Hercules #126

The Incredible Hercules is one of my favorite books out right now, and I was hoping this “jumping on” point would be the best opportunity for the series to do all the talking for me. As I write this, I haven’t heard the reaction from the others, but I doubt I’ll have succeeded in proving my point. It wasn’t a bad issue, necessarily, it was just rather substandard. And for $4?

Hercules #126 was pretty segmented. His origin story took place in ancient, in-continuity Greece, followed by a catch-up piece for any new readers this book is hoping to pick up, and finished out with a light-hearted, but still moving, story of Amadeus Cho’s search for his lost pup.

It’s segmented in more than just story, however, and while the writing team showcases their diversity by bringing in Planet Hulk-style action, and Hercules-style humor, it’s too bad they couldn’t mix them together a bit more evenly. I’m not completely turned off by action comics these days, but they’re so much smarter when they pepper in a bit of smirking wit. B.C.-period writing tends to get a bit heavy-handed as it is.

So we’ve got his origin, which, as you would expect from a warrior god-halfling, is full of posturing, honor, and performance. On the other side we’ve got the super-intelligent Cho trying to unearth the whereabouts of the coyote pup he lost somewhere between World War Hulk and Secret Invasion. And hello, look guys, it’s the Hulk! Remember him from back when he still owned this book? Yeah, those were good times (and yeah, I’m still bitter, Marvel). In the middle is the series recap, which dryly parses Herc’s early Marvel appearances, and then divulges the details of a lot of recent events, including World War Hulk, Secret Invasion, and other spin-offs and universe-wide events—yawn. (more…)

I’m overdue getting one of these up and there is a lot to cover!

• Krypton Comics is giving away two passes to a special early screening of Watchmen. Stop in tonight through Sunday (Feb 27-Mar 1) to enter. The screening is Tuesday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. and is sponsored by Power 106.9 and Krypton Comics.

• Legend is also giving away passes to see Watchmen. Starting Friday, February 27th until Thursday March 5th (or when supplies run out) each customer who makes a purchase of $15 or more (again, until supplies run out) will get a ticket to see the movie at the Star Cinema IMAX theater in Council Bluffs on opening night.

• Lou Ferrigno will be Krypton’s special guest for Free Comic Book Day. They’re also taking requests for other guests to invite, and the creators with the most nominations will be asked in order of popularity. Contact info for Krypton can be found at the store’s website.

• Fredd Gorham, who hosts the Artist Jams at Krypton, recently announced that Omaha now has a Drink & Draw club. I’ve never been to one, but the blogger formerly known as Jean-Claude Van Doom blogged about his experiences with the Little Rock Drink & Draw club. From Fredd’s email:

So you think that getting together with artists to draw once a month isn’t enough? Well my friends Jeff, Jean and Jon have started the Omaha Drink & Draw for just such a situation. Every Monday the O.D.D. folks get together to draw, chat and drink their favorite adult beverages. Think of it as a decidedly more adult version of the Artist Jam. The location varies from week to week, so if you are interested please contact for more info.

Send me an email at doomkopf at doomkopf dot com if you’re interested and I’ll give you the contact info for the OD&D.

• The Capes Comics gang has a new video podcast up, or at least new since the last time I pointed it out. As always, the weekly capes newsletter does not disappoint, and would-be readers can sign up at capescomics.com.

• Starting back on February 18th, Legend began giving out free $75 gift certificates for customers who refer a friend, relative, classmate, etc who starts a pull file at the shop. The new customer has to identify who referred them and has to stay in good standing for six months (meaning they come in once a month to pick up their comics).

• Legend’s nine-day dollar comics sale is coming soon, beginning Saturday March 21 and ending Sunday March 29. More than 50,000 comics, from the 1960s to now, will be priced at $1 each. Also, for every twenty $1 dollar comics purchased, customers will get five $1 comics free (so 25 comics for $20).

As a child, I feared for my livelihood. Marvel Comics, the only thing I had to live for as a lad of 10, was going bankrupt. There was talks DC might buy them. There were talks that they’d go under. There were talks talks talks.

Then they just axed a bunch of titles and resorted themselves and came back.

The problem was too many titles, too many gimmicks, too many crossovers and not enough new series that actually sustained themselves with an audience.

Well, with the seeming barrage of all of these things, it shows Marvel never learns. The April solicits just confirm that. Read on … (more…)

I literally laughed out loud when I saw that Youngblood #8 was going to have an Obama cover, as if there could be a more eye-rollingly transparent attempt to cash in on the same excitement surrounding the Amazing Spider-Man Obama cover.

Well, apparently, it works.

CBR is reporting that Youngblood #8 is sold out, “despite a very significant overprint.” I have to give the cover artist credit — he’s drafted a much more convincing Obama likeness than whoever worked on the Spider-Man issue.

Rob Liefeld’s sales pitch cracked me up. “YOUNGBLOOD #8 is just the prelude to a much larger story,” Liefeld told CBR. “If you liked it, you’re going to be blown away by the next issue in May.” At least he’s being more realistic about the timetable of a serial comic, giving three months between issues. Way to capitalize on the renewed excitement in your book.

Although if it’s anything like me and my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #583, these people will never open it.

