thecoastofspace

comic books and music mostly

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“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” ― Alan Watts

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Batman falls from space, and lives to hug Tim.

Zdarsky and I are closer in age than I’m willing to admit. So, his Batman run shares a lot of the same sensibilities that someone my age would appreciate. Tim Drake is the main Robin, Damian Wayne is nowhere to be see, the Justice League play a big part in this story (as they realistically would for any Batman event). He even brings back elements from Morrisons run, which was preeminent take on Batman in my youth.

Failsafe is a perfect showcase for the Batfamily, while keeping Bruce at the center of the action. I read Tyrion’s run a few years ago and his Batfamily felt cumbersome and unwieldly. It felt like I was reading Batman and the Outsiders and not Detective Comics. Here, Zdarsky keeps the emotional focus on Batman and Tim while showcasing more than your money’s worth of Bat themed characters.

Despite this being a big adventure in which Batman survives a lot, Zdarsky crafts the story to make every encounter a struggle for Batman. There are some preposterous moments such as when Bruce literally falls from space at terminal velocity and doesn’t burn up in the atmosphere. But kind of like his Spider-Man run, Failsafe pulls it off. This run is shaping up to be a feel good popcorn comic that’s maybe not the most thoughtful. But has enough high action and heart to keep us coming back for more every week.

I just assume that Batman lines his costume with synthetic kryptionan fabric or something and that's how he can survive such intense conditions

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Cullen Bunn shares an unused pitch for a cosmic X-Men series

The writer shares designs for crew members of the Starship Perilous.

Call it Starjammers and I would have bought it.

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I haven been too big a fan of his Deadpool work, but the first ten issue sof X-Men blue are fun and engaging. For a very bleak period for X-Men, this run is not too bad.

I still hate Jimmy Howlett.

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The thing I like most about Wonder Woman Earth One is the coalesce and re interpretation of the character’s lore into almost a religious mythology. It takes the questionable bondage stuff from the earliest comics and turns it on its head into a very thought-provoking philosophy. Grant Morrison really brings alive the world of the Amazons and the message that Diana ends up bringing to man’s world. Its not just about the subjugation of women, but about the crimes man does to itself. Making Steve Trevor a POC is a good choice because you have a man who’s generationally made to submit to other man,

The first volume is a little shaky and put me off when I first read it. It’s pretty much the hospital scene when Wonder Woman encounters death and believes it to be a folly of man’s world. She also saves a bus of less ideal looking women and laments how man’s world has misshapen their figure. It was just kind of weird and off putting the first time I read it. But once I figured out that it was a part of Diana’s journey to accept things beyond her own understanding.

WWEO has so much to say that it kind of gets lost at the breakneck pace of this series. If you read it, it’s better to go all at once rather than taking a break between volumes because each one feels incomplete without the other. The art and coloring are gorgeous without too many obligatory exploitative shots you would expect with a book taking place on a “island of Lesbians” as earth one Etta Candy calls it.

Anyone interested in Wonder Woman should give this series a chance. It gives you something that many modern interpretations of the character seem to struggle with. An underlying philosophy to Wonder Woman that gives the character those defining words like “with great power comes great responsibility”.

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The only good thing to come out of Civil War II

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I gotta admit, a thirteen year old having a Ronnie Regan hallucination is pretty great.

Paper girls is turning into a wild ride.

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Been watching King of the Hill and wondered if Hank Hill could ever get into miniature painting. He could be initially dismissive of all the sci fi stuff but maybe after going to a hobby shop and seeing all the historical war games maybe he would become interested. Hank is a master craftsman and his friends love projects. He could even create miniatures or dioramas of one of his favorite things, sports.

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I love custom action figures and this looks like a good one!

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God Country by Donny Cates is a heartfelt and breezy read about family wrapped in the tale of gods and cosmic swords. There's a reason for the universal praise of this book. It comes in, tells its beuitfully crafted story, and leaves with everything it needed to say. There is no reason not to give God Country a try with how short and self contained it is. This book is filled with a perfect mix of heart and action and needs to be added to your bookshelf.

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Al Ewing for Any Man, not who I would have picked but a great writer. Adding to my tbr.

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Sophie-Campbell Appreciation post

Then you drew Glory at Image in 2011-12. How did you get that job because I don’t think most of us expected you to draw a monthly superhero book.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to do a monthly series but I was in dire financial straits so I had no choice. [laughs] They needed an artist for Glory and Brandon Graham sent them my way, I thought it was a joke at first, that Brandon was just messing with me. [laughs] Brandon knows everybody, he’s basically built my whole career for me. I got the Minx job and some of the Vertigo stuff I was working on because of him, he introduced me to Shelly Bond, and he’s friends with Eric Stephenson so when the new Extreme stuff was being put together, Brandon was there at ground zero and got me involved. It was far outside my wheelhouse but I think it worked out well. I had a lot of fun doing Glory, it was a fun challenge.

An Interview with Sophie Campbell - The Comics Journal

A lot of her fans know Sophie Campbell for her recent work, from the relaunch of Glory at Image Comics with writer Joe Keatinge to the recen

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Archie 1941 depicts not a just war, not a noble war. But a necessary war. A war too big to avoid. A true, unavoidable world war.

With the same reflection and regret as we usually depict Vietnam, Archie 1941 is a somber book putting the Riverdale gang in the shadow of the second world war. The idyllic archiverse gives way to a somber depiction of life at home in the year 1941. It examines the lives of those left behind the lines and how we pick up the pieces when families are torn apart as a higher duty calls.

Not everyone will like the ending. But its really up to personal taste and somewhat cannon for archie, especially in the waid era.

Overall, remember to read this one.

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Batman by Chip Zdarsky is a thoughtful, bombastic adventure that tests not only Batman, but the entire DC universe. I wasn't a fan of the Tyrion run from what I did read, and I haven't looked in to it till now. I expected a much more grounded, personal work from Zdarsky. Instead I was presently surprised with a story that is still at its core about Batman, but encorpates the entire dc cannon. Sort of similar to Batman Universe in that way.

I find Failsafe's existence sort of silly, but Zdarzky justifies it with a great fleshing out of Zurr-Ann-Ah. A character that until now, only Grant Morrison has ever made interesting. I also enjoyed this use of the Bat family far more than in previous titles. The art by Jorge Jiminez really showcases the dynamism of these heroes. Zdarsky's back ups are just as engaging as the regular story, serving as a nice endcap every issue.

I will defiantly be there next month for the collusion.