Panel Discussion: Scans from Omega, Detective Comics, Ultimate Human and More

Every week we at Geekanerd rip panels from our comics and put them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Click the pics for high res goodness, and beware SPOILERS.

Superheroes Are Dicks - Omega: The Unknown #4
Yeah, that's a bald eagle. To be fair, he looks a little ashamed in panel three.

Indiana Batman, Wrestling Buddies and Gorgeous Art after the jump...

Movie Moment - Detective Comics #840"So do you, Detective!"

Fun With Archetypes - Countdown to Mystery #4
In this well drawn but supremely depressing story, the new Doctor Fate meets the kind of beautiful, charming, available comic book artist girl who are always showing up in comics. She has a lifesize standup of her most famous character, who is such an apt amalgamation of scary-tough-guy-in-overcoat characters, I had to pause to figure out if he was a real character.

Wrestling Buddy Alert - Ultimate Human #1Some of you born at such a time that you missed the brief window of time when little boys and tomboys could buy dolls to wrestle with may have been puzzled by the few panels in Ultimate Human where an unexplained mini Iron Man is passed between Banner and Stark. Those of you who once had such a Wrestling Buddy, however, totally knew what was going on and no doubt shed a tear as the memories came flooding back. On a side note, never do a Google image search for "wrestling buddy" with SafeSearch turned off.

Prettiest Panel - Teen Titans: Year One #1
Aquaman makes poor Aqualad feel pretty bad for spazzing out upon seeing this glorious beast. I think silent awe is more appropriate.

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Incredible Hulk But Were Afraid to Ask - Ultimate Human #1You heard the man. During transformation, the Hulk grows new internal organs. God bless the Ultimate Universe. Except Ultimates 3 which is some awful awful crap.

Beatdown of the Week - Gravel #0
Despite looking like some shit I drew in fifth grade, the knife through the face is a brutal move you just don't see too often.

Panel Discussion: Scans from Catwoman, Invincible, Countdown to Mystery, The Flash, and more!

Every week Geekanerd rips panels from their comics and puts them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Click the pics for high res goodness, and beware SPOILERS.

Product Placement Alert - Catwoman #76

This was actually a really fun comic, but these out-of-nowhere product shots kind of eeked me out. I suppose it could just be a creative choice that Catwoman loves her Chucks but...surely there are more appropriate shoes for the professional cat burgler. Whatever. Here are the shoes the second panel are based on:
Hit the jump for time travellers, zombie shoppers and crying children!

Achievement in Futurespeak - Invincible #46Time travellers with "superior future fighting skills" stealing the Declaration of Independence and escaping on a "time sled"? Count me in!

Never Forget - Countdown to Mystery #3Batman can't go a day without being reminded of his dead parents.

Best Splash Page - The Flash #234
This is just a great looking splash page. Artist Freddie Williams III gives us a big beautiful cityscape that really pops with oustanding colors by Tanya and Richard Horie. The Flash's speed-path kinda reminds me of those Family Circus cartoons with the dotted line.

Seasonal Reminder - Countdown to Mystery #3
This scene takes place in a man's subconscious, but it also serves as a timely reminder of the horrific spendor of Black Friday.

Best Dramatic Pathos - The Flash #234
Context: The Flash's kids arguing about their new powers, and the boy is more wary because he privately overheard that their unstable powers might one day kill them both. The combination of angles in the first two panels are really disorienting, considering the boy is hanging upside down and the girl is half inside a wall. This combined with excellent kid-dialouge makes for a very tense couple of panels, and sudden wide shot at the end effectively captures a particular sort of helplessness only felt by little kids in confusing situations. And where would superhero comics be without childhood angst?

Banana Radomizer Award for Achievement in WTF - The Search For Ray Palmer, Gotham By Gaslight
Besides the editorial mistake (after Kyle jokes about searching 131 worlds, Monitor Bob looks at Jason and says, "There are only fifty-two worlds, Jason, you know that."), there's this strange insistence by Jason Todd in the first panel that this Victorian Era World is somehow where he truly belongs. And he was saying that throughout the whole book. What is it exactly that attracts you to this world, Jason? Your love of social caste systems? A strong interest in antiques? Have you been steam-punk cosplayer all this time? Just find Ray Palmer already.

