Who's who in the Comics Bulletin Universe - Update 2008
Who is... Michael A. Diaz?
Michael Diaz lives in Michigan, but don't hold that against him.
There he works as a Sys. Admin. while fostering dreams of one day becoming a "real" writer.
Most importantly, Michael is seriously addicted to comics, something that his wonderful wife tolerates with the patience of a saint.
He also writes this weekly column that people occasionally read.
"[O]ne of the most positive
and entertaining columns going."
- Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Villains United)
WLG #224: Two And Out!
This week seems to be a short week, so once again we’re just going to jump right into the middle of things and see What Looks Good...
STORMWATCH: PHD #13 $2.99 (Ian Edginton & Christos Gage / Leandro Fernández)So, everything that I was saying last week about possibly being wrong about this “World’s End” story line going through the Wild Storm Universe still stands. Yes, I was more than a little wary to say the least, but I’m a few issues in right now and so far I like it.
There’s certainly no question that I love the StormWatch team, no matter the incarnation. If I had things my way, yes, I loved it best when Warren Ellis was writing the book and Jackson King was the Weatherman (OK, maybe I liked Bendix more as the Weatherman just because he was one of the most perfect SOBs out there), so to see that King is running the show again is AWESOME news to me.
But WHAT is he in charge of? The world as we knew it is gone. And what has happened to King that made him go prematurely white like he has? He looks like Father Time with geriatric visor sunglasses now, not the Battalion that I’ve known and loved.
I’m not going to question things TOO much though because already I’m happy; also, I hear that Edginton might be bringing in some former members of The Establishment, yet another WildStorm book that I read, loved, and saw canceled (pretty much like all of the others).
JOY!
UNCANNY X-MEN #501 $2.99 (Matt Fraction & Brubaker / Greg Land)I have to admit, I had drifted away from the X-Men a bit over the last several months and had not been closely following the various X-titles, but with the big #500 issue the creative team caught my attention. Though it might not seem like that big of a deal, the city of the book can make a difference if done correctly. Also, let’s face it, New York has been CROWEDED with superheroes for some time. There was the occasional west coast team, but most everything took place in the Big Apple. Giving the X-Men a new base of operations gives almost a soft reboot feel to the book.
It’s not the first time that the team has moved locations, and it certainly won’t be the last. When I started first reading the book 20+ years ago (man, do I feel old now) the team was using a ghost town in the Australian Outback as their base of operations. That was cool while it lasted, but eventually the team had to move back to New York. The X-Mansion has been destroyed/rebuilt COUNTLESS numbers of time, and I am sure at some point the X-Men will end up back there, but for now exploring the “left coast” is going to make for all kinds of interesting new stories.
Could it be that Michael is getting excited about the X-Men again? We’ll see, we’ll see….
Another small week for me this week; sometimes that’s how the cookie crumbles, and it’s not because I’m not reading comics anymore. Quite the contrary, I am doing all I can to MAKE time to read comics so that I don’t get behind like I did the past few months.
And about the lack of an introduction: I’m not saying that the introductions that I have been writing for the past few years are going to end, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t considering it. These last couple of weeks the writing for me as been a little faster, more off of the cuff and I like how it has come out. It felt a little more real, in the moment. Again, I would lying if I said I wasn’t running out of things to say at the beginning of a column. After five years (with a couple of gaps here there) I have to do things to keep writing this column fresh and fun.
What do you think though? Do you like the introductions and should I try harder to include them, or are the “quick and fast” formatted columns of the last couple of weeks working just fine?
Just curious. If you have an opinion please feel free to share it, either on the message boards (see link below) or via email (link for that is above).
Be sure to also hit up the message boards to let me know what books YOU are geeked about this week. I know my list is short this week and I’d love to hear what others have to say.
See you next week!
Until then, peace!
-Diaz
Were Diaz's picks on the mark?
Have your say on What Looks Good at the Looking Good message board.