Category Archives: Comics
The 6 Coolest Newspaper Reporters in Comics
It’s my birthday this weekend, and I’ve been racking my brain to come up with a neat List of Six to commemorate the celebration. I thought about a list of the coolest comic book characters named Sean. Or maybe my personal Bucket List. But I couldn’t find six entries for either — my Bucket List right now is only ‘visit Australia’ and ‘write a novel’, which I’m pretty sure everybody has.
So how about a List of Six of the coolest, niftiest newspaper reporters in comics? That’s my day job, after all, and I’m a big fan!
That’s a poor headline
Newspaper reporters have been around since the very beginning of comics. It’s a fun profession, and newspapers have big mouths. Who doesn’t love J. Jonah Jameson and his latest ‘Spider-Man is a Menace!’ headline? And there’s nothing I’d love more than if a masked vigilante moved into my neighborhood and I got to write newspaper articles about him or her!
Join me after the jump for the six most awesome newspaper reporters in comics!
Starbrand and Nightmask are Getting an Ongoing Series, Hopefully for the Fun of It
Some of you out there in comic book land might have fond memories of the New Universe. Back in the 1980s, Marvel attempted to try out a brand new set of superheroes, named the New Universe, with heroes like Starbrand, Nightmask and a few others. It didn’t last very long. The New Universe characters have bounced around the multiverse ever since, until very recently, when writer Jonathan Hickman tied these two characters specifically into his ongoing Avengers saga.
Hickman introduced the Starbrand and Nightmask of the 616 Universe, and now the pair will be getting their own ongoing series by writer Greg Weisman and artist Dominike “Domo” Stanton.
No doubt we can expect hijinks
Based on that cover, one has to think that the duo are going to have some fun in their series!
Me personally, I might pick it up, because I kind of like Hickman’s Starbrand. I could care less about the whole New Universe nonsense, but the idea Hickman had that the ‘star brand’ is a super power created by each individual universe as a defense mechanism is pretty cool, and I liked the character’s introduction in Hickman’s Avengers.
I have no idea what the ongoing series will be like, or if it’ll be any good, or if it’ll last. But like I said, I might just be curious enough to check it out!
And you can check out an interview with Weisman on Comic Book Resources.
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 8/29/15
I don’t know why this happens, but it always seems like my favorite comics all come out in the same week. It’s a nightmare for the wallet but a celebration for reading! This week, we’ve got new issues of Ant-Man, Spider-Woman, Lumberjanes, Grayson, We Are Robin, Harley Quinn and more! It’s great!
Comic Book of the Week goes to Batgirl #43 for another nearly perfect issue. Batgirl is everything I could possibly want from a superhero comic these days, and the creative team pulls it off so effortlessly.
Batgirl vs. a tiger!!
I hope DC keeps this team and this direction around for a long time to come.
Comic Reviews: Last Days of Ant-Man #1, Batgirl #43, Cyborg #2, Grayson #11, Harley Quinn #19, Justice League of America #3, Lumberjanes #17, Ninjak #6, Spider-Woman #10 and We Are Robin #3.
Review: Teen Titans #11
Okay, I’m calm now. As you may recall, I thought the last issue of Teen Titans was an utter abomination. It was full of random, pointless character moments, crummy art and a general sense of terrible pacing and storytelling. It was a monster. But time heals all wounds, and I’m back to see if Teen Titans #11 is any better. Good news, it is! But only because all that prior insanity is behind us. I’m OK with the fact that Wonder Girl’s team is randomly called ‘The Elite’. I’m OK that Trinity exists in the face of all logic. I’m OK that Chimera is now a full member of the Teen Titans with little to no fanfare. I’m OK with the fact that Kid Flash is back for no particular reason.
Teen Titans #11
I think I’ve fallen too far down the rabbit hole of suckitude to ever ‘enjoy’ an issue of Teen Titans again, but the new issue is serviceable. The story is straight forward, so that helps. And writer Will Pfeifer keeps most of his worst characters in check.
Comic Rating: 4/10 – Pretty Bad.
If any comic was in need of ‘Batgirling’ in the wake of Convergence, it was Teen Titans. The book has been terrible since the launch of the New 52. There is zero focus on the main characters, some of whom have never even been seen out of costume. Teen Titans is all about what random villain the characters can be thrown at next, it’s never about the characters themselves, which has become a cornerstone of good comics this year. Batgirl is popular because it focuses on Barbara Gordon, among many other good reasons. Same with Hawkeye or Harley Quinn or Ms. Marvel. But Teen Titans remains the silly action figure comic it has been since the start of the New 52.
And it boggles the mind even further to remember that Teen Titans got a relaunch and a new #1 issue last year! Why the heck did that happen?! Pfeifer hasn’t done anything differently than previous writer Scott Lobdell.
But I’m rambling. Teen Titans #11 sees one half of the team try to break into a supermax prison, and that focus helps to keep the book from flailing painfully out of control. There’s another new artist, who’s both good and bad. Basically, Teen Titans continues to be a pretty terrible comic overall, but this issue softens the blow.
The 6 Most Awesome Dogs in Comic Books
Once upon a time, I wrote up a pretty fun List of Six about the coolest cats in comic books. It’s one of my favorites, because I’m a big cat person. But it’s only fair that turn about be fair play and I write a list about cat’s arch-enemies: dogs!
And to think you had forgotten this existed
Just like those furry felines, there are a ton of pet dogs in comics. There are classic comic strip canines, like Odie or Marmaduke or Snoopy, but I’m more interested in comic book pooches. Who are the super-dogs? Or at least the sidekick schnauzers?
Join me after the jump for the six coolest canines in comic books!
Henchman-4-Hire 