KOCHALKA KOCHALKA!

american elf vol. 3!!
american elf vol. 3!!!

batman # 681
superman # 683
captain america #44
the walking dead #55
unknown soldier # 2
battlefields # 2
daredevil # 113
x-force #9
trinity # 26
ultimate spider-man #128
madame xanadu# 6
secret invasion x-men #4
secret invasion inhumans# 4
umbrella academy dallas #1
runaways #4
wolverine origins #30
jsa k.c. special the kingdom
thor man of war
mesmo delivery

take a peek at mesmo delivery. the art is like geoff darrow borrowing a little of dave coopers gross flesh drawing powers. the story is strange, kinda funny, very gruesome and very short.

batman #681 hmmmmmmmmmm.

in case i didn't get my point across: JAMES KOCHALKA'S AMERICAN ELF VOL. 3!

Comics! (11/26/08)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amongst many other things, I'm thankful for the following comics waiting for me when I get back from the east coast:

Batman #681
Jack of Fables #28
JSA Kingdom Come Special The Kingdom #1
Madame Xanadu #6
Northlanders #12
Unknown Soldier #2
Captain America #44
Battlefields Night Witches #2 (of 3)

Eat up nerds.

- TFM

What I'm Gettin' (11/26/08)

Good news: Comics aren't late this week! Bad news: They're late next week. Ah well, give and take.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #19
Daredevil #113
Northlanders #12
Runaways 3 #4
Umbrella Academy: Dallas #1
Walking Dead #55 (really, already?)

I was skeptical about Runaways, but I've started to really enjoy this story arch. Recommended.


-AR

Magog! (and other comics I will be buying on 11/19/08)

Happy Wednesday!

Most anticipated this week? Hard to say. Probably Greatest Hits, but I already told you about that yesterday. Scalped would be next, but you already know we love Scalped here. Let's say JSA Kingdom Come Special Magog #1 is the winner this week:



I was a major skeptic when this whole storyline started, but I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised. Some people might say "Get to the point already." To those people I say "A watched pot never boils." Then those same people would say "What does that even mean in this context?" To which I would say "Hey! What is that over there?" and then run away really quick.

Anyways, here's the rest of the list:

Greatest Hits #3 (of 6)
Scalped #23
Ghost Rider #29
Punisher #64
Samurai Legend #3 (of 4)

And maybe something awesome will be there to surprise me.

- TFM

invincible being awesome goes without saying.

invincible 55
fantastic 4 561
ex machina 39
supergirl 35
kingdom come special magog
x-factor 37
thunderbolts 126
john constantine hellblazer 249
goon 30
ultimate fantastic 4 58
spirit special 1
uncanny x-men 504
x-men legacy 218
flash 246
trinity 25
conan the cimmerian 5
superman/supergirl maelstrom
punisher war journal 25
dynamo 5 18
jack kirby's the demon hardcover
castle waiting 13

castle waiting is sort of like the idea of fables, with an all ages bone feel, but instead of having wars and enemies, the characters just learn about each others as they live their day to day lives. issues 12 and 13 were about dr. fell's experiences during the plague and about bowling.

there is new art team on x-factor this month. thank you god! this have been the most consistently good x-comic over the last few years, but the last few issues looked like absolute shit.

andy diggle takes over thunderbolts today. i'm expecting good things, and by good things i mean he's going to do horrible things to characters i like. in this issue songbird, penance and radioactive man are all in trouble as the more vicious members of the group act against them, under norman osbornes orders...

my crush on peter tomasi continues this week in kingdom come special: magog. every character in jsa deserves an issue like this. it's a good read and adds some needed character focus to the over-staffed justice society.



-the neg man

Contest: Read Northlanders #1 for free / Win a copy of the first trade

All right. There's really only enough screaming from the rooftops we can do from this blog. We've told you that Northlanders is the best comic you're not reading, but you're all probably a bunch of free thinking individuals that just won't take a bunch of awesome people's words as absolute facts. Well now you don't have to. This has probably been up for a while now, but I just noticed it today. The fine nerds over at Vertigo have the entire first issue of Northlanders up on their site so you can read it for free. Did you hear that? You don't even have to part with $2.99 to decide if you like it or not. Head on over and check it out.

Now, I know you're going to be instantly hooked so you're going to want to immediately run out and buy the entire run. Well, the pending holiday season is making us feel a little generous right now. If you email us at spoilerzplz[REMOVETHISPARTWEHATESPAM]@gmail.com with "I Love Northlanders" in the subject line we will randomly send a few people a copy of the first trade.

Not bad, eh? Now get to it. There are some blood thirsty Vikings waiting for you.

