I grew up reading post-apocalyptical stories. I took a special pleasure in reading sci-fi novels or short stories about life after the great disaster, but I was also tremendously captivated by comic books that would explore this fascinating subject. I’m remembering extraordinary classics such as “Hombre” (which was published in the pages of “Cimoc”), written by Antonio Segura and with art by José Ortiz, or “Survival” (published in “Eagle”), written by Barrie Tomlinson and also illustrated by José Ortiz.
So, at least for me, the concept of a great disaster (a virus, a nuclear war, a zombie apocalypse) has always been a part of my usual readings. Let’s add to that the fact that I absolutely love zombie movies and you might probably be wondering why I wasn’t reading The Walking Dead back in 2003. A decade ago I wasn’t too keen on Image titles, so I totally missed out on the debut of Robert Kirkman’s most successful franchise.
As you can imagine, Kirkman is a zombie movies fan too. So much, in fact, that his initial draft for The Walking Dead was pretty much a remake of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (the original 1968 version). I wonder, sometimes, if the idea of having a series in black and white wasn’t also a homage to the master of horror (but then again, we all know that black and white was a much more affordable option than full color).
Nevertheless, the first chapter of “Days Gone Bye” (published in October 2003) establishes a post-apocalyptical outcome from the very beginning. Instead of relying on the emotion of starting in media res, as most zombie movies do, we get to see the world as it is after the great tragedy has occurred. Rick Grimes, the protagonist, has been in a comma for weeks. When he wakes up, he finds himself in an abandoned hospital (much like Cillian Murphy in Danny Boyle’s outstanding “28 Days Later”). It doesn’t take him long to realize there is something wrong going on.
Since the series had just started and Kirkman had no idea if sales would be good, he knew he had to tell a story as fast as possible. So it isn’t surprising that Rick finds his wife Lori and his son Carl in the second issue. And what took the TV series almost two seasons, id est, the conflict between Rick and his best friend Shane, who had been taking care of Lori in more than one way, is resolved here in the final pages of the sixth issue. In general, these issues have a lot of action and plot development, clearly, there is nothing here that feels slow or decompressed.
I’ve been reading The Walking Dead on and off for a few years now, and I think one of Kirkman’s greatest accomplishments is the way he makes his characters evolve. In these first issues, Rick is naïve, slightly clumsy, too sensitive. But as things grow darker, he will change considerably. It’s also interesting to see characters like Dale or Andrea who are first presented merely as part of the secondary cast, long before they acquire protagonic roles.
The first six issues of the series were drawn by Tony Moore, a talented artist that captured flawlessly the horror elements of a world conquered by a zombie plague. There are some brilliant pages, especially those showing large agglomerations of zombies.
In the introduction of the first volume, Kirkman explains his intentions: “I want to explore how people deal with extreme situations and how these events change them”. Perhaps that, in a nutshell, is the essence of The Walking Dead, not the rotten corpses, not the flesh-eating zombies, not the gore, the blood or the guts, but rather the reaction of normal people in completely abnormal circumstances. Furthermore, like the best zombie movies, The Walking Dead makes us question our society. In that regard, Kirkman is faithful to the legacy of Romero and his saga of the living dead.
There is, however, one point that I’ve never felt too convinced about, and it is the length of the series. “The Walking Dead will be the zombie movie that never ends”, affirms Kirkman. And today, after 130 issues it has become clear for many fans that the comic book is suffering from a certain fatigue, so much in fact that now the TV series is tremendously more intense and provocative than the original material.
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Crecí leyendo historias post-apocalípticas. Para mí era un gran placer leer novelas o cuentos de ciencia ficción sobre la vida después del gran desastre, pero también estaba tremendamente cautivado por los cómics que exploraban este fascinante tema. Recuerdo clásicos extraordinarios como “Hombre” (publicado en las páginas de “Cimoc”), escrito por Antonio Segura y con arte de José Ortiz, o “Survival” ("Superviviente" publicado en “Eagle”), escrita por Barrie Tomlinson y también ilustrada por José Ortiz.
Así que, al menos para mí, el concepto de un gran desastre (un virus, una guerra nuclear, un apocalipsis zombi) siempre ha sido parte de mis lecturas habituales. Añadamos a eso el hecho de que las películas de zombis me encantan y ustedes probablemente se preguntarían por qué no estaba leyendo "The Walking Dead" en el 2003. Hace una década no valoraba mucho los títulos de Image, así que me perdí por completo el debut de la franquicia más exitosa de Robert Kirkman.
Como pueden imaginarse, Kirkman también es fan de las películas de zombis. Tanto, de hecho, que su borrador inicial para “The Walking Dead” era básicamente un remake de “La noche de los muertos vivientes” de George A. Romero (la versión original de 1968). A veces me pregunto si la idea de realizar una serie a blanco y negro no fue también un homenaje al maestro del terror (claro que todos sabemos que el blanco y negro era una opción mucha más económica que el color).
No obstante, el primer capítulo de “Días pasados” (publicado en octubre de 2003) establece un desenlace post-apocalíptico desde el comiendo. En vez de apoyarse en la emoción de comenzar en media res, como sucede con la mayoría de películas de zombis, vemos al mundo tal como es después de que ha ocurrido la gran tragedia. Rick Grimes, el protagonista, ha estado en coma por semanas. Cuando despierta, descubre que está abandonado en un hospital (al igual que Cillian Murphy en la sobresaliente “28 Days Later” de Danny Boyle). No le toma mucho tiempo darse cuenta de que algo malo está sucediendo.
Como la colección recién empezaba y Kirkman no tenía cómo adivinar si es que las ventas iban a ser buenas, él sabía que tenía que contar la historia lo más rápido posible. Así que no es sorprendente que Rick encuentra a su esposa Lori y a su hijo Carl en el segundo número. Y lo que le tomó a la serie de televisión casi dos temporadas, es decir, el conflicto entre Rick y su mejor amigo Shane, quien se había estado encargando de Lori en más de un sentido, se resuelve aquí en las páginas finales del sexto número. En general, estos números tienen un montón de acción y desarrollo argumental, claramente, no hay nada aquí que se sienta lento o descomprimido.
