Panel Discussion: Scans From Final Crisis: Revelations #1, The Walking Dead #51, Simon Dark #11, 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.

Least Subtle Public Service Announcement - Walking Dead #51
Reading? More fun than video games? Simmer down kid, your dad's already going crazy, we don't need you losing your head too. But seriously, there's nothing wrong with a little book-boosting, though the precocious execution here is a little Family Circus. I prefer a more direct approach.

Movie references, Doctor Light gets what's coming to him (kind of), and social justice, after the jump...

Movie Moment - Simon Dark #11
I've been waiting for the mysteries of Simon Dark's past to be revealed for a year now, I was a little disappointed when it was all unloaded in one big 5-page scene by the freaking Architect.

Most Disappointing Death - Doctor Light, Final Crisis Revelations #1
I have no problem with this death in of itself; turning someone into a giant candle and using their head as a wick is classic Spectre. But it's sadly literal; I get it, Doctor Light, Candle, Incandescence, okay. But Doctor Light is (in DC's Infinite Wisdom) a serial rapist. I'm not saying I wanted to see Doctor Light being raped to death. I'm just saying, if you introduce rape as a fundamental aspect of a character (it comes up several times in this issue alone), wouldn't something concerning rape be a more appropriate demise? This couldn't be a double standard where rape and gender are concerned, could it?

Credibility Issue - Welcome to Hoxford #1
I'm not convinced this guy would actually be committed to an institution. First of all, the insanity defense is used way, way less than you'd think from watching courtroom drama. I guess on The Wire rich drug dealers can get out of prison with their fancy lawyers, but this guy seems to have actually been convicted of killing cops. His status as a young black male makes me think most states would be less inclined to institutionalize him and more willing to have him swiftly fitted for a drip feed of death.

Wow, this was the most depressing Panel Discussion ever! Thanks for reading!

Panel Discussion: Scans from Wonder Woman #21, Simon Dark #9, Kick-Ass #3 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!

Celebrity Cameo Corner - Red Mass For Mars #1
Not only did the artist base this character on Paul Giamatti, he based him on the first Google Image result for the actor. Can I restate again my distaste for "casting" comics? -Albo

Blood, bad t-shirts, blood, and a big freaking shark (that's bleeding) after the jump!

Composition Counts - Simon Dark, #9
Gnerd's love of Scott Hampton's art for Simon Dark is well-documented. Issue #9 serves up plenty of flashy violence which, while fun, didn't impress me as much as this lonely moment in time, as this nearly disemboweled guy waits for help to arrive. Having the light from the window hit the empty bed instead of the figure on the floor adds a touch of voyeuristic realism to the image, and allows the blood to pool into complete blackness at the bottom of the page. I'd love to own a print of this, though I'm not sure where I'd put it. -AHR

Keeping It Interesting - Locke & Key #5
This "light on, light off" approach to page layout is basically the same thing Dave Gibbons does in that famous sequence from Watchmen, but it's still a cool trick. Especially since this static conversation probably didn't sound all that visually interesting in the script. Also, click on that sucker and check out the little touch of having the lightning bug blink at the same rhythm as the flashlight. I just think it's a nice looking spread. -Albo

Movie Ripoff Alert - Locke & Key #5
Uh... Scraggly haired scary woman dressed in white emerging from a stone well? I do believe I saw this before in a little flick called The Ring. Oh, I kid I kid. I love this book and this moment spooked the shit out of me. -Albo

Banana Randomizer Award for Achievement in WTF - Wonder Woman, #21
Look, I read and enjoyed the recent WW storyline about the Amazon Queen's super Secret Servicesque bodygards. I followed it. I get that the big bad of that storyline is back, not having died by the heretofore sure-fire method of falling off a cliff. But why does this shark indicate proof positive that "she lives"? Did she kill the shark then ride to safety in it's carcass, as may be indicated by the emphasis on the open mouth? Are we meant to recognize that perfect triangle as her favorite cut of meat? And that shark wasn't there in the previous panel - did it just wash up on shore seconds before Hippolyta sees it? The seagulls and non-waterloggedness of the body would seem to indicate it's been there for a while. Oh I'm confused. Thing is, this was still my favorite part of the issue. - AHR

Crimes Against Good Taste - Kick-Ass #3
I think it's hilarious that we're supposed to like this kid but he's drawn with t-shirts that make me want to strangle him. "Whateveritis... Amagansett"??? Seriously? Maybe we're NOT supposed to like him... -Albo

Reality Check - Kick-Ass #3
This book is all about bringing a superhero into the "real world," and while this scene is actually a kinda trite I still couldn't help but smile. -Albo

Best Actor - Kick-Ass #3
Look at Kick-Ass's eyes. They aren't trying to be intimidating, they aren't afraid, they aren't anything... At best, they're bored. At worst they are the dead eyes of an utter psychopath. Both possibilities would make me think twice about tangling with this dude. It's really an alternative approach to the illustration of the moment, and I dig it. -Albo

Beat Down of the Week / Most Shocking Moment - Kick-Ass #3
It's a testament to the world that Millar spent three issues setting up that this kind of ultraviolence actually shocked me as I turned the pages. I see this kind of thing all the time in other books and never give it another thought, but these few pages had me blurting out exclamations of shock. That's something I don't do but maybe once a year. -Albo

Panel Discussion: Scans from Wonder Woman #19, Fantastic Four #556, Young Liars #2 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!

