Nick Spencer | Geekscape

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 9/14/16

by KarsonSeptember 13, 2016

Best Bet

The Fix Vol. 1 TP
$7.99
Story: Nick Spencer
Art: Steve Lieber

THE FIX is a story of the crooked cops, scheming mobsters, and corrupt politicians that run Los Angeles-and the sex toy that can bring them all down. Oh, and the hero is a drug-sniffing beagle named Pretzels. Collects THE FIX #1-4.

I’ve been raving about The Fix on Weekly Reads since issue #1. From the guy who made Captain America say “Hail Hydra,” this is one of the funniest comics you’ll read this year. From funny one-liners, to unbelievable situational humor, I’ve laughed out loud many times throughout the series. To contrast the book’s humor, the villain, which we’ve barely learned anything about, is down right sadistic. The Fix is unlike anything I’ve read before and I can’t wait to read more.

Most Excited For

The Fix #5
$3.99
Story: Nick Spencer
Art: Steve Lieber

Roy meets The Mayor.

… Like I said, I can’t wait to read more.

Honorable Mentions

Doom Patrol #1
$3.99
Story: Gerard Way
Art: Nick Derington

The atoms are buzzing. The daydreams crowd sentient streets, and the creative team has been warned, “Turn back now or suffer the mighty consequence of sheer, psycho-maniacal mayhem.” Generation-arsonists unite—this is DOOM PATROL, and the God of the Super Heroes is bleeding on the floor.

A blenderized reimagining of the ultimate series of the strange, DOOM PATROL combines elements from classic runs, new directions, and things that could not be. Our entry point is Casey Brinke, a young EMT on the graveyard shift to abstract enlightenment, with a past so odd that she’s not entirely sure what is real and what is not. Along with her partner, Sam Reynolds, the pair blaze a path through the city and its denizens, finding the only quiet that exists at 3am is the chaos of the brain. When the pair answer a hit-and-run call, they find themselves face to face with a familiar figure: Cliff Steele, AKA Robotman.

“It gets weirder from here,” writer Gerard Way had to say about the book, with artist Nick Derington gripping tightly on the wheel of the ambulance. The pair’s only communication? Shouting out of the open windows while at high velocity. Who needs a new roommate? Who names a cat “Lotion”? And when do we get to see all those muscles?

All week I thought this was going to be the title I looked forward to most, but it was edged out by The Fix. Being a My Chemical Romance fan way back in the day, I picked up Umbrella Academy and was blown away by how damn good it was (it would go on to win an Eisner Award). I don’t know much about Doom Patrol, but I’m excited to get another taste of a Gerard Way written comic.

The Black Monday Murders #2
$4.99
Story: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Tomm Coker

A SPIRIT OF COOPERATION In the world of high finance, solving one murder leads the police to the location where all the bodies have been buried. The time is nigh to invest in the coolest new comic of the year!

All-Star Batman #2
$4.99
Story: Scott Snyder
Art: John Romita Jr.

“My Own Worst Enemy” part 2! All aboard the train ride from hell! Batman and Two-Face continue their journey to Harvey Dent’s cure through an assassin-infested landscape. But can the Dark Knight continue his crusade across the countryside when Two Face turns one of his greatest allies against him?

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by KarsonJune 15, 2016

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that discusses comic books from the week that was!

How about we take a break from all the video games news to discuss comics! 📚 > 🕹

Ongoing Reads

It’s been awhile since we discussed X-Men and with the release All-New X-Men #10 this past week, what better time than now? The whole is NOT greater than the sum of its parts when it comes to the current arc going on in the X-Men books, Apocalypse Wars. There doesn’t seem to be any continuity between the titles, each storyline seems to be it’s own entity involving Apocalypse but they don’t feel like a part of the same narrative so reading All-New X-Men isn’t going to make your reading of Uncanny X-Men any better. This means you can read as few or as many of the X-Men books as you want and not have to worry about missing out on anything. Currently, I’d say All-New is the strongest of the X-Men titles, with this week’s issue being particularly fascinating. We see Evan, Kid Apocalypse, interact with an Apocalypse who is in his early teens (before becoming one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe). I find it fascinating to see noble and pure intentions from a character who grows up to become bent on wiping out entire races of people. I hope we get to find out what caused him to snap, although I’m not sure what it’ll be since he doesn’t appear to have anything that means too much to him.