Panel Discussion: Scans from Mouse Guard, X-Men: Messiah Complex, Countdown to Mystery and More

Every week Geekanerd brings you the best, worst, and weirdest panels from the week's comics. Click 'em for some beautiful high-res scans! Oh, and look out for SPOILERS.

Best Save - Celanawe, Mouse Guard Winter 1152 #2When have you seen so much suspense packed into two panels? You really get the feel of Celanawe straining to pull Lieam over the edge of the pit, snow crunching against the weight of his feet.

Hit the jump for naughty superheroes, jerky superheroes, wacky superheroes and more!

Superhero Dirty Talk - X-Men: Messiah Complex
The lovers find themselves alone... Emma bends over the co-pilot seat, presenting herself. She purrs, "And what about us, Scott? No orders for me?" Scott glances over, the lust in his eyes visible even through the thick ruby quartz glasses meant to keep his powerful blasts at bay. "You and I are going to find out the truth here, Emma..." He engages the Blackbird's autopilot. "...and pray that this isn't what it looks like..."

Oh, I think it's EXACTLY what it looks like, Cyke.

Most Sensual Panel - Countdown to Mystery #2
Sensuality isn't always about sex, you know. Sometimes the power of touch is best demonstrated through more innocent, simple pleasures, as demonstrated by the above panels: a ghost who for unknown reasons has been made tangible goes skinny dipping in a lake in Brazil. Okay, maybe that's not very innocent or simple, but still, that underwater drawing is beautiful.

Superheroes Are Dicks - X-Men: Messiah Complex
Where did these guys learn social etiquette? A woman walks up with her burning daughter in her arms begging for help and the best these guys can come up with is a detached "Oh my God..." and the incredibly insensitive "The child is still smoldering..." Thank you, Captain Dickhead. I guess the X-Men have just seen to much genocide to care much about burning children.

Jessica Alba Award for Worst Acting - That Same Distraught Mother, X-Men: Messiah Complex
Is this a face that says "I just lost my daughter and now I'm being psychically invaded"? No way, there's a definite hint of a smile, there. It looks more like a Spring Break party cheer. If that word balloon said "Hell yeaaah, bitchees!" and the White Queen's hand was holding a Bud Light instead of.... Hmmm....
Am I right?!

Worst Fight Choreography - The Crime Bible #1
Wow, The Question blocked two side kicks in a row! Pretty awesome. Let's see how she attacks this guy...Another side kick...
Oookay.

Gruesome Beatdown of the Week, Part One - Batman #670
Damian takes no guff from the League of Assassins!

Gruesome Beatdown of the Week, Part Two - Daredevil 2007 Annual
The Black Tarantula is one hardcore fella.

Wackiest Crime - Countdown to Mystery #2

Not only has Plastic Man taken the least efficient way through Lex-Corp's laser security system, his partner in crime has fogged up the room by frantically puffing away on a cigarette. Burglary is hilarious!

PS: I find it difficult to believe Lex-Corp uses security tech as old fashioned as laser trip wires. Shouldn't they have something more along the lines of a motion sensitive kryptonite-bullet mini cannon rigged up?

Panel Discussion: The Week in Comic Book Scans

Most Awesomest Historical Figure Turned Supervillain - Zombie-Robot Gustave Eiffel, Umbrella Academy #1
What would the designer of the Eiffel Tower and structural engineer of New York's Statue of Liberty say if he knew he was being re-envisioned as a zombie robot in a comic book? "Maudit enfants!" ("damn kids!") probably sums it up.

Hit the jump for some motivation from Eclipso, harsh words from Bucky, Wii confessions from the Black Fox, and more!

Best Motivational Speaker - Eclipso, Countdown to Mystery #1Eclipso's latest plot is to become the Tony Robbins of the DC universe.

