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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 6, 2011 10:54:40 GMT -5
The Krypton designs are just part of a non-story bonus section, but I love the look of it. Best Krypton since the Birthright version!
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cypher85
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Post by cypher85 on Oct 8, 2011 15:06:38 GMT -5
Loved the second issue. Even more than #1. That is def Brainiac at the end. And I'm curious to see what they do with Metallo. Finally, IMO, we have 2 superman books on the stands that are pretty good. We'll see how issue 2 of superman is. Also, I kinda like that both Superman books come out back to back, one week and then another. So we have two straight weeks of superman comics. Personally I wish it were like when there were 4 titles. But, two quality titles is good.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2011 2:53:28 GMT -5
I really love Action right now, but I agree that the installments are too short for what I'm paying. Morrison has got me, and I'll pick this up as long as he's on board and can deliver.
Superman No. 1?
It was okay. It's strange to have two ongoing titles set years apart. In Action, I want to know where it goes. With Superman, I know where he ends up but Superman's presence is still portrayed as early enough in his career that the tone of Action isn't completely ignored.
What bogged this issue down was all the high morals and journalism ethics and all that shit. Even as someone who makes his paycheck as a reporter, let me tell you that we don't think in those vaulted terms. We know we're a product. We want to deliver a good product that is as honest as it can be and be accessible to the masses. The majority of us know what is ethical and what is not, but without going into a big spiel about it as part of our normal conversation. The bulk of our conversations is wondering where the business is heading and how to survive the transition to the digital era, one in which people think we should provide our product at zero cost (and yet, stupid me, I want to pay my mortgage).
Whoa, long, tangent rant, but it applies. I had to roll my eyes through a lot of it because of Perez's perception on the business. I've always hated the versions of Superman in which Clark uses his alter ego to keep him in good graces and in a job by writing stories which include facts only he would know as Superman. If the text of his story is taken as the complete work, no way that would run. He sources nothing, and no way Clark could be close enough to the action to get that kind of detail if he and Superman were not the same person. That's a shady trick to pull in journalism.
Now, does Perez realize he did this, all while in the midst of schooling the comic-reading masses on journalistic ethics? heck, it would make a great storyline, if it hasn't been done before. Perry outs Clark as Superman because he's smart enough of an editor to realize Clark couldn't get that kind of a story without being Superman. It has possibilities.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Oct 23, 2011 6:05:12 GMT -5
Jumping in late in the day... This week, caved in from my initial plan of waiting for the hardback/softback reprints of Morrison's "Action" and Perez's "Superman" comics and just went to the comic shops to pick up Action #1 and #2 and Superman #1 (Albeit second or third printings). Interesting to view people's opinions here (although I sure thought there would have been a lot more on the issues so far.... I wonder how small a percentage it really is of Superman film fans that actually still keep up with comics in this forum?)... Anyhow... Valentine, can't agree with you more. The structure of how they rebooted the DC universe with "Crisis on Infinite Earths" might not have been perfect- as well as how they rebooted Superman in that time frame, but overall it was pretty good.... I thought Byrne could have a better job than what he did, but at least there was a sense of one person having somewhat free reign to control the destiny of the character for a good chunk of time. And there was a sense of passion to what he did in the beginning. Byrne always struck me as a great cartoonist in his X-men (and Charlton) days.... but his writing never 'wowed' me, though I have friends who were apparently 'wowed' by his stint on the Fantastic Four. Similarly, George Perez will always be a fantastic layout artist, one of the best. His art during his earlier days (Sons of the Tiger, Logan's Run, early Avengers, Teen Titans) when his style was a