy to recommend in trade, and if you have a knowledge of the character you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re like me and not familiar with Wonder Woman, you’ll probably want until you can read a few of these together.

Marvel

Yikes, maybe we should break out DC into it’s own article. It’s getting out of control. If you want to see something interesting, look at the first few Weekly Reads and observe the balance of Marvel to DC, it has completely flipped on it’s head.

👎 Black Panther #4

I know this series is getting a lot of love, but I find it difficult to read week by week. There’s just too much going on to remember it all, I definitely recommend waiting for this arc to end and go pick it up in trade.

💪 Captain America – Steve Rogers #3

Gimmick or not, Spencer is doing a great job of orchestrating this story arc. Each issue being more interesting than the last. I can’t wait to see where it goes.

👌 Civil War II #4

I’ve been vocal with my dislike of all things Civil War II but this issue was pretty darn good. I think a lot of my issues with the series came from reading all the tie-in’s and being letdown by how little happened. However, if you just read the main book, I think there is enough going on week to week to stay interested and you don’t have to worry about feeling lost.

👎 Extraordinary X-Men #12

It’s my favourite of the current X-Men books but it’s just not worth the price of admission anymore. The art is great though!

Image

One of my favourite ongoing series’…

💪 Outcast #19

I don’t think it’s aliens. I don’t think it’s demons. I don’t know what the heck it is but I do know that you should be reading this book and watching this show!

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonJuly 20, 2016

Surprise! Were you beginning to think this week’s edition of Weekly Reads was never going to be posted? Fear not, it has arrived. Things were a bit strange this week since I was camping the previous four days. Despite being able to adapt to reading digital comics, reading digital comics while camping is something I haven’t been able to master yet! So, between a full work day and a trip to the gym, I managed to squeeze a ton of comic book reading in, so without further ado, here are my brief, freshly-thought thoughts of last week’s reads!

Note: It’s getting late, so I don’t feel like tracking down the Comixology links, if you are interested in any of them, though, just Google the title followed by Comixology. Easy!

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

DC

💪 Action Comics #959
👌 Detective Comics #936
👌 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps – Rebirth #1
👌 Nightwing – Rebirth #1
👌 The Flash #2
👌 Wonder Woman #2

Sadly, being able to keep up with all of DC’s new books may be coming to an end, but I decided to give it at least another week, we’ll see how much longer I can keep up. For the most part, I am loving everything DC is putting out right now and this week was no different.

Action Comics is a blast right now! I know it’s very similar to BVS (with Doomsday and all), but this is so much better! I love the way Jurgen’s handle’s Superman’s son. The action moments are awesome, the character moments are awesome, this book is a solid read. While there is some continuity to deal with it, I think the book does a good enough job of providing you with the jot notes.

If you remember a few weeks back, we discussed how Detective Comics would likely be a book more focused on Batman’s team? That point was driven home in issue #936, early on we find out Batman has been defeated in battle and it’s up to his unprepared team to save the day! If you’re only going to read one of the Batman titles, I’d recommend Batman over this, though.

This week’s Rebirth titles, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps and Nightwing, are both decent offerings. Hal Jordan might not be as accessible to new DC readers as their other titles are. It’ll take a few issues before I can get a sense of whether these books are worth recommending to those who aren’t superfans of the character.

I’m not sure if I’m just stupid, but I have no idea what’s going on in Wonder Woman so if you are digging that tweet me about it.

Marvel

👎 Civil War II #3
💪 Power Man and Iron Fist #6
👎 All-New X-Men #11

Sorry everyone, if you like Civil War II, you should probably read about it elsewhere. I’ll continue to subject myself to its torture, but I just can’t get into it. I’m sure there are a lot of people who enjoy it, and maybe it’s worth giving it a shot in trade, but for one reason or another, I just can’t get into it. The events in it seem to play out randomly, it lacks cohesion with other Civil War II titles, and overall I just can’t help but feel that it is a cheap attempt by Marvel to collect money from their fans.

