Posted in: Comics | Tagged:

Fourteen Thoughts About Fourteen Comics – Time Warp, Red Lanterns, Morning Clories, Five Weapons, Think Tank, Justice League Dark, East Of West, Fatale, All Star Western, Thunderbolts, Suicide Squad, Dark Knight, Young Avengers And Guardians Of The Galaxy

Published Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:00:12 -0500

Last updated Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:28:32 -0500

Time Warp from Vertigo is basically Vertigo's attempt to do 2000AD. Future Shocks, Time Twisters, they used to call them. Lindelhof and Lemire's initial one works, Tom King and Tom Fowler's is rather obvious but had delicious details, Gail Simone and Gael Bertrand is probably the strongest and was the only one to give me a genuine surprise at the ending, despite it all being set up for me. Si Spurrier, who should be a past master at this, had great glorious details but was also obvious, everyone should see it coming and anyway, it was nicked from the very first DR And Quinch story. S'right. Dead Boy Detectives from Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham continues the longest drawn out serialised comic book since, well, Marvelman. She's Not There by Peter Milligan and MK Perker was beaten to the punch by Black Mirror's Be Right Back. 00:03:00 by Ray Fawkes and Andy Macdonald is basically a simple war story from World War I translated into science fiction. While Matt Kindt goes for hardcore sci-fi war with only two participants and billion-strong populations behind each in something that's so very clinical and technical and ends up being rather moving. And Dan Abnett shows his absolute familiarity with the form, with INJ Culbard, in creating a much more satisfying, chewy and interesting version of the first story. Although now I'm thinking of that Doctor Who episode…

An alternative Atroticus when his family had lived basically becomes Adolf Hitler. Which is still more subtle than that story in Time Warp.

And with that, Nick Spencer takes into new Lost-style shenanigans. It's a monastery!

Five Weapons hides that fact that our star is using a weapon… his brain! Do you see? Do you see?

Talking of using brains as weapons (if you throw them hard enough they can knock out a small child), have you been reading Think Tank? It's basically for people who wish Warren Ellis still wrote Transmetropolitan, but without all the imploded bowels and journalism, but military technology and psychoanalysis instead. In this issue tiny robots, photo messaging and sexual harassment.

I'm warming to Justice League. But it is a little odd to see John Constantine drawn somewhere between Art Adams, Frank Cho and Terry Moore. Puffy face Constantine! Puffy face Constantine! Here, let me prod it…

So much to love about a future semi-mystic Wild West in East Of West, and a lot of gut retching to go through over the uber-violence, but for now I'd just like to focus on this elegance of a robot horse. Did you like Firefly? Go here.

While Fatale also has a go at the Wild West and helps us out understanding Native American/Invading Bastard Cocksucker American relations.

While All Star Western... blimey there are a lot of Western comics this week… may lead with Victor Savage in Gotham, but hidden away at the back is the true continuity gem of the issue, Adam One, and the emergence of Stormwatch in the Wild West.

Of all the places for Deadpool to fall in love with Elektra, it would have to be Thunderbolts, where it has a half decent chance of actually being taken seriously. Ish. And leads to some daytime soap opera speeches from The Red Hulk. Rucka left Punisher for this kind of thing, you know.

You know, whenever I've received Cease And Desist notices from DC Comics, it's been a little less violent. Only a little, mind.

At every comics convention that we spy each other at, Ben Templesmith and I try to lick the other one first. I don't know why, we just do. Something tells me that we'd both prefer it from Catwoman but beggars can't be choosers.

And that, I think, is what Young Avengers has been missing. More opportunities for Loki to say stuff like that. I wonder what music they play in MJ's? I bet Kieron Gillen has a playlist in his head.

And yes, even Iron Man notices that there may be one or two too many Avengers comics.