|
|
Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
Current TOT >>
TOT Archives |
About Tony |
Message Board
TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Friday, June 20, 2008
There's some good news for TOT fans. In recent weeks, I have talked about a new book on comics I'd hoped to write. Here's the official announcement:
I have signed a contract to write a hardcover book on comics that may well be the ultimate representation of everything I have tried to accomplish with my "Tony's Tips" and "Tony's Online Tips" columns. I'll be writing about a LOT of comic books in this book. It's akin to my personal reader's list of great comics from Action Comics #1 to the present. It won't be a listing of firsts, thought many firsts will be included. It won't be a listing of the best comics per se. It's meant to be a representative sample of the many wonderful comics which have entertained readers over the past seven decades...and no genre will be excluded.
Unlike the best books and lists that have been published in recent years, this book will focus on the mainstream. There will be brief sections for graphic novels and manga and even underground comix. There will be many comic books from the alternative and independent publishers. But the emphasis will be on the mainstream comics that drove the newsstands before the direct market and which continue to drive the direct market today.
Super-heroes, of course, but also horror, war, funny animal, romance, western, TV tie-ins, etc.
This book will represent my preference for stories that are told clearly. I don't want to decipher a good story. I just want to read it.
That said, I'm calling on my beloved readers to offer their suggestions as to comic books they would recommend for inclusion. I'll be "cheating" throughout the book by counting some collections as single issues and even some multiple-issue stories as one issue. There'll be other cases when I write about a single particularly choice story from a comic book.
I'll especially need suggestions in those areas where my own experience and knowledge might be lacking. Fiction House. Romance comics. Comics of the 1940s and 1950s.
I'll also need help narrowing down my choices. What one issue of Sugar and Spike, for example, should be included in this book? Which issue of ? Of all the great comics by Carl Barks, which would you include?
I've already started working on the book and, let me tell you, even the large number of comic books I'll be writing about doesn't seem like a lot when I'm faced with cutting some of the best comics ever created. But I can't fill the book with all Barks, or all EC, or all Lee-Kirby-Ditko, etc.
The restrictions are few. My publisher and I decided not to include comic-strip reprints. Outside of my personal favorites like Asterix and Tintin, I don't think I'll be including European comics. But I'm willing to be convinced otherwise within my "I can't possibly include everything" limits.
I have a very tight deadline on this book, so your suggestions do me the most good the sooner I receive them. Don't feel you must send a long list. Even one suggestion is appreciated. Indeed, one friend of mine, with a new baby and a move to a new house taking up most of his time, dashed off an e-mail recommending what turned out to the perfect issue of Flash from the 1990s. And it was an issue that had slipped my mind.
If you are a comics creator, don't be shy about recommending a comic you feel is your best work. Just understand that not every suggestion will make the final cut.
When I can tell you more about the book, I will. Until then, I thank you in advance for what I'm sure will be your most valuable assistance in bringing this book to completion.
******
ADDENDUM
At the top of today's column, we have Guy and Brad Gilchrist's Nancy from July 23, 2007. I love their take on this classic character and, because I haven't yet been able to convince any of my local papers to carry it, I read it at:
www.comics.com/comics/nancy/index.html
******
POTTER'S FIELD
Potter's Field is a fascinating twist on the detective protagonist, though its initial three-issue series slights the most interesting aspect of that twist. Written by Mark Waid and drawn by Paul Azaceta, the series introduces the mysterious "John Doe" and his seeming army of assistants. Doe's mission is to put names to the nameless dead who are buried and forgotten in the New York potter's field from whence comes the series title. Some of the dead are victims of unsolved crimes, others of life's misfortunes. It's a premise so incredibly rich with possibilities for so many different kinds of stories that I am already longing for an ongoing Potter's Field series.
Waid's a master of the super-hero genre, but, with this book, he shows he can do grim and gritty as well as anyone. Personally, I think he does it better than most; even in the dark world of this series, Waid doesn't abandon the notions of common decency or hope. My only quibble is that this first story gets away from the series premise by embroiling Doe in a gangster's deceitful plan to use Doe for his own purposes. However, all was forgiven with Waid's pitch-perfect ending to this initial series. Did I mention that I want to see more Potter's Field? Just checking.
I'm not as keen on the art. Azaceta's storytelling could have been a lot clearer. Nick Filardi's coloring need not have been so unrelentingly dark. The visuals weren't unacceptable - they were often very good - but they failed to live up to the consistently high quality of the writing. Of which, in case I haven't mentioned it lately, I would like to see more.
Potter's Field #1-3 [Boom!; $3.99 per issue] earns the full five out of five Tonys. More, please.
******
DC COMICS 1, TONY ISABELLA 0
Previously:
I received a month's worth of books published by DC Comics and its various imprints. It was a big box. I decided to read/review every one of the items in said big box. It was my own personal DC Challenge...and I failed!
A new big box of comic books published by DC Comics arrived on Wednesday. It held 119 items. So, rather than read and review the rest of the stuff in the previous box, I'll attempt to read/review everything in the new box.
Will I succeed in reading all 119 items before another big box of DC stuff arrives? Will I suffer yet another ignominious defeat? To find out, keep reading TOT...and also "Tony's Other Online Tips" at the Comics Buyer's Guide website. In the meantime, here are reviews of the last few comic books I read from that previous box of DC stuff before I threw in the towel.
