WLG #233: Walking Against The Crowd!

By Michael A. Diaz

I know I haven't been writing introductions as of late, and that's a format that I plan on continuing, but occasionally there are things that I just have to get off of my chest.

I sometimes wonder if I am getting crankier as I get older. I just turned 35 last Tuesday; if you had asked me in 1987 if I would still be reading comics 21 years later I probably would not have known what to say, but here I am, doing just that. But more than that, I still deeply LOVE comics. I mean, just look how geeked (and obsessive) I am getting about everything that is going on over in the Green Lantern books as of late. I won't ramble on about that too much (I'll say a little more on that in a few moments), but I guess what I am trying to say is that right now there are some things going on in comics that I'm just not that into.

Perhaps I'm an outlier because I was reading online that Marvel is making boatloads of cash lately, and not just from the licensing of some of their properties or due to the success of movies that they've made with their own production company, like Iron Man. True enough, they're making PLENTY of money from those avenues as well, but I was also reading online how Marvel is making a pretty penny in publishing still. Not bad for a company that around 10 years ago was in bankruptcy.

This certainly means plenty of people are still reading comics, and on top of that, thoroughly enjoying events like "Secret Invasion" and "Final Crisis."

Like I said, though, I appear to be an outlier because NEITHER of those events are doing anything for me. As such, I've noticed over the last several months that the picks I make from week to week have on occasion been rather small. I'm not sure what I can do about that. The only real rules that I have about this column is that it has to try to be positive (and mostly I do a decent job of that) and that I only talk about those books that I am genuinely geeked about.

As you can see, the fact that I'm not into the two big events going on at the two biggest comic book companies greatly affects which comics I'm going to be geeked about.

It's not that I'm against events. I was all about "Infinite Crisis", I am really liking the "World's End" thing going on throughout the WildStorm line, and I couldn't be more frothing at the mouth for "In Blackest Night" coming up. Still, there's more stuff coming that I'm not excited about, probably because it ties in so closely to other things that I'm just not geeked about. For example, there's "Dark Reign" which follows "Secret Invasion" that I'm just not all that hyped about.

Or maybe I'm just kind of burned out on all of these massive events. I realize that events are part of comics, or at least, have been a major part for the last 25 years or so (pretty much the entire time I've been collecting them) so I accept them, they will happen, and I don't think that I am TIRED of comics per se. True, I love the WildStorm titles, but there are other books out there that are just perfection as far as I'm concerned, like Y: The Last Man that ended somewhat recently, or even Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad that I thought was beautifully written and drawn, altogether quite brilliant. Or what about Morrison and Quitely's run on All Star Superman? I have NEVER been a huge fan of the Man of Steel, but I gobbled up every single issue of that series and love them all.

I still love comics, very dearly, very passionately. I think I mentioned that I am reading Persepolis right now in my spare time, and I am engrossed every time I read a page.

So yes, I still have a wonderful addiction to the graphic form of sequential art that we call comics, but there are going to be occasions when I'm not all that jazzed about what's going on with the mainstream. I guess what I'm saying is that I am sorry that my selections have been small as of late. I guess if Marvel and DC are both putting out massive crossovers that I'm not interested in it's going to greatly affect the number of comics that I freak out about. I don't think it will always be this way; as noted above, I was enthralled by "Infinite Crisis", much more so than whatever Marvel had going on at the time. Likewise, there are aspects of "Final Crisis" that I like, namely the upcoming Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns that I will talk about much more next week, but as a whole right now the big two are leaving me kind of cold.

For now I'm thinking it will be slim pickens; however, sooner or later something will come along and I'll be geeking out at length like I have in the past.

I just wouldn't bet that it would have anything to do with "Dark Reign."

But enough of me; let's jump in and see What Looks Good...

DC

WILDCATS #4 $2.99 (Christos Gage / Neil Googe)

The Wildcats team in the Nevada Garden created by the original Engineer?

Of course I am excited; add the fact that we also get to see a member from StormWatch: PHD show up as well is just icing on the cake for me.

Listen, I know that I am sounded like a broken record on this book, and really all of the WildStorm titles, because as a long-time reader I am loving everything that is happening so far. Stuff that happened years back is being referenced now. For me, that's awesome. For drawing in new readers? I don't know. I don't watch the sales numbers, but I have a friend that owns a comic book shop. He was teasing me for being that one guy that is actually buying WildStorm comics. Obviously I'm not the only one buying them, but if WildStorm keeps trying these reboots, soft reboots, and other events in attempt to get sales, well, when exactly is it going to work?

I'm not asking that because I don't like the direction of the company. Far from it. In my opinion WildStorm was at its finest when Casey/Phillips were working on Wildcats, and later when Casey/Nguyen took on Wildcats: Version 3.0, or when Ellis/Hitch were giving us The Authority, a run matched only by Millar/Quitely. Those are all books that I hold near and dear to my heart, and these new titles ARE new, the story is progressing, but they're also harkening back to those stories of old. Like I said, I love it, and this issue of Wildcats appears to be more of the same coming along, thus the reason I am geeked.

I just wish that more people felt the same way that I do, because sadly, the reality of WildStorm cutting these books that I love so much is very likely.

MARVEL

RUNAWAYS #3 $2.99 (Terry Moore / Humberto Ramos)

You know, when I heard that they were re-launching this book I was a bit concerned. In my opinion Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona should be on this book always and forever, but that's not reality. I did enjoy Whedon's brief stint on the title, but I still missed Vaughan/Alphona.

Mind you, those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but a couple of issues in with the Moore/Ramos team and I'm starting to feel pretty good; calm, relaxed, happy.

Ramos's art has a very vivid, kinetic, and youthful energy to it. True, as I said Alphona is my default artist for the feel of this book, but I'm letting that go as I allow myself to enjoy the excitement that Ramos is bringing to this book. Of course, he wouldn't be able to do that without well-written scripts by Moore.

I have the impression that this creative team "gets" the Runaways as a group, a non-team of super-powered kids; I think this book is in good hands.

Everything's going to be all right.

So what's so cool about the book? Well, Lucy-in-the-sky's race has shown up and they're blowing lots of stuff up because their world was decimated by the Skrulls, and sure enough, Lucy... is married to a Skrull.

AWKWARD!

Still, it's an interesting take on two quite literally star-crossed lovers, and so far I am very much liking what I am seeing.

Keep up the good work guys!

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Now what about you?

What are your thoughts on “Final Crisis” and “Secret Invasion” and why? I’m not saying that YOU don’t have to like them; there are PLENTY of things that I like that other people don’t, and vice versa, but maybe I am just missing something here. I honestly would like to hear why some people are geeked out about either of these series. Maybe I am looking in the wrong direction; maybe there is something that I am just missing.

I would LOVE to hear what books YOU are geeked about this week. Just stop by the WLG message boards (see link below) and share your thoughts!

See you next week!

Until then, peace!

-Diaz

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Were Diaz's picks on the mark?
Have your say on What Looks Good at the Looking Good message board.

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