- TFM

You Should Be Reading: Greatest Hits

I already have Amy Racecar on board (see below post), but I wanted to remind everyone that Greatest Hits #3 is set to release tomorrow. Definitely very near the top of my read pile right now (and trust me- it's a large stack), so do yourself a favor and pick up all three issues when you hit your shop and read them in one sitting. It's a six issue mini so you're not making a huge commitment. I'm all about getting everyone to read the best of what's out there and this one is a lot of fun.

- TFM

"...and I will whisper, 'No.' "

Thank goodness for The Floronic and Negative Men, I have been so bad about updating. Stupid real world getting in the way of my internet life!

Here's my pull list for this week:

Ex Machina #39 (finally!)
Fantastic Four #561
Goon #30
Scalped #23

Brief, but solid.

Upon TFM's recommendation, I read the first two issues of Greatest Hits and, I have to say, I am very excited to see what the series will bring. Superhero version of the Beatles...the concept warms and tingles my heart.

In other news, I will be the first to admit that since the beginning I was a staunch naysayer of the Watchmen movie. Boy have things changed. Watching the newest trailer, I actually teared up. Actually, I'm going to watch it again right now.

Ahhh...still so good. Expect me nerding out in line opening day.


-AR

This was good.

Probably not as great as Casino Royale, but it's a good companion piece and nice continuation of Bond's beginnings.

As for that Jack White / Alicia Keys theme song? Hands down the worst Bond song ever. It might also be the worst song ever written.

- TFM

mole men, aliens with babies in their backs, balloons full of acid!

wolverine 69
green lantern corps 30
nightwing 150
action comics 871
gravel 6
anna mercury 4
walking dead 54
i kill giants 5
captain britain and mi-13 7
trinity 24
kingdom come special superman
detective comics 850
batman cacophony 1
young liars 9
booster gold 14
justice league international vol. 3

and
geek monthly 22, because sarah silverman makes my heart go pow! pop! ka-boom!

nightwing: in a scene that feels right out of the golden age of comics, two-face uses blimps to dump acid on the city to punish nightwing for failing to stop him from killing an old girlfriend!
you can't beat this book, though apparently you can cancel it. thanks d.c.
at least we still have g.l. corps, where the lanterns meeting with the sapphires goes poorly, but at least kyle and his group knock the shit out of kryb, the creepiest member of the sinestro corps.

wolverine: after a brief run in with the moloids, logan and clint continue their tour through the united states of completely fucked up. next issue we'll find out what made logan swear off violence.

-the neg man

Beasts!

Probably my favorite non-purchase of last year at Secret Headquarters was Beasts!. Published by Fantagraphics, compiled by Jacob Covey and featuring a slew of great artist renderings and descriptions of cryptozoological creatures:




My main problem is by the time I walk over and start to peruse the books and other publications I'm already loaded up to the chin with single issues and graphic novels to the point where my bank account is screaming for mercy.

But Beasts! was really rad and I flipped through it many times. It started with the first edition. Then that sold out. Then the second printing arrived so I would glance through another time. Then it just disappeared.



Well- good news for procrastinators everywhere. Not only is a soft cover edition of the first installment on it's way, but now a second installment will be available in December:




Comic Book Resources has a recent interview with Jacob Covey and artist Femke Hiemstra. Read it!


Preorder Beasts! Book 1 softcover

Preorder Beasts! Book 2 hardcover

Me? I'm off to crawl the internet to find myself a copy of Book 1 in hardcover. Cause I'm a sucker like that.


- TFM

Review: JSA Kingdom Come Special: Superman

I've been a big fan of Alex Ross, the artist, pretty much from the beginning. Who hasn't, right?

Alex Ross, the writer? That's been a little more hit and miss.

That's why reading this was so much fun. Not once did I cringe or roll my eyes or yell out "Come the fuck on!" The script was top notch from beginning to end.

However, that cover is a total bait and switch. There is no big throw down between the Superman's in this issue. Kingdom Come Superman accidentally punches Earth-1 Superman, but that's all you get.

The story: Kingdom Come Superman is still trying to figure out what's going on with his recent arrival on Earth-1. With the appearance of Magog and Gog he's starting to get really worried that the fate of his world is going to be repeated. So it finally dawns on him to track down this Earth's version of Norman McCay to see if he has the same warnings of the Apocalypse for him as he did before. Norman doesn't have much to say to Superman other than typical advice a reverend would give to a troubled soul. It will be interesting to see if Norman McCay shows up again before this is all done.

I was a little nervous when I saw that they would be bringing Kingdom Come characters and plot elements into current continuity, but in the hands of Geoff Johns and Alex Ross it's been superb so far. This special fills in some of the blanks, as KC Superman explains to Earth-1 Lois how she died on his world and you get a great flashback of the moment.