A tough issue for Danny Rand, things go from bad to worse as this issue plays out and concludes with it’s biggest cliffhanger yet. Not quite as many laughs per page as you might be used to from this series but there is still some genuine laugh out loud moments. I didn’t like Captain Marvel’s cameo in this issue, her tone her doesn’t match her tone in the other Civil War titles. This is only a minor flaw, though. Flaviano’s artwork isn’t quite on the same level as Sanford Greene’s, but it gets the job done. Power Man and Iron Fist remain one my favourite series’ that Marvel is currently putting out.

Don’t let the cover fool you, you won’t find an adult Apocalypse in All-New X-Men #11, I assume that’s Marvel trying to sucker you into giving them more of your money. I enjoyed this story arc decently enough; it was cool seeing Apocalypse as a heroic child, although it’s too bad that we will probably never see what goes on to change him. Honestly, the ending to this aspect of Apocalypse Wars falls a little flat, just like all the books within it. The days of prioritizing the X-Men at Marvel seem to be long past, and it seems they are destined to follow in the footsteps of the Fantastic Four until a time comes where they require the film rights.

Image

Anyone check out Horizon #1? I haven’t had a chance yet, but hopefully, I get a chance to in the following weeks!

Book of the Week

Action Comics #959 blew me away. Love how the title balances action-packed battle sequences with endearing character moments.

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonJuly 6, 2016

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

DC

We have a quiet week in the DC Universe with Rebirth taking a week off. I didn’t jump into anything but the latest issue of Dark Knight III…

👌 Dark Knight III – The Master Race #5

I haven’t been a big fan of Dark Knight III, however, this issue is probably my favourite so far. Much like Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises, this doesn’t feel like it’s a Batman story, in fact, it feels much more like Snyder’s Man Of Steel. I wouldn’t say the story is stronger in this issue than the previous ones, but it was just a lot of fun seeing Kubert’s take on all the different characters of the DC Universe (Aquaman, Flash, etc.). I don’t think this book is ever going to earn must read status, or be on a lot of Best of 2016 lists, but there is some enjoyment to be had if you go into it with an open mind.

Marvel

Taking a much needed break from Civil War II…

👌 Black Panther #3

This is a title that lends itself to being read in trade. This book goes much deeper than what’s on the surface and, to be honest, I haven’t given Coates’ writing the time and thought it deserves. Even if you aren’t analyzing all the great writing, Stelfreeze’s stellar art ensures you are going to enjoy this title from issue to issue.

👌 Spider-Man #5

This might be the book with the most obvious tie in to Civil War II and yet it isn’t included as a Civil War II book!? What’s going on at Marvel!? The ending leaves us thinking that Spider-Man’s identity is going to be playing a crucial role as Civil War II develops. Spider-Man continues to be enjoyable read but nothing more. Seriously though, I saw more Civil War II tie in with this than any other Marvel Civil War II tie-in to date.

👌 Uncanny X-Men #9

The Archangel portion of Apocalypse Wars continues in Uncanny X-Men #9. From big action pieces to basic character expressions, I’m really starting to dig Ken Lashley’s art. Bunn’s writing is solid. Remember, you can ignore the Apocalypse Wars logo on these books, as there is essentially zero overlap. If you like Magneto, Mystique, Psylocke, Sabretooth, or Archangel this is the book for you, if you’re into other X-Men you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

👌 Extraordinary X-Men #11

The X-Men continue to battle Apocalypse’s new horsemen in Extraordinary X-Men #11. I pretty much have the same feelings towards this book as Uncanny. If you’re a fan of Ramos, you’re going to love his art in this. Lemire’s writing is pretty tight. It’s just a matter if you are interested in the characters or not. We have Storm, Iceman, Jean Grey, Magik, Logan, you interested in them, this book is for you, otherwise, you’ll want to look at a different X-Men title.

💪 Captain America – Steve Rogers #2

Honestly, I probably like this series more because of how many people are complaining about it. In a time where Marvel’s mainstay characters are all being replaced, I’m not going to complain about any Steve Rogers story. This issue explains what happened to Roger’s to bring him to the side of Hyrda and I’m digging it. When all is said and done, I think this is going to be a great Captain America story.