Most Unpleasant Title Page - World War Hulk #4What's the point here? Though it has some panels from last ish, it's way too vague to work as a recap for someone that didn' t read last issue. The weird Photoshoppy blood (click to see the full res where you'll see the blood is rockin' a PS bezel) plus the weird Photoshop sketch of Strange drinking Zomjuice (which two out of three readers I informally polled in a dream thought was Tony Stark boozing) makes the whole thing seem very amateurish, like a fan wallpaper cobbled together from Romita's panels.

Best Comeback - Winter Soldier, Capitan America #30
"Know me? You don't know jack, Fatty!" I love that Bucky, though now an out of control outlaw vigilante, still uses insults from his child-sidekick days.

Movie Moment - Penance: Relentless #1
This illustration of Penance's Stamford guilt is a direct homage to the most terrifying scene in Terminator 2. Remember, the one where Sarah Conner dreams she's looking at a playground through a chain link fence, and after a moment a nuke goes off and everyone is burned alive? That scared the shit out of me when I was a kid, but you can watch it now if you'd like to compare it to the page above, and if you don't mind having a few nuclear dreams of your own.

Satisfying Conclusion to a Running Gag - Black Fox's Wii Theft Confession, Irredeemable Ant-Man #12
If you haven't been following this saga, first we saw Ant-Man and the Black Fox enjoying some Wii time, then the Black Fox snuck in during World War Hulk to steal the sexy white console, and now, after Ant-Man has thrown Fox to the S.H.I.E.L.D. wolves to save his own ass, Fox confesses. Hopefully the Black Fox can escape from the helicarrier in time to play Super Mario Galaxy on launch day.

Check out our past Panel Discussions while you're at it!

Snap Judgments - Comic Reviews for 9/19/07

This week we're trying out a new format for our Snap Judgment reviews. Namely, they're way snappier. If anybody has an opinion as to which they like better let us know and we'll probably listen to you. Commence judgment!

Umbrella Academy #1

Only yesterday did I realize the comic world has been waiting with baited breath to see if Gerard Way can write as well as he can wear black eyeliner and sing about cancer. I dug out my Umbrella Academy preview from Free Comic Book day, which I had skipped over in my Owly-induced trance. Well, I loved the FCB ish and this first issue is a joyride as well. It's got a nice darkly comedic attitude, and I particularly enjoyed how the superhero team's father-figure, a wryly detached and somewhat mean-spirited old man. This makes sense because Gerard comes from the world of emo, where all authority must be distrusted and or/sneered at. I kid because I love. Gabriel Ba's art slightly recalls the cartoon-industrial feel of Mike Mignola or Duncan Rouleau, and it's bolstered by Dave Stewart's color palette, so we're talking some very pretty pictures. -AHR

The Verdict: A

The Programme #3

Another month, another recommendation from me to go out and pick up The Programme. I was surprised when I saw that this was only issue three, as the story is so dense it felt like I'd been reading it for much longer. But with this issue things are finally all starting to make sense, and even the difficult but rewarding art is getting easier to digest without losing it's heavy atmosphere. Or perhaps I'm just getting more used to it. Either way, if you aren't reading this yet I heartily recommend tracking down the first two issues and getting to it. -Albo

The Verdict: A-

Robin #166

Robin has been great throughout Adam Beechen's run, although I never got into the most recent on-going plot, namely the saga of Dodge. It's been one of those "annoying wannabe sidekick is rejected only to become an arch-enemy" stories, which can run the risk of either making the hero seem genuinely insensitive or making the sidekick annoying enough to turn off the audience. Dodge was a case of the latter, although in this issue Beechen does a good job redeeming the character, and I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed upon the issue's conclusion. One final nerdpick - in this issue we see Tim Drake cannot play tennis. Bullshit. If the Joker threw a grenade at him and he had to whack it away with a tennis racket, I don't think there would be a problem. -AHR

