Panel Discussion: Scans from Beasts of Burden, Thunderbolts, Spider-Woman, and More

Cute Overload - Beasts of Burden #2
This book is actually dark and sad and terrifying, but come on, CUTE DOGGIES! The really remarkable aspect of this sequence, in which neighborhood dogs bug our animal heroes with a bunch of frivolous cases, is how Jill Thompson's dog drawings perfectly evoke the personalities Evan Dorkin has written for them in just one panel. We've got the thuggish bull terrier, the dopey briard, the gossipy Pomeranians, and the paranoid Chihuahuas. Anthropomorphizing animals never seemed so true to life.

Pretty girls, crazy supervillians, and cop abuse, after the jump...


Excessive Force - Azrael #1



Gotham is just a mess since Batman died. Robin is slicing faces off with a hacksaw, and Azrael is beating the living crap out of a room full of cops! This isn't even the old crazy Azrael, it's some new perfectly sane guy who just happens to be down with kicking cops in the nuts and punching their noses into their brains.
This scene makes it all better.


Fun with Montage - Power Girl #6
Why are trips to Ikea always fun? Actually sometimes they're horrible and boring, but I've definitely had trips much like the ones experienced here by Power Girl and her galpal whatshername. Amanda Connor continues to turn out the most lighthearted yet densely communicative art on the stands today. I love all the Swedized words - it took me a while to get "tasty rolls" from "tejsti rohls". What is the name of the store, "Aidja", supposed to be?


Best Visual Metaphor - Thunderbolts 137
This panel completely sums up Norman Osbourne's role in Dark Reign. Sitting on his Green Goblin glider (why not?), setting up dominoes, boozing it up. He's completely given up any pretense of pretending to be sane around his underlings. It's kind of classy, somehow.

Photo Reference Done Right - Spider-Woman #2
I don't understand why some comic fans get upset about photo referencing. The model in this case, Jolynn Carpenter, is actually credited at the head of the book along with the writer and artist. I've never seen this done before, but it's a good idea. If you're going to have someone "playing" a comic character, they should get a credit. These panels are beautiful, thanks both to Carpenter being really gorgeous and to artist Alex Maleev's beautiful colors and shadow effects. There's also some very subtle compositional touches that link the panels together - check out how the outline of her shoulder in the top panels becomes the edge of a shadow in the second panel.

Panel Discussion: Scans From Runaways, Jack of Fables, Thunderbolts and More

Cute OverlooaaAHHHG! - Runaways #8
This panel combines Geekanerd's love of zombies with our lesser-known love of cute stuff. But here's the weirdness...this zombie disease is only supposed to effect those who have had plastic surgery. Are we meant to infer that this lady is so into appearances she got her little "fashion accessory" a face lift too?! Or maybe tail/ear clipping counts...either way, poor puppy. At least he seems to be making the most of his newfound zombie strength by running amok.

Burn of the Week - Mercy Sparx #3
This dude finally gets his own anti-heroic splash panel, and it gets ruined by an off-screen insult. That's all the context you need.


Best Actor - Deadpool, Thunderbolts #130

I never read much Deadpool but Andy Diggle gives his some great meta-banter and artist Bong Dazo (lol) matches the comedy with some fantastic facial expressions...MASKED facial expressions!
Curious wonder! And what's with those little bubbles? Are they sick bubbles, from the smell?

Old school Warner Brothers dread! This is some Wile E. Coyote shit.

Cockiness!
And again, WB Cartoon-Style lovesickness! This is a wonderful page...details like his pinky-out grip on his gun and buckling knees make this a classic pose. And he's actually right to react this way- Black Window 2 might look like a generic blonde comic babe, but check out her sexy Russian-accented malaprops! Who can resist?


Most Creative Use of Superpowers - Runaways #8

This manga-tastic issue of Runaways had lots of fun momments, but these two examples of the kids using their powers in simple yet functional ways made the kids all the more easy to identify with. It'd be pretty sweet to have a campfire on your foot whenever you wanted...I'd like to see him try to light a cigarette with it. Don't smoke, kids!

Movie Moment - Mercy Sparx, #3
Here we see Mercy Sparx, Demon extraordinare, re-enacting a pivital scene of Joel Schumacher's popular remake of Birth of a Nation, Falling Down.


SPOILER SPACE!



Spoilers for Jack of Fables #32 and Runaways #8 below!


Best Use of Repeated Panels - Jack of Fables #32
Direct your attention to the left side of this panel. If you find out a group of girls you've been having casual sex with for the last several years are in fact your half-sisters, that's the makings for a long freakin' bus ride right there.