Image Comics

💪 Outcast Vol. 2 and Vol. 3

If you are a long-time reader you’d know we discussed the first volume a few months ago. Despite finding it confusing initially, by the end of the volume I was into the book and wanted more… I just never went and got more. Well, after getting all caught up on Cinemax’s Outcast, I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next so I went and read the next two volumes. These books are a lot of fun and are full of plenty of “Holy F” moments. If you are watching Outcast (and you should be!) and want more, you’ll love the comics, if you just want to watch the story unfold on television too, I don’t blame you. Both are great!

Book of the Week

Nothing really stood out this week, so I have to give it to Outcast! Whether it’s the comics, the television show, or both, you have to check this series out!

That’s all for this week, come back next week to discuss the rebirth of The Justice League, more Civil War II, and a bunch of other great comics!

Hey, who else is digging the new Blink-182 album!?

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonJune 29, 2016

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

A lot of great reads this past week, most of which weren’t from the big 2 publishers.

DC

DC’s Rebirth takes a week off but we did see the continuation of Action Comics and Detective Comics, as well as #1’s of Aquaman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman. All these stories are solid but none of them have earned must-read status.

👌 Action Comics #958
This is perhaps the most intimidating book if you are new to the DC Universe. We have a new Superman, a Lex Luthor Superman, and a Clark Kent who apparently isn’t a Superman. However, not a lot of that matters this issue because it’s mostly one great big battle with Doomsday!

👎 Detective Comics #935
In my opinion, this is the least interesting of DC’s new offerings. This book in particular starts out with something super exciting but then pulls the carpet out from beneath us and leaves us with a relatively uninteresting story that is struggling to find any identity.

👌 Aquaman #1
This may be my favourite of DC’s releases this week. Walker’s art on this is stellar. I was worried an Aquaman title could get weighed down by too much politics but so far Abnett is balancing the politics with equal parts action. The action sequences at the end of this issue were gorgeous, as the characters battle isn’t separated by panels but by the way the water flows.

👌 The Flash #1
This may also be my favourite of DC’s releases this week, I just can’t decide! Williamson is really focusing on the theme of despite the Flash’s speed, he isn’t able to be everywhere at once, and therefore can’t help everyone. For me this premise is interesting enough to explore for a few issues, but much like last week’s Batman #1, this book takes a twist at the end that leaves me wondering what the heck is going to happen next!

👎 Wonder Woman #1
It may not be a popular opinion but for whatever reason, this book just hasn’t worked for me yet. I don’t think it’s any fault of the creators, Rucka and Sharp, I think it’s just my unfamiliarity with the character of Wonder Woman. There are times during this issue where I feel completely lost and the story isn’t interesting enough to drive me to do any further research.

Marvel

More Civil Snore…

👎 Captain America – Sam Wilson #10
Another title that I read because of the Civil War II stamp on it, another title that I’m let down by. Aside from Rhode’s funeral, I’m unsure how this ties in at all. Don’t spend your time reading Spencer’s Marvel stuff, checkout The Fix instead!

👎 Civil War II – Choosing Sides #1
This book isn’t worth your money. I don’t have anything else to say.

💪 Power Man and Iron Fist #5
Is it any coincidence that one of Marvel’s only books that isn’t a part of Civil War II is awesome? The fifth issue serves as more of a transition from the last arc to the next one. If you didn’t read this issue, you wouldn’t miss much but there are enough laughs in here to make it worth while.

Archie Comics

💪 Archie #9
If a comic book has Mark Waid’s name on it, you ain’t going to regret reading it. I’ve discussed how great Archie is in previous Weekly Reads and the series continues to gain momentum. Archie Comics is doing such a great job with it’s IP right now, I don’t think they’re making anything that isn’t awesome!

Dark Horse

💪 Dept. H #3
Another title I’ve gushed over previously. The comic is as good as ever. This is a must read if you’re looking for a non superhero comic. Instead of gushing over the issue, I’ll talk about how awesome of a moment it was to see Cullen Bunn (writer of Harrow County, Uncanny X-Men) wrote into the letter page. Note: I only read the letter page of books that I love. Guys, what else do I have to say, this book is a must read! Matt’s writing is awesome, his love for comics comes through the pages, Sharlene’s watercolours are unlike anything else I’ve seen in comics. Love, love, love this book!