Bat Lash #4 [DC; $2.99] continues the grim-and-gritty "origin story" of the sweet-talking, straight-shooting rogue-to-be. The creative team on the six-issue series - writers Peter Brandvold and Sergio Aragones, artist John Severin, letterer Pat Brosseau, colorist Steve Buccellato, and cover artist Walter Simonson - are all doing outstanding work, but I prefer the lighter stories that introduced the character back in 1968. Even so, there's no denying the quality of this current series. With the hope that subsequent Bat Lash adventures will be more to my liking, this issue earns an impressive four out of five Tonys.
Much of what is terribly wrong in the DC Universe super-hero titles is swiftly becoming terribly wrong in the Wildstorm super-hero title. Wildstorm: Revelations #5-6 of 6 [$2.99 each] are good examples of this. Writers Scott Beatty and Christos Gage don't provide much of a leg up for new readers. Even if a writer is writing for the trade, he still has an obligation to the reader who picks up even the final issue of a story. Not that this could actually be called the final issue since it leads directly into yet another universe-changing series. Now where have we seen that lame trick before? Like so many DCU comics of late, the writing and the art of Wildstorm Revelations are little more than adequate. These aren't entertaining comics and that's why they receive only one out of five Tonys.
I have started reading comics for the second round of my "DC Challenge." Look for the first reviews next week.
******
TONY POLLS
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films will be giving out its 34th Annual Saturn Awards on June 24. In recent Tony Polls, I've asked you to choose your favorites in various Saturn categories. Here are the results of your votes in the DVD categories...
BEST DVD RELEASE
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (remix).....46.88%
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.....18.75%
The Man From Earth.....15.62%
Driftwood.....9.38%
White Noise 2.....9.38%
The Nines.....0%
Alas, your busy Tipster doesn't have much time to watch even the best DVDs. I passed on this and most of the other categories. But not all of them.
BEST SPECIAL EDITION DVD RELEASE
Blade Runner (5-disc ultimate edition).....61.29%
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th anniversary - Blu Ray).....11.29%
Death Proof (Grindhouse: extended & uncut).....9.68%
Pan's Labyrinth (platinum series).....9.68%
Big (extended edition).....6.45%
Troy: Director's Cut (ultimate collector's edition).....1.61%
BEST CLASSIC FILM DVD RELEASE
The Dark Crystal.....35.85%
Flash Gordon.....24.53%
Witchfinder General.....16.98%
The Monster Squad.....15.09%
Alligator.....3.77%
Face/Off.....3.77%
I'm not sure I'd call it a classic, but I always thought that Alligator was fun. Especially when the creature beats that limousine to death with its owner inside of it.
BEST COLLECTION ON DVD
Stanley Kubrick (Warner Home Video Directors Series) .....32.20%
The Godzilla Collection.....18.64%
The Sergio Leone Anthology.....18.64%
Vincent Price (MGM Scream Legends Collection).....18.64%
The Mario Bava Collection (Volume 1 & Vol. 2).....10.17%
The Sonny Chiba Collection.....1.69%
You disappoint me with your lack of culture. There cannot be a better DVD collection than The Godzilla Collection, whose star has a bigger screen presence than Kubrick, Leone, Price, Bava, and Chiba combined. You diss the Big G at your peril.
BEST TELEVISION SERIES ON DVD
Heroes (Season 1).....37.68%
Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series.....21.74%
Lost (The Complete Third Season).....17.39%
Eureka (Season 1).....10.14%
MI:5 (Volume 4 & Volume 5).....7.25%
Hustle (Complete Season 2 & Complete Season 3).....5.80%
I voted for Eureka, though I'll admit Heroes has hotter cheerleaders and hitwomen.
BEST RETRO TELEVISION SERIES ON DVD
Twin Peaks (The Definitive Gold Box Edition).....33.82%
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (Volume 1: The Early Years).....22.06%
The Wild Wild West (Second Season and Third Seasons).....16.18%
Mission Impossible (Second Season and Third Seasons).....14.71%
Land of the Giants (Full Series).....10.29%
Count Dracula (BBC Mini-Series 1977).....2.94%
I voted for The Wild Wild West. Furthermore, in these troubled times, I think our government needs to revive this idea of roving secret agents in railroad cars.
And railroads.
We'll have more Saturn Awards results and questions for you in next week's columns. In the meantime, you can vote on this week's questions by going to:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. Have a happy and safe weekend.
I'll be back on Monday with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 06/16/2008 | 06/20/2008 | 06/23/2008 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
Recent Columns:
| NEWEST | Finale (06/22/2010) |
| 06/17/2010 | I review Siege |
| 06/16/2010 | Linda Gold 1949-2010 |
| 06/15/2010 | Everett True Tuesday! |
| 06/14/2010 | I review The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1: Secret Identity Crisis, Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America and The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us. |
| Archives >> |
Current TOT >>
TOT Archives |
About Tony |
Message Board
|
|
THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
Please send material you would like me to review to:
Tony's Online Tips
840 Damon Drive
Medina, OH 44256
|
|
Anything Goes Trivia
