Bagged and Bored Cast Episode 9

The boys are back in town! And by "in town" we mean Toronto, for the annual FanExpo. Give a listen to Bagged and Bored Cast: Episode #9 as:

We review last weeks comics on the road to T.O.

Paul pulls aside a rep from Bioware to find out about their newest game: Dragon Age: Origins.

We talk about the first day of FanExpo at our favorite watering hole, C'est What? on Front St.

Chris gets a chance for a one-on-one interview with the head honcho of DC Comics, Dan Didio.

We head back to C'est What? after the second day at FanExpo hungry for more comics talk and poutine.

We wrap up the weekend talking to our new favorite, nerd band Kirby Krackle.

And finally as we head back to Buffalo, NY we talk about the experiences of the third day and the Expo as a whole.

So check out the episode HERE and as always, make sure you subscribe for free on iTunes. Also be sure to follow us at: http://twitter.com/BaggedandBored and be sure to check back next week as we get back to our regular format!

Thanks for checking us out!

With Great Power...

So the day after FanExpo the world is all a flutter with the biggest news in comic book history, maybe: Marvel Comics has been bought by the Disney Company.

Now I can see where some people may get nervous about this news. But as the resident Disney Expert here at Bagged and Bored, I say to you in the immortal words of Douglas Adams: DON'T PANIC.

When looking at this news you have to remember that Disney is an entertainment company, and they want to diversify their assests as much as possible, which is something Disney has been working on for a while.

Disney has long been targeting the 8-14 year old male demographic with some struggling success. I'm not going to turn this into an article about gender roles and identity but it boils down to the fact that if you're a little girl you like the Disney Princess lines and if you're a boy you like the Pirates franchise.

Disney has worked on exploiting these franchises as much as possible, hence the popular Pirate and Princess Party that Disney has been running annually.

This after hours event (for the price of a special event ticket) welcomes families into a party that spans Disney's Magic Kingdom Park that features (in addition to pirates and princess all across the park): a special night-time parade, a party exclusive fireworks show, as well as a special stage show in front of the Cinderella Castle.

And if you REALLY want to be prepared for the party (or just to make you special day even more special) you could take your little girl to the Bibbidi Bobbiddi Boutique in Downtown Disney, where for a price between $48 and $280 she can be made up to look like a princess.

After capitalizing on this, Disney began offering a similar experience near the Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom for boys (for the rate of $49-$125).

While buzz is building for Disney's newest action-adventure franchise, Prince of Persia, it's more recent ventures into the pre-teen male market have been lackluster (see: Race to Witch Mountain). And with no Pirates of the Carribean picture in the works right now Disney is in a tight spot. Cue the recent changing of the Toon Disney channel to Disney XD, a more action-adventure based network and you have further proof of Disney trying to capture that younger male market. Which brings us back to the Marvel deal...

Due to Marvel's runaway success at the box office, it's proven that it's franchises are viable in the market that they're looking at.

When looking at the sale of Marvel to Disney, it's relevant to bring up the 2006 deal in which the Mouse-house bought Pixar Studios. Since Disney aquired Pixar (which it bought outright for $7 Billion), Pixar has opperated as a seperate unit, that doesn't have to answer to Disney, but both benefit from the deal that's been set up. As Disney gets to release highly successful cgi films under their banner and Pixar get's a more distribution and marketing than they would on their own.

So fans worried that characters such as the Punisher may be shevled coming out of this have nothing to worry about. Bear in mind that in addition to ABC and ESPN, Disney owns studios such as Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax. Some notable movies from those houses?

The Sixth Sense, Reservoir Dogs, Clerks, Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, Dogma, and Kill Bill.

All far from what most would consider "Disney-fare". Disney won't care about the publishing side of the business and Marvel Comics will be left to flourish on it's own. Let's not forget that Marvel was once bought out by ANOTHER company when it was snatched up by Toy Biz in the 90's, and it did quite well for it's self after that. But Disney knows that Marvel will be a cash cow when it comes to it's feature presentations and licensing, which is where the real money is made.

Unfortunately Disney may have to wait on some of the licensing deals Marvel has in place right now to capitalize on what it wants. Right now Marvel has a deal in place with Universal Studios, letting their characters appear at the Islands of Adventure Park, meaning it might be a while before Spider-Man and crew show up at Disney World. Also all the Pixar, Muppets and the Mickey Mouse family of characters are licensed to comic publisher BOOM! Studios, so it may be a while before we see some comics featuring Disney characters come out under their Marvel imprint.

That was weird to say. But I see this being beneficial to both Disney and Marvel, much like the Pixar deal was. And with someone like John Lasseter, who cares about not only the company but more-so characters and story, working behind the scenes at Disney if he teams up with people at Marvel I think we're going to see a renaissance.

Bagged and Bored Cast Episode 8

It's time again for that weekly dose of all things nerdy, now with an All-New, All-Different intro! Join Chris, Paul, John and Producer Scott this week as they discuss:

The Week in Geek - Todd Macfarlane's Spawn heads to the big screen again, sometime. The debut of the new season of Felica Day's The Guild, and the related Legend of Neil. Then we jump into big news out of BlizzCon, including the new World of Warcraft Expansion, Diablo III, and the WoW big screen movie.

The List - What books have us heading to the shop the week of September 2nd? Find out here.

The Main Topic - On the eve of the Bagged And Bored crews trek up to the Great White North, find out what the team does to prepare for comic conventions, what we look forward to when we're there, and some of our favorite stories from conventions past.

The Movie Fix - We jump into the wayback machine and remenisce about Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and discuss the recent live presentation from the MST3K crews newest venture www.rifftrax.com and their tearing apart of the B-movie classic: Plan 9 From Outer Space.

If you haven't already, there's no time like now to subscribe to the Bagged And Bored Cast on iTunes. Also, be sure to rate and review us at the iTunes store and follow us at http://twitter.com/BaggedandBored as well!

How To Be A Douchebag At Comic-Con

Every so often an event occurs that cracks the internet in half. Not literally of course, but sometimes things happen that you thank the heavens that you were able to witness. For those that scour the comic book world, yesterday we were treated to one of those events.

Now I'm by no means a Rob Liefeld fan, and I've brought up my issues with his art on this blog before, but what happened at Chicago Comic-Con, hit a brand new level of douchery.

The site which housed the article detailing the events is down at the moment, but what happened is a group of comic fans discovered that Rob Liefeld, the love to hate/hate to love artist who has been at it since the 90's, was present at the con.

Their plan then went into motion, ringleader "Yellow Hat Guy" approached Liefeld's table and identified himself as a big Captain America fan, and then in something almost straight out of Clerks: The Animated Series, proceeded to ask for an apology for the Heroes Reborn event. Liefeld acknowledged the dweeb and dismissed him with a "get out of here" head nod.

Spurned by the creator of a series 13 years old, YHG tracked down a copy of "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way", wrapped it in a bag, and once again swung by Liefleds table leaving it there for him before bolting.