little simpler, I thought was/is better than his more detailed (but less fun) style that exists now. If anything, his work seemed a little OVER-worked nowadays, but his layouts still rock, so to see his layouts over Superman #1 was nice. Storywise? There were some interesting bits (as you mentioned, the addressing of print dying/shrinking to the electronic age with the Daily Planet), but just like how I feel about Perez's newer art style, there's a lot of detail put in, but it feels like Perez got paid by the word and while the layout compositions are nice, there was nothing that felt epic to me about the story. And making Lois a bit of a slut seemed a bit pointless (again, 'change for change sake') and not very well thought out. I know that the marriage aspect didn't work out for DC's creative team, but it really just showed how creatively DC is throwing the baby out with the bath water.  If Perez is out with issue #6, based on what's here, it could be that DC is just as underwhelmed as I was writingwise. Artwise I mentioned loving the Perez compositions, but that's almost a given. The down side is that one thing that I've always enjoyed about Perez's art is the facial expressions, very specific emotions that enhanced the story. Jesus Merino's faces--- well, they're not in the same category, imo. On the extreme flip side.... I found a lot of joy in Action Comics #1 and #2 that I didn't necessarily expect. After the wonderful "All-Star Superman" from Morrison and Quitely, I was pleasantly suprised to see Rags Morales as a nice complement to Morrison's style of writing here. If Jim Lee is about slick gorgeous 'hero' poses, then Rags is the 'anti-Jim Lee' and more about the humanity of the characters in the story. The body language and the facial expressions and the style remind me a little bit of Will Eisner and the old Mad Magazine days. There's energy and life to the artwork, but it's not the type of energy that one gets from a work that pounds its chest on perfect splash pages that you could make posters from, (was not crazy about the cover of #1, but enjoyed the original designs for #1 that looked a little more like the old Siegel/Shuster Superman face) and after seeing so many talented but soulless superhero art on the stands month after month, the choice of Rags as the artist is a fresh breath of air. Storywise? As mentioned, I came off from reading Grant Morrison's 'personal history' of comics, including early Superman comics, so I wasn't all too suprised with his approach. It really is/was going back to basics. Morrison is too smart a writer to have Superboy/Superman's character get stuck in a rut too long. He is brash, but I feel confident that we'll see him develop very quickly from his experiences, and how Morrison will shape the elements as they come in, I'm anxious to see. Still.... I have to say that with both Secret Origins/Man of Steel/Morrison's Action Comics, I would have probably preferred a longer 'ultimate' epic of the telling of Superman's origins and roots (like a novel in comic book form) that would be like an expanded version of STM- but I take this new 'reboot' so far as breezy entertainment that will only last for awhile. Funny thing is, I just got done watching the bonus features on "Batman Year One", where DC staffers were talking about all the excitement of seeing the rough pencils being circulated around the Batman comics retelling of the origin by Miller/Mazzuchecki as if it were a giant event that would last for the ages... I was hoping that this would be on the same scale, but it doesn't feel that way to me. Oh well.... |
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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 27, 2011 21:40:19 GMT -5
Superman #2 was much more interesting than number 1. Slightly less dense, but only slightly. Waaaay more action, and an overall less mopey tone.
I actually really dug it.
It's clear that they're going for a pretty heavy sci-fi tone with this book. They're bringing in loads of Krypton stuff and alien races right off the bat, and the book appears to be building to some serious Krypton stuff. I'm really into it.
And, I gotta say, I'm getting used to the new suit.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 28, 2011 8:08:03 GMT -5
www.ew.com/ew/special/0,,20540105,00.html Preview pages from Action Comics #3, featuring Krypton!!!! Read on for serious spoilers. Let's just say, it looks like a take on the destruction of Krypton we've all been clamoring for for quite some time. It's fucking awesome. Best vision of Krypton since Yu's Birthright designs. I'm really into this.