Finally, a new issue to one of my favourite ongoing series, The Fix #3! I wouldn’t say it’s a slip-up, but the third issue of The Fix isn’t on the same level as the first two. I didn’t enjoy this issue as much for two reasons. First, the humour was noticeably lacking. The first two issues had me laughing every other page, this issue barely got a smile out of me. Second, our two main characters aren’t together. It became obvious to me that a lot of the laughs and zany moments in this book were a result of the chemistry between Roy and Mac. I’m sure this book will get back on track in the next issue or two. It’s sort of a stretch to say it’s offtrack, it just wasn’t what I have come to expect from this book and therefore I didn’t enjoy it as much. It is still probably my favourite read of the week!

New Reads

I have mixed feelings about Civil War II – Amazing Spider-Man #1. I like Spider-Man, Gage and Foreman put together a nice Spider-Man feeling story that feels like an authentic extension of Slott and Camuncoli’s current Amazing Spider-Man books. My problem is it’s Civil War II branding, which to me is nothing but a money grab play by Marvel. I feel like this book (and probably many others) isn’t going to offer any substantial story elements to Civil War II, yet they clearly market you to buy it to so you can be in the know. These excessively large story arcs complicate the buying decisions of most comic book readers and put a pretty big barrier to entry up to new readers. If you loved the Civil War movie and walk into the comic book shop to read this Civil War II you’ve been hearing about, you aren’t going to be excited by the endless list of books you’re supposed to read, you just aren’t going to bother with it at all. I wish we could trim the fat on these crossover events and keep the number of titles you need to purchase to a minimum.

If you like Spider-Man and want more of him, you’ll enjoy this book. If you just want to read it because it’s a Civil War II tie-in, don’t bother.

DC’s Rebirth continues with The Flash, Aquaman and Wonder Woman this week. All these titles have felt solid so far. As far as a recommendation goes, I’d say go with your gut. No book is noticeably better or way worse than any other book right now, pick a character that interests you and start reading them.

Action Comics and Detective Comics also saw releases this week, 957 and 934 respectively. Yep, these books have been around for awhile. In case you aren’t in the know, Action Comics is Super-Man and Detective Comics is Batman. What’s the difference between them and their solo titles? Well, it would seem to me that Detective Comics will focus the attention on Batman and his team, while his book will be just centred around Batman. The lines between Action Comics and Superman felt a bit more blurred. For someone new to DC, these books feel like they carry a little more baggage than what we are seeing from the Rebirth titles but are accessible none the less.

Next Time

Another week in the books! Come back next time for, you guessed it, more Civil War! More Rebirth! And who knows what else!

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Launching ‘Superior Foes Of Spider-Man’ Ongoing Series

by Shawn MaddenApril 2, 2013

Did you think for some crazy reason that Superior Spider-Man would be coming to an end soon? Well, think again because Marvel will be launching Superior Foes Of Spider-Man this July from the creative team of Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber. The ongoing series will focus on Boomerang, Shocker, Speed Demon, the Beetle, and Overdrive. The majority of the story will be taking place from the point of view of Boomerang, who recently gained popularity in Jeff Parker’s run on Thunderbolts.

Source: Marvel

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Unveils Relaunched ‘Secret Avengers’ From Nick Spencer And Luke Ross

by Shawn MaddenOctober 13, 2012

Next February, Secret Avengers is getting relaunched from the creative team of Nick Spencer (Iron Man 2.0) and Luke Ross (Captain America). But, this isn’t going to be the same Secret Avengers we’re used to.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. has decided that they want their own Avengers team. But Avengers are loose cannons: They’re independent operators, they don’t have security clearance, they have a history of becoming bad guys.”