BOOM! Studios

💪 Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #4
This series is better than I ever could have imagined. Perhaps I shouldn’t be giving it strong status because if you aren’t a Power Rangers fan this might not be up your alley, but I think you’d be surprised. Sure, this is a Power Rangers story but the themes of team building, trust, insecurity are something anyone can relate to. If you’re a Power Rangers fan, this book is a no brainer, if not, I think you still might be able to find something to love here.

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads

by KarsonJune 22, 2016

We are experimenting with a new format the next couple of weeks, let me know what you think!

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

Be sure to check-out the end where I tell you why I think DC is in the position to win over a lot of life long Marvel fans, including myself.

MARVEL

👌 Amazing Spider-Man #14
It’s all Regent all the time. Setting up for Dead No More? I don’t think so. Reading it because it’s Spider-Man and that’s it.

👎 Uncanny X-Men #8
While initially I was enjoying it, Uncanny X-Men has became my least favourite of the X-Men books. The Apocalypse Wars arc has lacked focus and this book, despite it’s strong characters, offers little to the narrative.

👌 Civil War II – X-Men #1
Solid book, plants seeds of the X-Men’s involvement in Civil War II. Much like last week’s Civil War II – Spider-Man, a good read but not necessary if you’re just trying to keep up with Civil War II.

👎 International Iron Man #4
How they can slap a Civil War II logo on this book is beyond me right now. At least with Invincible Iron Man (discussed a few weeks ago) it was just a little behind Civil War II, this book I have no idea where it even fits into the narrative. I could be swayed but I have a hard time seeing how this isn’t anything but extra money in the bank for Bendis.

👎 Civil War II #2
I don’t know if I’m just frustrated with how many damn books Marvel has released under the Civil War II title and how little has went on but honestly, this has me so down on Marvel. We have to be more than a dozen books in and I could summarize in a single sentence what has happened so far. Marvel wants your money and in my opinion is doing little to deserve it.

DC

👌 Batman #1
Fun, emotionally impactful story of Batman doing the impossible. The ending left me curious as to where this series is heading.

💪 Green Arrow #1
Surprisingly, this was my favourite of DC’s #1’s this week. Solid writing, stand out art, and jaw-dropping ending.

👌 Green Lanterns #1
My least favourite of the current Rebirth titles. There are a lot of cool elements and nothing that I can point to that is glaringly wrong with the book, it just isn’t clicking for me.

👌 Superman #1
This book is all about Superman and his super-powered son. I really like the father/son dynamic at play here and can’t wait to see where it is taken.

💪 Titans – Rebirth #1
I loved this book. I wish I was more in tuned with the DC Universe because I think that knowledge and appreciation would put this title on a whole other level. I was so emotionally tied into everything that happened throughout this issue. Such great stuff! If you haven’t got into Rebirth yet, this is the book to do it.

Book Of The Week

Thought Bubble

Being a die hard Marvel fanboy all my life, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think by this fall, DC Comics is going to be my #1.

Right now, it feels like Marvel is taking their fan base for granted while DC is actively trying to please them. Anyone who loved Captain America: Civil War and goes to their local comic book store because Civil War II has peaked their interest is going to feel completely lost when they think they are expected to read nearly every title Marvel puts out each week to keep caught up with the event. There is no need for this, especially when none of the side books have done anything substantial to drive the story forward. Honestly, we have to be close to a dozen Civil War II related titles released and I can still summarize the story in a single sentence. Not to mention, after the dust settles on this arc, Marvel is going ahead with their own reboot or rebirth or whatever you’d like to call it, which further dwindles the value of the Civil War II run.

Historically, switching allegiances was a difficult thing to do, since if you want to read a certain character you are stuck with the company that owns it. However, Marvel has taken the spotlight off of their historically significant characters and started to shine the light on all-new versions of them. Sure, Marvel may own the characters I love, but I hardly see them nowadays, and when I do the character rarely resembles the one I grew up loving. There is a real opportunity to distance yourself from Marvel books and not miss out on anything.

While Marvel is in a slump, DC is delivering unbelievable value to fans. They aren’t doing anything fancy either; they are just trying to please comic book fans. Rebirth has been perfect in that it makes all the titles accessible to new readers, yet still offers bonuses to the publisher’s long-time fans by embracing the history of their properties (at least I think it does, I’m not in that camp). They price all their book and one low price, making them accessible to anyone. While DC is also introducing new iterations to their main characters, the changes feel much more complimentary than what Marvel is currently doing.

