Panel Discussion: Scans From Fables, Wizard of Oz, Green Arrow and More

SPOILER ALERT....HUGE SPOILER at the end of this post for Fables #81.

Best Actor - The Cowardly Lion, Wonderful Wizard of Oz #3
Why haven't I been reading this series? Maybe cause I'm not huge on whimsy, but the fun contained in these pages cannot be denied. The Cowardly Lion is a particularly excellent example of how much life and expression artist Skott Young packs into these characters.
Cowardice by way of emotional suppression...


Cowardice by way of nerves...


Cowardice by way of outright panic. Love it.

Tons more scans, including panels from preview comics we picked up at Comic Con, after the jump...

Corniest Pun - Push #1

I enjoyed this comic tie-in for Push, but I don't know about this pun. I could barely "get through" it! WAA!

Worst Costume - Green Arrow and Black Canary #17
Interesting comparison to be made here. Check out the cover of this issue - you don't see much of this lady's costume, but what you do see looks alright. Kind of cool, even. But inside the book, we get the image above. Costumes like that are why people like me feel they need to take a break from superheroes every now and then. Paper thin fabric that neither makes physical sense nor is sexy at all. At least her top appeared to be made out of leather with some actual support on the cover. There also appears to have been a last minute decision to give her a mask/sash over her eyes, and the pencils no way reflect how a piece of fabric would actually fall across a person's face. This girl is supposed to be a crazy Green Arrow stalker, but this costume is not creepy or threatening. And a weird George Perez oval belt can't save it. It's ridiculous.

Burn of the Week - Shadrach Stone Preview
Context: this kid just stole something from this guy's store, told his dad and the cops a baldfaced lie to get out of it, and they believed him and left. The reader doesn't know he's lying either, until the previously timid kid turns around with this sneer to do Calvin proud. What a punk.

Cute Overlaod- Wonderful Wizard of Oz #3
What's cuter than a mouse wearing a robe and crown talking to her mice subjects? How about throwing a angry little dog into the mix? OH NOES...

Crisis averted. Angry Toto is freaking adorable.



SPOILER REMINDER! HUGE FABLES #81 SPOILER BELOW!



(spoiler space)



Saddest Death- Boy Blue, Fabels #81

Overlooking the ball field...you can't tell me you read this issue without tears.

Panel Discussion: Scans From Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, Young Liars, 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. Beware some major SPOILERS.

Click the pics for high res goodness!

Skrull "Humanity" - Secret Invasion #3

Two separate scenes in this issue of Secret Invasion featured Skrulls who really didn't seem to be all that into the mission at hand. The first, above, appears to be some sort of priest or something, and he looks pretty distressed about old whatsherface getting a gun pointed at her.
The second is the Skrull S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the lest of the above frame backing up Skrull Jarvis. He looks positively distraught about pointing a gun at Maria Hill. I like to think that during his time posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent he grew a certain fondness for Ms. Hill. These two frames alone really make me want to see a "Frontlines" style story about the Invasion from the Skrull POV. I want to know what's going through these non-agressive Skrulls' heads. So c'mon--where's my Secret Invasion: Behind Enemy Lines?

Worst Dialogue - Green Arrow Black Canary #10
When in need of a snappy banter, steal from 300.

Clearest Example of Batman's Insanity - Final Crisis: Requiem #1
I think these panels speak for themselves, so I'll just comment on the great use of "Hnnn".

Best Custom Contract Job - Secret Invasion #3

I love that some team of lowly Skrull contractors were hired to design and construct this giant room that serves only one purpose: stretch Mr. Fantastic out so much he can't wiggle out.

Banana Randomizer Award for Achievement in WTF - Detective Comics #846
So, we knew that as a child, Hush cut the brakes on his parents car, killing his dad and almost killing his mom. What we did NOT know is that he based his whole bandaged-face supervillian costume on the memory of his hospitalized mother, who of course was hospitalized because of his unsuccessful murder attempt. That...that's messed up.

Most Horrific Villain - Young Liars #5
Just looking at this section of the book again to post it makes me a little squemish. This crazy little man ambushes these poor bastards during sexy time, removes our protagonist's "Mr. Johnson" (Lapham's phrase, not mine) and proceeds to do some really bad things to his companion. Thankfully they "cut to black" right after that unsightly unzipping panel, but the absence of illustration might actually just make it worse. There's a taste of satisfaction when the little bastard gets a toothbrush to the eye courtesy of his female victim, but he jumps out the window and gets away. Which just means he'll show up later, even more grotesque than before with an eyepatch and a taste for revenge. Shivers.