More please.

- TFM

Review: Batman Cacophony #1

Disclaimer: I'm a Kevin Smith fan and I have been for quite some time. That being said, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the first part of Batman Cacophony.

The comic opens up at Arkham Asylum with Deadshot breaking in to fulfill a contract that has been taken out on the Joker. The exchange that takes place between the two is classic Kevin Smith. But that's kind of the problem I had with it. It feels TOO Kevin Smith-y. Imagine Randal Graves playing the part of the Joker and Dante Hicks as Deadshot and you kind of have the right idea.

The rest of the story is...ok. Joker is out of Arkham and goes after Maxie Zeus who has watered down the Joker poison to concoct a new drug called Chuckles that is being sold to kids. Batman has a brief encounter with Victor Zsasz, before being summoned by Commissioner Gordon regarding the situation of the Joker's escape. And Onomatopoeia factors into the story somehow.

A couple of bright spots though. I did quite enjoy the beginning where Kevin explains the situation with the asylum gate guards- how they were let go due to the economy (and since no one ever seems to want to break in to Arkham) and how one of the two goes on to sell 30 years of security information to the highest bidder. I did like how I was actually fooled into thinking "Wow- he just killed off Deadshot", even though I'm a pretty skeptical comics reader when it comes to that kind of thing. I liked Batman's run through of Deadshot's armor situation and the way he has it set up to "play dead" if the situation calls for it.

Overall though, I was initially really excited about this mini but now I'm not even sure if I'll be picking up the next two issues. I was hoping for more of a Daredevil: Guardian Devil kind of vibe to it. We'll see.

- TFM

P. Craig Russell interview

I haven't had a chance to read this article yet, but CBR interviewed P. Craig Russell about his adaptation of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters. The first installment is at your comic shop waiting for you right now (and it's gorgeous).

Read the interview here.

- TFM

Batman: Cacophony (and other things I will be buying today - 11/12/08)

If I had to pick one book that is most anticipated this week, let's say it would be Kevin Smith's Batman: Cacophony #1 (of 3):



Here's a list of what else I'll be picking up today:

Booster Gold #14
JSA Kingdom Come Special Superman #1
Young Liars #9
Eternals Annual #1
Wolverine #69
Anna Mercury #4 (of 5)
Gravel #6

Thank you.

- TFM

Review: No Hero #2

I have to agree with Dave at Secret Headquarters. The other day he said something to the effect of "With Warren Ellis, I either like it or I really like it". No Hero is on issue #2 and so far, by all accounts, this falls into the "really like" column.

The world has one superhero team, The Front Line, created and hand selected by a gent named Carrick Masterson. Carrick created the synthetic drug FX7, which is the only known supplement which will give a regular person superpowers (although it appears the American government has tried several times with less than desirable results).

Anyways- The Front Line has recently been mysteriously and maliciously ambushed taking two of their members out of commission. Desperate to fill the ranks to fend off any more direct attempts at taking another piece of the team, Carrick has whisked away a young crime fighter by the name of Joshua. Joshua doesn't have any superpowers per se, but he's been diligently taking out bad guys in his neighborhood trying to attract the attention of Carrick and The Front Line. Now he has and at the end of the issue, as Carrick offers Joshua his first taste of FX7, he has to answer the all important question (and The Front Line tag line): How much do you want to be a superhuman?

The last four pages are filled with equal parts disgustingness and intrigue.

Issue #2 of No Hero is still setting up the pieces (presumably so they can all be knocked down again) but as much as I quite enjoy most everything Mr. Ellis does, for whatever reason this series seems to have some extra Awesome thrown in. Juan Jose Ryp's art is mesmerizing as usual. There's really no reason why you shouldn't be reading this right now, is there?

No, there isn't.

- TFM

still sobering up from post election celebrations...

hooray obama! hooray comics!

big questions 11
final crisis resist
justice society 20
sandman dream hunters 1
trinity 23
adventure comics special: the guardian
superman/supergirl maelstrom 1
grant morrison's dr. who 2
avengers initiative special
invincible iron man 7
cable 8
x-men manifest destiny 3
army @ love 4
back to brooklyn 2
freakangels vol. 1
superman vs. brainiac tpb
the essential dykes to watch out for
watching the watchmen