I don’t know the in’s and out’s of the comic book industry, I don’t know the numbers or even how much winning in comic books matters these days, maybe it doesn’t? I do know that comics mean a lot to me, and in my heart, for the first time in 26 years, DC has a chance to be #1.

Geekscape 417: Behind The M.A.S.K. With Brandon Easton!

by JonathanJune 21, 2016

Writer Brandon Easton is a longtime friend of the show and it’s been awesome seeing his career take off. This week his long comic book resume, from Andre The Giant’s official biography to Transformers to the upcoming M.A.S.K., adds a Marvel book to the list with ‘Civil War II: Choosing Sides’! Brandon talks about getting the gig, what changes he’s making to M.A.S.K. and the issues of adapting popular properties to comics! He also touches on his time writing for Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ TV series and his thoughts on DC’s Rebirth! Plus, I give my opinion on ‘Finding Dorey’ and I loved ‘Warcraft’!

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Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonJune 8, 2016

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

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That’s right, we are swimming in a pool of awesome comic books this week! Let’s talk about them!

Ongoing Reads

Brian K. Vaughan’s PAPER GIRLS is back with it’s 6th issue! Vaughan tells the story of a group of 12-year-old paper girls who get caught up in some pretty crazy apocalyptic scenario. Aside from a ton of awesome 80’s references, there are also some cool time travel mechanics. There are so many questions I’m dying to find the answers to. I’m really digging Cliff Chiang’s poppy art style too. You won’t want to pick up this book without reading #1-5 first, but they’re definitely worth it.

Jason Aaron and Giulia Brusco’s THE GODDAMNED is a book I want to like a lot more than I actually do. Brusco’s work is breathtaking throughout the series, the sense of bareness and desolation that his settings matchings the book’s tone perfectly. As always, I think my lack of enjoyment for the title stems from some bad expectations on my part. The main character, Cain, just isn’t who I expected him to be. He has done too much crying and not enough kicking ass… It looks like that might change next issue though. I can’t recommend this series because I’m just not a fan, but I think there are a lot of people out there who love and would love THE GODDAMNED.

The second issue of THE PUNISHER was pretty standard Punisher stuff; the Punisher kills a lot of people a lot of different ways. Well, mostly by shooting them. The books ending left me in shock though, it’s a moment that you only see in the medium of comic books. Before you ask, no, Frank Castle didn’t hail hydra.

Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s run on Spider-Man continues with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #13. If you like seeing super heroes get into school yard fights, this issue is for you. Iron Man and Spider-Man squabble and insult each other while Miles gets into a little bit of trouble with Regent. I can’t see myself getting too invested in this storyline, I just want Dead No More, but we still have 3 more issues to go.

New Reads

DC’s Rebirth is in full effect! Last week brought us four Rebirth issues; Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Green Arrow. These issues feel a lot like Free Comic Book Day books, it’s mostly just setup for things to come. If you aren’t familiar with the DC Universe (like me!) these books are still accessible. Even at the new, lower, price point, I don’t think any of these Rebirth issues are worth picking up, just read a summary instead. If you’re on a tight budget, just pick one of the characters and roll with that. Or wait a month or two and find out what book everyone is loving. Got no shortage of cash? Read em all! Nothing has wowed me yet, I’m just enjoying the newness of it all.

A simple guide for getting into DC Comics:
1. Listen The Geekscape DC Universe: Rebirth Special
2. Accept that Ian Kerner is human and not a walking comic book encyclopedia.
3. Pick one character (or more) that interests you and start reading.

BOOM! Studios’ Power Ranger line-up is expanding with this week’s MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: PINK #1 by the creative team of Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson, and Daniele Di Nicuolo. This book is pretty much what you see is what you get. It isn’t on the same level as the other Power Rangers book but if you like the universe this is probably worth picking up, otherwise, you’re probably better spending your money elsewhere.

