THE BEST PANEL from ‘Manhattan Projects #9′
no context necessary.
Pitarra and Hickman have been toiling away with their Manhattan projects for 9 issues now, and for me at least, the book has always been a bit of a conundrum. After hearing that Hickamn writes each issue “by the seat of his pants” and doesn’t do the usual meticulous planning some of his other books require (like Avengers) I felt as if the plot was a bit unhinged, that maybe the finer points were escaping Hickman’s capable grasp. My fear was the book would become a ‘lost’-esque mishmash of cool yet unresolved ideas. But this issue crystallized the series for me. Ludicrous, over the top and sensational, ‘Projects’ is everything I could have hoped for. And this panel, with Albert Einstein, drink in hand, round-housing a Luchador into a space/time portal could not put a better period to my paragraph. (Manhattan projects comes out monthly at your local comic shop!)
THE BEST PANEL from Bendis & Maleev’s SCARLET #6
the station went to hell after Ron Burgundy left.
I spoke about it a little bit somewhere on the internet, but I really focused on a panel that seemed to distill the essence of the entire series. If you’re not reading Scarlet, (or you stopped after the long wait between issues,) pick it back up. Bendis and Maleev continue to improve upon the formula that should’ve made their Spider-Woman series a huge success. (blame it on motion comics). Either way, enjoy the panel.
THE BEST PANEL from Hickman’s ‘The Avengers’ #4
Asgardian Moonshine: proving that even the most advanced races have hillbillies.
I haven’t read all my books this week but this one was a standout for obvious reasons. I got a chance to see Hickman speak at NYCC late last year and after listening to his take on how The Manhattan Projects is written (pretty much by the seat of his pants) I had a new appreciation for (some of) his titles. The only thing this new issue misses is Jerome Opena’s art, but Kubert is a pretty decent stand-in. Besides all that good stuff, there are almost too many testicle references to count. Jeff and Dante over at IC3 would love it. -Ian
KNOCK THE DUST OFF THIS MOTHERFUCKER
I’ll spare everyone the labored metaphor I had saved for what will hopefully be a return to regular posting. Suffice to say it involved a lot of jokes about things you might find in an elderly woman’s vagina. (Mice, cobwebs, fossilized George Burns’s semen, et al.) But don’t think that I’m saving your time to hastily approach something resembling an apology- you’ll find no purchase on the steep face of my indifference. After all the reboots, marketing, thousands-nay, MILLIONS of fans come and gone, all that remains is a Gateway PC too old to run Minecraft, and the weather-beaten psyche of an overgrown nerd looking for someone to talk about comics.
I’m going to start working on a monthly article about comic book sales, so you might get that one tonight, but since they run behind, the first post will feature August’s sales. (I’ll try to research more current data, but I might need more than three people in the entire universe to care about them before that happens) Oh, and while I’m here, and have what I can only assume is your rapt, unwavering attention, here are some other things you should totally check out while you’re pretending to work).
Talib Kweli, ‘Attack The Block’ (mixtape) - Mixtape of the year contender. Kweli does an amazing job mixing intellectual substance with rough edges and barbed jabs. Some amazing sample work from Z-trip as well, including Chuck D, R.E.M., the electric company, and the awesome, Edgar-Wright movie it’s named after. (Which you totally need to watch).
The Incompetent Comic Cabal Cast - Internet Comic Book Clowns. It’s no secret that the Bag And Bored offices are familiar with the scatological fury that Jeff (the ringleader of their irreverent comic-book punkcast) exerts on all objects. His friends, who huddle together with him in his basement weekly to discuss comics and bowel movements, are no different. It’s like a comic book ‘Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ where Jeff=Mac Dante=Dennis Dan=Frank and Adam=Sweet Dee. (Just listen to an episode, it will all make sense).
Maximum Comics - Las Vegas, Nevada. Best comic shop in the country. ’Nuff said.