Best Splash Panel - Runaways #8
You need to click on this for the full effect. As cute and fun as the art is in this book, Takeshi Miyazawa really brings the nightmare on the last page. A giant monster made of zombies...arms and legs sticking out every whichway. Oh god. The more I look at this, the more I feel like I need to go outside and get some fresh air.

Panel Discussion: Scans From Runaways, Thunderbolts, Teen Titans and More

Product Placement Alert - RunawaysMarvel has been working the Wii into their books for a while now, but this is a great example of product placement that fits naturally into the world of the story and serves a purpose. Seeing the younger Runaways playing Wii Fit Snowboarding hammers home once again that these are just kids, despite being super-strong, from the past, and whatever else. Also it's really cute that Molly managed to find a pink cat-ear hat for her avatar.

Perfectly Symmetrical Violence Never Solved Anything - Street Fighter II: Turbo
Alternate title: Fearful Symmetry.



Most Tear-Jerking Reunion - Teen Titans
Okay so the art here has the characters looking a little gross and sickly, but they ARE in hell. Eddie's family has presumably been condemned to hell ever since he made his ill-advised deal with the devil over a year ago, and Eddie is such a sweet, dumb kid, the consequences of his mistake really broke my heart. But here, we see that his Aunt seems to be doing okay, and Eddie gets a chance to react like a real kid, instead of a stoic superhero. Of course this may be some sort of demon trick; this being DC no one can ever have a truly happy moment with family, but that aside, this was a satisfying payoff to a story set up ages ago.

Spookiest Display of Emotion - Wonder Woman

Damn, Donna! Whatever Wondie did, I'm sure it doesn't merit turning into a black hole of eyes and teeth.

Movie Moment - Thunderbolts
GET OFF MY PLANE!

Scrappiest Team - Teen Titans
Wow, the Teen Titans have really fallen on hard times. One n00b, one depowered n00b, and the only vet is Wonder Girl. WONDER GIRL. Hey, they're not the JLA, but at least they're keeping a positive attitude. I wish the book would actually follow the exploits of these three for a while...I'm guessing it would involve a lot of hanging out at food courts. And why not? I would read that. I would. Unfortunately two less interesting characters join a few pages later, depriving us of the Beetle-Devil-Cassie team-up we've been waiting for. I'm blaming Dan DiDio.

Worst Acting - Justice Society of America
Yikes. I know it can be hard to act without eyebrows but...that is less a expression of nostalgia and warmth than it is a death's head rictus. If someone looked at me like that I would walk away from them.

Burn of the Week - Runaways
Three hits on YouTube! Now that's a burn.

Panel Discussion: Scans from Buffy #20, Batman #683, and Thunderbolts #127

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 light spoilers if you haven't read your books this week.

Cute Overload - Buffy Season 8 #20
Oh NOES! Buffy has gone back to Season 1! And to reflect the relatively angst-free atmosphere of the early episodes, she's an adorable cartoon character! And Joyce is alive and also cartoony! And Dawn is a pre-teen instead of a key! THIS IS AWESOME.

Buffy also nicely retcons the whole Willow/Xander affair...awk!waaard. This whole issue is filled with squeeable moments, why can't they make a All Ages title like this?

PS: This is all based on the pitched but never sold Buffy cartoon series; here's the pilot with many original cast voices! Cept it's not very good...still, cute, right?



Crazy batman after the jump...

Clearest Example of Batman's Insanity - Batman #683
We all know Batman has a lot of baggage surrounding the Robins. Here, Batman is being mind-raped by some Darkseid minions, who are making him quickly relive some of his most traumatic momments. But in this garbled memory, Tim Drake seems to be emerging, in full costume, FROM JASON TODD'S SMOKING REMAINS.

Most Painful Panel - Thunderbolts #127
Ai yee yee yee! Songbird juuuust stops Bullseye's sai from nailing her in the eyeball by stopping it....with her palm. This kind of injury is pretty tame by comic standards, but that red splash in the background and Songbird's horrified expression really bring the sting home.

Panel Discussion: Scans From Batman and the Outsiders, Street Fighter II: Turbo, Ex Machina, and More

Every Monday, we at Geekanerd rip panels from last Wednesday's comics and post the best, the worst, and the weirdest. If you didn't read your books this week, beware of spoilers.

Most Inappropriate Superhero Posturing

What, that's not how you use a computer?

Burn Of The Week - Thunderbolts #129
I have been waiting for almost a year for someone to tell Penance that his tragic pain-fueled power shtick is lame and boring. Moonstone is exactly the right sociopath for the job. If you don't want to click the panel to read it, here's a summary; "By the way Robbie, do you want to see your new costume?" "What? I don't need a new costume..." (Moonie holds up a straight jacket) "Here, what do you think?" Awesome. If your burn session involves props, you're doing something right.

