March 18, 2013

February comics / cómics de febrero


With almost 20 comics and 2 trade paperbacks I was afraid it would take me longer to finish reading everything. Anyway, against all odds my favorite comic of the month was Young Avengers # 1 and I’ll definitely write a review about it. The conclusion of the Hit-Girl miniseries was quite interesting, and the conclusion of Happy was very intense. I loved the third chapter of Witch Doctor, arguably the best Image miniseries right now. The first issue of Snapshot was a very pleasant surprise, Andy Diggle really manages to capture the environment of nerdiness that surrounds a comic book store, and creates in only a few pages a couple of really fascinating characters, plus a very intriguing mystery that involves mutilations and murders. Sandman and America’s Best Comics are two really great trades, including many stories by Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, two of my most respected and admired writers ever. I haven't read Hellblazer in a while, the last issue I bought was # 250, and it was in the first DCBS package that arrived to Perú in 2010, the end of Vertigo's oldest series with issue # 300 certainly marks the end of an era. The conclusion is bitter and sad. So long John Constantine, you'll be missed. Finally, the February book I loved the most was Silver Surfer Parable, but I guess it doesn’t qualify as the “best of the month” since it was originally published in the late 80s. Still, it is Stan Lee and Moebius at their best. And now, without further ado, here are February comics. Which one of these would you like to see reviewed in length?

AMERICAS BEST COMICS PRIMER TP
A special trade paperback priced at just $4.99! Featuring the writing talents of Alan Moore, this volume collects TOM STRONG #1, PROMETHEA #1, TOP 10 #1, TOMORROW STORIES #1 and TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES #1, with tales of Jack B. Quick, Greyshirt, First American, Jonni Future, Cobweb and Splash Brannigan.

AMERICA'S GOT POWERS #5 (of 6) 
story JONATHAN ROSS art / cover BRYAN HITCH   After the Event that created a whole generation of super-powered kids, Tommy Watts has finally discovered what his gift was: The ability to give super powers to others. Now, as the government's enhanced soldiers battle the outcast super-teens, Tommy can't decide which side to fight for! 

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #21
Neil Gaiman (W), Duane Swierczynski (W), Geoffrey Thorne (W), Michael Avon Oeming (W/A), Denis Medri (W/A), Gabriel Hardman (W/A), Corinna Bechko (W), Caitlín R. Kiernan (W), Michael T. Gilbert (W/A), Simon Roy (W/A), Jason Wordie (W/A), Shannon Wheeler (W/A), Paul Chadwick (A), Eric Nguyen (A), Todd Harris (A), Steve Lieber (A), and Greg Ruth (Cover). Neil Gaiman (Sandman, American Gods) teams with Paul Chadwick (Concrete) for “The Day the Saucers Came”! Plus, three new series debut this month, including work by Simon Roy (Prophet) Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man), and Arcade Boy by Denis Medri! Featuring Neil Gaiman! [Maybe as a headline] Caitlín R. Kiernan’s Alabaster and Michael Avon Oeming’s The Victories continue!
“Comics’ best kept secret trove of great comics."—Comic Book Resources

FASHION BEAST #6 (MR) 
Writer: Alan Moore Cover & Art: Facundo Percio. Alan Moore’s time-lost masterpiece spins a complex web of mythology over a world on the precipice of nuclear annihilation. Doll discovers the frightening truth behind the powerful Patron, Celestine. Beneath the mysterious layers of deformity lies a heart beaten down by the vanities of man and a fashion obsessed mother. Will the revelation of what is really behind the fashion empire boost Doll into immortality or tear her to pieces? Available with a Regular or Wraparound Cover by series artist Facundo Percio or Haute Couture Incentive (by Percio) or the very rare Tarot (by Paul Duffield) Incentive cover.

GARTH ENNIS RED TEAM #1 (MR)
(W) Garth Ennis (A) Craig Cermak (CA) Howard Chaykin, Ryan Sook. Part one: The First-Timers. Eddie Mellinger, Trudy Giroux, Duke Wylie and George Winburn are Red Team: the NYPD’s elite anti-narcotics unit. They’ve taken down one drug lord after another with a careful blend of meticulous surveillance and applied violence, but their latest case has even them stumped. Their frustration leads them to take extreme measures- setting them on a path from which there can be no coming back. As they’re about to discover, doing the wrong thing can be very, very seductive.