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Post by Jor-L5150 on Oct 28, 2011 16:15:12 GMT -5
 well, my comic shop guy dropped the ball on me and i don't have superman #1. jesus. i have action 1 and 2 and superman 2. looks like amazon has first printings still.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Oct 28, 2011 16:44:15 GMT -5
Awesome preview! Gene Ha for the Krypton flashbacks? FANTASTIC choice! If he was one of the designers for MOS, I'd be totally down for that. And, Jor--- Superman #1 I found mainly to be a snorefest. Nice Perez layouts, but Perez is no Morrison--- and while I wasn't THAT crazy about Byrne's writing, Perez's writing seems a bit overwrittena and not all that compelling. I think DC was wise (in some ways) to entice prime artists to stick around by letting them write as well--- but in looking at Neal Adams' writing on Batman Oddysey & Finch on Batman was well, I dunno.... Not everyone can be a Frank Miller. (And Frank Miller isn't even Frank Miller anymore, if you catch my drift...)  |
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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 28, 2011 17:04:34 GMT -5
Little touches of every major interpretation of Krypton in there. Still hints of crystal-tech, plenty of Silver-Age imagery, hints of the Byrne bodysuits, and then just full-blown sci-fi madness.
I'd read a full-on Krypton prequel by Morrison and Ha!
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Oct 29, 2011 4:23:40 GMT -5
The funkiness of the world was welcome- although the internet tech parallels gave me a mixed reaction--- wasn't sure if it grounds the world too much to be like ours, or if it makes it even cooler with the 'wireless' communication/tech.
With the Byrne Man of Steel series, it definitely had a feel of "THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!"--- with the miniseries/etc.- whereas this reboot has a looser feel to it, but - at least with Morrison - it's engaging and a page-turner, even if it's not structured like it's the telling of the bible or whatnot, from beginning to end.
Pity that we never got (and it was definitely possible) an 'official' comic book adaptation of the Donner movie series though. (Bummed when I'd read that DC was going to do a Byrne-drawn SII adaptation around the time of SR, only for them to change plans at the last minute and do the comic book prequels instead...)
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Post by Valentine Smith on Nov 3, 2011 21:45:32 GMT -5
ACTION #3
The Krypton stuff was stunning. Beautiful. Interesting. Exciting. Loved it.
the rest of the issue was...ok.
I'm not sure how much I buy the Clark Kent "angry young blogger" thing, but it's at least an interesting attempt. In fact, in BOTH Superman titles, Clark isn't terribly likeable, is he? Superman, on the other hand, IS! He's just all smiles and exuberance and awesome...
Once again, though...not NEARLY enough story pages for $3.99. This is starting to bother me.
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cypher85
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Post by cypher85 on Nov 7, 2011 12:05:07 GMT -5
I agree, after the Krypton opening the issue was a fairly large Meh. And I really am not digging the way Rag's draws clark. He looks like he's emaciated. And, It's crazy that physically the same clark kent in his clark kent garb is the same superman. I know he wears bigger sweaters, but there is no way that he has superman's body under that sweatshirt.
But, I still am enjoying Action much more than Superman. Superman #2 was a big drop in quality, IMO, after the first issue. If this is the writing we are getting, then bring on the creative change with issue 7. Anyone else think it was ridiculous that superman could so easily fight an invisible alien he can't see by constantly finding video monitors to view himself on. So stupid. Plus even if he could keep finding enough video monitors to watch himself on, do you think he could easily punch without a problem. I challenge anyone to try to watch themselves in a monitor and attempt to punch something and hit it squarely. He would have been missing left and right. Perez is not impressing at all.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Nov 7, 2011 14:45:14 GMT -5
I agree, after the Krypton opening the issue was a fairly large Meh. And I really am not digging the way Rag's draws clark. He looks like he's emaciated. And, It's crazy that physically the same clark kent in his clark kent garb is the same superman. I know he wears bigger sweaters, but there is no way that he has superman's body under that sweatshirt. Agreed. It's my only complaint about the art in Action, which has otherwise been wonderful. Disagree about Supes #2, though. I mean, it certainly wasn't GREAT, but I thought it was more enjoyable than the first issue. Won't shed any tears when this creative team leaves, though... |
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Nov 7, 2011 19:26:39 GMT -5
Neither #1 nor #2 wowed me. Love Perez's layouts... but as a writer- I get this odd feeling that Perez's bosses at DC might have been similarly disappointed--- and thus, got kicked off soon as the arc presumably finishes with #7.
Almost wish they just asked John Byrne to come back for a reboot...