This sounds pretty normal except for one small thing. Well, it’s not that small. According to Entertainment Weekly:

“Thanks to the memory implant technology first seen in the 2005 Brian Michael Bendis-scripted series Secret War, Nobody on this team actually knows that they’re on this team.”

Meaning that with one word they join the team only to have thier memories wiped clean directly after the mission.

Nick Spencer’s breakdown of the core members of the team:

Hawkeye: “Clint led the last incarnation of Secret Avengers, the team that Steve Rogers put together. He’s not in charge anymore. So there’s some adjustment to be made. He’s in an interesting place. But I have to keep quiet!”

Black Widow: “She has a such a higher profile than ever. She’s kind of the leading female character at Marvel at this point.”

Nick Fury: “One of the most important distinctions between this Nick Fury and the Nick Fury that a lot of folks are familiar with from the film franchise is that this Nick is a field agent, and he’s a very new field agent. He comes from a lot of time in military service in Afghanistan, and that shapes his worldview and his standard operating procedures.”

Mockingbird: “Also known as Bobbie Chase, Hawkeye’s Ex-Wife. So we have some fun dynamics to play with there.”

Taskmaster: “A favorite of mine. I was at the Con today, and I saw three Taskmaster costumes!”

Iron Patriot: “I can’t reveal the identity of the Iron Patriot yet, but I think people are gonna like how he ends up in that suit. That’s a suit that has a lot of history in the Marvel Universe, none of it good.”

Hulk: “An on-call member of this team, and a walking weapon of mass destruction. They’ll use him judiciously, but when they do, it’ll really count.”

The Winter Soldier: “[Bucky will have] a huge role in the book.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Thief Of Thieves #7’

by Scott AlminianaJuly 27, 2012

The conclusion of the first story arc of this hit new series! Unfortunately for Redmond, despite all his efforts to the contrary… nothing goes as planned.

Thief of Thieves #7
Story by Robert Kirkman & Nick Spencer
Art by Shawn Martinbrough & Felix Serrano

Geekscape Comics: The Final Marvel NOW! Teaser Reveals A Fan Favorite

by Shawn MaddenJuly 20, 2012

So far Fury’s files have shown him to be keeping tabs on Ant-Man, Nova, Wiccan & Loki and Cable. The final teaser reveals he will also be keeping tabs on a fan-favorite…Star-Lord! This most likely will be an introduction to Bendis’ new Guardians Of The Galaxy series.

MARVEL NOW! Point One #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jeph Loeb, Nick Spencer, Kieron Gillen, Dennis Hopeless
Art by Michael Allred, Ed McGuinness, Steve McNiven, Jamie Mckelvie, Salvador Larroca and more!
Cover by Adi Granov
Variant Cover by Joe Quesada
Sketch Variant Cover by Joe Quesada
Variant Cover by Skottie Young
THE FUTURE OF MARVEL IS NOW!
64 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99

Geekscape Comics: Wiccan And Kid Loki In Latest Marvel NOW! Teaser

by Shawn MaddenJuly 19, 2012

So far we have seen Cable, Nova, Ant-Man and now we have a teaser showing Wiccan, young Loki and Miss America Chavez. Could these three be the focus from here on in Journey Into Mystery? Maybe even an all new title all together? Damn it Marvel! Tell us now! Check back tomorrow to find out who the fifth and final folder features.

Geekscape Comics: Shawn Maddens “Five Titles You Should Be Reading”

by Shawn MaddenJune 15, 2012

So, not too long ago Scott Alminiana did a list of books you should be reading. With it being such a slow news day I thought i’d take it upon myself to do my own list of five titles I think you should be reading.

