Aunt Velma's House of Horrors!

 

So last year, since we couldn't do a full stage production we reunited the cast from my old production of Dragnet and recorded a sequel, Dragnet: The Big Small. This year I tried something new!  I wrote a short audio comedy called Aunt Velma's House of Horrors. 

It started with a little grain of idea and I just sat down and wrote it in one go. I was happy with how it turned out, and it makes me want to try again!  

Comic Book Coffee Break #51

 Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break!  This morning I had Yuban Coffee with cream and Irish Creme syrup.  Good stuff.

DC Comics

My copy of the DC Pride anthology came in just in time.  I'm loving these DC anthologies. Standouts for me were the Green Lantern/Alan Scott story and Flash vs. Reflek. It was also cool to see Dreamer make her way to comics. I'd love to see more from that character.

Continuing with New 52 Superman, I read Batman/Superman: Truth Hurts. Look, I am loving this whole arc. I don't care much about Jim Gordon Batman, but it worked well in this collection.  Plus Superman teams up with Batgirl, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd as if it were a gift just for me.

Marvel

I got back on track with Cap and Falcon, reading Marvel Masterworks: Captain America V. 10.  This set of issues from 1976 sees Jack Kirby return, this time as both artist and author.  I love and will continue to love Kirby, but his complete disregard for the story that came before is pretty bold. He did the same thing with Black Panther. I loved seeing the Kirby style return, but I was digging the contemporary 70s stories that came before and this felt like an unnecessary disruption. (More on Kirby in a minute)

Other Stuff

We were working on a "Tales & Tails" Summer Reading Program over at the library so I picked up some of Erin Hunter's Warriors series.  I read the first novel Into the Void, then picked up a three-volume manga series called Graystripe's Adventures. The book was a little too serious for my taste, but I had a pretty good time with the manga. Basically a wild cat and a house cat (or "kittypet" as they are called) opt to hit the streets and returns to the Warriors home in the forest.  The story is pretty straightforward they have highs and lows, they save a group of barn cats and then continue on in their quest. It's written by regular comic book writer Dan Jolley, and he does a nice job of adapting the series. I probably wouldn't read more, but this was a fun little excursion nonetheless. 

Finally, back to Kirby. I read The Simon & Kirby Library: Crime.  This is made up of mostly true-crime stories from the 1940s.  They were a little do similar to read back to back like this, so I'm sure that colored the experience.  My main complaint is similar to one I had with the Science Fiction volume. There just isn't enough editorial content.  You're given an into and then you're off.  I would have liked it if the issues had more commentary or were broken up into sections.  As is it just felt like a content dump and it wasn't a particularly enjoyable read.  Still, as a fan of early comics history, I'm glad to have read it. (My copy has a bookplate signed by Joe Simon, so that made it extra cool.)

Next Time...

I'm in the home stretch with New 52 Superman so I will check back in when I finish that. 

Oh, also, I guest hosted an episode of 90s Music Got Me Like.  You can find it here or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #50

Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break! I was in Utah last week, so now I'm playing catch-up!  This morning I had a small Tim Horton's Coffee with cream and sugar.  I don't really care for their coffee, which is why I usually get tea. Anyway...

Let's talk comic books!

We were doing a Fairy Tale episode for Howe's Things so I finally read Fables V.1 by Bill Wyndam.  My friend Kendra has been recommending it for years.  Legends in Exile is basically a murder mystery looking into the death of Snow White's sister Rose Red.  I get the appeal and it really sticks to its groove, but I don't expect to check back in.  I find the premise a little hard to get past and it never quite got over that hump in my mind. 

Next, I read Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye V.1 by James Roberts.  I don't know why, but I have a fondness for the Transformers, and yet I never seem to settle on a version of them that I like.  (I loved the Transformers/Star Trek crossover, but that hardly counts.) This version looks great, but don't let that V.1 confuse you.  This is not a very good hopping on point.

Marvel

I'm doing a guest-spot on Previously on X-Men so I picked up some Deadpool.  This week was Deadpool vs. X-Force by Duane Swierczynski and Pepe Laraz.  This was harmless, but not particularly intriguing. It's a time travel story where Deadpool is going back and messing things up so Cable assembles a proto X-Force and goes after him.  It's fun how it intersects with Deadpool's first appearance. 

DC

I'm rounding the corner on my New 52 Superman reread. I read Superman: Before Truth and Action Comics: Truth. This is setting up the fall of New 52 Superman.  Oddly enough the actual Truth story wasn't as impactful as I remember. Some of the villains and side plots drag down the story.  It works best when we get an introspective Superman, but he keeps having to rumble. I'll looking forward to the grand conclusion. 

Next Time...

I'm reading the Batman/Superman and Superman/Wonder Woman volumes to complete the Truth story, and then finally getting back to the vintage Cap reading. 

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #49

Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. Home again and back to the Folgers Noir.  It doesn't solve gritty mysteries, but it is a dark roast. 

Let's talk Comic Books!