He estado leyendo "The Walking Dead", con interrupciones, por algunos años, y creo que uno de los grandes logros de Kirkman es la forma en la que hace evolucionar a sus personajes. En estos primeros números, Rick es ingenuo, ligeramente torpe, demasiado sensible. Pero cuando todo se torna más oscuro, él cambiará considerablemente. También es interesante ver a personajes como Dale o Andrea quienes al principio son presentados meramente como parte del elenco secundario, mucho antes de que adquieran roles protagónicos.
Los primeros seis números de la colección fueron dibujados por Tony Moore, un talentoso artista que capturó impecablemente los elementos de terror de un mundo conquistado por una plaga zombi. Hay algunas páginas brillantes, especialmente aquellas que muestran grandes aglomeraciones de zombis.
En la introducción del primer volumen, Kirkman explica sus intenciones: “Quiero explorar cómo la gente lidia con situaciones extremas y cómo estos eventos los cambian”. Tal vez eso, en resumidas cuentas, es la esencia de "The Walking Dead", no los cuerpos podridos, ni los zombis devoradores de carne, ni la violencia, la sangre o las tripas, sino más bien la reacción de la gente normal en circunstancias completamente anormales. Más aún, como las mejores películas de zombis, "The Walking Dead" nos hace cuestionar nuestra sociedad. En ese aspecto, Kirkman es fiel al legado de Romero y su saga de los muertos vivientes.
Hay, sin embargo, un punto que nunca me ha convencido del todo, y es la extensión de la colección. “The Walking Dead será la película de zombis que nunca termina”, afirma Kirkman. Y hoy en día, después de 130 números es evidente para muchos fans que el cómic está sufriendo una cierta fatiga, tanto así que de hecho ahora la serie de televisión es tremendamente más intensa y provocadora que el material original.
While you were out there celebrating Halloween, I was a happy prisoner of a veritable mountain of good comics! Some were simply good (Night of the Living Dead, New Mutants), others were very good (Thor: God of Thunder) and others were a masterpiece (Sandman: Endless Nights). I had a wonderful triple dose of Quitely: Sandman: Endless Nights (it’s so great that I had to mention it at least twice), Jupiter’s Legacy (I must write about it on a future post) and Earth 2 (Morrison’s story is very impressive and those Quitely pages are gorgeous). I hadn’t read any good Jeph Loeb comic in the past decade or so, but I enjoyed these issues of Nova, I don’t know if the protagonist (Sam) is Jeph’s homage to his own deceased son (Sam Loeb), but I certainly liked the idea of a kid following his father’s example (in real life Sam Loeb wrote comics just like his father did). I had fun with the reprint of the classic Wally Wood’s Thunder Agents. And I got bored with Wood’s Ultimate X-Men. But if I talk only about new releases, what I probably enjoyed the most this month was the first issues of Three (Gillen is quickly becoming one of my favorite new British writers) and Sex Criminals (by far, my favorite Matt Fraction creator-owned property… I don’t know why, but I was very disappointed by Fraction’s Casanova and Satellite Sam; and for a long time I thought he was only good writing Iron Man, FF or Defenders for Marvel but turns out that Sex Criminals is a brilliant series with a very seductive concept). And now, without further ado, here are October comics as per solicitations.
100 PENNY PRESS THUNDER AGENTS CLASSIC
(W) Larry Ivie, Len Brown (A) Wally Wood, Reed Crandall (CA) Wally Wood. The origins of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents' remarkable powers are revealed in three short yet action-packed stories for only one dollar! This bargain-priced collection of stories is a must-read for comic fans that want to know more about the beginnings of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. universe!
AMERICAS GOT POWERS #7 (OF 7)
(W) Jonathan Ross (A/CA) Bryan Hitch. story JONATHAN ROSS art / cover BRYAN HITCH Too many Americans with too many powers...so the government decides it's time to wipe them all out and start from scratch. Nobody ever said it would be easy.
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #6
(W) Brian Michael Bendis, Neil Gaiman (A/CA) Sara Pichelli • The blockbuster new series hits hard as Marvel's newest superstar Angela comes right for the Guardians! • Round one is Gamora versus Angela…with an entire universe at stake! • All that and comics legend Neil Gaiman joins the award-winning Ultimate Spider-Man team of Bendis and Pichelli in this one-of-a-kind comic book event!
JLA EARTH 2 DELUXE EDITION HC
(W) Grant Morrison (A/CA) Frank Quitely The amazing original graphic novel from the ALL-STAR SUPERMAN creative team of writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely is back in a new deluxe edition hardcover, that includes a gallery of preliminary art that's never been published before! Ultraman, Owlman, Power Ring, and Johnny Quick rule their world without mercy or opposition, until the sudden appearance of Superman, Batman and the rest of the Justice League! Realties clash as the Justice League travels to an alternate reality to face off against distorted mirror images of themselves… This Deluxe Edition features a new cover by Frank Quitely, plus previously unpublished sketch material and more.
JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS #3
(W) John Wagner (A) Carlos Ezquerra (CA) Jim Fern. 'The Apocalypse War' starts here! Long-contained tension between Mega-City One and East-Meg One is about to explode. East-Meg One's Diktatorat has successfully infected all the citizens of Dredd's city with Block Mania! What will Dredd do to contain this madness, and what else do the Sov forces have in mind?!
JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS #4
(W) John Wagner, Alan Grant (A) Carlos Ezquerra (CA) Jim Fern. 'Apocalypse War' rages on in vibrant new color! Mega-City One retaliates against the East-Meg forces by attempting to nuke their city to kingdom come! The Sov forces have a trick up their sleeves, though, and with the Chief Judge out of commission, it looks like Dredd will have to take the reigns of resistance!