Powerpop Comics founder Hobby Jones has started a blog covering the early days of his new publishing company. In the interest of full disclosure, I do some work for Powerpop, but I’m posting this more as someone who is interested in this type of thing. I had encouraged Hobby to start a blog months ago because I figured there would be more people like me who are interested in watching a new publisher get up and running. The nice words about me are just an added bonus.

One of the fun things about watching the development of the publisher has been seeing the stable of artists come together and the different styles that everyone is bringing to their projects. The latest posts on the Powerpop blog have been drawing attention to a few of them, particularly S.M. Vidaurri and Tim Durning (who has done the art for Powerpop’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow adaptation, the cover of which is shown at right).

The blog so far also includes some more general thoughts on comics, particularly some Golden and Silver Age books that inspired Jones as a kid.

Jim Doom:

• Captain America #47 - Part 1 of “Oral Pleasure.”

• Green Lantern #38 - It will probably be crap because the story has to get trimmed to make room for a pointless Origins & Omens story.

• Incredible Hercules #126 - It’s the Book of Doom! I’m pretty curious about this. Doom Fritter speaks highly of it.

• Superman #685 - See Green Lantern #38.

Book I Used to Buy That There’s No Way I’m Buying This Week:
• New Avengers #50 - Take a comic that’s been jacked up to $3.99 each month, make it a special anniversary issue, and you’ve got yourself a single issue of a comic book that costs $4.99.

Doom DeLuise: (more…)

In this episode: Mysterius the Unfathomable #2 | Johnny Monster #1 | Guardians of the Galaxy #10

Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy #10, this was definitely my least favorite of the series so far. I have been a huge fan of the writing in this book, but the attempts at snappy dialogue were downright painful at times. It was so bad, it felt at times like I was reading Fabian Nicieza’s best work. Here are a few instances:

PETER: What kind of idiot opened the gates?
JACK: I don’t know, Star-Lord, I’m going to say the bad kind?

INMATE 1: If you think we’re going to give up to some monkey-faced –
ANGRY MOB: Rrraaaa
INMATE 1: Kidding! Surrender it is!
INMATE 2: Yeah, we’ll go with surrender! Do you want it in writing or will a symbolic tossing aside of our weapons be okay?

LACKEY: The inmates were told to join your army or die.
BLASTAAR: And?
LACKEY 2: Most of them joined, great one.
BLASTAAR: What did the rest do?
LACKEY 2: They died.

BLASTAAR: I’m told you can open any lock or door, Mister Ki?
SKELETON KI: That’s why I call myself “Skeleton Ki,” your highness.
BLASTAAR: Ah, yes. I’ve just got that. Very good.

I had also never ever recalled reading the word “Teep” before, yet the word was plastered all over this issue.
(more…)

I mentioned, not long ago, my unexpected love for The Incredible Hercules (purely hetero *cough*), and along with it I mentioned that I probably won’t be able to actually convince anybody to pick it up, so what better way to force people to read something than by making it my pick for this week’s Book of Doom:

Proudly presenting, for the first time in Marvel continuity… the origin of Hercules! How did the young man who becomes the Lion of Olympus learn of his divine heritage? In what battle did he earn the title “Prince of Power?” And, most importantly, why does the goddess Hera hate him so, now that her Dark Reign begins to fall across New Olympus?

It claims to be a good jumping-on point, and is also a double-sized issue, so hopefully we—the creators and I—will have ample opportunity to convince you that it’s worth keeping in the pull-box.

He was a big part of making The Sinestro Corps as great as it was. He’s half of the creative team restoring Barry Allen to the DC Universe. He’s also writing a regular column for Newsarama. And now Ethan Van Scriver has taken some time out of his schedule to participate in Doomkopf’s Decem Quaesiti of Doom, a list of completely unpersonalized form questions for comic industry insiders.

1. What was the first comic book you remember reading?

The first one where I was conscious of the title and number was MAN OF STEEL #1. Before that, comics were just there for me to draw in and use silly putty on. So I was 16 before I actually read one.

And I’m kidding.

2. Who were your favorite comic book characters as a kid and why?

Superman, because I saw the movie! I don’t remember why I may have liked him more than Batman, but Superman seemed like the “boss”, and he was my favorite.

3. What did you originally want to be when you grew up, and at what point did you think you wanted to do this for a living?

(more…)

This feature - where I try to sum up a complicated storyline or storylife in one sentence - is still fairly new. But Stump the Doominator submissions this week were … scant. Really scant. In fact, three of these are Doom DeLuise questions. We’ll start with those:

Explain Hypertime.

Hypertime is Mark Waid being an excessively lazy turd and finding a way for DC to not have to do jack about continuity by saying that if a story is told, it happens and its canon which puts “Smallville” on the same level as “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” and puts the Wonder Twins as actually having been Justice League members.

What the flippity-do (no, he didn’t use that word) is Mojo, and what is he all about?

Mojo is an alien from a race of spineless, violent beings who controls his own little corner of Hell called Mojoworld that’s all about ramping up television ratings for other evil beings on this plane of existence by having people die a lot, and in order to do this he clones dudes with three fingers and makes babies out of superheroes.

Who are all the known members of the Summers family (including ones from alternate realities, like Marvel Girl 3)? (more…)