Checkmate in Check

Recently soliciations over at DC comics is making news out of an underappreciated title. Checkmate is a beautiful DC series written by Greg Rucka and, more recently, Eric Trautmann about the multi-operational UN agency that keeps the DC universe "safe" well under a slightly more legal form than the vigilante stuff of Batman and the like. This series, much like many by Greg Rucka, has been vastly underappreciated and unloved when it should be one of the top selling titles. It reminds me of Rucka and Brubakers earlier piece of perfection, Gotham Central, which was also a title that deserved far more recognition than it recieved.
Sometime ago Greg Rucka decided that issue #25 would be the last set of pages in his tenure for Checkmate. Now normally DC would go about the BS process of cancelling the series. Thankfully they chose not to do this and Greg pushed to let Eric Trautmann take over the series. Over at his blog, Eric even claims he was offered AND accepted the position of taking over Checkmate with issue #26.
Well here is the part that made the news and upset many. DC recently released their May solicitations and under Checkmate #26, there is no Rucka, there is no Trautmann, there is only Bruce Jones. Now I have no problem with Bruce Jones, but I also have no love for Bruce Jones, the guy writes very similiar to the way Chuck Austen did and because of that, nothing stands out. Bruce Jones is very much like a filler writer, he writes stories that seem to just do a circle, nothing standing out and nothing of note being accomplished. You can't hate that, but its ignorable and not something you particularly like.
So my question is how much longer will Checkmate remain this amazingly under-rated comic series? Will it end with Rucka and Trautmann's departure in issue #25? Maybe Bruce Jones will pull an ace out of his sleeve and finally find a book he was just made for on Checkmate...I find that as unlikely as the majority of you, but never say never.
Still, lets end on this note, a question aimed at DC. Why not Eric Trautmann? has he not proved himself well enough on Checkmate? Did Rucka's recommendation mean nothing? Or is Bruce Jones just racking up favours under the desks of DC offices?

PICK OF THE WEEK

Every Wednesday new comic books arrive at my store and I choose my favourite as my personal ‘Pick of the Week’. This decision is made before I read the issue and is based upon several variables. Contributing factors include the creators, cover, story summary, previous events in the comic, and personal interest in the comic. The options I choose from our only limited by what Diamond has listed to release this week according to their shipping list (and in some rare cases the issue won’t even arrive at my shop). So without further adieu, this week’s pick is:

IMMORTAL IRON FIST: ORSON RANDALL AND THE GREEN MIST OF DEATH # 1



Matt Fraction
Mothers, lock up your daughters when we revisit the continuing adventures of that dashing rogue, Orson Randall, the Golden Age Iron Fist! The last time we flashed back to the life and times of Orson Randall, in the much fan-loved and critically acclaimed IMMORTAL IRON FIST ANNUAL, readers unlocked several secrets affecting Danny Rand, the Iron Fist of today. Now get ready for more! We promise you spine-tingling chills, ass-kicking action and pulp-fiction adventure like you’ve never seen, featuring gorgeous flashback art by Mitch Breitweiser, Chris Brunner, Russ Heath and Lewis LaRosa! Orson Randall goes head-to-head again and again versus none other than…the endlessly mystifying and unstoppably powerful Prince of Orphans! How will their battle through the ages echo in the life of Danny Rand?! You bet your kicked butt it has everything to do with the kung fu tournament of death unfolding in the pages of IMMORTAL IRON FIST!!

Not only does this title take the prize for pick of the week, but that has to be the longest comic title published this month if not so far this year. If you have been reading the Immortal Iron Fist (and you all should be reading it) then this pick would be of no suprise to you. Right now this series is one of the best out there and the one-shots seem to be right on par with the on-going. I could have easily had to fight with myself over this weeks pick, with great titles like Angel, Runaways, JLA, Avengers, and the FINAL Cable & Deadpool...but upon see this title it was a no contest win.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Every Wednesday new comic books arrive at my store and I choose my favourite as my personal ‘Pick of the Week’. This decision is made before I read the issue and is based upon several variables. Contributing factors include the creators, cover, story summary, previous events in the comic, and personal interest in the comic. The options I choose from our only limited by what Diamond has listed to release this week according to their shipping list (and in some rare cases the issue won’t even arrive at my shop). So without further adieu, this week’s pick is:

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #21



Sterling Gates & Nelson (he's a one name kinda guy)
In this story, the saga of the mysterious Alpha Lanterns spills into Green Lantern Corps! Chosen for the elite Alpha Lanterns, Boodikka continues her absolute pursuit of justice and order. When she is assigned by the Guardians to investigate the negligence of her sector replacement, Boodikka is shocked to uncover startling secrets about her own life from before she joined the Corps! Writer Sterling Gates (TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS: SUPERMAN PRIME, GREEN LANTERN/SINESTRO CORPS SECRET FILES) explores the life of Alpha Lantern Boodikka in part one of "The Curse of the Alpha Lantern."

