Some stories are so good, they practically write themselves. When the issue ends and you have tons of things to think about as you eagerly await the next installment, that’s when you know you have a rare treat on your hands. A concept or idea or element so natural, that the reader is engaged the moment you start to tell it.

Some stories seem to be so good that they should write themselves, but in the course of fleshing out your idea… doesn’t it seem a little funnier in your head? Don’t the details sort of ruin the point? Welcome to The Irredeemable Ant-Man #2. Not saying #1 was exempt, but from this side of the book, I have to admit that the idea of an unlikable super-hero is a little self-defeating.
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There is something about over sexualized art for a moderate story that is jarring to my eyeballs.  When the plot is just as ridiculous as the breast sizes (a la Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose), I can let it go.  It’s as if a comic that understands its place in the universe should be respected, whether it’s your cup of tea or not.  If that copy of Genus Male isn’t trying to be some Hugo Award winning novel or treatise on socio-political philosophy, there’s no reason to get on its case for being the best little gay adult furry anthology it can be.  But when a book takes itself pretty seriously and it’s dressing up in tacky cheesecake artwork, I tend to stop reading the book and start asking myself, “Why is this panel directing me to look at her crotch?”
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Already the end of October? Gracious! 2007 comes swiftly and although we’ll be missing our Millar Civil War fix in January, there are plenty of books coming out to dazzle and delight. A lot of stories end, some begin in big epic beginning, and a lot of promises of things ‘never being the same again’. That’s a very popular phrase these days, what with Peter Parker’s reveal, the arrival of Clor, Hulk’s departure, man… how can we possibly remember what life was like before if everything keeps changing FOREVER and the internet keeps breaking in half? Isn’t there one book that promises to give you everything you’re expecting?

On to the books! Let’s try on another list of Five for size. Three’s a heck of a lot easier but since I’ve been so under the weather and slacking on my posts for B@N here, I’m going the extra mile!

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I know there’s more to talk about in Marvel’s direction than Civil War (which is neither all that Civil, or a War. Discuss.) but I did happen to notice some interesting things tucked into particular tie in books that answer a few questions that the main title isn’t even touching.

If you’ve been peeved at the treatment of Tony Stark and Reed Richards, if you’d wondered who benefits from a superhero catastrophe, or even want a little bit of hope in the form of some good, ol’ fashioned evil, read on, True Believer.

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If the Internet was everyone, I’m surprised Civil War #4 made it off the shelves. Aside from the sheer thrill of getting to see Thor, any Thor, bring the thunder down, discontent is the majority of chatter, especially regarding the actions of superheroes Iron Man and Mister Fantastic. These two men are fine examples of might for right, putting their rather considerable genius to work to save the world on numerous occasions. So why are they cloning a god to send it after their friends in some mad scientist’s arms race? Who are these people and how are they going to do the things they did before? Is this the end of the hero vs. villain line of morality? Can a story become so dark there’s no light at the end of the tunnel anymore?

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Another month goes back, another two more months to look forward to of boos, books, books. So, should you be able to tear yourself away from Civil War #4 (hopefully arriving today at comic shops), here’s the month of December, brought to you by the House of Ideas.
So maybe lists of five was a little overzealous, maybe groups of three might format better? Three is a magical number, just ask Grant Morrison.

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So, here I was, trying to think of something interesting an introspective on the ol’ Marvel Universe when I realized this is the start of the rescinding of the tide. Since the Civil War books will be delayed, we’re going to start to see a slow series of empty spots on that new comic rack, only to be overwhelmed by the deluge of books that should have been out in the aftermath of Civil War #4′s release.

Which got me on another topic entirely.

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For those who don’t know, I work at the local comic shop in my hometown. It’s a lovely story of buying books there as a kid then growing up to take a place behind the counter. Touching, really. I like to think of comic books as a generational thing, that good old ‘fun for all ages’ catchphrase, and take a little bit of pride in seeing dads come in with daughters, mothers come in with sons, kids talk about their granddad’s old comics that he gave to them… it’s like the best Hallmark card I can think of.

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Sorry for the delay on this week’s article, folks. A little computer trouble has me coming in a little late with things, but I promise it’ll look great in the trade!

It’s Wednesday, the new Previews is out, so why not take a look at where things are headed for the Marvel Universe? Please note that these are just things that caught my eye and aren’t particularly ranked or anything.

Shall we?

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The Wedding of the Century is past, leaving us 94 more years to wait until another wedding to go down that will catch our eye, our imaginations, and maybe even… our hearts. Now, I’ll admit, I have been very cynical as to the T’Challa and Ororo courtship, whirlwind romance and marriage, when I realized that the hype was right, that this was the real Wedding of the Century because this is going to have not only a huge impact on the characters, but possibly the Marvel Universe itself. (more…)

Back in the day, comics were printed in four colors — good old cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (also known as CYMK). But this is the future, with digital coloring nearly standard. The availability of modern technology to the industry gives us such a wide variety of colors and effects that we can often lose sight of a little something I like to call ‘The Fifth Color’.

And not because that sounds really pretentious.

While the creators and printer use all these awesome tricks and palettes to convey their intent and interpretation to the reader, it’s the reader who can actually throw the entire process off by coloring what he sees by what he knows. Readers are the Fifth Color, because what you and I read on the page is the final step in getting what the story is about.

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