UNCANNY X-FORCE

This book is a no-brainer. With a team consisting of Deadpool, Psylocke, Wolverine, Fantomex and Archangel (currently replaced by AoA Nightcrawler) and the creative team of Rick Remender and Jerome Opena this is one of the best X-books out there right now.

‘The Dark Angel Saga’ was critically acclaimed and even won IGN’s Best Story Arc Of 2011.

Currently we see the team going head to head with The Omega Clan and the new Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants in ‘The Final Execution’. While everyone was praising this weeks Batman…i’m sorry but this weeks Uncanny X-Force excelled. The art and writing were flawless and back on track for this book after the somewhat weak last story arc. This book has improved over time unlike a number of titles.

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this book is the conflicting personalities amongst the team. The particular highlights of characters in this book are Fantomex (especially his relationship with Psylocke) and Deadpool who can seem to make light of any situation and make you crack a smile in the darkest of books even. I’m not ranking these five but this title is definitely at the top of my list.

SUPER CROOKS

It’s Millar. It’s Yu. It’s like ‘Oceans Eleven’ with a bunch of supervillains if Steven Soderbergh made that movie a bloody violent mess. At first I was quite skeptical of this book but chose to pick it up just to check out Lenil Yus artwork. But man…am I glad I started reading this. This book is fun while violent and *&^%$’ed up at the same time.

Now…i’ll say this right off the bat. If you do NOT like Mark Millar…this book may not be for you. But if you like, love or just kinda-sorta like his work here and there. Check this title out. For $2.99 it’s well worth it.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS

DC somehow managed to take a character that no one liked and turned him into one of the coolest characters in their universe. If you haven’t been reading comics for awhile…Red Hood equals Jason Todd. Remember Jason Todd? The Robin that fans voted to die at the hands of The Joker with a crowbar? Yeah. Its him. Throw in the sexually promiscuous Starfire, ex-addict Roy Harper aka Arsenal and toss in some mystic elements with the beautiful artwork of Kenneth Rocafort and writing by Scott Lobdell and you have one great DC title.

There really is nothing I dislike about this title. I’m not the biggest DC fan but I make sure and read this book the day it’s released. Even though i’m not sure if Kenneth Rocafort and Scott Lobdell will be staying on after they take over Superman but i’m really hoping so because i’ve loved this book so far and gotten quite a few people hooked.

ULTIMATE COMICS: X-MEN

“What? An Ultimate title?! Why would I read that?” says die-hard Marvel fan. And i’m going to tell you why. It is good. No, it’s not just good. It is fantastic. “But there is no Wolverine or Cyclops in this book!” Good point. Too bad the writers of this book make you not even care that the house hold X-names are not present. I actually came into this title late out of curiosity around issue six. Lets just say the comic shop saw me return the next day to pick up issues one through five.

I think what I like most about this book is its a 180 of the current status of mutants in the Marvel U. In the Ultimate U they’re on the run. They’re labeled as terrorists. They’re put into containment camps. And in recent issues they’ve been pushed and now they’re pushing back. All of the Ultimate books are about engage in something big with ‘Divided We Fall’ which is starting soon and a big part of that can be seen in Ultimate Comics: X-Men. The team of writer and Nick Spencer and artist Paco Medina really delivered with this title. With the most recent issue Brian Wood has taken over writing duties and not dropped the ball one bit. This book is a “top of the stack” title for sure.

X-Factor

Yup…it’s another X-book! Holy $#!+ Peter David is writing a GREAT book here. You have Neil Edwards pencilling. And you have a book with Havok, Polaris, Siryn, Longshot, Shatterstar, Madrox, M, Strong Guy, Rictor and Rahne. Those should be selling points alone.

I’m not going to get too deep into why you should be reading this book but if you haven’t reaqd this title in awhile…come back. If you’ve never read this title…check it out. This is another one i’ve told people to check out and it has ended up on their pull lists.

Feel free to comment in the box below!