It seems a two part filler for GLCorps this time around, but any character development on this massive group of heroes is more than welcome. After the stunning events of the Sinestro Corps War (with a hardcover being released next week), the Green Lantern titles deserve their time in the light. That being said, the competition wasn't the toughest this week. With interesting DC releases like Green Arrow/Black Canary and Booster Gold #0 there was some challange, but sadly nothing that dove off the shelf. Marvel put up a minor fight with some secret invasion titles like New Avengers and some major spoiler in Captain Marvel (that I cannot confirm as I'm waiting until tomorrow to grab my books). The indy companies didn't even seem to care about the week of Valentines day and Lincoln's birthday. Perhaps indy books don't like American Patriotism or love?

Countdown to FREAKANGELS

It's a better Countdown than to Final Crisis

Mark Waid is the New Chuck Norris

So once again credit goes to Graeme McMillan and the commentators over at Newsarama for filling today with bloggy content. Apparently they've started a new internet meme expressing just how bad ass Mark Waid is.
Based upon rumours popping up over at CBR, apparently claiming that Mark Waid was fired as a DC editor under aggressive circumstances, the jokes are flying around that Waid would kill you just as quick as write you a comic. Here are some of my favourite Excerpts:

Mark Waid once didn’t like how a comic was inked, so he bought three gallons of ink and force fed it to the inker.
-Comment by Jason M. Bryant

Mark Waid knows the Anti-Life Equation. And Darkseid doesn’t.
-Comment by Confirmed Coyle

When Jesse Quick lost her virginity, Mark Waid found it and put it back.
-Comment by Confirmed Coyle

Mark Waid can make Mephisto forget about the Spider marriage.
-Comment by Dave

Before he met Mark Waid, Alan Moore’s hands were steady enough to shave himself.
-Comment by Jason M. Bryant

The real reason Mark Waid left Flash? Wally West couldn’t keep up.
-Comment by Blake Petit

A Clever Ruse? One More Time

So after reading a rather intruiging series of posts on the bendis board, collected rather brilliantly Newsarama's Graeme McMillan here, I have a new idea.

What if, just what if with me here Marvel-ites, the whole OMD/BND thing is a clever ruse to view spider-man in a what could be different scenario before returning us into the living hell that was Peter's life before a deal with Mephisto. I mean honestly, could you imagine both the joy and dismay of fans and creators alike (let alone the twisted happiness brought across Mephisto's face) if suddenly around a year from now we see Peter living this happy and amazing life on his own before BAM! Suddenly he's back to May dying, trying to hold together his marriage, and everyone knowing exactly who he is. Honestly, what if this suddenly happier lifestyle he's living gets thrown out the window and the fans all get what they've been begging for, the old continuity of Spidey. I wouldn't put it past Joe Q, he has been known to show a rather twisted mind for circle compositions. Furthermore, it could definitely sink in with certain theories about Steve Rogers and others. I know I for one would give the story far more credit if they messed with my comic emotions so well. So what do you all think, is Joe Q an evil comic genius, playing with our hearts like a mad puppeteer? Or, is he merely to be taken at face value? If thats the case Joe, you still have sometime to come off as incomparable in the comic market with such an amazingly near-unforseen twist that could captivate us all.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Every Wednesday new comic books arrive at my store and I choose my favourite as my personal ‘Pick of the Week’. This decision is made before I read the issue and is based upon several variables. Contributing factors include the creators, cover, story summary, previous events in the comic, and personal interest in the comic. The options I choose from our only limited by what Diamond has listed to release this week according to their shipping list (and in some rare cases the issue won’t even arrive at my shop). So without further adieu, this week’s pick is:

THE BOYS #15



Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson
Part one of the four part "Good For The Soul": Hughie visits The Legend, determined to find out more about The Boys- their history, their personalities, and their mysterious hidden agenda. Meanwhile, Annie January (alias Starlight) has her own doubts about membership of The Seven. This storyline also reveals a little more about the other members of the team- beginning with Butcher, and his relationship with CIA director Susan Rayner.

Dynamite Entertainment has been constantly putting out comics I've wanted to pick up for sometime now. However, Boys is a release that has found its way to the top of my read pile since It left Vertigo sometime ago. I honestly love this series and its dark, perverse, and utterly hilarious look at the Superhero genre. Once again this week was a bit of a competition with titles like Warren Ellis' Doktor Sleepless, Buffy Season 8, and the Darkness. It looks to be like an enjoyable time to sit down and crack open a comic book.

Step Aside Steve, There is a New Captain in America

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is the new Captain America. I'd normally put a spoiler over such things, however in this case I have a reason. Anyone who truly cares should have long since known this outcome. In fact, if you actually read the comic last month, you'd have known Bucky would be the new Cap before his "debut" issue even occured in #34.