JUPITERS LEGACY #3 (MR)
(W) Mark Millar (A/CA) Frank Quitely. The heroes conspire to overthrow The Utopian, discontent rumbling in the bars and the clubs where the superheroes get wasted and complain how much he's been holding them all back with his old-fashioned ideas of power and responsibility. There's a new world out there if they will only grasp it. But what is his daughter's secret and how will it change things forever for their family?
NEW MUTANTS #39
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (W) • Leo Fernandez (A) Cover By Kris Anka • Trapped On An Island Consumed By A Super Virus, The New Mutants Fall One By One To The Monstrous Infection...And Begin To Change. • Can Warlock Keep The Virus In Check, Even If It Means Going Against His Friends? 32 Pgs./Rated T+ ?$2.99
NEW MUTANTS #40
• Part 3 Of 3! • The New Mutants Have Fallen! Only Cypher And Warlock Remain • Can They Stop The Virulent Mutation Of The Animator Before It Engulfs The Whole World?
NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD AFTERMATH #1 (MR)
(W) David Hine (A) German Erramouspe (CA) Raulo Caceres This Halloween, David (Civil War X-Men) Hine defines a horrific era of fear with the new ongoing Night of the Living Dead! Set in the excess of the late 1970s we follow the world as it has evolved with the zombie threat, a disaster they thought they had under control. When the city is locked down with quarantine, a group of survivors finds out the hard way that even with the undead, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. And in this case it means a female punk rock zombie fetishist has to grow up in a hurry when her hedonistic boyfriend is bitten by a real ghoul. No more fun and games - it's time for a horror tale that rips you out of the safe zone with a fast paced violent survival story. Tired of no shambling ghouls in your favorite undead comics® It is the next evolution in the undead and you can't afford to miss out on this year's biggest zombie chronicle! Available with Regular Wraparound, or Gore cover by Raulo Caceres, a special Terror Retailer Incentive by Caceres, and don't miss the ultra-limited, fully-painted, original art cover on this month's NLD Day of the Undead graphic novel that is also a Retailer Incentive for this issue.
NOVA #4 NOW
(W) Jeph Loeb (A/CA) Ed McGuinness The comic everyone is talking about continues! • The mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Sam's dad deepen and the helmet leads Nova into intergalactic conflict that will affect the entire Marvel Universe!
NOVA #5 NOW
(W) Jeph Loeb (A/CA) Ed McGuinness • The origin of the most talked about new character of the year comes to a shattering conclusion. • Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, two of the most popular creators in comics, bring you an Infinite-ly dramatic turning point in the life of Nova as he discovers that something out in the galaxy is threatening everything he knows.
SANDMAN ENDLESS NIGHTS TP NEW EDITION (MR)
(W) Neil Gaiman (A) Glenn Fabry & Various (CA) Dave McKean. The classic short story collection by Neil Gaiman and a host of internationally renowned artists is now available in a new trade paperback at DC's standard trim size. Alternately haunting, bittersweet, erotic and nightmarish, the seven stories in this book-one for each of the Endless siblings, each illustrated by a different artist-reveal strange secrets and surprising truths about The Endless.
SEX CRIMINALS #1 (MR)
(W) Matt Fraction (A/CA) Chip Zdarsky. A SEX COMEDY FOR COMICS Suzie's a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time. One night she meets John... who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping, couple would do: they rob banks. In the vein of THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and BRIDESMAIDS, Image Comics invites you to come along with MATT FRACTION (Hawkeye, SATELLITE SAM) and CHIP ZDARSKY (Prison Funnies, Monster Cops) for the series that puts the 'comic' back in 'comics' and the 'sexy' back in 'sex crimes.'
SIDEKICK #3 (MR)
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A/CA) Tom Mandrake, HiFi. Flyboy finds himself increasingly under the seductive spell of one of the Moonglow Twins, who leaves no memory of her actions the next morning. Driven by a subconscious memory of their dangerous affair, and by his abject failure to get anyone in his home town to take him seriously, Flyboy decides to leave behind his current heroic identity and reinvent himself as a totally different hero in another part of the country. But everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, and he must face an even more humiliating defeat before the eyes of the world.
THANOS RISING #3 (OF 5)
(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Simone Bianchi • The Mad Titan flees his home in search of true love. • But how many lives will he have to take to find it? • The book so blood-soaked you'll be glad it's a mini-series.
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #5 NOW
(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Esad Ribic • The shocking finale of our opening salvo…! • As three Thors from three eras race to stop the God Butcher, the full extent of his vicious scheme takes terrifying shape.
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #6 NOW
(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Esad Ribic GODBOMB Part One • Somewhere at the end of the time, all the gods of the universe are enslaved, working to build a machine that will forever change the face of creation. • What is...the Godbomb? And what can Thor, the last free god in all the cosmos, do to stop it?
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #8 NOW
(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Esad Ribic GODBOMB Part Two of Five • Thor in chains. Gorr transcendent. All hope for divinity lost. As the clock ticks down on one very large bomb, as enslaved gods look to the skies for a savior, enter...the Girls of Thunder?
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #9 NOW
(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Esad Ribic GODBOMB Part Three of Five Three Thors, side by side at last, united in battle! But will even that be enough, as Gorr the God Butcher's grand plan nears completion and his powers grow beyond anything we've seen before…?
THREE #1
(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Ryan Kelly, Jordie Bellaire (CA) Jordie Bellaire, Ryan Kelly. When a member of the Spartan ruling class visits an isolated homestead of Helot workers, a brutal massacre is only the beginning. KIERON GILLEN (PHONOGRAM, Über, Iron Man), RYAN KELLY (Saucer County, Local) and JORDIE BELLAIRE (THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, NOWHERE MEN) unite to tell the heroic story of three slaves and their desperate attempt to escape 300 of the finest warriors who've ever lived.