Celebrity Casting Corner - Ex Machina #39 and Street Fighter II Turbo #2

This weeks comics had a little visit from the current Republican administration...first up, Karl Rove..


Meanwhile, a familiar and very confused presidential figure gets a visit from Cammie....
HOLY! Okay, even if this is just a training simulation (VUUUUUUM is the sound of the projector powering down), and even if this guy doesn't look EXACTLY like W, I feel like I might get sent to Guantanamo Bay just for BUYING this comic.

Most Emo Panel - East Coast Comix #1
This is exactly how I feel every day. JK LOL. No really. Anyway, this panel walks the line between amateur and brilliant, and I think it comes down on the latter.

Banana Randomizer Award for Achievment in WTF - Batman and the Outsiders #13
This panel would make MC Escher throw up. What is Manbat doing to Batgirl? Hmm? From what angle are these events transpiring? Is Batgirl in mid-jump, or is she standing on the ground? Is her momentum going up, or down? The motion lines would indicate up, but the way her cape is billowing indicates down. Blarg.

Snap Judgements: Ex Machina #39, Thunderbolts #126, Ambush Bug #4 and More

Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. Arranged from BEST to WORST. Beware some minor spoilers.

Ex Machina #39 gets an A from DEgan
From the beginning, Ex Machina has been one of the only books to actually give you a sense of "this is what it'd actually be like..." And that's saying alot considering so many books strive to achieve just that. But Ex Machina is the only one to deliver on that promise-and it delivers well. This issue is the conclusion to the "Dirty Tricks" story arc-and gives us one of the most intriguing final showdowns between a "supervillain" and a "superhero"... And that's assuming that Karl Rove wasn't the supervillain of the book. He makes a subtle appearance at the end-they don't say it out right, but he's a white house deputy and looks alot like our favorite turd blossom. His inclusion in the story only furthers the sense that this really happened-and again that's impressive considering one of the characters speaks to machines! If you aren't reading this book, get caught up! Its one of my favorites.

The Flash #246 gets a B+ from DEgan
This issue deals with one of the most genuine and loving relationships in the DCU-Linda Park West is dying and the flash fam is not too happy about it. Considering 6 of the pages are series flashbacks (and still don't convincingly explain how she goes from local reporter to world class scientist)-its impressive I enjoyed it as much as I did. Even the hardened comic book cynic that I am, is still genuinely concerned about the outcome of this story. They've done a great job at making me believe Linda is actually on the brink of death (hell, even the Spectre says its gonna happen...) And if she does die... well I just don't know what I'll do with myself... This book had me feeling it.

Thunderbolts #129 gets a B from AHR
I stopped reading this after Ellis left, but this is the start of a two issue interlude by Andy Diggle, so this is probably a good time as any to get back on. And wouldn't you know it, this issue offers all the good stuff that attracted me to this series in the first place. Norman Osborn acting like a dick, Bullseye being scary, and everyone being mean to poor lil Songbird. This issue also features the scene I've been waiting for a while, in which Moonstone, in full blown evil psychiatrist mode, tears down Penance for a lame and boring character. Yay!

Reviews for Street Fighter II Turbo #2 and Ambush Bug #4, after the jump...

Ambush Bug #4 gets a B- from DEgan
As confusing as this book is, it has me laughing an awful lot. I wasn't privy to the Ambush Bug heyday in the 80's... so there might be alot I'm missing. But there's something about it; I feel like I'm on the outside looking in-but so want to be on the inside! This book is really only for the diehard DC fans-but luckily this issue dealt heavily with 52 (which I followed obsessively) so for once I was half in the loop! The issue begins with Dan Didio suffering an embarrassing death-and follows the inexplicable Argh!Yle (Ambush Bug's nemesis who happens to be a sock) through the pages of 52 as he tracks down the Bug. I particularly enjoyed the 52 parody "time/place" subtitles which were all replaced with "page 9, Panel 2" and so on. Its also good to see Wicker Sue Dibny make a cameo. I dunno... this books to odd to explain. But there's some sick part of me that keeps bringing me back for more. I used the word "but" an awful lot in this review... and that goes to show how torn I am about enjoying this.

Street Fighter II Turbo #2 gets a C from AHR
I loved the first issue of this series because it was just a bunch of crazy fights and character moments. This issue has it's share of crazy fights, but aside from a nice moment of pathos early on, there isn't much else to keep your attention. It also feels really short, because there's an extremely boring backup story about Abel, a new character from Street Fighter IV. On the plus side, Cammie sexily assassinates a politician who looks a lot like George W., which is probably worth the price of admission.