GREAT PACIFIC #4 (MR)
(W) Joe Harris (A/CA) Martin Morazzo. story JOE HARRIS art / cover  MARTÍN MORAZZO  'TRASHED!' Part Four Settling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has led Chas Worthington down an insanely dangerous path. But when the lovely and mysterious French aviator, Zoe crashes onto his island nation, things only get worse. Meanwhile, the corporation and the government Chas fled conspire to drag his fugitive hide back to Texas!  

HAPPY #4 (OF 4) (MR)
(W) Grant Morrison (A/CA) Darick Robertson. Christmas is here and the bad men are about to open their presents! It's showdown time but can Nick Sax save the day without Happy to help him - or will he screw this up like everything else? You must not miss the blood-drenched conclusion of our heartwarming Yuletide classic!  

HELLBLAZER #300 (MR)
Written by PETER MILLIGAN Art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and STEFANO LANDINI Cover by SIMON BISLEY. It’s the heart-rending conclusion of “DEATH AND CIGARETTES”—and the end of Vertigo’s longest running series. John Constantine has escaped, cheated, narrowly avoided and even reversed death on multiple occasions over the past 25 years. Now, we will test whether the old boy has one more second chance in him. Don’t miss this epic, oversized special issue celebrating everything that makes John Constantine so bloody unique.

HIT-GIRL #5 (OF 5) (MR)
(W) Mark Millar (A/CA) John Romita. Series finale! He pulls a knife, she pulls a gun. He sends one of hers to the hospital, she sends one of his to the morgue - THAT'S the Hit-Girl way. Mindy's had it up to HERE with that thing called 'restraint' and pays the mafia a long-overdue visit. Also: Red Mist faces his final super-villain training test. A limited edition variant by Bill Sienkiewicz will be released for this issue. 

INVINCIBLE #100 CVR A OTTLEY 
(W) Robert Kirkman (A) Ryan Ottley, John Rauch (CA) Ryan Ottley. 10th ANNIVERSARY LANDMARK 100 th ISSUE SPECTACULAR! THE DEATH OF EVERYONE: CONCLUSION! It's all been building to this. Mark Grayson's entire life as a superhero, all he's learned, all he's endured, it's all been leading to this one moment.  Will he become the hero he was meant to or will he choose... a DIFFERENT path?  The aftermath of this EXTRA-SIZED issue will shock you. 

MORNING GLORIES #24 
(W) Nick Spencer (A) Joe Eisma (CA) Rodin Esquejo. 'Truants.' 

SANDMAN TP VOL 07 BRIEF LIVES NEW ED (MR)
Neil Gaiman et al.

SILVER SURFER BY STAN LEE AND MOEBIUS #1
(W) Stan Lee (A/CA)  Moebius. Galactus has converted humanity into his followers, and he's leading them to their doom! His only challenger is the hero he himself trapped on Earth: the Silver Surfer! It's a war for Earth's worship, but how much will be left when it's over? Collecting SILVER SURFER: PARABLE #1-2. 

SNAPSHOT #1 (of 4)
story ANDY DIGGLE, art / cover JOCK. Jake Dobson is your typical nerd; works at the Near-Mint Rhino comic-book store in San Francisco. But when he finds a lost cell phone, he's horrified to discover it's full of snapshots of a murder victim. Suddenly he finds himself hunted by a vengeful hitman who wants his phone back... and Jake in a body bag! And then things start to get *really* complicated...

TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH #2 (of 4)
Story MK PERKER & KEN KRISTENSEN art / cover MK PERKER. "CANDY WITH STRANGERS," Part Two. Todd, imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit, falls into the crosshairs of the Aryan Nation. Meanwhile, his father stalks a celebrity Scientologist, his mom gets laid in a parking lot, and a headless Girl Scout is mauled by junkyard dogs.

UNCANNY AVENGERS #3
(W) Rick Remender (A/CA) John Cassaday • Red Skull is using his new powers to incite violence against mutants across the globe! • Scarlet Witch and Rogue make a terrible discovery that will haunt them forever! • The UNCANNY AVENGERS feel the full might of Red Skull's S-Men. 

UNWRITTEN #45 (MR)
(W) Mike Carey (A) Peter Gross (CA) Yuko Shimizu. As the old stories die, new stories wake and stretch - without Leviathan to rein them in. And detective Didge Patterson gets pulled into a messy homicide case that brings together a strange, young boy with a wicked imagination, a pack of zombies and one very hungry vampire journalist. 

