Who's who in the Comics Bulletin Universe - Update 2009
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 #235: Voting and Comics!
Skipping the introduction this week; why? Well, it’s election night here in the United States, and though I do love comics with all of my heart, I realize that the next president of the United States is probably a bit more newsworthy tonight. Or, at least it should be.
So enough about me, let’s just see What Looks Good…
AUTHORITY #4 $2.99 (Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning / Simon Coleby)What can I say about the entire WildStorm line without sounding like a broken record again?
Well, probably not much.
Suffice it to say that I am loving the entire "World's End" story line; I also like that right now the major teams left (WildCats, The Authority, StormWatch) are at odds with each other, allowing each group to explore this changed world in their own way for now.
Good stuff!
TOP TEN: SEASON TWO #2 (OF 4) $2.99 (Zander Cannon / Gene Ha)I was worried that this book might not be quite the same now that Alan Moore wasn't working on it anymore. It's not like there wasn't reason to think this, I mean, after all, I think without being hyperbolic I can safely say that Alan Moore is one (if not) the greatest comic book creators ever. That's kind of a looming shadow, to say the least, so I think that I was safe in having some concern.
However, Cannon and Ha both worked on the book as well. As I mentioned last month, Moore writes very detailed scripts, but he often states (and means it) in those scripts that if the artists would like to make any changes or think that something would work better if something different was tried then to go for it. That's collaboration, friends, so even though Moore wrote the previous incarnation of Top Ten it doesn't mean that only his ideas were on the table; far from it. Cannon and Ha were two other thirds of that creative team, and they are both back here still working on the title that they helped to create.
In short, this second season is exactly what I had hoped it would be, full of astounding work with plenty of "Where's Waldo"-like characters/references to find somewhere in the background, as well as plenty of changes to the status quo of the book's makeup to keep readers guessing.
I'm loving it!
IRON MAN: END $4.99 (Bob Layton & David Michelinie / Bernard Chang)When I first got into comics I started by just buying issues of G.I. Joe simply because I loved both the cartoon and the toys. In fact, my first issue was #52. My brother bought issue #53, and then me #54. The plan was that we were going to alternate buying issues, but my younger brother did not issue #55. That was pretty much the end of his comics collecting life, but for me it was just the start. Soon after I started buying other comics, and one of those that caught my attention was Iron Man. I can't tell you the specific issue, but it was in the middle of the "Armor Wars II" story arc. I stayed around collecting the title for some time after that. I am not sure how long, but I know it lasted at least a few years. Many of these issues were done by the creative team of Layton and Michelinie and I remember with great fondness how much wonder and excitement that they brought to the title.
Later on in life I moved away from comics, and with that I lost track of Iron Man. Over the years I would occasionally pick up an issue here and there. I remember there was a period when JRJR was working on the title that I was reading it regularly, but I dropped off somewhere during his run. Not that I wanted to, but I was in college and terribly broke.
Still, Iron Man has always been a character that I have enjoyed. True, I don't by his book right now, but that has more to do with the fact that I didn't particularly like how "Civil War" ended and how the book was rechristened Iron Man: Director of SHIELD. Before that, I bought the book during Warren Ellis's run and since I've been picking up The Invincible Iron Man and am enjoying that as well.
All that to say, Iron Man and me do have a significant history. No, I'm not the hardcore fan that others are, but I'm not simply a casual fan, either. Heck, I thought that the Iron Man movie was one of the best comic book movies I have ever seen (and sometimes think that in some ways it was better than The Dark Knight. So, seeing how Iron Man takes his leave of it all?
Yeah, I guess you could say I was interested.
And who better to helm it other than Layton and Michelinie, the two creators that have produced what many to consider some of the most classic of Iron Man stories.
What comics did you get geeked out about this week? I’d love to hear about them. Just stop by the WLG message boards (see link below) and share your thoughts!
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.