[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

I thought I was just reading a comic. You know, sitting and checking out some paneled narrative. But then it happened. I got to the end of the issue and my heart was beating and sweat was dripping from my brow. I grasped my bosom and shrieked delight.

Casanova mindfucked me. And it was glorious.

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Batwoman is a 1968 Mexican movie that I had no clue existed until last night. Today, I watched the entire movie and I’m still blown away by what I saw. How can I describe it? Hrm… imagine if you took the 1960’s Batman series and set it in Mexico. And then added kooky subtitles. And then replaced Adam West with a hot-ass Mexican babe whose uniform primarily consists of a bikini.

That hot-ass Mexican babe is Maura Monti. And she’s incredible.

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Pictures surfaced of Chris Evans rocking out as Steve Rogers today. One of the more ludicrous complaints I heard about him when he was announced is that he wasn’t “big enough”. Yeah well! I always thought he was ripped as fuck, and he seems to have stepped his game up since then. Don’t worry those of you who were worried he wasn’t going to bulge enough, he’s bringing it.

He’s pretty god damn swoon worthy. Hit the jump to check out the pictures from the set.

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[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Bodacious babes and brutal bros.

This is one phrase that comes to mind when I think of Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis. Three issues in and the miniseries is maintaining its appeal, which is rooted in the balancing of a grim storyline with vibrant illustrations. Some might suggest that such lighthearted art isn’t appropriate for what is essentially a parable about genocide. But to these detractors, I offer the analogy of chasing Jim Beam with Coca-Cola; the mouth may find reprieve, but the throat will still burn and the head will still reel.

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[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Sometimes I feel as though I might be some sort of alien entity, a stranger without a tribe. It’s easy to fall for this illusion as our culture puts so much emphasis on the individual. You are so special. There is no one quite like you. After all, you are one of a kind. And while I understand the motives behind the self-esteem movement, I find the outcomes disastrous; instead of being taught to help one another because we’re all crew members on Spaceship Earth, individuals come to see themselves as completely separate.

And not even fragmented sections of a whole. Different from, and incapable of relating to, others. But my hippie-sense is telling me that there aren’t really any others, just anothers.

Okay, let me pause for a moment as I dance on this fine line. I’m not saying that humanity is a homogeneous being or that every person is identical. Really, I’m not. Truth be told, I think the way that the mouth-breathing masses develop is quite different than those upon whom I heap admiration. There are all different shades of humanity. But sometimes I forget that the progressing hues all reside on the same gradient scale.

So why is my newfound interest in commonality making its way onto OL? Well, because I love Joe the Barbarian. And I love the comic because it reminds me that there are shared facets of the human experience.

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[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Oh snap! It’s already Sunday!? Where did this week go? How could I have let work and personal tragedy get in the way of reading comics? Egads! Well then, the Sabbath will be kept holy! The funnies will be revered!

The best dang book from this week’s pile is THOR: The Might Avenger #4. Although OL’s been keeping an eye on this series for awhile now, we’ve yet to to grant it “best of” status. Which is damn shame, because this incarnation of the God of Thunder’s exploits is fuggin’ astounding. It’s bright and fun and full of the optimistic energy that Marvel is known for. Or used to be. Or still is, I’m not sure.

This issue picks up where the first three left off, bringing the readers through the origin-story of Thor’s arrival on Earth. The beautiful, bulky blond is straight chillin’ with his babe of an Earth-host, Jane Foster. In this retelling, Jane is an expert of Norse mythology and employed by a local museum – so of course she can’t help but take Goldilocks into her care when he stumbles off of the rainbow-bridge. Their relationship is slightly flirtatious, completely well-intentioned, and wholly endearing.

This most recent issue sees Thor’s homeboys the Warriors Three coming to visit him in his new realm. In search of a night of merriment and drinking, the foursome head to a tavern in England. Once there, the normal hijinks ensue; Fandral finds fleeting romance with the female bartender, Hogun keeps mum and Volstagg is the life of the party. And after Thor makes a scene when no one in the bar can tell him how to get to Trondheim, Captain Britain has to come regulate.

The ensuing confrontation between Captain Britain and Thor (with assistance from his buddies) is more of a skills-demonstration than a battle-to-the-death. What we see is warriors duking it out over a misunderstanding, being impressed by one another, and then ending the night by sharing a few rounds of brew! This is the type of friendly competition that is far too-often overlooked in favor of blood-feuds.

Roger Langridge’s script is both lighthearted and action packed. The characters, even when they are in the midst of more serious matters, always bring a smile to the reader’s face; for instance, even the Warriors Three’s investigations of Thor’s inability to recall his banishment is rife with jocular banter and witticisms. Fortunately, Samnee‘s pencils only make the comic stronger, lending a classic cartoon flair to even the most violent fight scenes. Chris Samnee manages to incorporate a level of detail into the art, which makes the almost animated stylings worthy of repeat-readings.

The word I find myself using over and over to describe this comic book is fun. This is a series for children and adults, for comics fans and newcomers, for writers and artists. There is no reason, provided that this quality continues, that this series can’t win and Eisner.

