GUGGENHEIM!

What a crap title I hear you say? Well yes it is but Wolverine has been so bad under the pen of Jeph Loeb (although beautiful under Simone Bianchi’s pencil) that GUGGENHEIM’s name deserves to be a title all by itself. He also deserves his name to said in capitals… GUGGENHEIM!!!

I like Wolverine as a character. In today’s comics world that comment can get you killed. I will add the stipulation to my liking him, that of I don’t like him being overused to extent every story he appears in is worthless as no one can do anything meaningful with him but thankful that has calmed down a bit. He only appears in two solo ongoing books and two team books now. A slight improvement over four team books and an ongoing.

GUGGENHEIM produced one of the finest Wolverine solo arcs in a long time with his Civil War tie in so I am welcoming him back with open arms. I wish he had never left the title to make way for Loeb and his evolved wolfmen. That arc was a horrible disaster and should never be mentioned again.

If you’ve dropped Wolverine after the horrendous arc or have never bought a Wolverine, or indeed any, book by GUGGENHEIM do yourself a favour and pick up Wolverine #57 next week.

Weclome back GUGGENHEIM, please don't ever leave us again.

The Cost of a Crossover

I think I’ve reached the point where I am crossovered out. I’m excited for the premise of the Skrull Invasion and I love the creative team on Final Crisis but a big part of me is crying “ENOUGH!!!”.

So I’m going to toy with myself and show me just how expensive these crossovers are.

Marvel and DC often say that you don’t need to buy every issue of the crossover but that argument rarely sticks. It’s almost impossible to create a crossover event where you don’t need to read at least one tie-in and the amount of success these events have, it’s obvious people buy a lot of, if not all of the tie ins. Plus, why would a publisher put a product they really don’t want you to read?

Anyway, every now and then I will take a look at just much these events would of cost you when it first came out. Of course, there is a good chance you’d have to pay more for these now or in the future…

So without future ado, the real price of Civil War.

Prologues New Avengers Illuminati Special: 3.99 Fantastic Four #536-537: 5.98 Amazing Spider-Man #529-531: 8.97 Civil War Opening Shot Sketchbook: Free Marvel Spotlight Millar/McNiven : 2.99

Total: $21.93

Civil War Civil War #1-7: 12.96 She-Hulk #8: 2.99 Wolverine #42-48: 17.94 Amazing Spider-Man #532-538: 17.94 Civil War: Front Line #1-10: 29.90 Thunderbolts #103-105: 8.95 New Avengers #21-25: 14.95 Fantastic Four #538-542: 14.95 X-Factor #8-9: 5.98 Civil War: X-Men #1-4: 11.96 Cable & Deadpool #30-32: 8.97 Black Panther #18, 21-25: 17.94 Young Avengers and Runaways #1-4: 11.96 Daily Bugle Civil War: 0.50 Ms. Marvel #6-8: 8.97 Heroes for Hire #1-3: 8.97 Civil War Files: 3.99 Captain America #22-24: 8.97 Civil War: Choosing Sides: 3.99 Iron Man #13-14: 5.98 Punisher War Journal #1-3: 8.97 Civil War: War Crimes: 3.99 Iron Man Captain America: Casualties of the War: 3.99 Winter Soldier: Winter Kills: 3.99 Moon Knight #7-10: 11.96 Ghost Rider #8-11: 11.96 Blade #5: 2.99 Civil War: The Return: 2.99

Total: 269.30 Prologue + Civil War: 291:23

Epilogues Civil War Frontline #11: 2.99 Captain America #25: 3.99 Civil War: The Confession :3.99 Civil War: Battle Damage Report: 3.99 Fantastic Four #543: 2.99 Marvel Spotlight Civil War Aftermath: 2.99 Wolverine #48: 2.99

Total: 23.93 Civil War + Prologue + Epilogues: 315.16

Unmasking Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man #11-16: 14.95 Sensational Spider-Man #28-34: 20.93

Total: 35.88

The Grand Civil War + Prologue + Epilogue Total: 351.04

Three hundred and fifty one dollars, four cents… Three hundred and fifty one dollars, four cents… Three hundred… really, do I have to sum up this staggering price or does it speak for itself?

Be Still My Beating Heart

I haven't got much to say today. That's mostly because I'm working on a blog, which will take a bit of research to finish off, and I didn't want to just pick something to bitch about to fill another post. I've done quiet a bit of bitching so far and I don't think it reflects my experience with comics. I'm hoping when I get my comics this week there will be plenty of things for me to discuss, rather then just attacking a comic subject.