It's what happened in the wake of this that got people talking. After the convention was over, YHG proceeded to blog about the event and post videos of how they PWNED Liefled online. What happened on video and the way the story was told on the blog differed and the video, and it was acknowleged by Rob on his Twitter. Soon after, a choir of comic fans and comic book creators, descended upon the blog leaving comments about the level of douchebaggedness achieved during this event:

Skottie Young: How small of a man are you? Grow up and have a little class.
Cameron Stewart: I’m a professional comic artist, and I attend conventions often. Most of the time the experience I have with fans is pleasant and courteous, but there’s usually one or two who are so clueless of how to interact with people in a respectful and polite manner that it spoils the otherwise fun day. So you don’t like Rob Liefeld, big deal. His work isn’t to my tastes either but I would never dream of trying to publicly humiliate him in person. He’s taken the time and expense to come to that show to ply his trade – just as you work at your job – and interact with the people who DO appreciate his work and presence. He’s not there for you to be snide and condescending and to be the recipient of your asinine, half-witted pranks. I’m sure you got a big kick out of it (I love how you describe yourself as shaking and sweaty because you “can’t process that much awesome” instead of it being because you’re cowardly and nervous), and you probably high-fived your friends and giggled all the way home to write your smug blog report, but what you did was classless and childish. I guarantee you that this blog post is making the rounds of the pro community (another pro artist forwarded it to me, and *not* because he thought it was a hilarious prank), and thanks to your readily-identifiable yellow hat, you’ve marked yourself as someone to avoid at cons. Well done.
Pia Guerra: I’m not a fan of his work but dude, that’s fucking douchebaggery.
Mark Allen Haverty: Whether you love or hate his work, time after time Rob Liefeld has shown himself to be an incredibly engaging and generous artist to his fans. You decided you wanted to be an douchebag and insult him in front of all of them. There’s no time to do it for next month’s Wizard, but if I ever decide to pull the Top Ten Writers list to make room for a Top Ten Fanboy Assholes list, I’ll be sure to put you at No. 1. No one should ever have to apologize for a piece of artwork someone else doesn’t like. Everyone should apologize for behaviour like yours.
Jimmie Robinson: As someone who does a book both loved and hated I can relate to Rob. And to be bloody honest the fact he doesn’t get upset over “fans” like this year-after-year speaks volumes about his character. But this goes beyond Rob, because in effect Mr.-Yellow-Hat-to-be-avoided is also disrespecting the opinions of others who DO like his work and his style. I’ve met and spoken with Rob a LOT. At the Image booth we hang out all the time. He is a nice person and he has a LOT of fans. He’s always busy doing commissions for the fans, art for charity auctions, reviewing portfolios and signing his books. Let him do his job, please. Joke or not, it’s not helping comics.
Ethan Van Sciver: Congratulations. We’re all sitting ducks for this kind of stupid behavior, putting work on hold for a few days to come and sign your comics and shake your hands instead of taking a nice family vacation. So if you’d like to be horribly, childishly rude to any of us, it isn’t hard, and most of us will sit and be polite so as not to disrupt the REAL comic fan’s enjoyment of the convention. Rob Liefeld has clearly perfected one art, at least, and that’s the art of suffering fools. Next time don’t you yourself be in the photographs. You look like a twat.

As I said before, I've never been a Liefeld fan, but I'd never be a dick to him. I like Cable and Deadpool and I read X-Force when I was growing up. I lump him in with Chris Claremont as creators whom I might not like so I don't buy their work, but I can recognize what they've done both in and for comics in the scope of things.

His art style might not be to my tastes, but you can't deny that he's got a following (hence him still getting work). Rob's also one of the founding members of Image Comics, and a strong proponent for creators rights. He does free sketches for fans at conventions, and donated all of the artwork from his two issues of Teen Titans to the Sam Loeb Foundation to be auctioned off in order to raise money.

He sounds like a pretty stand up guy to me, and that's where it comes to separating the creator from the creation and being just plain disrespectful.

Bagged and Bored Cast Episode 5

Episode 5 of the Bagged And Bored Cast is now up on iTunes! Join us as we have a few to drink and discuss:

The Week In Geek - Our quick hits of nerd news from the past week, where we talk about XBox Live's release of the arcade game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time, new Lost Webisodes, the demo for Madden '10, more DLC for Left 4 Dead

The List - The comics we're looking forward to the most next Wednesday.

Main Topic - Gateway Comics. Every comic fan (but especially us) has certain books that they like to pass off to friends to get them into the sequential art medium, here's where we discuss some of our favorites to hand to people.

Movie Fix - We break into the latest DC Animated feature Green Lantern: First Flight.

So make sure you subsribe and review us on iTunes today, and make sure you follow us over at http://twitter.com/BaggedandBored for all of our latest updates.

The List - 8/12/09

Well after a really slow week for comics last week, it looks like DC is trying to make up for it with one of the heaviest weeks I've seen in a while...

BATMAN #689 - "Long Shadows" continues! Batman forges ahead in his battle to retrieve the escapees from Arkham Asylum, while Two-Face begins a ground war of his own. Elsewhere, Penguin wants to become Gotham City's new king of crime, but to do so he has to make a deal with the devil. - As we're now knee deep into the Batman: Reborn event, I think it's safe to make assupmtions about the books now. Batman has been a decent read, nothing fantastic but not bad. Winnick is doing well keeping this a straight forward Batman story, much to the delight (or despair) of his detractors.

BLACKEST NIGHT #2 - The event of the summer continues! The dead rise across the DC Universe, bringing terror and darkness with them. What are the Black Lanterns? What do they want? Will Earth's greatest heroes survive long enough to find out – or will they join the Black Lantern Corps? - I'm really excited about this one, mostly because I don't know where it's heading next. Yeah, we're going to see more Black Lanterns of course, but it's now the overall story that I'm most looking forward to.

BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #1 - Deadman can't shut out the cries of the dead rising as he comes to the aid of the new Batman. It's just in time, too, as the duo face a circus of zombies including the Black Lantern Flying Graysons! - I've always liked Deadman as a character, and I think that this might be the perfect vehicle for him to step out in. Seeing how Deadman reacts to his corpse being raised is going to be interesting, as well as how Dick Grayson handles his first big event in the Cowl.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39 - Just when things couldn't look any darker after the death and chaos of the Sciencell riot, Blackest Night descends on Oa! The black rings tear into the planet and the Lantern Crypt causing all the dead Corps members to rise and wreak havoc as a new and deadlier battle threatens to engulf not only the Corps, but the Universe itself! - This is where it all starts for the GLC. Previews show that the issue opens with Lanterns; Guy, Kyle, Soranik and Iolande arriving on Oa right after the onslaught of black rings tear through the crypts. This one is right up there with Blackest Night #2 on top of the "must read" pile.