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #27
(W) Brian Wood (A) Mahmud A. Asrar (CA) Dave Johnson THE EARTH-SHATTERING CONCLUSION TO 'NATURAL RESOURCES' • The big battle for Utopia is here! • Finally, some answers about Psylocke… • When the dust clears, who will lead the mutant nation?
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #28
(W) Brian Wood (A) Mahmud A. Asrar (CA) Dave Johnson 'NATURAL RESOURCES' AFTERMATH • The Kitty Pryde/Jean Grey showdown begins here! • Utopia or Tian? Make your choice. • Can Mach Two rejoin the fold? Will she?
UNWRITTEN #53 (MR)
(W) Mike Carey, Bill Willingham (A) Peter Gross, Mark Buckingham (CA) Yuko Shimizu. As 'The Unwritten Fables' continues, it looks like the darkest hour, but somehow things continue to get darker. Nothing stands between Mister Dark and the endless, nested worlds of reality and story-except a witch without a conscience, a prince crippled by grief and three schoolchildren who are starting to realize that they're wearing the wrong faces.
WALKING DEAD #1 10TH ANNIVERSARY ED (MR)
(W) Robert Kirkman (A) Tony Moore, Dave Stewart (CA) Dave Stewart, Tony Moore. The historic first issue of THE WALKING DEAD presented for the first time in FULL COLOR by colorist extraordinaire DAVE STEWART! Along with the original covers and variants done for this issue throughout the years and tons of other bonus material.
YOUNG AVENGERS #10 NOW
(W) Kieron Gillen (A/CA) Jamie McKelvie • It's Mother's Day. Don't worry. You won't forget. She won't let you. • Who's bringing Mother presents?
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Mientras ustedes estaban celebrando Halloween, yo era un feliz prisionero de una verdadera montaña de buenos cómics. Algunos fueron simplemente buenos (Night of the Living Dead, New Mutants), otros fueron muy buenos (Thor: God of Thunder) y otros fueron una obra maestra (Sandman: Endless Nights). Recibí una maravillosa dosis triple de Quitely: Sandman: Endless Nights (es tan grandioso que tenía que mencionarlo al menos dos veces), Jupiter’s Legacy (le dedicaré un post dentro de poco) y Earth 2 (la historia de Morrison es muy impresionante y las páginas de Quitely son preciosas). No había leído ningún cómic bueno de Jeph Loeb en la última década, pero disfruté con estos números de Nova, no sé si el protagonista (Sam) es un homenaje de Jeph a su propio hijo fallecido (Sam Loeb), pero ciertamente me gustó la idea de un chiquillo que sigue el ejemplo de su padre (en la vida real Sam Loeb escribió cómics al igual que su padre). Me divertí con la reimpresión del clásico Thunder Agents de Wally Wood. Y me aburrí con los Ultimate X-Men de Wood. Pero si sólo hablara de nuevas entregas, probablemente lo que más disfruté este mes fueron los primeros números de Three (Gillen rápidamente se está convirtiendo en uno de mis nuevos escritores británicos favoritos) y Sex Criminals (de lejos, mi creación original favorita de Matt Fraction... no sé por qué, pero me decepcionó mucho el Casanova de Fraction y su Satellite Sam; y por mucho tiempo pensé que él solamente era bueno escribiendo Iron Man, FF o Defenders para Marvel pero resulta que Sex Criminals es una serie brillante con un concepto muy seductor). Y ahora, sin mayores preámbulos, ahí van los cómics de octubre.
100 PENNY PRESS THUNDER AGENTS CLASSIC
El origen de los THUNDER Agentes.
AMERICAS GOT POWERS #7 (OF 7)
Hay demasiados estadounidenses y todos tienen demasiados poderes... así que el gobierno decide que es hora de eliminarlos a todos y empezar desde cero. Claro que nadie dijo que sería fácil.
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #6
ANGELA ha llegado. Primer round: ANGELA versus GAMORA.
JLA EARTH 2 DELUXE EDITION HC
ULTRAMAN, OWLMAN, POWER RING y JOHNNY QUICK dominan el mundo. No tienen rivales ni piedad, hasta que repentinamente aparecen Superman, Batman y el resto de la Liga de la Justicia. Es un verdadero choque entre dimensiones: la Liga ha viajado a una realidad alternativa para enfrentarse a versiones distorsionadas de ellos mismos.
JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS #3
La Guerra del Apocalipsis empieza aquí.
JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS #4
Historias clásicas de John Wagner, Alan Grant y Carlos Ezquerra.
JUPITERS LEGACY #3 (MR)
Los héroes conspiran para derrocar a UTOPIAN, el descontento se desborda en los bares y clubes en los que los superhéroes se emborrachan y se quejan de las ideas pasadas de moda sobre el poder y la responsabilidad. Hay un mundo entero listo para ser sujetado y exprimido.
NEW MUTANTS #39
Atrapados en una isla y consumidos por un súper virus, los Nuevos Mutantes caen uno por uno. Y empiezan a cambiar. ¿Podrá WARLOCK mantener el virus a raya si es que esto significa enfrentarse a sus amigos?
NEW MUTANTS #40
Los Nuevos Mutantes han caído. Sólo se han salvado WARLOCK y CYPHER. ¿Podrán detener la virulenta mutación del Animador?
NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD AFTERMATH #1 (MR)
Ambientado en los excesos de los 70, seguimos a un mundo que ha evolucionado con la amenaza zombi, un desastre que creyeron que estaba bajo control. Cuando la ciudad está en cuarentena, un grupo de sobrevivientes encuentran a una fanática del fetiche zombi pero su novio ha sido mordido.