THE WALKING DEAD #107 (MR)
story ROBERT KIRKMAN art / cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN. Rick is, once again, pushed BEYOND his breaking point

WALKING DEAD THE GOVERNOR SPECIAL (MR) 
(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn This special Walking Dead issue contains a reprint of THE WALKING DEAD 27, featuring the first appearance of The Governor, as well as the Governor origin story that first appeared in the CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2012.  Find out the origins of the villain from THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 3! 

WITCH DOCTOR MALPRACTICE #3 (OF 6)
(W) Brandon Seifert (A/CA) Lukas Ketner. Dr. Morrow's medical practice - diagnosing and treating supernatural diseases - has been disrupted by a mysterious force that's targeted him for unknown reasons. Now, Morrow faces his oppressor - and discovers just how much danger he's in!  'A unique combination of spine-tingling terror and medical drama.' - MTV 

YOUNG AVENGERS #1 OMALLEY VAR NOW
(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Jamie McKelvie (CA) Bryan Lee O'Malley. Legacy isn't a dirty word... but it's an irrelevant one. It's not important what our parents did. It matters what WE do. Someone has to save the world. You're someone. Do the math. The critically acclaimed team of Gillen/McKelvie/Wilson (with added Norton Sauce) decide to reinvent the teen superhero comic for the 21st century, uniting Wiccan, Hulkling and Hawkeye with Loki, Marvel Boy and Ms. America. No pressure. Young Avengers is as NOW! as the air in your lungs, and twice as vital. It's the book that knows Hyperbole is the BEST! THING! EVER! 

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Con casi 20 cómics y 2 tomos recopilatorios tenía miedo de demorarme demasiado leyendo todo. En fin, contra todo pronóstico, mi cómic favorito del mes fue Young Avengers # 1 y de hecho le dedicaré una reseña completa. La conclusión de la miniserie de “Hit-Girl” fue muy interesante, y la conclusión de “Happy” fue muy intensa. Me encantó el tercer capítulo de “Witch Doctor”, tal vez la mejor miniserie de Image del momento. El primer ejemplar de “Snapshot” fue una muy agradable sorpresa, Andy Diggle se las arregla para capturar el ambiente nerd de una tienda de cómics, y crea sólo en unas pocas páginas un par de personajes más que fascinantes, además de un misterio que nos intriga, que involucra mutilaciones y asesinatos. “Sandman” y “America’s Best Comics” son dos tomos de primer nivel, que incluyen muchas historias de Neil Gaiman y Alan Moore, dos de mis más respetados y admirados escritores. No he leído Hellblazer en mucho tiempo, el último número que compré fue el # 250, y estuvo que el primer paquete de DCBS que llegó a Perú en el 2010, el fin de la serie más antigua de Vertigo con el ejemplar # 300 de hecho marca el fin de una era. La conclusión es amarga y triste. Hasta luego, John Constantine, serás extrañado. Por último, lo que más me gustó de febrero fue "Silver Surfer Parable", pero supongo que no califica como lo "mejor del mes" ya que la fecha original de publicación es de fines de los 80. Aún así, son Stan Lee y Moebius en su mejor momento. Y ahora, sin más preámbulos, los dejo con los cómics de febrero. ¿Cuáles creen que deberían ser reseñados a conciencia?

AMERICAS BEST COMICS PRIMER TP
Alan Moore y otros.

AMERICA'S GOT POWERS #5 (of 6)
Luego del evento que creó a toda una generación de jóvenes con súper-poderes, Tommy finalmente ha descubierto su don: la habilidad de conferir poderes a los demás. Pero, ¿se aliará con el gobierno o le hará frente?

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #21 
Neil Gaiman y Paul Chadwick en “El día que llegaron los platillos voladores”

FASHION BEAST #6 
DOLL descubre la temible verdad detrás del poderoso Patrón. Debajo de las capas de deformidad yace un corazón golpeado por la vanidad del hombre y la obsesión por la moda. 

GARTH ENNIS RED TEAM #1 (MR) 
El equipo rojo es la unidad elite antinarcótico de la policía de New York. Han eliminado a grandes señores de la droga con una cuidadosa mezcla de vigilancia y violencia aplicada, pero su caso más reciente los tiene inmovilizados. Y su frustración los lleva a tomar medidas extremas.