RED ROBIN #3 - "The Grail" part 3 of 4! "Batman Reborn" continues, but is Red Robin's quest to find Bruce Wayne at an end? Because in a German museum, answers await. But to get to those answers, Red Robin has to go through the Global Guardian known as the Wild Huntsman. Making matters worse, Red Robin's got an unwanted ally – Ra's al Ghul! Also, discover what happened in the days after BATTLE FOR THE COWL? - I've always been a huge Robin fan, and while I've enjoyed this series so far, it hasn't wowed me yet. The premise for it is strong, but I'm still waiting for that moment where it really hits. Hopefully it happens soon, I probably won't be dropping this anytime soon since Tim Drake remains one of my favorite characters in the DC Universe, but I would like for this book to cement why.

TITANS #16 - Why has Starfire been acting odd the past few issues? Turns out the warrior woman has major rage issues coming out of her recent breakup with Dick Grayson, the events of FINAL CRISIS and more. Her super-powerful emotions could very well rip the team apart! - ...speaking of dropping books, I don't think I can do Titans anymore. I was originally excited to see the old guard back together, but this book has just been treading water for a while. When I go through my Previews and order for this month I'm really going to be thinking about whether or not the next Titans issue makes the List.

FABLES #83 - Part 1 of "Witches"! The business office got lost somewhere when Fabletown collapsed into ruins. Now Bufkin, the meek and mild flying monkey, is trapped inside with the evil witch Baba Yaga – and she's in a really bad mood. How is poor little Bufkin going to survive her tantrum? At the same time, Frau Totenkinder and the witches upstate at the Farm prepare to deal with Mister Dark down in what's left of Fabletown. - Bufkin has always been a great background character, and it's good to see him getting some attention. The Witches of Fabletown have been an overarching precense throughout the books entire run, but now they are also stepping into the limelight. After the fun but ultimately unfulfilling Great Fables Crossover, it's good to see the main Fables book back on track.

FABLES Vol. 12: THE DARK AGES - The 12th volume in the best-selling, award-winning FABLES series collects the epic from issues #76-82 of the acclaimed monthly series. If you've ever craved a guided tour of Fabletown's secret Manhattan location, prepare to be thrilled. Pinocchio has a field day taking a certain VIP around the city. And exactly which Fabletown denizens are no longer active (dead, alive or otherwise) just might shock you into a comic book coma. Also in this volume, you'll find the 4-part story featuring Freddy and Mouse, two local rogues who just want to get along and perhaps turn a bit of profit in the post-war, topsy-turvy world. Meanwhile, in Fabletown, a new political group forms called the Society of Seconds, and what they want doesn't seem very reasonable at all. - Finally another Fables trade to throw onto the shelf. This arc is still pretty fresh in my head but I can't wait to go through it again.

The List - 8/5/09

There are days that I wish Diamond Comics Distribution would post their "shipping this week" lists sooner. Today would definitely be one of those days. I've been sitting around cleaning all day, eagerly checking back to see what was coming out this Wednesday.

Because as everyone knows, comic book nerds live for wednesdays, unfortunately there's only one book coming out this week that I'm grabbing so what's usually a little list is going to get explored a little more and become a blurb...

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 8 #27 - Slayers are out. Vampires are in. Mysterious big bad Twilight has just become a bigger bad -- he can zero in on Team Buffy and her army of Slayers by tracking their use of magic. But Buffy and her allies have taken their submarine -- yes, Buffy picked up one of those . . . they're a necessary piece of equip -- straight to the only person she knows with an inside track on suppressing magic: the werewolf Oz.

In the yak-filled mountains of Tibet, Oz has found his peace and formed a new life. The butter tea flows freely at the reunion, where -- among other fun reunion-y things -- Buffy learns that suppressing her demon side could be the biggest risk of all . . . -

BtvS has consistently been a solid read (although it's had a couple instances where it's fumbled) since it's release and it's finally treading ground how I hoped it would. Oz was always one of my favorite characters, and due to a budding film career actor Seth Green was no longer able to take part in the show and left. Thanks to the world of comics, Oz finally makes his return to the Buffyverse in a way that makes sense and can actually happen due to there being nothing stopping him from being there.

As a writer so far Jane Espenson has been hit or miss, lately she's been more on the hit side. So I'm hoping that now that she's gotten back into writing the characters she's become comfortable with them again and really starts to knock it out of the park.

My main complaint with the Buffy comic (and it's not even that bad), is Georges Jeanty's art. Now Georges is a fantastic artist, but his characters don't look like the characters as they were portrayed in the show.

While Jeanty's Giles and sometimes Faith are usually spot on, the other characters only flirt with recognizability throughout the series, which is a shame when compared to artist Jo Chen's beautiful painted covers.

I don't want this to sound like I'm being hyper critical of Georges' work, because I think it's great. I even have a Buffy sketch by him from a convention last year.

But Dark Horse, even you Joss, it wouldn't hurt to send him a couple seasons on dvd.

Gateway Comics - Part 2

What makes a good story?

I'm sorry, I realize that is such a loaded question, because there's no one thing that you can throw out there that can answer it. Now, I liken a good story to a salad. I know that that's kind of a weird analogy but stick with me on this...

When you're making a salad you need good, fresh ingredients. You don't want wilted lettuce or mealy tomatoes, because everything you put into that salad needs to stand well enough on it's own. While at the same time, it needs to work well with everything else that it's being mixed with. Otherwise it's going to negatively affect the whole pallet and bring down everything else with it.

But for a more concise and to the point answer to that question I could just say, read Y: The Last Man.

What makes Y: The Last Man a good story? Well, I could say at it's heart, Y is the perennial coming of age story. I could also say Y is the typical heroes quest tale. However both of those answers are too broad for a book like The Last Man. So instead I present you with this, Y: The Last Man is a story about a boy and his monkey who just happen to be the last two males left alive on the planet.

When Y opens, we're introduced to Yorick Brown, a down on his luck 20-something escape artist living in New York City and his adopted helper monkey, Ampersand. As we should with all good comic books, we learn something new as Yorick talks on the phone with his transcontinental girlfriend, Beth:

Elvis had a twin brother.

Their following conversation segues into a discussion about destiny and ultimately, an event that kills every living creature with a Y-chromosome. Except of course Yorick and Ampersand.

For the next 59 issues writer Brian K. Vaughan weaves a fantastic yarn as Yorick attempts to trot the globe to reach Beth in Australia. Vaughan deftly handles drama with bits of dark comedy intermittent throughout, as the extremely likable and sadly relatable Yorick stumbles his way through a world where half the population died in an instant. I say sadly relatable of course, because any nerd worth his weight in carbonite will see flashes of themselves in the books main protagonist.

Vaughan, who really broke into the mainstream with this book after runs on DC/Vertigo's Swamp Thing and Marvel's The Hood, creates a wealth of characters who never get overshadowed by the unbelievable events that surround them. Which is no small feat, when considering that 95% of the books cast is female in a medium dominated by male creators, characters and readers.