The Verdict: B

The Irredeemable Ant-Man #12

Last issue seemed to be a perfectly good send off for the series we loved so much. This issue serves not as a conclusion but as a segue into a new iteration of the character that will appear in other Marvel books (it would be a spoiler to say which books...). I seriously doubt I will love the character in another book as much as I liked him in this Kirkman series, so after the satisfying conclusion of last issue this one felt a little like someone resurrecting my dead grandmother and telling me she's gonna work the streets for extra zombie cash. -Albo

The Verdict: C-

SECOND OPINION: Robert Kirkman, no! You said you would never redeem your deplorable non-hero, but in this final outing Eric O'Grady appears to have had a spiritual awakening. It's as if Eric himself knew of his impending cancellation and, fearing the fires of disposed character hell, he felt he had to throw the mea culpas around to save his fictional soul. Still, a disconcerting last issue doesn't erase the fond memories of what has been my favorite Marvel book of the last year. Here's hoping he'll find new fans as a guest-star in other titles. -AHR

The Verdict: A+ for the series, a reluctant D for the issue

Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #2 (of 2)

After last issue's questionable merit, I was a little wary to pick this ish up. But I love Sam Keith's art and I figured it'd be worth it just for that. Unfortunately Sam phoned this baby in, with a couple interesting touches doing little to make up for the overwhelmingly bland (and sometimes downright ugly) visuals. The story's a total waste of time, too, so really save your six bucks if you're thinking of picking this one up. -Albo

The Verdict: D-

Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special #1

There are two kinds of events in a comic book. One, the more common one, is where the universe explodes, or someone dies, or is raped, or is slowly lowered into a pit of acid. The other is where someone gets married! This means lots of in-jokes, characters getting page-time with people they'd never regularly get to hang with, and tons of in-jokes. Make the happy couple the two two horn-doggiest members of the JLA, and you also get lots TV-14 rated raunch. Judd Winick manages to keep the tone goofy and light (well, with one notable exception). Even when the requisite big fight scene starts, the madcap comedy keeps rolling right through the cartoon violence. I was disapointed not to see the actual VOWS at this freakin' wedding, but maybe that's for some sort of Green Arrow Black Canary Vow Special, soon to be followed with the Green Arrow Black Canary Feed Wedding Cake To Each Other Special, and the Green Arrow Black Canary Do The Chicken Dance Special. -AHR

The Verdict: A+

Countdown to Mystery #1

Score! I took a chance on this Countdown tie-in solely based on the fact it features Eclipso, who I like simply because the character is currently inhabiting the body of Jean Loring, Ray Palmer's brain-stomping ex who is just my kind of crazy. I didn't realize this issue features two stories, the first of which opens with a shot of the Dr. Fate helmet shooting through the stratosphere like a wayward meteorite and crashing on the Las Vegas strip. That is a good way to open a DC book, and it just gets better from there. The second shorter story is the one with Eclipso, as well as our old, dead friend from Gotham Central (and former partner to Renee Montoya)...Crispis Allen! He's the Spectre's current host (making this book all about mystical entities and the humans they glomp on to, I guess?), and we even get to see him help dole out some patented Ironic Justice. Stephen Jorge Segovia's art for this second story is outstanding, made stronger by Dan Brown's masterful colors. Some of the best art of the week right here, no kidding. -AHR

The Verdict: A

World War Hulk #4 (of 5)

I feel really bad about dishing so many negative reviews this week, but when you walk out of the shop with as many stinkers as I did you have to vent a little. I've known WWH was getting worse since the second issue, so I can't say I was surprised to find this month's installment lacking even more than last month's. The rest of the Marvel Universe has already moved on from this "Mega Event," which leaves the proceedings feeling more and more irrelevant. The stakes keep getting lower (Hulk not killing anyone showed right off the bat that he will one day rejoin the rest of the heroes without consequence), Hulk keeps getting less angry, and even Romita Jr.'s art, which I've been totally into up till now, is getting sloppy. Add to that an inevitable conclusion that has been broadcast since the first issue and you've got yourself one suckbag of a book. -Albo

The Verdict: D+