NOVA #4 NOW
Aumenta el misterio que rodea la desaparición del papá de Sam. Y el casco dirige a Nova a un conflicto intergaláctico que afectará al universo.
NOVA #5 NOW
El momento más dramático en la vida de Nova llega cuando descubre que hay algo en la galaxia que amenaza todo lo que él conoce.
SANDMAN ENDLESS NIGHTS TP NEW EDITION (MR)
Obra de Neil Gaiman, Glenn Fabry, Frank Quitely, Milo Manara, etc.
SEX CRIMINALS #1 (MR)
Una comedia de sexo en cómic. Ella es una chica normal con una habilidad extraordinaria: cuando tiene sexo, detiene el tiempo. Una noche conoce a John… quien tiene la misma habilidad. Así que hacen lo que haría cualquier pareja que detiene el tiempo al tener sexo: robar bancos.
SIDEKICK #3 (MR)
FLYBOY es seducido por una de las gemelas Brillo de Luna, que le hace perder la memoria. Impulsado por el recuerdo inconsciente del peligroso affaire y por su fracaso de ser tomado en serio, FLYBOY decide dejar atrás su identidad heroica y reinventarse como un héroe totalmente diferente en otra parte del país. Pero todo saldrá mal. Y el fracaso será mucho mayor.
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #5 NOW
Los tres Thor de eras diferentes se apresuran para detener al carnicero de los dioses, y descubren los verdaderos planes de la criatura.
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #6 NOW
En algún lugar al final del tiempo, todos los dioses del universo son esclavizados, y trabajan para construir una máquina que cambiará para siempre el rostro de la creación. ¿Qué es... la bomba-dios? ¿Y qué puede hacer Thor, el último dios libre del cosmos, para detener todo esto?
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #8 NOW
Thor está en cadenas. La esperanza de la divinidad está perdida. Y el reloj de una gran bomba se activa. Cuando los dioses esclavizados miran al cielo en busca de un salvador, llegan ¿las chicas del trueno?
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #9 NOW
Tres Thor, por fin lado a lado, unidos en batalla. ¿Será esto suficiente ahora que el plan del carnicero de los dioses está por completarse?
THREE #1
Cuando un miembro de la clase dominante espartana visita una vivienda de ilotas, una brutal masacre será sólo el comienzo. Esta es la historia de tres esclavos y su desesperado intento por escapar.
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #27
Es el fin de ‘Recursos naturales’. La lucha empieza aquí.
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #28
La batalla por la utopía está aquí.
UNWRITTEN #53 (MR)
Las Fábulas No Escritas continúan. Parecía ser la hora más oscura, pero de algún modo todo se oscurece aún más. Nada se interpone entre el Señor Oscuro y los infinitos mundos de realidad e historias, excepto una bruja sin consciencia, un príncipe asediado por la culpa y tres niños de colegio que empiezan a darse cuenta que están usando el rostro equivocado.
WALKING DEAD #1 10TH ANNIVERSARY ED (MR)
El primer número de TWD a color.
YOUNG AVENGERS #10
Es el día de la madre. No se preocupen. No lo olvidarán. Ella no lo permitirá. ¿Quién le llevará regalos a la madre?
It has become a bit of a tradition to ‘recap’ the films I’ve seen each year. So, in 2008 I had the opportunity to see (or see again): Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), I would have never imagined that it was possible to make a musical based on Jack the Ripper, but Tim Burton not only did it but he also knocked it out of the park. 30 Days of Night (2007), based on the comic book by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, was simply the best vampire movie I’ve seen in a long time; vampires have become so irrelevant in other productions but here they are, once again, the harbingers of horror that invade a town in Alaska in which there is no sunlight for a month.
I have an especial fondness for horror movies. Or stories with suspense and / or extraordinary events. I went to see The Happening (2008) afraid that it could be disappointing. People have criticized the final explanation behind the big threat, but it still has a scientific base just as good as any other explanation in sci-fi movies. Some scientists even defend the concept of Gaea, as a living planet; and there are writers that have built upon this theory. The original title was going to be either The Green Planet or The Green Effect, but regardless of that there was an undeniable ecologic approach. Even if the explanations offered in the movie are unconvincing, there is always the line someone says at the beginning “it is an act of nature that we may never fully understand”. Not everything in life can be explained, and it is nice to see a movie that accepts that. About the acting, I don't have complaints. Like other Shyamalan's movies, everything in it has a reason to be there. And yes, I approve the ending.
I love horror films but if I had to choose one particular subgenre it would the one that started with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). Filmed in black and white, it tells the story of a group of survivors that take refuge in a country house and struggle desperately against hordes and hordes of living dead, just as scary as it was four decades ago, “Night of the Living Dead” remains a true classic. Romero has directed many zombie related films, but arguably the best one in the present decade would be Diary of the Dead (2007), a sharp analysis of our times: excess of information that ultimately confuses people, deceiving mass media, multiple interpretations of reality (is every opinion valid?, well, it would look like it on the Internet). With lots of suspense and gory deaths, it truly deserves all the praise it can get.
Of course, no listing would be complete without the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho (1960) not only includes one of the most famous and memorable scenes in the history of cinema (the murder in the shower) but it also proves that a psychological thriller can be more terrifying than a traditional horror film. A true classic, Psycho makes it into my top 100 list, an honor that is only bestowed upon the best. Wind Chill (2007) is a remarkable horror film: two college students share the same car but they get trapped in a snowstorm, forced to remain in the car they soon start witnessing supernatural manifestations and once they realize their lives are at risk, they must decide how to survive; director Gregory Jacobs takes advantage of the settings and, with only two characters, captures completely the viewer’s attention.
When psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan wrote about being “between two deaths”, he probably never imagined that someone would make of the theory a most fascinating film: Den Osynlige (2002), directed by Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist, tells the story of a boy that is brutally attacked, as a consequence, he turns into a ghost that is not really a ghost, he is in-between worlds but he’s also summarizing the symbolic death and the real death. Fracture (2007) describes a perfect crime, but perhaps the greatest appeal here is Anthony Hopkin’s character, a wealthy sociopath, a genius, a man so full of hatred that simply mesmerizes the viewer.