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Post by Valentine Smith on Nov 7, 2011 19:47:04 GMT -5
No you don't. Have you read anything Byrne has written in the last, I dunno, 15 years? It's not pretty...
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Post by Paul (ral) on Nov 8, 2011 8:39:51 GMT -5
Is Nicola Scott coming on board for Superman?
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cypher85
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Post by cypher85 on Nov 8, 2011 13:54:42 GMT -5
This idea of rotating backup features has me pretty jazzed.
From CBR
"This December, the Man of Steel will be getting some backup.
DC Comics announced today that with the fourth issue of their revitalized "Action Comics," the book will start to carry backup stories tied into Grant Morrison and Rags Morales' reinvention of Superman. On their blog The Source, Associate Editor Wil Moss revealed that Morrison hand picked "Batman: The Brave & The Bold" comic writer Sholly Fisch to pen the tales, which should come as no surprise given Morrison's praise for the Johnny DC title, which he's called "beautifully written and just great."
The backups will focus on various members of Superman's world, starting with the hero Steel who Morrison and Morales will introduce in full in issue #4. Moss revealed that "last we saw of John Henry Irons, in 'Action' #2, he had quit his military job in protest over Lex Luthor torturing Superman under General Lane’s command. Now, as the Terminauts lay siege to Metropolis, it’s time for John Henry to put his money where his mouth is and go help Superman defend the city."
The first backup in #4 focuses on the fight between Steel and the Metall-0 in the story as drawn by artist Brad Walker before #5's feature moves to the lives of Ma and Pa Kent as drawn by ChrisCross. Each artist will do one more backup each before issue #8 wraps Morrison's first arc with a full feature drawn by Morales.
The publisher revealed Walker's first take on Steel's early armor, based on a design by Rags Morales. For more, see The Source, and stay tuned to CBR News for more on "Action Comics."
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Post by Valentine Smith on Nov 8, 2011 14:12:47 GMT -5
I'm into this. Titles like Action and Detective were historically, anthology titles, so there SHOULD be back-ups in them!
I hope at some point we get a "World of Krypton" back-up!
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cypher85
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Post by cypher85 on Nov 8, 2011 14:24:05 GMT -5
That would be pretty sweet, but it sounds like we will be getting some decent back ups. Steel, Ma and Pa, sounds good to me.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Nov 8, 2011 14:26:01 GMT -5
I'm just happy we're getting more story pages for our $3.99, which has been my only real complaint. I gotta say, DC has hit a home run with this whole relaunch. Aside from the fact that sales are through the roof, they seem to be listening to fans on things like this!
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Keith
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Post by Keith on Nov 10, 2011 13:01:47 GMT -5
Shit, I really need to get these.. closest comic shop to me is an hour away  specially want to get the first prints.. how much are those going for now? |
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cypher85
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Post by cypher85 on Nov 10, 2011 15:24:15 GMT -5
you can just get them digitally if you don't want to travel the hour. Wait a month and they are a dollar less too.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Nov 22, 2011 13:45:06 GMT -5
I agree--- the beauty of the costume is the simplicity of it. Adding unnecessary detail (not just to this, but the Batman and Green Lantern uniforms) doesn't seem to enhance it much. It looks almost as if the DC designer of these fell too much in love with the movie Green Lantern costume and decided every major superhero at DC needed texture on the costume... |
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Post by Valentine Smith on Nov 23, 2011 16:20:48 GMT -5
I was not impressed, if not downright bored, with Superman #3.
However, I did enjoy Nicola Scott's artwork.
eh, I'm in no danger of dropping this book. I'm at least in for the Jurgens/Giffen stuff that's coming. But really, so far, this has not been a great comic.
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cypher85
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Post by cypher85 on Nov 28, 2011 15:11:22 GMT -5
Agreed. I think most of my problems come from the freak of the week villains we are getting. I like what perez has done with the planet and PGN (well except for Jimmy). But, I just don't give a shit about the villains. Maybe once the mystery starts to come to light I will feel differently, but right now it get's a big fat Meh.
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specially want to get the first prints.. how much are those going for now?