20% Percent Gratuity: Wonder Woman #19
AHR: Here is how I believe this panel came to be....imagine if you will a conversation between artist Bernard Chang and editor Matt Idelson...
"I'm supposed to set this conversation between two men in the shower, but I don't want it to be too homoerotic."
"No problem. Put a sultry naked woman in the foreground."
"....in the men's shower?"
"Military bases can have co-ed showers. Didn't you see Starship Troopers?"

Great art, bad art, an evil Russian girl and a compromising position after the jump!

WTF Happened? - Young Liars #2
Albo: One minute the girl is whispering in the guy's ear and the next she's getting the "protective friend" hand on her shoulder and our hero is getting flipped off. Did he somehow project his fantasy for the world to see? Surely he's not getting the finger because the tickets aren't his? And just what WOULD that girl do to see Spoon? Especially considering that the book is set in 2005 Austin, where Spoon lived and assumedly played pretty frequently.

Best Actor - Evil Russian Girl, BPRD 1942 #4
AHR: I think this character has a name, but I can't be bothered to look it up. All you need to know is she's an evil demon in the form of a Little Russian Girl, and she displays a wide range of both evil and childlike emotions...

Ironically framed innocence! "Who, me?"

A classic "bad cop" interrogation pose.

Sulking

Two more adult expressions. Take charge confidence and affronted annoyance; "who is this bitch and who does he think he's talking to?"

Art Worth Praising - Chris Bachalo, Amazing Spider-Man #556
Albo: What an awesome composition this panel is. The patterns in the floor and in Jameson's gown feel very Sienkiewiczian, the block of light keeps our attention well-focused, the restricted color palette works really well, and the top down perspective is just f-ing cool.
Oooh, what a bleak and stormy night it is! I know this doesn't seem that exceptional out of context, but the whole issue does a really wonderful job of isolating Spidey out in the cold. Bachalo doesn't use black borders around the panels, furthering the feeling of being surrounded on all sides by snow.

Best Comic Timing - Simon Dark #7
AHR: I think many other artists would have been content to simply repeat the first panel to convey an awkward moment of thought process in the second panel. The joke still would have worked, but the blank look away really sells the confusion.

(Mis)Adventures in Computer Coloring - Amazing Spider-Man #556Albo: Please click the image to get a high res glimpse. Now take a look at that image of earth. Get a bucket ready because if you don't vomit at the "I just pulled this lossy jpeg off Google image search" look of that crap then you aren't paying attention. This is the second time we've had to call out this book for crappy use of photos.

Anachronism Alert! - Young Liars #2
Albo: Going to play Guitar Hero, are you? Well I hope you have a time machine, because you're living in April 2005 and Guitar Hero doesn't come out until November 2005!

Product Placement Sucks - Fantastic Four #556
Albo: Marvel is the biggest product placement whore on the planet. I'll accept your intrusive ads if A) You lower the price of the books or B) You remove all other advertisements. Otherwise I can't help but feel like I'm getting ripped off. And for all you guys saying product placement adds realism to a book, please tell me what sort of self-respecting human wears a t-shirt advertising Guitar Hero III: Mobile?

Biggest Letdown - Bryan Hitch's Art, Fantastic Four #556
Albo: It feels like only yesterday I was praising the art in this book. I'm not sure what's happened in the meantime (I hope it's something joyous like Bryan Hitch having a baby and therefore no time for art) but this stuff has gone way downhill. What the F is wrong with Johnny Storm in this panel?! He's been up all night shagging some supervillain, so a little weariness is in order, but c'mon! He looks like a zombie Gary Busey!
Now this one I'm willing to exonerate Hitch for and blame on the colorist... This is supposed to be a pretty impressive splash. And it would be, if I could tell what the hell is going on. There's no focus, it's all terribly jumbled.

From A Certain Point of View - Fantastic Four #556
Albo: Alyssa on ground spread eagle? Check. Sue Storm's head positioned directly between Alyssa's thighs? Check. Alyssa drawing closer to Sue with lips parted and eyes closed?
Check.

WTF?

Snap Judgments: Quickie Comic Reviews for 4/9/08

Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. There are probably some spoilers herein. Arranged from BEST to WORST.