GREAT PACIFIC #4 (MR)
El gran parche de basura del Pacífico ha llevado a Chas por una ruta peligrosa. Pero cuando una misteriosa y adorable aviadora francesa se choca en la isla-nación, las cosas simplemente empeorarán. 

HAPPY #4 (OF 4) (MR)
La navidad está aquí, y los malvados están por abrir sus regalos. ¿Podrá Nick salvar el día sin la ayuda de HAPPY o lo arruinará todo?

HELLBLAZER #300 
Es la conclusión de “La muerte y los cigarrillos” y el final de la serie más longeva de Vértigo. John Constantine ha escapado, mentido, evitado e incluso revertido la muerte en múltiples ocasiones en los últimos 25 años. Ahora el hombre será puesto a prueba una última vez.

HIT-GIRL #5 (OF 5) (MR)
Él saca una cuchilla, ella saca una pistola. Él manda a uno de los suyos a la morga, y ella hace lo mismo. Mindy está harta de las restricciones y decide visitar a la mafia. Además, RED MIST enfrenta la prueba final de villanía.
my drawing / mi dibujo

INVINCIBLE #100 CVR A OTTLEY
Toda la vida Mark Grayson se ha preparado para este momento. ¿Se convertirá en el héroe que estaba destinado a ser o elegirá otro camino?

MORNING GLORIES #24
Truhanes.

SANDMAN TP VOL 07 BRIEF LIVES NEW ED (MR)
Neil Gaiman y otros.

SILVER SURFER BY STAN LEE AND MOEBIUS #1
GALACTUS ha convertido a los humanos en sus seguidores, guiándolos hacia la perdición. El único que puede retarlo es el héroe que él mismo aprisionó en la Tierra: SILVER SURFER.

SNAPSHOT 1 (of 4) 
Jake es el típico nerd; trabaja en una tienda de cómics en San Francisco. Pero cuando encuentra un celular perdido, se horroriza al descubrir fotos de personas asesinadas. Repentinamente, se encuentra perseguido por un vengativo homicida que quiere recuperar su celular ¡y de paso matar a Jake!

TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH #2 
Todd es apresado por un crimen que no cometió y cae en las garras de la nación aria. Mientras tanto, su padre acosa a una celebridad y su mamá tiene sexo en el estacionamiento público, y mucho. 

UNCANNY AVENGERS #3
RED SKULL está usando sus nuevos poderes para incitar la violencia contra los mutantes a nivel mundial y ROGUE descubre algo terrible.

UNWRITTEN #45 (MR)
Cuando las viejas historias mueren, las nuevas historias se despiertan – sin Leviatán para poder dominarlas. Y el detective Patterson investiga un enredado caso de homicidio que reúne a un extraño muchacho con una imaginación desatada, una hora de zombis y un periodista vampiro.

THE UNWRITTEN #46 
Rich continúa con sus investigaciones y el asesino de la cosecha de cuerpos ataca de nuevo – contra sí mismo. MADAME RAUSCH tiene un plan para disminuir el número de decesos… por un precio justo.

THE WALKING DEAD #107 
Rick es, una vez más, empujado hasta el límite.

WALKING DEAD THE GOVERNOR SPECIAL (MR)
La primera aparición del Gobernador y su origen.

WITCH DOCTOR MALPRACTICE #3 (OF 6)
El doctor atiende y diagnostica enfermedades sobrenaturales. Y ahora es perseguido por una misteriosa fuerza. Ahora está en peligro.

YOUNG AVENGERS #1 OMALLEY VAR NOW
‘Legado’ no es una mala palabra… pero sí irrelevante. No importa lo que hicieron nuestros padres. Importa lo que hacemos nosotros. Alguien debe salvar el mundo. Tú eres alguien. Saca las cuentas. 

4 comments:

  1. Hellblazer e Hit-Girl, sem dúvida para mim!
    Essas duas revistas são ambas o final de algo...
    ;)

    Abraço

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prometo escribir sobre Hit-Girl, pero no sé cómo hacer con Hellblazer (primero tendría que comprar el arco argumental completo).

      Delete
  2. SILVER SURFER: PARABLE is very, very cool. I'll keep an eye out for your Happy review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, I absolutely loved Silver Surfer Parable.

      It's settled then, I'll review both, Happy and Parable.

      So far the only review I have ready is Young Avengers, that should be up tomorrow or so.

      Delete