I've also been trying to finish Superman Returns for the X-Box 360 to review it but my one month old 360 has broken... twice.

Anyway, one thing I did want to celebrate was the just announced return of John Romita JR to the Amazing Spider-Man in late 2008.

Apparently he’s one of the new rotating artists and his first arc is set to be Dan Slott.

I’ve been dreaming of this for years. If this is how the new Spider-Man book is going to be all the time with top writers and artists (Except Wells and Bachelo, natch) I think I’m going to be in paradise. I’ll be poor but it’ll be paradise none the less.

One More Month

One More Day

Everybody and their mother seems to have a theory on One More Day so now that we are only a month away I thought I’d throw my 2 cents in and see how it pays off.

My thinking is that via some Doc Strange magic, a favourite device of JMS’, Spider-Man will get to see his future. This future will be the one that we got a glimpse of in #500 where everyone Peter loves is dead and people apparently knew his identity. Why do I think this? Well take a look at the cover, that gloved hand looks a lot like the costume he was wearing in this doomed future.

Peter will make the decision that if Aunt May and Mary Jane are ever going to have happy lives they can’t know he is Spider-Man. Cue a trip to see Loki who grants him the spell he’s owed him since an arc early in JMS’ run.

Aunt May she will still be in his life as she’s his Aunt and only knew his secret for a year or two in Marvel Time. Sadly with Mary Jane Peter has to nullify the whole relationship, as she’s know since before she met him.

As a side effect this also cleans up the unmasking, and would perhaps lead to a subplot of people having a whole in their memories where part of Civil War is concerned.

I don’t know if I’d go with Peter remember or not. If he remembers it doesn’t make those stories pointless, which a lot of people hated in the Clone Sage. On the other hand if he does remember he’ll be in mourning for his marriage and rightfully so… but we got that when Mary Jane died and it sucked.

One More Month.

Finally… Crisis

I’ll begin this post by saying it is very possible I am being biased and I’ll explain why later.

What I wanted to talk about was Final Crisis being announced 9 months in advance. That really seems like a long time for us to know all the details of the series such as format, 7 oversized issues, and creative team, Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones.

To get there we have a 52 issue series called Countdown and this is before we even have the event series and all its evitable tie-ins.

Really, it seems like too much to get us to where we need to be. If Countdown was a somewhat good book, I could let it slid. If 52 was leading us to a big event, I would of been all over it. And what is so damn annoying with the book is that, there is no excuse why it should be bad as it’s penned by a group of guys who are some of the best upcoming writers in the business.

I have to question if we would have been told the details about Final Crisis this early if Countdown had been setting the sales charts on fire like it predecessor. Perhaps this a attempt to keep the book from sinking, from Didio and co. of “No really, this series does count! Please buy it”.

Now onto my bias… I’m letting Marvel slide on doing the exact same thing. The only difference is they aren’t listing their Skrull Invasion issues as tie-ins until we get to the event, the only need mention it in the solicitation and they know it’ll sell. They haven’t named a creative team, the name of the event or the format but we all know it’s coming next summer.

With New Avengers and Mighty Avengers building up their next summer event and then several other tie-ins leading up to it, they aren’t going to be far short of Countdown’s issue count. Although I imagine the various Countdown spinoffs one shots and minis will put it way over the edge.

I hope that I’m just being hard on DC because their lead up has so far been sub-par and has cost me nearly $50 to get… get… I really don’t know what I’ve gotten.

By the end of it I’ll of spent $156, just to get to Final Crisis the apparent Lord of the Rings of the DC Universe.

This is the first time I’ve ever planned to buy both companies crossovers. I usually just went with Marvel and got DC’s late in Trades, because I still am a Marvel guy at heart.

I really hope that Morrison and Jones can make my huge investment in this series worth it. They have a lot of work to do.

*For More Information See The Internet

One thing that annoys me in comics today is the Internet. Now it’s not the obvious choice or spoilers, I’ve already mentioned them, or the online communities as I enjoy participating in them. What really annoys me is a publisher like DC and Marvel relying on the Internet to fill the readers in.

The best recent example of this is the Countdown series currently being released by DC.

Because we, the reader, can log onto the net and wiki a character they really don’t need to spend time explaining who they are, what their powers are and why they are doing we are doing. It is taken for granted that we already know this but not everyone knows the history of these universes.

Perhaps most comic fans do know this stuff but should a new reader really have to put so much effort into searching on the Internet to find out about character to enjoy and understand a story?

The best example of this in Countdown is not even naming characters or trying to explain their actions in the comic because we can log onto Newsarama and listen to Dini (A writer I love) and co. explain it all.