"it's a hard taste to forget. once you've had it you can't go back."
-a scary ass bird, big questions 11
anders nilsen has done some of my favorite comics over the last few years. it is hard to think of anything as depressing as the books he wrote about the death of his fiancee, "the end" and "don't go where i can't follow." his additions to the kramers ergot anthologies are among the best of the series and his experimental book "monologues for the comic plague" made me scratch my head in a good way. that said, "big questions" surpasses it all by MILES. each issue has had an increase in production values, the comics themselves becoming art pieces regardless of the contents. fortunately, the story has matched this upgrade in physical quality. the story of a flock of birds puzzling over the sociological and religious issues created by their discovery of a crashed jet plane. they assume the plane is a giant bird, witness a human hatch from it's head, then peck away fanatically at another egg it laid, actually a missile. if you can find the older mini comics, start there. if not, the main story begins with issue 4. a nice complete collection is inevitable and very exciting.

final crisis resist- i haven't been reading checkmate, the team this book focuses on. is rucka REALLY writing snapper carr as a serious character on a regular basis? no offense if you like that book, it could be great i haven't tried it, i just hate teen mascots gone serious.

sandman: the dream hunters- though i love his gaiman adaptations, i'd love to see p. craig russell get back to operas. honestly? he could adapt mein kaumpf into comic form and it'd still make me cry.

superman/supergirl maelstrom- phil noto! why are you drawing awesome pictures for such boring writers? jesus christ this guy draws a perfect, slightly older but dignified superman!

invincible iron man- like an old-school super hero team up from your childhood, but really well written!

watching the watchmen- this book is VERY pretty. i got the special edition, with a big mean smiling comedian close-up on the cover. this book isn't about the movie, which several people told me, but is actually an examination of the process of creating the art for the graphic novel. that is MUCH more interesting to me. the special edition is signed by dave gibbons (in pencil!) and includes five prints, two of which are obviously frame worthy.

xoxo,
neg man

Please, God...No.

Empire Online spoke with Sam Mendes about the recent news that he's the latest name (in a long list of names) that have been tasked with making a Preacher movie:

“It's brilliant, it's an incredible twisted vision,” he said of the 66-issue story. “There's so much of it you couldn't possibly fit it all into one movie. It's just about what you keep and what you leave out, and how you structure the story. But just to have that toy set again, being able to paint on a big canvas and to say ‘I am gonna do crazy crane shots and massive action sequences again because I want to,’ it's exciting..”

Crazy crane shots nonwithstanding, I gotta say I'm a purist when it comes to this one. Even though Garth Ennis himself apparently isn't that concerned about staying 100% faithful to the original comic, this is one I would like to see exactly the same as it is in print. I don't think Hollywood should be trusted with what's expendable when it comes to my favorite comic series.

The good news is Mendes doesn't even have a script yet, so this will probably never get made. I remember far enough back when Kevin Smith was going to direct this and have Ben Affleck star.

If they could just go back to the HBO idea it would all be ok.

Then again, if they are set on making a feature length movie out of this they need to let Garth write the script. The chances of it sucking go down at least 75%.

Maybe I'm thinking too much about it...

- TFM

Rant: READ NORTHLANDERS, NERDS.

Dear fellow comic readers,
It has come to our attention at OMG Spoilzerz, Plz! that many, if not most, of you people aren't reading Northlanders. What the hell is wrong with you? Perhaps you are like me, suspicious of new Brian Wood projects, annoyed by his work in the past. To this I say, "I've been there, brothers and sisters! And I have seen the light!"
Seriously, guys. It's so fucking entertaining. It's got all the sex, violence, and swearing that you could ever want from a comic about vikings. Beyond that, it has *gasp* really good storylines and character development! The way Wood is chopping up stories, keeping them short and sweet, is a great idea that helps the concept from getting stale. Northlanders is easily one of my favorite books coming out, and The Floronic Man and I will be wicked pissed off if it gets canceled. So, please, do your friends at OMGSP and yourself a favor and start reading it. The first trade came out a few weeks ago.

-AR

FreakAngels (and other things I'm picking up on 11/05/08)

This is what I'm most excited about today:



From Wikipedia:

Freakangels is set in a time after London has been flooded. A group, called the Freakangels, live in Whitechapel and their life encounters a dramatic bump when a girl called Alice arrives one day, bearing a shotgun and a grievance against one of their number.^[3] Ellis' synopsis of the plot involves characters "living in a post-flood London that they might possibly have had something to do with."^[1]

Here's the rest of the list.

Definite:

Justice Society of America #20
Back To Brooklyn #2 (of 5)
Invincible Iron Man #7
Sub-Mariner Depths #3 (of 5)
Grant Morrisons Doctor Who #2

Oh- and No Hero #2. That came out last week but for some reason I missed it.

Maybe:

House of Mystery #7 (this started strong, but hasn't been that awesome the last few issues)
Sandman Dream Hunters #1 (of 4)

- TFM