But it's often said that behind every strong man is a stronger woman, and Yorick isn't alone on his trek across the world. He's joined by Agent 355, his bodyguard and member of the Culper Ring (a secretive US Government agency) and Dr. Allison Mann a world-renowned geneticist searching for the cause of the plague and how Yorick and Ampersand survived. Also following Yorick on his quest are his sister Hero, who has joined the Daughters of the Amazon (a dangerous group bent on eradicating every remnant of the patriarchal society that once was, including Yorick), and leader of an Israeli commando unit, Alter who is also attempting to capture Yorick. Also along the way, is a cast of memorable supporting characters, each one very different in their interactions with Yorick than the last was.

But much like Yorick being guided 355 and Allison, is Vaughan's creative partner on the book, Pia Guerra, focusing BKV on the path ahead. Juggling a huge cast of characters is no small task, and Guerra manages to give each one a distinctive look and personality while at the same time pulling off something rarely seen in comics: having the characters age. Although subtle, going back and forth through issues reveals that overtime 'Rick and crew do become more weathered for the journey, and this effect is done surprisingly well.

Together Vaughan and Guerra tell a tale that can be funny and uplifting and at other times dramatic and heart-breaking. But more importantly they tell a story that has something to draw in everybody, and that each reader can connect to differently. It's the book that reads like a salad.

And at the very least you're presented with a fun question to ask people, did you know Elvis had a twin brother?

Gateway Comics - Part 1

Those of us well versed in the medium of comics have a secret agenda. Maybe not so secret after the events of the past couple years, but still: We want your attention.

We've infiltrated your pop-culture lexicon with our movies, our tv shows, our video games, our shaped macaroni and cheese dinners. But there's a much more sinister way we get into your system: Gateway Comics.

Chances are that if you know a nerd, at least once a book has been slid your way with the phrase; "I know it's a comic book but it's pretty decent. You should check it out", following what for all intents and purposes is a paperbacked Trojan Horse.

We know what we're doing. We've spent countless hours pouring through volumes both hardcovered and vast, through issues single and creased with wear. We know the ins and out of the stories and we know which ones to use and tailor to hook you. One of my weapons of choice: Fables.

You know their stories: Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood. But what happens after that? After the proverbial "Happily Ever After"? "Happily Ever After" can only last so long, before new challenges arise.

After their Homelands are attacked by a new threat known only as the Adversary, the Fables escape to a new world, the Mundane World. Our world. Now characters like Snow White, Cinderella, and Bigby Wolf live right in a small hamlet of New York City. Only now Snow is single (after catching Prince Charming knocking boots with her sister, Rose Red), Bigby Wolf has put aside his Grandmother eating tendencies and acts as Sheriff, and Jack (of "and the Beanstalk" fame) is a shady shiester always looking for the next shill to cash in on.

The characters all live and interact with each other, and the tales that come out are as varied as the characters living them. Murder mysteries, political unrest, spy tales, romance, war stories, comedy and drama. Fables succeeds in what a lot of books strive to do, in that it delivers and balances a massive cast of characters, but it nevers stumbles along the way during this due to the fact that these are all characters you know all about. Fables has it all, and consistently delivers excellent storytelling on a monthly basis by a creative team that knows what it's doing.

Writer Bill Willingham knows his way around the fantasy genre. He has worked on TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Comico's Elementals series, and most notably his work on expanding the universe of DC/Vertigo's Sandman with titles; The Dreaming, The Sandman Presents: Thessaly Witch For Hire, and The Sandman: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Dreams... But Were Afraid To Ask. Willingham has been working on Fables for over 7 years now with no end in sight, as Willingham has the ability to tap into other folklore and tales from around the world to further expand his cast.

Artist Mark Buckingham transcends the usual fantasy comic book art style and creates likable and noticeably distinct characters. Each and every character has their own particular look and style, leaving no two characters looking the same. Buckingham excels at showing these instantly recognizable characters often at various points throughout their history with no confusion of who you are looking at, which is helpful in a book with such a huge cast.

Rounding out the art team, I would be remiss to not include Fables cover artist James Jean. Jean has an incredible painted style that is can only be described as beautiful, haunting as well as thought provoking. Jean has rightfully won 5 Eisner Awards for his work on the series and marking himself as one of the top painters in the medium today. Jean has worked on every covers for the monthly Fables series from issue 1 all the way through 81. Which is no small task for someone whose main art medium is oil painting (he does digitally paint some pieces at times though). Not only has JJ made Fables leap off of the shelf monthly with his incredible work, he has also contributed to the covers to the trade dress for volumes 1 through 11 of the collected versions, the cover to the 2006 original graphic novel: 1,001 Nights of Snowfall, as well as a story within the OGN as well. I'm not even going to mention the oversized collected volume of all of his Fables covers and concept sketches.

Unfortunately, Jean has left the title with issue #81, and as of issue #83 the ongoing cover artist has been Joao Ruas, who has so far proven to be a worthy sucessor in stepping into such a lauded position.

Fables continues to truck along delivering it's special brand of fantasy-drama, helped by it's spin off book Jack of Fables, which follows the titular Jack of the Fables after he left the main title at #50. Fables has also been supported the previously mentioned 1,001 Nights of Snowfall, which deepened the back stories of some characters while shedding some light on what happened to the Fables before escaping the Homelands to the Mundane World. Willingham also is set to deliver an upcoming prose novel entitled Peter & Max about the Pied Piper of Hamelin, as well as an upcoming comic miniseries starring Cinderella titled From Fabletown With Love.

Fables has proven to be one of my favorite titles, and always finds it's way to the top of my must read pile the weeks it comes out. It also holds the distinction of being one of three titles that I purchase in two formats: single monthly issues and trade paperback.

Want to know more about it?

I knew you would...

The List - 7/29/09

Another pretty light week of comic's coming out this week but there are a couple shining stars:

BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #3 - In this 3-issue miniseries, writers Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS) reveal the secrets behind the Lanterns of BLACKEST NIGHT! Bear witness to Blue Lantern Saint Walker's pilgrimage of hope, Star Sapphire Carol Ferris' sacrifice for love, Green Lantern Kilowog's courageous beginnings, Red Lantern Vice's source of rage, Orange Lantern Blume's bizarre creation, and the first appearance of the mysterious Indigo, leader of the Indigo Tribe! - So most of what has been teased in the solicitations for this 3 issue mini happened in the past two issues, so we know we'll get to see the origin of Kilowog in this one, but the other stories are a mystery. I'm hoping for a good Sinestro Corps story, and since there hasn't been one in the book yet a Black Lantern story maybe. Black Hand has been pretty well fleshed (pun kind of intended) out over the past few issues of the core (notice not "Corps" issues) of Green Lantern, so I'd like to see a story from the point of view of one of the Black Lanterns (namely Martian Manhunter).