This was the last week of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month so I read The
Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.  Ultimately this is about a son trying to come out to his mother.  It interweaves their lives with the folktales they share to come to a point of openness.  It looks great and serves it's purpose well. I would read more by this author.

Marvel Comics

While on vacation last week I stopped at Chautauqua Comics and picked up a random Cap comic called Captain America & the Korvac Saga by Ben McCool and Craig Rousseau.  I wasn't really familiar with the original story that this is inspired by and I found this 2011 version to be a little dull. Basically Cap and Guardians of the Galaxy go into the future to fight (?) Korvac.  I grabbed this because it looked self-contained and I loved the smaller size.  It worked fine to sit in an Airbnb and read, but left next to no impact.

DC Comics

Back to my Superman New 52 reread. I picked up Superman V.6: Men of Tomorrow by Geoff Johns and John Romita, Jr. This was a lot of fun to revisit. I think Johns' sensibilities and Romita Jr.'s style came together well to make the first truly good Superman story of the New 52 era. I've enjoyed a few stories here and there, but this might be the fist of this run that I'd recommend to someone. It looks cool and the story actually manages to feel unique. We'll done fellas.

Other

I picked up One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale.  It's a YA graphic that's an homage to the Pied Piper.  We are doing a Fairytale Adaptations theme over on Howe's Things, so I grabbed a few to read.  This was quick and distinct.  I really liked the limited use of the colors and the overall design. Check it out!

Finally, I read Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier. This is a biography of Jack Kirby, interlaced with art, comic excerpts and even full stories. I really loved it.  I knew the broad strokes of the story, but I found this to be immensely readable and very informative. This was a gift from my old co-host Eric Mikols.  Thanks Buddy!

Next Time...

I'm still chugging away at my Simon/Kirby Crime collection, plus more Superman, more Fairytale adaptations and some retro Captain America. 

______________________

You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.

Comic Book Coffee Break #48

  Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. We were at a an Airbnb this morning so I had Donut Shop coffee from a Keurig with a little cream and sugar. Not bad.

Let's talk Comic Books!

I'm still reading and writing in the midst of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month so that's still my guide at the moment.

DC Comics

My copy of DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Super Hero Celebration arrived in the mail from Midtown Comics and I was pumped to dig in.  I've been really enjoying these anthologies DC has been doing. This features 11 different stories with a stellar lineup or authors and artists. Here are some of the standouts.

• Dress Code by Minh Le and Trung Le Nguyen revisits the Green Lantern character Tai Pham from Green Lantern: Legacy. I thoroughly enjoyed the original graphic novel, and while this isn't a full sequel, it was nice to check in again with that world.
• Hawke & Kong by Grek Pak and Sumit Kumar was a team-up between the Connor Hawke Green Arrow and New Super-Man. It's an unusual pairing and has a fun, buddy-cop kind of vibe.
• Finally, a new character was introduced in The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes. The story is by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by Bernard Chang. This was a lot of fun.  I really liked the team-up with Shazam. This ends with a teaser that the series will continue down the road and I'm looking forward to that.

Marvel Comics

My wife has been a fan of Runaways since the beginning, but I only became familiar with the series from the TV adaption. I picked up my wife's old copy of Pride & Joy and read through it.  This was in digest form, back when Marvel was doing that on the regular. It was interesting to read this coming from the TV show.  I really enjoyed the first season, but the premise is watered down by making the parents sympathetic. Here they are just plain villainous and it works much better. While I wasn't all in on this one, I would likely read more.  I know we have a stack of digests here, so why not?  It was interesting to see Nico's introduction because it seems her stock has risen more in recent years as Marvel tries to expand their magic characters beyond Doctor Strange. Also, interesting how quickly things changed. Some very obvious issues with words used as pejoratives here.

Image Comics

 While at that Airbnb, we had access to the streamer that is airing Robert Kirkman's Invincible and we took full advantage, binging the full season over of the course of two nights. My wife had never seen it before so it was fun to see her reaction to some of the more shocking moments. My love of the comic books series is well documented across The All the Books Show and Comic Book Coffee Break, so I was excited to see this. While I did enjoy it, it's not the kind of adaptation that really adds much to the experience. The voice cast is great and I don't really have complaints about the series; I guess it's more that I just didn't need it. When the change presents itself, I'll likely watch the future seasons, but I'm not particularly invested.

Next Time...

I picked up a few graphic novels at a comic shop while we were away, so I'm going to read some Captain America, continue my New 52 Superman reread and dig in to my Simon & Kirby Library: Crime collection.

______________________

You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.

Comic Book Coffee Break #47

 Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. We left the house in a hurry this morning, but I managed some Folgers Noir with cream and a Vanilla syrup.  It served me well.

Let's talk Comic Books!

I'm reading and writing in the midst of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month so I thought I'd spotlight Agent Jimmy Woo and Ryan Choi as the Atom. 