No Country for Old Men (2007) comes from the minds of the Coen brothers, I haven’t read the novel that inspired the movie, but it seems to me like there were some plot holes and frankly I don’t know who to blame: the directors, the screenwriters or the novelist. Anyway, great acting and stunning visuals make this a worthy production. Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park (2007) shares some traits with Elephant, here the long sequences serve to get inside the mind of the protagonist, a boy that is very secluded into a world of his own, much like any teenager his age. A skating park becomes the scenario in which the protagonist tries to find his place in the world, but as he’s trying to define himself, he will face a life-changing moment when an older guy persuades him to accompany him. With a very subtle homoerotic subtext, Gus Van Sant once again proves that art and experimentation are filmic requirements.
Woody Allen is one of my most respected and admired directors: Scoop (2006), is a bitter-sweet film in which an afterlife manifestation accuses Lord Lyman of committing murder. As a consequence, Sid and Sondra (interpreted by Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson) will start investigating the noble man. There is also homicides in Cassandra’s Dream (2007), a film that shares some elements with “Crimes and Misdemeanors” and even “Match Point”. They say everyone (and everything) has a price and when two brothers (Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor) are offered a chance to receive an enormous amount of money, they think that’s the solution to all their problems… except that they must first kill a man.
Todd Field’s Little Children (2006) deals with that which is beneath the peaceful façade of American suburbs. Characters that are driven by their particular perversions must deal with life as it is. Highly recommendable. Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men (2006) gives us a future in which humans are no longer able to procreate, in world devoid of hope, life has lost all meaning; Cuarón manages to convey such desperation and raw emotion in this film that one feels immersed in the story since the first minute.
Cabeza de perro (2006) is the story of a boy that must come to terms with his neurological conditions, young actor Juan José Ballesta makes a most memorable performance, bringing tenderness and teenage awkwardness together. Dioses (2008) directed by Peruvian filmmaker Josué Méndez is a very interesting approach to social marginalization which finds in private beaches an ideal setting; especially enthralling is the incestuous relationship between Sergio Gjurinovic’s character and his sister. Paris Je t’aime (2006) is a compilation of short films directed by some of the best contemporary filmmakers: Isabel Coixet, Gus Van Sant, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuarón, Wes Craven, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, etc.
Rian Johnson’s Brick (2005) gathers two very talented actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lukas Haas. A crime has been committed and a high-school student decides to investigate what happened, like cinema noir adapted to teenage dynamics, this film displays some of the most original ideas I’ve seen in a long time. It definitely deserves a spot on my top 100 films. Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (2007) is an extraordinary story that sums up ambition, the oil business and religious zealousness, not only Daniel Day Lewis gives a great performance but also Paul Dano (an actor who has worked in astonishing independent films such as Michael Cuesta’s L.I.E.). Art School Confidential (2006) deals with the value of art in today’s society, as it criticizes with humor what is deemed as art according to experts and galleries. David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises (2007) delves into the Russian mob and a particular crime. Raw violence and intense moments give special momentum to the film. Run Lola Run (1998), or Lola Rennt (original title), is a fast-paced adventure that presents several alternatives as the protagonist decides what course of action is the most appropriate.
The Night Listener (2006) focuses on a homosexual writer who becomes very interested in the manuscript of a teenage boy, they start talking on the phone frequently but as the man tries to get closer to the boy, his friends warn him to stay away. Running with Scissors (2006), based on the book by Augusten Burroughs, tells the life of a boy as he grows up, the rupture of his family after her mother declares she is a lesbian, and the peculiar machinations of a crazy shrink; heart-wrenching, powerful and controversial, Ryan Murphy’s film depicts the protagonist, a gay teenager, in a most unique and innovative manner. This film also makes it into my top 100. Sommersturm (2004), revolves around a gay teenager and his best friend, a heterosexual boy; when they travel to participate in a sports competition, their relationship starts to fall apart; and things get even worse when they find out one of the teams they’re competing against is formed entirely by gay boys.
I’ve been a fan of Christopher Nolan since Memento, and The Dark Knight (2008) was probably the best comic book related film I’ve seen. I don’t think it’s easy to translate well established characters such as Batman onto the big screen, but Nolan creates the definitive Dark Knight film. Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy 2: the Golden Army (2008) is much better than the first one, is so full of fantasy and epic moments that viewers will be in awe once they see it. Sky High (2005) is actually an “all-ages” movie, hardly the kind of production I pay attention to, but since young actor Michael Angarano has starred in impressive independent productions (Dear Wendy, Snow Angels, Bondage, etc.) I decided to give it a go, and I really enjoyed it, it’s fun and charming. Iron Man (2008) was quite a surprise, faithful to the character’s personality, the movie takes a Marvel hero into new heights (and Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect Tony Stark). The Incredible Hulk (2008) was a good sequel (my favorite scene is the one that has Stan Lee reaching for a bottle in the fridge, pure gold).
Other good films: “Joyeux Noel” and “Flags of our Fathers”, two different but valid ways to understand war. “Idiocracy” a delightful comedy about idiots outnumbering smart people. “Hollywoodland”, “Dreamland” and “Kidulthood”, intense dramas. “The Matthew Shepard Story” (based on real life events); “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” takes a chapter of the revolution in Ireland. “The illusionist” magic and illusionism mixed together.
And more horror (and suspense) movies: The grudge 2, Wrong turn 2: dead end, Hostel 2, Vacancy, El orfanato, Believers, Deathwatch, Saw, Texas chainsaw massacre, The Texas chainsaw massacre: the beginning, Friday the 13th 7: the new blood, Slither, Return to the house in haunted hill, The reaping, 1408, Anatomie, Saw III, Going to pieces: the rise and fall of the slasher film.