DETECTIVE COMICS #855 - Elegy" part 2 of 4 by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III! Batwoman captures her enemy, a madwoman known only as Alice who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as expendable extras – including Kate! But when the tables are turned, Batwoman finds herself in a hallucination slamming the present into a collision with the past, and the hints of a threat that will claim the lives of every man, woman and child in Gotham City. And in the all-new co-feature starring the Question, Montoya's quest to find a missing young girl turns deadly. - I have to say that Detective Comics has been the most surprising of the Batman Reborn titles, based solely on the fact that in her previous appearances Batwoman didn't wow me at all. Now that writer Greg Rucka has more of a chance to explore her I'm excited to learn more about the character, and JH Williams artwork doesn't hurt at all. On the flip side while I've always loved Renee Montoya in her journeys throughout the Batman books, Gotham Central and ultimately 52, I feel like the back up might not be enough to really get into her story. But this is only the second batch so we'll see how things turn out.

TEEN TITANS #73 - In the first feature, the team attempts to rescue Wonder Girl from the new Fearsome Five, as Calculator enacts his revenge on the team for not protecting his children. In the 10-page co-feature, Ravager faces the drug problem that could kill her! - Both Teen Titans and it's sister title, Titans, have been floundering for a little while. Beyond Blue Beetle and Static there aren't many other characters on the cast that I care enough about. New writer and Smallville producer, Brian Q. Miller may change that though as DC is giving him a big vote of confidence handing him the keys to one of the DC Universe's key franchises, as well as the upcoming Batgirl book.

What's got me and the crew pumped for next week? Make sure you listen to this weeks episode of the Bagged and Bored Cast for our collective List!

Exciting News!

Hey everybody, an exciting bit of news, the first episode of the Bagged and Bored Cast is now live! This little project will be our grand venture into the world of podcasting, with each episode bringing you a roundtable discussion of the comics were most looking forward to in The List, a rotating weekly rotating topic as well as a movie review.

This week's episode has us tackling The List in which we discuss the upcoming Blackest Night #1 from DC Comics, then we discuss the rising cost of comics today, and finally wrap up with some words about the film Time Crimes.

Give it a list at at the streaming site: http://baggedandbored.mypodcast.com/ or make sure you subscribe for FREE on the iTunes store, and soon the Zune Marketplace as well to have the newest episodes downloaded directly to your portable music machine of choice.

So please subsribe and rate us today, and thanks for the support! This is just the start...

Some Answers?

http://www.ask-the-question.net/

The List - 7/1/09

Another week, another wednesday and thusly another edition of The List. And if things looked sparse last week, well things are downright lonely for tomorrow.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #28 - Team Buffy has become all about sneaky in a world where Slayers are now feared and hated, and vampires would rank at the top of a popularity poll. All hands are on deck as Scotland's brand-newest Slayer headquarters comes under attack; but, when things get more than a little fried, Buffy has to punt. There are yaks. - I love Buffy. I have since I caught the fourth episode of the first season of the show when it was on the WB network on monday nights. I have an abundance of Buffy statues. I like Buffy the comic. I'm worried about this issue though.

I hope you were paying attention to that bit earlier, you know the one, where I gushed over how much I adore Buffy in all it's forms. This issue is being written by Buffy-alumn Jane Espenson, and while that would normally be cause to do the Snoopy dance, she's written an issue of the comic before and it was, well as Buffy would say, "gahh". Hopefully this issue will make up for that as Jane, who wrote two of the best Buffy episodes (Earshot and Conversations With Dead People) gets back into Buffy-mode.

Which leads to a sidebar, while researching this article I came across this little fun bit:



I really wish this show had happened. But I'll probably write about that another time.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #2 - "Batman Reborn" continues with the reteaming of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, WE3, New X-Men)! In a blazing Gotham City police department, the new Batman and Robin face the bizarre, fighting freakshow that is the Circus of Strange and find that they don't make as good a team as Batman had hoped! Meanwhile, the mysterious Sasha escapes from Professor Pyg and vows vengeance on the people who killed her father. - Hard to believe it's already been a month since the launch of Batman And Robin. The first issue was fantastic and I'm really looking forward to more. As long as Morrison stays in this mode and doesn't veer too far to the sides and kick into his crazy story mode, we're set.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #38 - "Emerald Eclipse" hits its shocking conclusion leading directly into BLACKEST NIGHT. The sciencell riot causes a new law to be doctored into the Book of Oa as Kyle and Guy fight against it. What fate awaits the honor guards, and who will be left standing from the riot that shook Oa to its core? - Oh man, this is it. This is the final issue of GLC until the official start of DC's Blackest Night event and I'm beyond jazzed for this. GLC continues to knock it out of the park, and if it can keep at this pace Blackest Night is going to blow the Sinesto Corps war out of the water.

GREEN LANTERN: RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS HC - The War of Light begins in this hardcover collection! First, a ruthless, by-the-books new task force of Green Lanterns known as the Alpha Lanterns is born, creating tension within the heroic ranks of the Green Lantern Corps. Then, Hal Jordan battles for his life when the Red Lantern Corps, a brutal brigade of monsters fueled by rage, attacks! But nothing could prepare the heroes for the arrival of even more colored Lanterns! - Green Lantern is one of four titles that I buy both monthly and by trade (the others being Green Lantern Corps, Fables and Jack of Fables). I'm really excited to go back and revisit these issues featuring the debut of the Red Lanterns, my favorite of the new Corps (second going to either the Blue or Orange depending on how I feel that day). With the exciting direction that Geoff Johns has taken the Green Lantern franchise in since he took over in 2005, I've gone back and reread the trades countless times, so some "new" material is greatly appreciated.

The 2009 Harvey Award Nominees

Every year in Baltimore, they celebrate some of the years most innovative talent in honor of Harvey Kurtzman, the cartoonist behind the creation of Mad Magazine as well as his work on Playboy and EC Comics.

The awards are voted on by professional talent within the comics industry and the awards themselves are handed out at the annual Baltimore Comic Con. This is one of the comic mediums biggest awards, almost like the Golden Globes to what the Eisners are to the Oscars. This years nominees are:

BEST WRITER
Kyle Baker, NAT TURNER, Abrams books
Ed Brubaker, CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Comics
John Gallagher, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
Grant Morrison, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics

My pick: While some of his other works of the past year such as Batman and Final Crisis have been met with very mixed reviews from both critics and fans, I think everyone is in agreement that Grant Morrisons All-Star Superman is easilly one of the best Superman stories of all time.

BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Ba, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, Dark Horse Comics
Kyle Baker, NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press
Jason Kruse, WORLD OF QUEST, Yen Press
Frank Quitely, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics

My Pick: Again, I'm giving it to the All-Star Superman team. Quitely has a "love it or hate it" style of artwork, but his involvment in this title was key. Quitely did what he does best, he made the tale both over the top and human at the same time.

BEST CARTOONIST
Lar deSouza, LEAST I COULD DO
John Gallagher, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Al Jaffee, TALL TALES, Abrams Books
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
Thom Zahler, LOVE & CAPES, Maerkle Press

My Pick: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, easy. This book is everywhere, as it rightfully should be. It's a lot of fun for all ages and should easily take this category if Love & Capes doesn't.