Marvel Comics

Let's start with Agent Woo, while I may have bumped up against him sometime in my reading, it was Ant-Man & the Wasp and WandaVision, that really made me take notice. Last week I read Agents of Atlas featuring an elderly Jimmy Woo rebooted as his 50s self but in the modern day.  This week I read the digital exclusive Wolverine & the Agents of Atlas by Jeff Parker & Benton Jew.  This was fun because you get to see Jimmy in his day mixing it up with a very confused Wolverine. I think the period setting worked a lot better on the Agents of Atlas vibe. This is a relatively brief 3 issues and I would have loved more. I'll likely pick up more Agents of Atlas, but I much preferred the retro feel of this.

DC Comics

Over in the world of DC, I picked up the first volume of Gail Simone's All-New Atom: My Life in Miniature. My library has this whole run and I'd been meaning to read it for years and finally picked it up. I'd read Ryan Choi in some of the Rebirth stuff and had seen him in the CW Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, but this was the first time I read something specifically devoted to him.  I'm a Gail Simone fan, primarily from Birds of Prey, so was excited to pick this up. It starts well enough, but then gets real weird, real fast. At one point a giant, naked women traps Ryan in a little ball then swallows him.  All this happened at a drive-in theater. I kept expecting these weird swings to pay off but they just didn't. It seemed weird for weird's sake and I don't think it worked. I don't blame Ryan Choi though. 

I've got a few more randos to finish out the week. Back to...

Marvel Comics

I read Deadpool: The Circle Chase by co-creator Fabian Nicieza.  (I actually started with the first appearance of Deadpool & Domino in New Mutants #98.)  This is Deadpool's first run at being a solo character.  It's worth reading for that, but I don't have much more to say.  He has some funny moments, but the characterization still has a ways to go, and honestly he hardly feels like the main character here. I haven't read a ton of Deadpool up this this point, so I don't know how it compares, but I have to assume it gets better. 

DC Comics

Finally, I got back to my New 52 Superman reread with Superman V5: Under Fire by Scott Lobdell and Ken Lashely.  The collection as assembled by DC is real mess with the tail end of Krypton Returns and a little of Doomed messing with the flow.  However, the Parasite story shoved in the middle is pretty decent.  Nothing ground breaking here, but I did enjoy the standalone sections more than I remembered. 

Next Time...

My copy of DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Super Hero Celebration arrived in the mail so I can't wait to dig in to that. See you then.

______________________

You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.

Comic Book Coffee Break #46

 Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break! It's Mother's Day so went out and got some Starbucks.  I'm having an iced coffee, black.  Good stuff.

Let's talk Comic Books!

So May is Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage and I decided to let that steer the ship this week.  

Marvel Comics

I finally got my hands on the original 3-issue run of Sunfire & the Big Hero 6.  I only saw the movie a few years back, and I really liked it.  I read the Chris Claremont redo (as discussed on the All the Books Show), then the 2 part manga (which we detailed in issue 11 of CBCB), but this original story remained illusive. It was fun to read. It's really Hiro's story with Sunfire's journey playing out in the background of the 3 issues. My experience with Sunfire is really limited to playing him in the X-Men Legends game on Gamecube. ("I require additional energy to do that.") I found myself rooting for his resurgence and curious about the events that got him here.  I really liked the story and would read more.  But alas, I've read all of Big Hero 6. It did make we want to track down for Sunfire stories though. 

Next came Agents of Atlas by Jeff Parker and Leonard Kirk. I was only familiar with Jimmy Woo from his appearances in Ant-Man & the Wasp and WandaVision. I don't remember having bumped into him in comics ever. Atlas sees and aging Jimmy Woo rebooted as his younger, 1950s-era self. The story is entertaining enough, and I do like the 50s callbacks, but it still feels a little like if Doom Patrol was a network television series in 2003. It didn't grab me, but the premise is interesting. I might check back in later on.

DC Comics

I picked up the Cassandra Cain Batgirl series with v.3, Death Wish by Kelly Puckett & Chuck Dixon, art by Damion Scott. I read v.2, A Knight Alone, a full 10 years ago, but I was able to pick it right up. I like the character, but this art was rough. It's done in a very purposeful style and is very consistent, but it just doesn't work for me. I know that's subjective, but it really sort of ruined the story for me. My favorite issue was the Spoiler team-up, but that was not enough to raise it a star.

Finally, and I feel like this is a wild card among wild cards, I read Beware the Batman.  This is a 6-issue series based on the short-lived cartoon of the same name. In it, a younger Batman is partnered with Katana rather on one of the various Robins or Batgirls.  It's an unusual pairing that really brings out a new vibe for a Batman title. Katana is used well, particularly in issue 5 which is written by Katana creator, Mike W. Barr. There's also an issue that features Barbara Gordon/Oracle and Tim Drake. I don't recall these characters appearing in the show, but I don't think I ever finished it. 

I really like the Katana in this book.  I wish both the series and the comic had been given more time to grow. It feels incredibly original which is hard to do in a Batman story anymore.

Next time...

I plan to read some of the Ryan Choi/Atom series by Gail Simone and I might pick up Wolverine & the Agents of Atlas as well. What about you?

______________________

You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.