Other movies: All the king’s men, Half light, November, Stories of lost souls, Aeon flux, The watcher, The slingshot, Dahmer, The number 23, Jumper, Eragon, Havoc 2: normal adolescent behavior, Steel city, American dreamz, Copying Beethoven, Breaking and entering, 10th and wolf, The dog problem, Edmond, Street kings, A scanner darkly, Stay alive, Dead calm, Eating out, Little fish, Barely legal, Woody Allen: a life in film, The house sitter, We own the night, The black dahlia, Delirious, Rendition road, Body of lies, Superbad, The day the Earth stood still, Elementarteilchen, La bande du drugstore, Sonnen alleen, Den brysommen mannen, A cause de un garcon, Lake Tahoe, Perro come perro, Saint Gaine. And the ones I found disappointing: La zona, Quantum of solace, X- Files 2: I want to believe.
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Ya es una tradición comentar las películas que he visto cada año. Ahora me concentraré en todo lo que vi (o volví a ver) en el 2008: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), nunca hubiera imaginado que se podía hacer un musical sobre Jack el Destripador, pero Tim Burton lo hizo realmente bien. 30 Days of Night (2007), basado en el cómic de Steve Niles y Ben Templesmith, fue simplemente la mejor película sobre vampiros que he visto en mucho tiempo, una vez más, estos seres vuelven a ser los emisarios del horror al invadir un pueblo en Alaska en donde no hay luz solar durante un mes.
Lo sobrenatural, el suspenso y las películas de terror me apasionan. Cuando fui a ver The Happening (2008) no sabía qué esperar. El título original del film de Shyamalan iba a ser "El Planeta Verde" o "El Efecto Verde", demostrando una clara línea ecológica. Y aunque el desenlace de la película decepcione a muchos yo considero que es válido; tal como dice alguien en los primeros minutos "es un acto de la naturaleza que quizá nunca entendamos". Y es que no todo en la vida puede ser explicado. ¿Ya mencioné que soy un fan del terror?, bueno, si tuviese que elegir un subgénero en particular sería el que empezó con Night of the Living Dead (1968) de George A. Romero. Filmada en blanco y negro, narra las peripecias de un grupo de sobrevivientes que se refugian en una casa. Después de cuatro décadas, los muertos vivientes siguen más vigentes que nunca. Esto queda demostrado en Diary of the Dead (2007), un agudo análisis de nuestra época: exceso de información que en última instancia confunde a la gente, medios de comunicación deshonestos, múltiples interpretaciones de la realidad, etc. Si agregamos el suspenso y las muertes sangrientas, estamos frente a una película que no podemos dejar de lado.
Desde luego, ningún listado estaría completo sin el maestro del suspenso, Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho (1960) no sólo incluye una de las más famosas e inolvidables escenas de la historia del cine (el asesinato en la ducha) sino también demuestra que un thriller psicológico puede ser más aterrador que el terror tradicional. Un verdadero clásico que está en mi lista de las mejores 100 películas. Wind Chill (2007) es una impresionante película de terror: dos estudiantes universitarios comparten el mismo carro pero quedan atrapados en una tormenta de nieve, obligados a permanecer en el vehículo pronto empiezan a observar manifestaciones sobrenaturales... descubriendo así que sus vidas están en peligro. Gregory Jacobs, el director, aprovecha al máximo los espacios cubiertos de hielo, y con sólo dos personajes captura por completo la atención del espectador.
Cuando el psicoanalista Jacques Lacan escribió sobre el "entre dos muertes", probablemente nunca imaginó que alguien convertiría la teoría en una película: Den Osynlige (2002), dirigida por Joel Bergvall y Simon Sandquist, se centra en un chico brutalmente golpeado que yace entre el mundo de los vivos y los muertos, en consecuencia, deambula como un fantasma, pero no es un fantasma tradicional porque sigue estando atrapado entre la muerte real y la simbólica. Fracture (2007) describe el crimen perfecto, pero tal vez lo más atrayente sea el personaje interpretado por Anthony Hopkin, un adinerado sociópata, un genio, un sujeto tan lleno de odio que hipnotiza al espectador.
No Country for Old Men (2007), es de los hermanos Coen. No he leído la novela que es la base de la cinta, pero me parece que argumentalmente hay varios puntos flojos, no sé a quién culpar, a los directores, a los guionistas o al novelista. De todos modos, con un trabajo visual impecable y actuaciones de primera, vale la pena verla. Paranoid Park (2007) de Gus Van Sant comparte influencias con Elephant, aquí las secuencias largas sirven para entrar en la mente del protagonista, un muchacho aislado que vive en su propio mundo. La práctica del skate le sirve, como a cualquier adolescente, para definirse a sí mismo; no obstante, enfrentará un momento crucial en su vida cuando un hombre lo invita a pasar el rato con él. Con un muy sutil subtexto homoerótico, Gus Van Sant comprueba que el arte y la experimentación son requisitos indispensables.
Woody Allen es uno de los cineastas que más admiro y respeto. Scoop (2006) es una agridulce historia en la que una manifestación espectral acusa a Lord Lyman de varios asesinatos. En consecuencia, Sid y Sondra (interpretados por Woody Allen y Scarlett Johansson) empezarán a investigar al noble. También hay homicidios en Cassandra’s Dream (2007), producción que comparte elementos con “Crimes and Misdemeanors” e incluso “Match Point”. Se dice que todos tenemos un precio, y cuando dos hermanos (Colin Farrell y Ewan McGregor) tienen la oportunidad de recibir una enorme suma de dinero, creen que han encontrado la solución a sus problemas... aunque a cambio deban asesinar a un hombre.