BEST LETTERER
Jimmy Gownley, AMELIA RULES, Renaissance Press
Rob Leigh, THE SPIRIT, DC Comics
Doug Sherwood, LOCAL, Oni Press
John Workman, MARVEL 1985, Marvel Comics
Thom Zahler, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics

My Pick: Marvel: 1985 has a great look to it, and the lettering really evokes the time, and reminded me a lot of what was used in the seminal Marvel tale, Marvels.

BEST INKER
Rich Faber, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Jamie Grant, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
Mark Morales, THOR, Marvel Comics
Ryan Winn, THE DARKNESS, Image Comics

My Pick: This was honestly a tough one. I really want to pick Rich Faber on this as I grew up reading his work on Green Lantern, and I've also been a fan of Mark Morales stuff with Steve McNiven, but I have to give it to Jamie Grant. The detail and steady hand necessary to ink Quitelys work is insane.

BEST COLORIST
Frank Cammuso, OTTO'S ORANGE DAY, Raw Junior, LLC
Jamie Grant, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics
Laura Martin, THOR, Marvel Comics
Wil Quintana, THE MICE TEMPLAR, Image Comics
Dave Stewart, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, Dark Horse Comics

My Pick: While I don't read it, I have to say Thor is a beautiful book. I think all the others have an almost too flat look to them.

BEST COVER ARTIST
Frank Cho, BUZZBOY: SIDEKICKS RULE!#3, Sky Dog Press
James Jean, FABLES, Vertigo Comics
Jay Lynch, MINDSHAFT #23, Mindshaft Publishing
Ken Rocafort, PILOT SEASON: CORE #1, Top Cow
Alex Ross, JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, DC Comics

My Pick: As one of my favorite artists, let alone comic artists, I have to say James Jean hands down. His work is amazing and I miss his covers to Fables. I'm sorry Alex Ross, I'm over the photo referenced, static look of all your stuff.

BEST NEW SERIES
THE DREAMER
ECHO
HIGH MOON
NIGHT OWLS
SUPERTRON

My Pick: I'm shocked to see two Zuda titles on this list but I have to say High Moon. This is not only horror, best western done right.

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, DC Comics
CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Comics
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
MICE TEMPLAR, Image Comics
UMBRELLA ACADEMY, Dark Horse Comics

My Pick: Yeah, I'm going with All-Star Superman. It was an amazing book and well deserving of the award.

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION
DRAW!, edited by Mike Manley, Twomorrows Publishing
HOW TO MAKE WEBCOMICS, Brad Guigar, Dave Kellett,
Scott Kurtz, and Kris Straub, Image Comics
KIRBY: KING OF COMICS, Mark Evanier, Abrams Books
SCORCHY SMITH AND THE ART OF NOEL SICKLES,
edited by Dean Mullaney, IDW
WORDLESS BOOKS: THE ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVELS,
edited by David A. Berona, Abrams Books

My Pick: I haven't honestly read any of these, but on name recognition alone, Mark Evanier has done some really good stuff.

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY!, Tim Rickard, Tribune Media Services
GET FUZZY, Darby Conley, United Features Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate
THE NORM, Michael Jantze, Uclick Gocomics
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, Stephan Pastis, United Features Syndicate

My Pick: Is it wrong to say that I really enjoy Mutts?

BEST ANTHOLOGY
COMIC BOOK TATTOO, edited by Rantz Hoseley, Image Comics
FLIGHT VOLUME 5, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Villard
MOME VOLUME 10, edited by Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books
PIXU #1, edited by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, Self-Published
POPGUN VOLUME 2, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith,
Image Comics

My Pick: Comic Book Tattoo, just because of the sheer amount of talent behind it.

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - ORIGINAL
BOTTOMLESS BELLY BUTTON, Fantagraphics Books
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, Amulet Books
ESSEX COUNTY: THE COUNTRY NURSE, Top Shelf
SKIM, Groundwood Books
TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN, Top Shelf
WORLD OF QUEST: VOL. 2, Yen Press

My Pick: The sampler I read of Too Cool To Be Forgotten was good, but I'm going with Diary Of A Wimpy Kid still, too much fun.

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
AMELIA RULES!: FUNNY STORIES, Renaissance Press
M, Abrams Books
NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
THE MICE TEMPLAR: VOL. 1, Image Comics
QUEEN AND COUNTRY: VOLUME 3, Oni Press
SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST (HARDCOVER), Adhouse Book

My Pick: Nat Turner. I'm shocked that Kyle Baker wasn't up for Best Cartoonist, but this works just as well.

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #19, Self-Published
FIRST BORN: AFTERMATH #1, Top Cow
LOVE AND ROCKETS, VOL. 3 #1, Fantagraphics Books
M, Abrams Books
NASCAR HEROES #5, NASCAR Comics
NAT TURNER, Abrams Books
THE AMAZING REMARKABLE MONSIEUR LEOTARD, First Second
Y: THE LAST MAN #60, Vertigo Comics

My Pick: Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra made me cry with Y: The Last Man #60. You bastards.

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS, IDW
COMPLETE PEANUTS, Fantagraphics Books
COMPLETE TERRY AND THE PIRATES, IDW
SCORCHY SMITH AND THE ART OF NOEL SICKLES, IDW
WACKY PACKAGES, Abrams Books

My Pick: Just because of his contributions to the world of comic strips, Charles Schultz's Complete Peanuts. These are some really classy looking books too.

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
GUS AND HIS GANG, First Second
POCKET FULL OF RAIN, Fantagraphics Books
RED COLORED ELEGY, Drawn and Quarterly
SOLANIN, Viz
WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA #'s 11 & 12, Top Cow

My Pick: Im not too big on foreign comics, so just out of familiarity I'd have to say Witchblade, even though it's psudeo-tentacle porn. I think.

BEST ON-LINE COMICS WORK
BLACK CHERRY BOMBSHELLS, Tony Trovarello and
John Zito, www.zudacomics.com
HIGH MOON, Scott O. Brown, www.zudacomics.com
LEAST I COULD DO, Lar deSouza and Ryan Sohmer, www.leasticoulddo.com
NIGHT OWLS, Bobby & Peter Timony, www.zudacomics.com
PVP, Scott Kurtz, www.pvponline.com

My Pick: High Moon is fantastic, but I feel like Scott Kurtz might get this. He's a big name in the web comic world, the strips are being collected by Image Comics and he's the host of the awards ceremony, so it's possible he could walk away with this.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR IN COMICS
Lar deSouza, LEAST I COULD DO, www.leasticoulddo.com
John Gallagher, BUZZBOY, Sky Dog Comics
Al Jaffee, TALL TALES, Abrams Books
Jeff Kinney, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Amulet Books
David Malki, WONDERMARK, www.wondermark.com

My Pick: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. Yeah, same reasons as before.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
COMPLETE LOCAL: HARDCOVER EDITION, Ryan Kelly and
Brian Wood, Oni Press
KIRBY: KING OF COMICS, Mark Evanier, Abrams Books
QUEEN AND COUNTRY: VOLUME 3, Greg Rucka, Mike Norton,
Steve Rolston, and Chris Samnee, Oni Press
TALL TALES, Al Jaffee, Abrams Books
WONDERMARK, VOL. 1: BEARDS OF OUR FOREFATHERS,
David Malki, Dark Horse Comics

My Pick: I really hope Local gets this. I love Brian Wood and while I don't think this book was as strong as Demo or Couriers, it's a solid book.