This was hardly an unforseen twist from the day Captain America #26 was released. However, a little over a year ago (well many of us were awaiting Captain America #25 and far more were just not expecting to visit a comic shop that week) no one would've seen it coming. When Steve died the news went wild and I sold litterally hundreds of copies of this issue in my store alone. Hell, when I find them I can still sell Captain America #25 at a pretty penny. Sadly, issue #34 will not likely hold the same value or love. The media coverage was near non-existant as a few places mentioned it, the largest program coverage being displayed below on the Colbert Report. I recieved 40 copies at my store and sold out of all of them by sunday. I feel 40 was an appropriate amount because not once did anyone ask me for the issue, it sold well on its own and mainly to comic fans. This is very unlike Cap #25 where I had many people unfamiliar with comic shops coming into ask if I had the issue and where they could find it in the store. I've come to learn over my years at this shop that when people ask where the comics would be in this comic shop, they're generally not comic fans. Thusly the lack of any questions about the issue and simple yet silent sale of all 40 issues in under 5 days tells me the general audience for this issue. That being said, who knows how many late comers will barge into the store over the next month asking for a copy. I'll definitely be ordering second printings.

As for the issue itself, it was good. Thats all, it was merely good. I enjoyed the issue, it was not in anyway bad, but there was no amazing moment or milestone to it. I didn't feel some special tingle when Bucky put on the costume or ever think to myself that "this is steve's sucessor". I mean, the most meroable and amusing moment in the issue was Bucky in the new Cap outfit, capping three AIM agents in the knees. It was just like every issue since Cap's death though, good, worth reading, but not any spectacular moment that has me saying Steve is finally gone.

When issue #25 originally came on shelves I told almost all my customers that this was in no way the end of Steve Rogers. Of course we all knew Steve would eventually be back, but I expected a little sooner than those that were waiting for the next "wipe the slate clean" Marvel event. I was originally shooting out dates like a year to two years. Now, I can't say my view never faltered, unlike my co-worker who still says 18 months. I fortunately got to talk with Ed Brubaker at the 2007 WWLA convention and he persuaded me that Cap was dead. Thusly, I returned with the "He's Dead, Jim" attitude that he wont come back until said "clean slate" event. Now I'm back where I started, he'll be back and soon. Why do I hold this view? Bucky isn't the new Captain America. If Marvel and Brubaker were serious about this transition we would all see a full page splash, glorious, and patriotic moment where Bucky first throws on that Captain America outfit. I didn't see that or get that feeling. Furthermore, the unmemorable and merely enjoyable issue that #34 was leads me to believe this is all merely a temporary thing and Steve will be back in full force within the year.

Furthermore, as much as I did enjoy Bucky as Captain America, he just wouldn't work out. Look at him, he's carring the gun around and hold his darker, Winter Soldier, attitude still that simply doesn't have that Captain America feeling of hope. Bucky is just not the guy you all look up to and admire as the amazing symbol of Captain America. My final word: Good issue, definitely worth the read, expect Steve back soon.

The Goddamned Batman

I've got any idea! What if we make a Batman comic series wherein we play him as an extremely over the top, ultra violent psycho. He'll be atleast 23x darker than any alternate incarnations, swear more than the worst of sailors, and then we'll cover it in sexy babes. Hell, lets just make it laughable in excessively played actions. Then? lets release the title over several years, averaging two issues a year.

Now that was not at all what the pitch for All Star Batman and Robin looked like (I presume), but it might as well have been word for word. Don't get me wrong though, it's one of the better titles coming out from DC...when it does actually come out. This title makes me laugh hysterically at the large degree of exaggerated moments in batman history. Furthermore, its almost like a drinking game, taking a shot everytime Batman says 'goddamn'. On a side note, I don't advise play such a game without a very high tolerance to the liquor you're consuming. Honestly, what were they doing letting Frank Miller write this? I honestly can't tell why, but for some odd reason the series amuses me to no end. From the word goddamn popping up in just about every panel of issue #7 to nazi nipples in issue #8, this just screams out as being a badcall from DC. Still--and don't ask me why--this series is absolutely amusing and worth far beyond its simple $2.99 a copy.



Here is what I'm wondering though. DC is a comic company that censored the hell out of the fairly mature "Tenjou Tenge" manga they released through subsidarary CMX. Why are they allowing their most well known character to be drawn as such a raving lunatic? As amusing as it is, it still feels like a bad buisness move. Perhaps its because once the comic fans it was truly aimed for get past the insanity there is so much humour to be found in it that we'll snatch it off the shelf a million times faster than they put it out (quite litterally, because I'm pretty sure I'd grab at it in under 15.5 seconds, 1/millionth of the time between issues). Still, it seems to give a very...unique and unmarketable view of the character. In fact, the script seems like it would far better suit the Midnighter over at Wildstorm. None the less, seeing Jim Lee's beautiful artwork showing off sexy and half naked dames, damaging the dentures of Gotham scum, and masterfully illustrating many of DC's greatest heroes does allow me to ignore the out of character attitude far easier.

So my over all opinion for All Star Batman and Robin would be to recognize it as an atlernate reality parody of Batman. Perhaps consider it the modern day version of our 1960's Batman television series. This is because a simple open minded view allows you to honestly enjoy the humour of the situation where Batman has become the most outrageous superhero title on the market.