Or a whole heap of `em.

Here’s the thing about taking set pictures: they always look retarded and out of context. I try and keep that in mind while taking a gander. Sometimes though? Sometimes though it gets hard. Take for example, this latest batch of Captain America pictures leaked from the set.

Slashfilm:

These shots are different. They don’t show Chris Evans in costume as Cap, but they do have his stunt double in full gear, right down to the wings painted on his helmet. If you didn’t see the Comic Con costume test teaser and the concept art wasn’t enough to communicate how the costume would look, these photos should do the trick.

Hit the jump to see the pictures yourself, and let me know what you think in the comments box.

So what we have here are set pictures of Chris Evans’ stunt double, completely out of context. My thoughts? The outfit itself looks clunky as hell. Too much shit going on. But as I also said, there’s the good possibility that when we see the garb within the movie itself, it’ll look dope. Basically, I’m going a lot of equivocating.

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[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

I’ve spent the last ten minutes gazing into this goddamn word processor. It’s white and bright and winning this staring contest with ease. Fugger! It’s not fair — he’s got pixels and electricity and all I’ve got is the soft gelatin of these dull cow eyes. My retinas will burn out before I think of a clever way to convey my message, so I might as well just lay it out there.

Paul Pope is a master comics creator. And he’s grossly underappreciated.

Those curious about Pope should refer to THB: Comics from Mars #2.

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There’s a god damn heatwave afoot here in New England. The sun scorching us nerds, casting us back into the dungeons from whence we came. What the fuck is a fanboy supposed to do in the face of such unrelenting Sun Hate? Easy, yo. Check out Variant Covers! Shameless plug, ahoy. Welcome to the weekly column where I give the weekly rundown of what I’m looking forward to in the world of comic books. Or more than likely, watch as I grouse like a bitch about the same five things I dislike in the comic book world.

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Scarlet #2
Scarlet’s subtitle should be “See motherfucker, Brian Michael Bendis can still write.” The first issue came out a couple of months ago, and the combined effort of Bendis and Maleev was nothing short of a boner-inducing wunderkind. There was a stretch of time when Brian Michael Bendis owned my nerd soul. Between Goldfish, his bullshit on Sam & Twitch, Daredevil, Powers, and Ultimate Spidey, I would fawn over him with unreserved enthusiasm. Eventually though, his strongest assest, his god damn writing ability, became (to me, alright?) his undoing. Some straight up Oedipal shit.

Why?

‘Cause the dude got something barely short of thrown into control of the entire Marvel Universe. That’s probably a wildly inaccurate claim. Whatever. And all that talent got diluted across ninety titles, and like his talent, my love for him was slowly diluted until it faded away.

Scarlet reminds me of why I love the guy.
And when he’s on his game, he’s better than roughly 95% of us wannabe writers.

Synergy. The retardedly cool concept that something can come together to become better than the sum of its parts. That’s fucking Scarlet. The story itself is cool, though perhaps a bit rote. The world’s fucked up, only one hot alt-chick can save it. The art itself is fucking gorgeous. The dialogue is beyond what feels like the Stock Campy Bullshit that Bendis pumps into the thirty-three Avengers titles he writes. You mash the Hot Chick With Guns and the Gorgeous Artwork and the Witty But Not Pressing Dialogue together, and you have a comic that I am genuinely, genuinely excited to read.

Even if you’re super-duper dissatisfied with Bendis, if you ever loved the dude at all, this is going to be an express trip in the wayback machine.

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Shadowland #3
Speaking of Bendis, one of the characters he used to lull my weeping fanboy heart into his clutches was Daredevil. I know I’ve rode Matty Murdock’s bedeviled jock throughout many a column here, but I can’t help it. Who doesn’t love watching someone as they’ve swooned into terminal descent? We’re all standing near the point of impact, hoping to get some existential guts splattered across that.

You can’t do better than Murdock’s crushed-soul.

I have to say this though, I prefer mainland Daredevil way over Shadowland. And while I dig on Shadowland, it loses a bit of the interpersonal edge that I’ve dug about Daredevil. It’s an action movie, not a detective story. And that’s cool, freal. It’s a preference thing.

But kick it over to Shadowland to watch as a man who has been pushed over the railing and into his own darkness finally combusts. The only sadness I feel is that I know whatever sort of fate Murdock meets will ultimately be mitigated by the engines of the industry. Someday he’ll be reformed, back, ready to rock. Push that out of mind and watch as shit gets real, if you can.

It’s an action movie starring one of the best characters Marvel has had to offer. Unblemished by what I would argue are editorial mandates to fit into movies, and other bullshit, a list of All-Star writers have orchestrated the collapse of the Man Without Fear.

Here’s our chance to watch him splat.

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Click this pig to enlarge. Artist Jock revealed today the cover to Daredevil: Reborn #1, and it’s a gorgeous son of a bitch. If you haven’t been following Daredevil, you’re a fool! And I’m not going to waste my time explaining to you why you are missing one of the best character arcs of the best ten years or so. Just fix it!

Get reading!