BEST NEW TALENT
Matt Cassan, NASCAR: HEROES, nascar comics
Bryan J.L. Glass, THE MICE TEMPLAR, image books
Laura Innes, THE DREAMER, Idw
Tim Sievert, THAT SALTY AIR, top shelf
Bobby Timony, NIGHT OWLS, www.zudacomics.com

My Pick: I'm honestly not blown away by any of this talent, no offense. Maybe Bryan Glass for Mice Templar, even though the book doesn't have the same effect on me as say Mouse Guard does.

The List - 6/24/09

Another week, another List of books to grab from the comic shop. As with the past couple weeks this one sees the release of a couple new titles and some old favorites:

DETECTIVE COMICS #854 - "Elegy" part 1 of 4! A new era in the history of DETECTIVE COMICS begins as Batwoman is unleashed on Gotham City! Marked by the blood-red bat, Kate Kane is a soldier fighting her own private war – one that began years ago and haunts her every waking moment. With a script by Greg Rucka and breath-taking art by JH Williams III, you've never seen anything like this! Featuring the debut of a new co-feature starring The Question written by Rucka! Odds against you? Alone and nowhere to turn? Willing to fight, but you don't know how? When you're searching everywhere for an answer, sometimes all you need to do is ask the right Question. Renee Montoya again dons the faceless mask to help those in need, all the while searching for her own answers in this new adventure with art by Cully Hamner (BLUE BEETLE). - Batwoman finally makes her monthly debut years after her initial debut in the pages of DC's 52 and her appearance in last years Final Crisis: Revelations mini series. The books being handled by one of DC's best, Greg Rucka, who not only knows his way around strong female characters (see Whitout, Wonder Woman and Gotham Central) but also the character since he's almost exclusively written her since her inception. The books also being drawn by one of the industry's best and most underrated artists JH Williams, so it's going to be beautiful to boot. It'll be interesting to see how long this title, which has always been one of the flagship Batman books of the company, will flourish without the character that made it popular for the better part of 70 years.

This issue also features the first co-feature starring the Question, which is also being written by Rucka. The two characters, Batwoman and The Question, do have a shared history so it will be interesting to see if there are any carry-over threads from one feature to another.

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #1 - This all-new series features the bad girls of Gotham City! Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are tired of playing by other people's rules regardless of which side of the law they're on. These tough ladies have a new agenda that's all their own, and they'll use any means necessary to pursue it. But can they get along and work as a team? And who will get hurt along the way? DETECTIVE COMICS and STREETS OF GOTHAM writer Paul Dini kicks off this brand-new ongoing series with amazing artwork by Guillem March (JOKER'S ASYLUM: POISON IVY, GOTHAM GAZETTE). - The next of DC's new Batman-family titles (alongside Batman and Robin, Streets Of Gotham, and Red Robin), features a couple familiar faces handled by the writer who made them famous, Paul Dini. Also on the title is artist Guillem March, most known for his coverwork. As much as I'm looking forward to this book, I can't say it's something I see lasting for too long, although it is possible since Catwoman sustained a solo title for more than 50 issues. It'll be interesting to see how this one goes as well.

GREEN LANTERN #42 - The conclusion to "Agent Orange"! Hal battles the leader of the Orange Lanterns in a bizarre confrontation between will and avarice! But what is the true secret behind the power of the Orange Light? And what value does it hold for the other Corps? -While both Green Lantern titles have been exploring the various new Corps involved in the coming War of Light and next months looming Blackest Night event, the two titles have done so in different ways. While Green Lantern Corps has juggled various plotlines in each issue, Green Lantern has focused more on one solid storyline at a time. While both books handle their respective stories well, seeing how the threads from each come together in the near future is going to be really exciting.

THE LITERALS #3 - "The Great Fables Crossover" part 9 of 9! In this issue it's all over. No, we don't just mean that the big crossover event is over, we mean it's all over for the universe and everyone in it. Kevin Thorn, the Literal embodiment of storytelling, wants to rewrite the universe, beginning again with a new blank page. In this issue he gets his wish. What more is there to say? - Fables has continued to be a solid read since it's debut, and while it's spin-off title Jack of Fables has had it's own moments of greatness, the book has been just ok. Thankfully all the Fables books, including the three issue The Literals title that helped make the Great Fables Crossover an almost weekly event, have been fantastic.

TEEN TITANS #72 - Thirty pages of story content! In the first feature, Wonder Girl's leadership is put to the test as the team faces the all-new Fearsome Five! In the debut of the 10-page co-feature, Ravager goes solo for the first time, continuing her descent into darkness begun in TERROR TITANS. - Unfortunately Teen Titans has become a real hit or miss book ever since the departure of Geoff Johns. The book hit a good stride during the One Year Later jump following the Infinite Crisis event a few years ago. Between constant lineup changes with both the titular title team and the creative team involved, Teen Titans seems to still be looking for it's sweet spot. Hopefully it finds it soon or both this and the ancillary Titans book may find their way off of The List.

Not to sound like I'm going in with low expectations, because I am looking forward to this issue since it also boasts the begining of the Ravager cofeature in the back. The character of Ravager was one of Geoff John's best contributions to the Titan's world, and the character has always been a highpoint to the book in my opinion.

RUNAWAYS #11 - “Homeschooling” New creative team! Cataclysmic new direction! In this arc, one Runaway will die, and one Runaway will live! Rising star Kathryn Immonen (PATSY WALKER: HELLCAT) and Sarah Pichelli (NYX) take the reins of the Runaways. Making out? Check. Cliffhangers? Check. Silly hats? Check. This is the Runaways arc you CAN’T miss. - Oh Runaways, what to do with you. I was lucky enough to get in on the ground floor with this book when it was launched by the ever guiding and loving hand of Brian K. Vaughan as part of Marvel's Tsunami line of comics. Being the only title to survive the line, the book floundered during a Civil War meet up with Marvel's other teen characters the Young Avengers. Then Joss Whedon delivered an underwhelming (I can't believe I just had to type that) time-travel tale, then another, suprisingly ok this time though, meet up with the Young Avengers during the Secret Invasion event, and finally a "meh" run from Strangers In Paradise's Terry Moore. It was at that point I did something I never thought I'd have to do: Runaways fell from The List.

Then something surprising happened. An issue of Runaways I ordered before the decision to drop the book arrived in my pull box, and I found it to be quite entertaining. So Kathryn Immonen, you have my attention... for now.