Little Children (2006) de Todd Field explora aquello que subyace a la pacífica fachada del suburbio americano. Los personajes están impulsados por sus perversiones particulares. Children of Men (2006) de Alfonso Cuarón es la visión de un futuro en donde no hay nacimientos. Incapaces de procrear, la esperanza ha abandonado a la humanidad. Cuarón logra transmitir una desesperación y una emoción cruda que hacen que nos sumerjamos en la historia desde la primera escena.
Cabeza de perro (2006), es la historia de un chaval con una extraña condición neurológica, el joven actor Juan José Ballesta hace un trabajo formidable, mezclando ternura y torpeza adolescentes. Dioses (2008), del cineasta peruano Josué Méndez es un interesante enfoque sobre la marginalización, que tiene como escenario principal las playas privadas (playas como las de Asia, en donde estoy los fines de semana en verano); vale resaltar la relación incestuosa entre el personaje interpretado por Sergio Gjurinovic y su hermana. Paris Je t’aime (2006) es una selección de cortometrajes dirigidos por algunos de los mejores cineastas contemporáneos: Gus Van Sant, Isabel Coixet, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuarón, Wes Craven, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, etc.
Brick (2005) de Rian Johnson reúne a dos talentosos actores: Joseph Gordon-Levitt y Lukas Haas. Un crimen ha sido cometido cerca de un colegio, y un estudiante de secundaria decide investigar lo ocurrido; el cine negro se adapta a las temáticas juveniles en este film que desarrolla algunas de las ideas más originales que he visto últimamente. Merece, sin duda, estar en mi lista de las 100 mejores películas. There Will Be Blood (2007) de Paul Thomas Anderson es una magistral historia que sintetiza la ambición, el negocio del petróleo y el fanatismo religioso; no sólo Daniel Day Lewis deslumbra con su actuación sino también Paul Dano (actor que ha incursionado en el cine independiente, por ejemplo en L.I.E. de Michael Cuesta). Art School Confidential (2006) critica con mucho humor el mundo del arte actual, ¿qué es arte?, ¿y por qué solamente los expertos y las galerías imparten las reglas? Eastern Promises (2007) de David Cronenberg recrea los actos de la mafia rusa; violencia cruda y momentos intensos refuerzan la película. Run Lola Run (1998) es una veloz aventura con múltiples desenlaces, cada decisión de la protagonista crea alternativas diferentes.
The Night Listener (2006) se enfoca en un escritor homosexual que al leer el manuscrito de un chico de 14 años empieza a comunicarse con él telefónicamente. Sin embargo, todos sus amigos le advierten del peligro que puede haber en una relación de esta naturaleza. Running with Scissors (2006), basada en el libro de Augusten Burroughs, repasa la vida de un chico, la ruptura del hogar cuando su madre se declara lesbiana y las maquinaciones de un psiquiatra lunático; el film de Ryan Murphy nos muestra al protagonista, un adolescente gay, de la forma más inolvidable y original. Va para el top 100. Sommersturm (2004) se centra en un adolescente gay y su mejor amigo, un chico heterosexual; cuando viajan para competir en un torneo de remo, su amistad se deteriora, y las cosas parecen empeorar cuando descubren que el equipo rival está conformado únicamente por jóvenes gay.
He sido fan de Christopher Nolan desde Memento, y considero que The Dark Knight (2008) es probablemente la mejor producción basada en un personaje establecido (como Batman). Hellboy 2: the Golden Army (2008) de Guillermo del Toro es mucho mejor que la primera, cargada de fantasía y momentos épicos Hellboy 2 lo tiene todo para impresionar al espectador. Sky High (2005) es en realidad una película para "todas las edades", es decir, no es algo a lo que usualmente prestaría atención, pero como el joven actor Michael Angarano había actuado en notables cintas independientes (Dear Wendy, Snow Angels, Bondage, etc.) decidí verla de todos modos, y realmente la disfruté, fue encantadora y divertida. Iron Man (2008) fue toda una sopresa, fiel a la personalidad de Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. elevó el nivel de las producciones de Marvel. The Incredible Hulk (2008) fue una buena secuela (mi escena favorita es la de Stan Lee, oro puro).
Otros films de interés: “Joyeux Noel” y “Flags of our Fathers”, dos diferentes pero válidos enfoques sobre la guerra. “Idiocracy” una deliciosa comedia sobre un mundo poblado por idiotas y en donde los inteligentes están casi en extinción. “Hollywoodland”, “Dreamland” y “Kidulthood”, dramas intensos. “The Matthew Shepard Story” (basada en hechos reales); “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”, un capítulo de la revolución en Irlanda. “The illusionist”, magia e ilusión.
Y, obviamente, más terror (y suspenso): The grudge 2, Wrong turn 2: dead end, Hostel 2, Vacancy, El orfanato, Believers, Deathwatch, Saw, Texas chainsaw massacre, The Texas chainsaw massacre: the beginning, Friday the 13th 7: the new blood, Slither, Return to the house in haunted hill, The reaping, 1408, Anatomie, Saw III, Going to pieces: the rise and fall of the slasher film.
Otras películas: All the king’s men, Half light, November, Stories of lost souls, Aeon flux, The watcher, The slingshot, Dahmer, The number 23, Jumper, Eragon, Havoc 2: normal adolescent behavior, Steel city, American dreamz, Copying Beethoven, Breaking and entering, 10th and wolf, The dog problem, Edmond, Street kings, A scanner darkly, Stay alive, Dead calm, Eating out, Little fish, Barely legal, Woody Allen: a life in film, The house sitter, We own the night, The black dahlia, Delirious, Rendition road, Body of lies, Superbad, The day the Earth stood still, Elementarteilchen, La bande du drugstore, Sonnen alleen, Den brysommen mannen, A cause de un garcon, Lake Tahoe, Perro come perro, Saint Gaine. Y las que me parecieron decepcionantes: La zona, Quantum of solace, X- Files 2: I want to believe.