Panel Discussion: Scans from The Goon, The Twelve, Countdown 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.

Best Action Sequence - The Goon #20
We love colorist Dave Stewart here at Geekanerd. These muted sepia tones elevate Eric Powell's pencils from awesome to stunning. Not to mention these panels feature a man fighting bird monsters in the air, while being hung. And he wins!

Hit the jump for Nazi lechers, alien exhibitionists, bratty superheroes and more...

World's Second Greatest Detective - The Twelve #1The setup here is that this guy is a WWII superhero who was frozen at the end of the war and just unfrozen by the US Military in 2008. They haven't broken the news to him yet, but we've got a sharp one here and he knows something is up.

Banana Randomizer Award For Achievement in WTF - Countdown #16
That's a horrible comeback. Kit Fisto 1, Jason Todd 0.

Bad Touch - The Twelve #1
We all know Nazis are bad dudes, but groping an unconscious superheroine? Inexcusable. As well as extremely random.

Embarrassed For Everyone Award - Countdown #16
This maybe already be the worst comic book panel of the year. Pink naked alien girl with breasts bigger than her head, check. A thin line of steam shooting out of the bathroom to cover her vagina (or something), check. Giant floppy cartoon antennae, check. The line "I owe you a boon." I can't check that one off because my hands are busy clawing my eyes out.

Peter Parker is a Brat - Amazing Spider-Man #546

It appears that removing Mary Jane from Peter Parker's life has made him revert to an impulsive, bratty teenager. Exhibit A: "For once I'll be the hero?" Surely he got over this kinda crap a long time ago. Exhibit B:
This isn't how Aunt May and Uncle Ben raised Pete. This is some crazy Spider-Man 3 "Tobey Maguire Goes Wild" Spider-Man. Seriously, "I made you!"? Really? As much as I liked seeing him finally tell off J.J.J., it doesn't seem true to character. He's not even under any stress.

Superman Ex Machina - Green Arrow/Black Canary #4
So what's going on here is Green Arrow is calling Superman's name from the other side of the planet to get his help. This being possible raises some important questions: How are we meant to feel any sort of danger in any DC superhero comic now that we know all anyone has to do is ask (loudly) and Superman will stop what he's doing and come to the rescue? And why haven't people been doing this all along? Have they just been too stubborn to ask for help from Superman? Even when people are dying? What babies. Secondly, if his hearing is really that good, has Supes just learned to tune out every one of the millions of people screaming for help across the globe everyday?

Stupid Stupid Comic Artists - Hulk #1
Ok, the Hulk is wielding a gun. Your first question should be "Where does he find a gun big enough for his meaty Gamma-irradiated fingers?" Luckily for you, Iron Man reveals on the next page that S.H.I.E.L.D. in fact makes guns that large. Your second question should be "Ok, I can see S.H.I.E.L.D. making big guns, but why in flaming flip would it be a six-shooter revolver?!"

Fanboy Wet Dream - Mighty Avengers #7
Yeah yeah, New York pedestrians have turned into an army of Venoms and Carnages . On a side note, has it ever been explained why the symbiote didn't give Peter Parker big jaws and a giant tongue?

Most Chilling Image - Killing Pickman #2
I wrote a review for this issue on Wednesday, but scrapped it cause I couldn't do proper justice to the exquisite fusion of text and art that's being put out in this book. The purely expressionistic splatter of red makes this otherwise innocent image one of the most haunting in an book with enough dark, disturbing imagery to go around.

Now That's Comedy - Simon Dark #4
HAHAHAHA! We don't see this gag enough in comics.

Panel Discussion: The Week in Comic Book Scans

Every week Geekanerd brings you the best, worst and weirdest panels from the week's comics. There will be SPOILERS. Be sure to click these puppies for high res action!

Beatdown of the Week - Simon Dark #1
Yikes!

Serrated bonesaws, supervillain tears and Silver Age goofery after the jump!

Best Silver Age Throwback - Booster Gold #3
This panel, which demonstrates the alternate past Booster has to prevent, might actually BE a cover from the silver age. The gaping facial expressions, the use of the phrase "How could you?", the classic Superman in half-dressed pose...the only thing missing is wanton cruelty.

Even Supervillains Cry - New Avengers #35 Poor Jigsaw just can't catch a break.

Best Visual Gag - Green Arrow/Black Canary #1
Classic. Especially hilarious is the contrast in tools; Doc Midnite has his delicate little surgical implements, whereas Bats goes straight to the electric bonesaw. Bro don't mess!