Comic Book Alphabet Of Awesomeness - E

You know how many REALLY awesome comic book characters there are whose names start with the letter E?

One.

His name is Electro.

Max Dillon worked as a lineman for an electric company, and was all fine and dandy until one day he was working on a line when a freak lightning accident altered his nervous system., which turned him into a living energy capacitor.

Which is pretty bad ass when you consider it. Because who hasn't thought about how awesome it would be to throw around lightning bolts? You'd think this guy would be sitting on top of the world. He can generate and control mass amounts of electricity, theoretically putting him on par with Marvel's Thunder God, Thor:

Verily.

This ability also gives him control over machinery, the power to surf on power lines and wait for it, wait for it...

Yes. Electro can LITERALLY ride the lightning. It's like Lars Ulrich's wet dream come to life. He's also been shown to be able to ALTER THE BIOELECTRIC CURRENTS OF THE BRAIN IN SPIDER-MAN AND CABLE! Yeah, his archenemy and one of the MOST POWERFUL MUTANTS IN THE WORLD.

Oh my God, right? So why does nobody take Electro seriously? Let alone the fact that he constantly gets taken out easily whenever there happens to be water around as well as this little number:

How could you? What I love about most cosplay is that it shows you just how ridiculous most comic book costumes are. But don't worry Electro, I still think you're awesome.

Another Batgirl Tease

DC has posted the cover to Batgirl #2 by artist Phil Noto over at their blog, The Source. Still no hints as to who may be filling in the costume with the top believed and rumoured contenders are:

Cassandra Cain - The young mute daughter of assassin David Cain, who took over the role of Batgirl from the Huntress during the Batman crossover No Man's Land. Cassandra has had her ups and downs since taking the rol, but she's been in the cape ever since.

Stephanie Brown - The young daughter of Batman Z-list villain, The Cluemaster, Stephanie created an alter-ego for herself as The Spoiler, who worked alongside Robin, and after Tim Drake briefly left the Robin mantle, she functioned as the first in continuity Girl Wonder until she was fired from the role and was brought back once again as The Spoiler.

Barbara Gordon - The original Batgirl, who after a run in with the Joker was shot in the spine and left paralysed. Unable to fulfill the role of Batgirl anymore she sought to use her knowledge of computers to keep Earths various heroes in contact and informed as the Oracle.

Misfit - The young Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, with the abilities of teleportation, superhuman strength was taken under the wing of Barbara Gordon who alongside her group the Birds of Prey act as a surrogate family to the orphaned girl.

Wendy Kuttler - Daughter of Oracle's villainous counterpart the Calculator, Wendy the caretaker of the Teen Titans headquarters was recently attacked and left paralysed from the waist down.

This teaser comes a month after DC's previous Batgirl cover reveal back on May 8th.

While the cover of the Batgirl #1 (which releases in August) seems to be the same costume worn by Cassandra Cain only with the patch covering the mouth removed, the most recent tease looks like a more updated version of the costume that Barbara wore during her tenure as Batgirl. Which fuels the rumours that Gordon will be once again taking over the role, although that still seems like a long shot since, well she can't move without a wheelchair.

The List - 6/10/09

Been a while since there's been any new article, let alone a new List, but here's hoping that things will be a little more frequent now.

Here's my picks from this week's new releases:

BATMAN #687 - In this special epilogue to BATTLE FOR THE COWL, new BATMAN writer Judd Winick rejoins the Bat Family! This 40-page issue explores the final moments of the Battle for the Cowl as the new Batman learns that winning the Cowl comes at a high price! Witness the new Batman taking to the streets of Gotham City for the first time! Putting a new man inside the Bat-suit was the easy part – now the fun begins! Guest-starring Superman and Wonder Woman, this issue is a must-read for any Batman fan. - This issue seems like it has a lot going for it, from Dick Grayson's first meeting with Wonder Woman and Superman wearing the Cowl, an additional 8 pages of story, an extra $1 on the price tag and the return of Judd Winnick as writer (which depending on your point of view that could be a good thing or a bad thing).

The Flash: Rebirth #3 - At last, the answer to the question that's plagued DC fans for decades: Who's faster, Superman or The Flash? Call your bookie and bet the farm, because you've never seen a run like this – and if speedsters keep dying at the pace they're going, you might never see another one again! - While it's been a decent story so far, I feel like a lot of the wind was taken out of this series' sails by having Barry Allen return in the pages of the love it or hate it Final Crisis event. While the mini has picked up the pace a bit (Flash puns are always the easiest to work in), it still lacks the punch that John's and Van Sciver's Green Lantern: Rebirth mini had a few years ago.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #37 - The penultimate "Emerald Eclipse" chapter is upon us as the breakout on Oa leads to vast devastation and death across the planet. As the War of Light rages, do Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, Kilowog and the rest of the Corps have the willpower to quell the riot and overcome the napalm-spewing Red Lanterns and the fear-spreading Sinestro Corps? - Both Green Lantern titles have become the books to watch going into this summer and GLC has been firing on all cylinders as it juggles multiple plotlines like the riots on Oa, the Natu/Sinestro relationahip, as well as the assault on Daxam, all the while the racing towards DC's Blackest Night mini-event.

RED ROBIN #1 - Writer Chris Yost (New X-Men, X-Force) and artist by Ramon Bachs (Civil War: Front Line) kick off a brand-new ongoing series right here with "The Grail" part 1 of 4! Following the aftermath of BATTLE FOR THE COWL, a new Batman watches over Gotham City. But not everyone is ready to give up on the old one. Someone believes that Bruce Wayne may still be alive…and that someone is Red Robin. But who is wearing the Red Robin costume, and why is he traveling the globe looking for a dead man? Whoever he is, he's not alone in his search! - From solicitaion info and his general lack of appearing in any of the other Bat-Family titles it's safe to assume that previous Robin, Tim Drake, will be assuming a new mantle with this title now that Damian Wayne has taken on the roll of Robin. Tim has always been a fantastic character and this new direction looks to be interesting while still keeping within the tone of the character. Meanwhile Yost has become one of the strongest and possibly most overlooked writers in Marvel's stable, so hopefully his work at DC will continue to be as strong.

TITANS #14 - Starting this issue, we begin one-shot "Day in the Life" stories. And this issue stars Cyborg! In the grueling aftermath of the "Deathtrap" arc, Vic Stone must face the very teammates he feels he let down big-time. How he deals with it will shock you! - Cyborg has always been one of those characters that never really did anything for me, and so far the TitansFreshman has been alright, so this one may surprise me.

title has been rather hit or miss (mind you it was a Judd Winnick launch). Hugh Sterbakov writes this one and his work with other young characters in Top Cow's

COVER GIRLS OF THE DC UNIVERSE: WONDER WOMAN - My big collectible for the month, this statue sees the launch of a new collectible series designed by cheesecake or "Good Girl" artist Adam Hughes. Love his style or not, you've got to admit, the guy knows what he's doing.