Panel Discussion: Scans from Mighty Avengers #15, Final Crisis #2, New Avengers #42 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 - Thunderbolts #121

How long has Penance been Edward Norton? I read the entire Deodato Thunderbolts run and only now did this jump out at me. And regardless of how you feel about photo referencing, isn't it a little unadvised to model a Marvel character off an actor who is playing a DIFFERENT Marvel character at a theater near you?! Or is this some sort of insane cross-promotion? Are they trying to tell us that Penance is really Bruce Banner? I'm sure it's all something to do with Secret Invasion. - AHR

Every Man's Worst Nightmare - Mighty Avengers #15
Hank Pym experiences every man's worst fear: that the cute naked co-ed you're sitting in bed eating ice cream with will transform into a Hulk tranny and kick your ass. -Albo

Hero Most In Need of A New Costume - Robin, Teen Titans #60
Tim, you're not the Boy Hostage any more. You're not flipping around the sidelines while Batman does the dirty work. With this in mind, you MIGHT want to re-enforce the spandex outfit at least to the point where Clock King (CLOCK KING!) can't stab you in the stomach like he's punching a hole in a Capri Sun. - AHR

Someone Call Tony Stark... - Avengers: The Initiative #14
A method for detecting Skrulls has been found! They loooooove pickles and strawberries! And I love Dan Slott for being goddamn hilarious. -Albo

What I loved about that moment is that Skrull Man uses quotes when he names the food, because it's so unfamiliar. You know he's internally pronouncing them as "pick-ELLES" and "straw-BERRIES". -AHR

Most Chilling Ending - Avengers: The Initiative #14
This issue has a hell of an ending, with the first actual method of detecting Skrulls (other than the aforementioned Skrullian T'Manja berries mention earlier) being fritzed by a Skrull who's actually a good guy but happens to be in hiding because he's genuinely afraid of the predjudice that will be leveled against him if he is revealed. So he "hacks" the Skrull-detecting goggles, and now poor Delroy faces the very Twilight Zoney twist of "seeing" that EVERYONE IS A SKRULL. I fear for his mental health. Great end to a great issue. -Albo

Snappingly Good Dialogue - Mighty Avengers #15
"I didn't kiss anyone. And I could have." I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's just the sort of biting non sequitur that you rarely see in comics but often hear in actual relationship arguments. Not that I would know, because any ladies I let into my life worship the ground I geek on, but that's beside the point. -Albo

Project Runway Winners - Final Crisis #2
Japanese club kids plus superhero outfits = the height of geek chic. I wonder if these are all J.G Jones originals, or if he found some superhero fashion reference material? I thought I recognized some of these looks from the recent exhibit at the Met Museum, but no dice. Fashion aside, the best thing in this panel is the guy in the Stormtrooper/Samurai suit, proving once again that Star Wars fans will use any event as an excuse to cosplay. - AHR

What I Hate About Secret Invasion - New Avengers #42
So much of Bendis' "flashback" stories are just a slew of Skrulls hanging out in some dark New York warehouse talking. Not about anything all that interesting. You know, "Sentry is a threat... We should figure out how to get Stark out of the picture... The plan is coming along nicely..." Blah blah blah. It doesn't help that I often can't tell who the hell everyone is supposed to be.

Malpractice Lawsuit in the Making - New Avengers #42
I've really racked my brain for any plausible explanation, but... Can those blobs on the operating tray be anything BUT breast implants?
Hydra Nurse: "But Doctor, her chart says she's in here for power renewal, not--"
Hydra Dr.: "Silence, Nurse! Scalpel!"
And I guess that's how she went from manageable C-cups to these monstrosities in the same issue:
It's only fair to note that the second Spider-Woman is actually Spider Skrullette. Which only raises more issues. -Albo

Cute Alert - Teen Titans #60
That long gaited, big feet teenager walk is too adorable. I like it when action books aren't afraid to get a little cartoonish, when appropriate.

Someone Please Explain... - New Avengers #42
What exactly is supposed to be happening at the end of this issue? What's the "film melt" effect supposed to mean? Surely I'm overlooking something obvious... Help, Geekanerds of the world! -Albo
[UPDATE: The internets work fast, ladies and gentlemen. Alex Zalben of Pulp Secret and Comic Book Club stepped in like the crack of Indiana Jones' whip to let me know the same film melt effect was used in the first issue of House of M, which coincides with what's happening in these panels. Guess I should have read that. Thanks Alex!]