Category: Comics & Manga

valiant

Revisit Classic VALIANT – Rai, X-O Manowar, Harbinger

In a recent post about Toyo Harada I talked about the order of VALIANT character appearances in the original VALIANT universe from the early 1990s. I thought about it some and decided to piece together three reviews I did of first three original (post-Magnus and Solar) VALIANT properties in their initial arcs as titles.These cover the two hardcovers that the current VALIANT owner released of the classic material, Harbinger: The Beginning and X-O Manowar: Birth, along with the classic first TPB of Rai from the ‘90s. I wrote thsi awhile back so if there are any continuity eras in our current world, it’s because my Infinity Gauntlet is in the shop.

If you like new VALIANT you can check out my lengthy thoughts on Divinity, Ninjak, and Bloodshot as well.

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escapists bkv

Shared Worlds, Our Own Golden Age – BKV’s The Escapists

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While often times I think fans of comics and thus their creators are a bit too preoccupied with the same ailment that some Fantasy and Science Fiction writers and tend to trade the walking stick for the mirror often and further, stand so close they fog up the picture. Thus my conclusion is that one Brian K. Vaughan has no reflection but truly exists in both worlds, one the fan, one the creator, all the skills, that he has taken on a project spurned on by the creation of another planewalker, Michael Chabon, whose Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay certainly won the Pulitzer throughout the Multiverse in a socially acceptable double dip.

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wizard

Pocket WIZARD Before Comics Went Chromium

Wizard magazine is a publication that is now often talked about in a negative context by most of the same people who didn’t like the half decade or so that Wizard reflected and even influenced the comic book medium and culture, and many who never read the magazine in its prime who echo anything negative because internet

I don’t really want to get into that discussion and instead just want to highlight a recent acquisition.

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macross brandon graham

Pure Jenius – Brandon Graham Macross Art Day

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So… I’m a Macross/Robotech fan (yes, you can be both) – and I guess this is obvious considering the domain name of this site) but this is double the joy here mixing that with a piece of Brandon Graham art that I recently added to the coffers. This piece, which you can see above and at his tumblr colored by Graham was a Kickstarter supporter reward commission from last year.

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gi joe

G.I. Joe Rawhides – 30 Years Later, the G.I. Joe Animated Movie

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Back in 1987 fans of G.I. Joe got an animated film that has gone on to become a pretty divisive movie during a time which was probably the height of or toward the end of the height of the popularity for the G.I. Joe brand. Much like the Transformers animated film from the previous year it can quite plainly be seen as a feature length commercial for a new wave, maybe even a generation, of characters. I was overseas as a kid and when one of my friends got this on VHS it was HUGE news in my school, a part of a close knit U.S. military community in Italy. Back then it was just awesome and when you click it on now you realize that the intro remains one of the best in cartoon history.

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bryan lee omalley

Twin Peaks Scott Pilgrim Style for Puerto Rico – Art Day

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There was a lot going against this Bryan Lee O’Malley print reaching my hands.

I don’t usually buy prints, in might even be more accurate to say I’m even somewhat anti-print and always prefer to buy original art.

Also, while O’Malley is a rare creator that gets my dollar on any new project he does, he is a bit of an anomaly in that I don’t to date put any of his previous work in my personal pantheon even though the film adaptation of the work he is best known for, Scott Pilgrim, somehow exists as the most of odd of, I think, perfect films, even as it delivered on to us by the glorious Edgar Wright to little financial fanfare. I love that film.

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david lapham

Mongrel Lost – David Lapham’s DEFIANT Debut

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I’m pretty excited about what Lemire and Kindt are doing in recent happenings in VALIANT comics but before the current VALIANT universe one of, if not the the major player in the original universe from the ’90s, one Jim Shooter, was ousted and went on to create DEFIANT comics. Among those that went with him was David Lapham, an artist/writer who would go on to win Eisners for his independent work. Lapham would be the artist on the debut comic from DEFIANT, but before he did that, before anyone did anything we could put in our hands, we got Mongrel.

We never saw him again.

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bloodshot reborn

Bloodshot Reborn – Lemire’s VALIANT Inherent Vice

Really was anticipating Bloodshot Reborn #1 from VALIANT since reading all of the high drama that occurred in The VALIANT #4, which was amazing. I think Matt Kindt successfully relaunched Ninjak recently and I was excited to see how the other half of The VALIANT writing team, one Jeff Lemire, would do with Bloodshot, who probably walked away from the occurrences of the mini more changed then any other character. I recently read Lemire’s Descender and in the middle of a write-up on that, and it’s icy.

Bloodshot is one of my favorite characters, and going to get the first issue of his first series is one of those childhood comic book memories that stick out.

I’m also a fan of Lemire in general. I’m not in love with Bloodshot Reborn though.

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Gal Gadot Wonder Woman Makes World’s Finest a Trinity

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For some time now I’ve been planning a theater room addition to one of my homes. I think often when such endeavors are planned we often start thinking about the least significant details first. After all, I won’t be the one doing the electrical work or heavy lifting, nor will I be laying down any foundation or building frames for walls. Much like when I was a kid, I would just be sitting around thinking about shit.

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