B.P.R.D 1946 #4: A
Dense story and crazy action, a winning combo in my book. In past issues this book's adventurous tone has felt bogged down by some extremely grim plot-points, but this issue focuses on more fantastic elements of the story and wisely pays extra attention to the best character to come out of this series, Little Evil Russian Girl. -AHR

Young Liars #2: A
David Lapham's Vertigo book reads a lot like his on-hold opus Stray Bullets, but with enough twists to make it feel like it's own animal. The story of a desperate kid's life falling apart has enough "oh shit" moments to make it stick in your mind for quite some time. -Albo

Simon Dark, Wild Cards, Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder-Woman and Fantastic Four all after the jump!

Simon Dark #7: B
Violence, violence! The most unsettling issue yet with a heavy emphasis on scrazy zombie carnage, but also in evidence are many elements of what has made the book great from the start; perfectly timed moments of deadpan humor, excellent artsy art, and a gentility to the character of Simon which strikes a sad contrast with the realistic vision of Gotham he inhabits. The only thing missing is a memorable storyline. -AHR

Wild Cards #1: B
Based on a series of sci-fi novels that started in 1987, this book is about an alternate earth where an alien virus has killed 90% of humans (referred to as "drawing the Black Queen"), horribly mutated 9% (called "Jokers") , and given superpowers to 1% (those would be the "Aces"). Pretty exciting first issue that definitely makes me want to stick around for issue 2. -Albo

Amazing Spider-Man #556: B
A little boring, but the art is pretty fantastic. Three pages of fat Spidey are funny. -Albo

Wonder Woman #19: C+
A lot of the resolutions in this issue hinge on one character convincing another character to do something huge by offering them a song-lyricesque platitude about peace and understanding. I guess that's superheroes for you but it's less than I expect from Simone. I do like the way she's writing Wonder Woman, combining the military detachment of Batman with the humanitarian idealism of Supes....she's an interesting balance between the two extremes. -AHR

Fantastic Four #556: C
What the heck? I was so excited about this book a couple issues ago, and it's already devolved into mediocrity. The art (which I praised extensively) has become a hard to decipher jumble. The characters for some reason are all dumb as bricks (when arriving at a battle scene where a killer robot has demolished 22 heroes including Iron Man, the Sentry, Wolverine, Dr. Strange and others, the Thing says "Take it easy, I got this guy."). And then all those heroes that were bleeding and unconscious all spring back into action at once, none the worse for wear. Sigh. -Albo

Panel Discussion - Scans From Salvation Run #4, New Avengers #38, Fantastic Four #554 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 some major SPOILERS.

Best Death Scene - Salvation Run #4
Salvation Run seems to be a good way for DC to get rid of a bunch of their C-List villains, but anyone who read and loved (and to read is to love) Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol knows that Monsieur Mallah and the Brain are no mere C-Listers, but are in fact one of the best couples in comicdom. As painful as it was to see Gorilla Grodd bludgeon Malla to death with with the brain's glass encasement, this Oscar-Caliber death scene is a fine way to bid adieu to the star-crossed pair. Even if the Brain does look like a bunch of thumbs in that second to last panel.

Writer Self Commentary - New Avengers #38
What's a writer to do when he has to fill a panel with boring exposition? Why, throw a bone to us readers by having a snarky character (Hawkeye in this instance) calling the writer on it.
PS - Spidey is wearing the ole' red and blue in this ish... Which means it's up to date with "Brand New Day." Why does no one realize they've forgotten Spidey's secret identity?

Now That's Comedy II - Simon Dark #5
PD fans will remember that Simon Dark was the recipient of this award about a month ago. Writer/Artist team Steve Niles and Scott Hampton have an incredible knack for this sort of dark, deadpan slapstick. Please note that the dude getting ripped asunder is some sort of evil magic zombie/ghoul, so don't feel too bad for him.

The Guilt Trip That Keeps on Giving - Fantastic Four #554
I guess if your best friend turns you into a hideous beast you are entitled to a few occasional favors...

Burn of the Week - Tiny Titans #1
Kids can be so cruel. And on-point.

Coolest Framing Device - Gotham Underground #5
We at Gnerd have mostly enjoyed this title for it's EC Comics style gorytelling, though this week Jim Calafiore really takes it up a notch. Throughout this plot-gap filling issue, panels are shaped like puzzle pieces and are used to highlight visual clues, or in this case, blot out the identity of whoever is moonlighting as the Spoiler. In this next page featuring the Joker, note that the puzzle pieces don't fit, but are instead laid on top of each other. Get it, cause he's crazy. Great touch.

Art Worth Praising - Bryan Hitch's in Fantastic Four #554
Bryan Hitch takes the Fantastic Four and turns them into what they were always meant to be... A family. A father, a mother, a brother and a best friend. These are not super sexy idealized eighteen year olds, these are people. Observe:

A father.

A mother. Be amazed with Hitch's ability to illustrate a sexy maturity!

Realistic human proportions. Never have you seen She-Hulk so realistically rendered in the company of other females. Look at how comparatively large she is, and how she slouches from her mass. And then the rendering of Sue's reaction to Ben calling Reed's ex-girlfriend hot? That's some goddamn great personality work. Bravo, Bryan Hitch.

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.