Amongst all the DC Rebirth, Marvel quietly began their big summer event with CIVIL WAR II #1. All the big surprises took place in the Free Comic Book Day issue and this book shows us what led up to it and the aftermath. We won’t get into spoilers, but basically a new inhuman is discovered that can see the future, a couple of characters die, and everyone is conflicted over this. There are A LOT of books involved in this arc, and right now I’m worried that it’s going to be hard to keep up with if you aren’t reading everything. This book did nothing to calm my worries.

On that note, I decided to read some more Brian Michael Bendis this week and checked out INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10. That didn’t do me much good. Unless I’m missing something, this book is lagging behind the rest of Marvel’s ongoing stuff. Mary Jane isn’t even working for Stark yet, which we are seeing in both Civil War II and the Amazing Spider-Man books. So basically we are getting some back story explaining the events that took place on Free Comic Book Day and Civil War II #0, which I guess makes sense since it’s “Road to Civil War II.” Anyways, long story short, it’s frustrating to be reading these things out of order and for me, just makes me feel crazy for not just reading in trade.

Next Time

More Rebirth! More Civil War! The Fix #3!

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonMay 25, 2016

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

Ongoing Reads

Power Man and Iron Fist #4 concludes the story’s first arc. This issue is the weakest offering from the series so far. It lacks the humour and easy-going vibe that was so prominent in the previous issues. The absent humour is replaced with excessive amounts of backstory relating to the book’s current villain, the Supersoul Stone possessed Jennie Royce. While the backstory serves to help us understand the character’s plight, it really takes away from the action. The conflict is resolved in an unsatisfying way as Power Man and Iron Fist have very little to do with it. By the end of things though, the Heroes for Hire are back and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble they get into with issue #5!

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, it seems like forever since we have discussed Bendis and Pichelli’s Spider-Man! Be careful what you wish for. I wanted a book that focused on the personal problems of being Spider-Man and I am getting it in spades here, the only issue is that it’s kind of boring. This book spends the better half of the story at a high school cafeteria where Ganke confesses to Miles that he likes Goldballs because he is a fast super hero… Wait? What? Am I the only person who never once thought to themselves “damn, that Goldballs guy is fat.” When they finally meet the character, a starstruck Ganke probably reveals more about Miles than he should have. The frustrated Miles takes off as Spider-Man where he is chased by heat seeking missiles… 😴

I was pleasantly surprised to discover Matt and Sharlene Kindt’s Dept. H #2 hit shelves this past week. This book will be contending for my favourite comic book at the end of the year. I can’t gush enough about Sharlene’s watercolours enough in this book, it’s unlike anything else in comics right now. If you’re reading digital, this book is worth picking up a physical copy. I’m not convinced Matt is leaving me clues to solve this murder mystery yet but I’ll find out in due time. The creators love and appreciation for the medium bleeds through on every page and makes this book a joy to read. I’m loving every panel.

New Reads

Well, Civil War II kicks off and reading the first (well, 0th) issue I felt clueless. This book would definitely benefit from some sort of introduction to what is going on with these characters right now because I had no idea… I guess I should have been reading Iron Man? That said, I stuck it out and so far I am intrigued by Marvel’s next big storyline. We have She-Hulk defending a retired super villain who is being arrested for merely mentioning that he has thought of returning to a life of crime. The President of the United States wants James Rhodes (War Machine) to run for president. Then some random feeling stuff with Captain Marvel and some new Inhumans. Do I have high hopes for this arc? Not really. It feels to me like they are just trying to drive up revenue by tying in with their cinematic universe (and I guess who can blame them). Fortunately, it’s usually series that I have the lowest expectations for that end up wowing me the most so we will see where this goes.

Soo I’m prepared to lose a lot of geek credibility with this one because I’m unfamiliar with why Future Quest #1 has so much hype. I picked it up because a) I don’t read enough DC and b) the art is right up my alley. I enjoyed the first issue but felt like I was missing some backstory as we are thrown right into the action from page 1. That said, the story is pretty easy to wrap your head around if you don’t think about it too hard. It has a sweet 80’s cartoon vibe to it. I really don’t know what else to say, you probably already know all you need to about this book because you’re smarter than me? 😊. Fill me in! What’s all the hype about?

Next Time

The DC Universe is reborn!