The internet should be used as a tool as I believe it plays a large part in the comic industry keeping afloat by involving it’s fans in endless discussion, interactions with the fans and instant access to news and gossip.

What the Internet should not be used as is a crutch. New readers, if there is such a thing, will not spend time hunting down answers on the Internet even if it does take minutes at the most. Comics should be accessible, not a task to try and comprehend. Everything you need should be found in the comic in your hand.

DC should take a page from Marvel, that page being the recap page.

The In Store

I’m one of those sad comic book collectors that where ever they are, if there is a comic book store they’ll stick there head in. You never know where you’ll find that hard to find issue to complete your collection of a comic. During my international comic hunting travels I have come across a lot of very cool stores that have been so kind to me so every now and again I want to give a little shout out to them.

The first such store I want to discuss is the one which is to thank for me to get my new releases every two week, the UK chain Forbidden Planet found at www.forbidden-planet.co.uk

Without these guys I’d still be putting up with my weeks (sometimes months) late Marvel subscription that arrived battered and bruised. Without these guys I’d still only be following 4 titles a month, instead of what now must be 40.

The selection of comics on offer covers all of the big American publishers such as Marvel, DC and Image as well as several smaller Indy publishers like Avater, IDW and Virgin. They offer the large majority of comic books released every month allowing for any UK collector to easily keep up to date with most comic books.

Their customer support is excellent as well. If I’ve received an issue with printing errors (Pages falling out, misprints etc) they send me a replacement to make up for it. If I’m having trouble finding something not many people are carrying they always try to track down the item for me. They also hold my comics from being sent out when I’m away from home. The Forbidden Planet staff seems to really strive to make you getting your comics as easily as possible for you.

They offer a 25% discount on all preorders covering comic books, trade paperbacks and hardcovers. This allows you do buy more, rather then keep the saved money of course.

Back issue selection leaves something to be desired on their offshoot site www.backissuecomics.co.uk The selection isn't the best and the prices aren’t great but it still ranks as one of the better UK back issue sellers. This is a problem with UK back issues in general, which is why I tend to import them something which I will discuss later.

I’ve heard many people complain about their high street stores but from the ones I have visited they have been nothing but friendly, again helping me track down issues I would like and always offering a smile.

I would recommend their site and their subscription service to anyone looking to following comics in the UK. I’ve yet to find another service that beats it.

So good I wish I'd thought of it

I love good comic books. That’s a given. I don’t aim to find comic books that annoy me and waste my money on. So me having read many great stories isn’t anything new or indeed special. I’d like to think all the comics I own in some way or another are good in their own way… well except for Get Kraven, I just had to see how terrible that was.

However every now and then I pick up a comic book and once I put it down all I can think of is that it was so good, I wish I had thought of it. It hasn’t happened a lot and it’s perhaps the greatest compliment I can give to a piece of fiction.

The first one I want to discuss is Bone. Fantasy stories like this have a special place in my heart as I’ve been crafting a story I’ve had for years that I hope one day to self-publish and sell one copy to Mam.

I will attempt to be as vague as possible, simply to try and not reveal any major plot points and spoilers in the book as I really want you to buy the book.

I would argue that Bone isn’t terribly original. There are lots of basic storytelling archetypes such as the anti-hero; the everyman and the funny man are all there in the core cast. Other characters share apparent influence from Lord of The Rings and other corners of pop culture. The idea of an evil army trying to take over a peaceful kingdom is a very basic idea.

Where Jeff Smith excels with this book is in the execution. You can tell he loves the characters and the world he has created and the fun for the reader is being allowed in that world for an issue. The fun of being there just seeps throw the panels. It is a real labour of love and you can tell that before reading any interviews with Jeff where he says it is.

What makes this book so clever is that it all moves on because of the characters. You don’t get from point A to point B because the story has to do that, it gets there because the characters and their little quirks demands that the writer take them to that point.

If the money crazed Phoney Bone is in a city, he’s going to look for gold. If he looks for the city’s gold, it’s going to cause trouble. Trouble is going to bring unwanted attention the group and this unwanted attention is going to bring the evil and mystery Hooded One closer to them. It all works and feels natural, it feels life like.

The book starts out with a fairly light-hearted tone with many comical moments. Over time, to fit the story, the characters begin to joke around less and less. These moments are still there and are the highlight of the book to me but they aren’t as frequent and only appear when appropriate.

The art, also done by Jeff Smith is just as superb as the writing. Every character has a unique design and you can instantly tell who is who, despite three of the main characters all having the same basic design. The character design I particularly like is The Hooded One once unmasked. At first I thought it was quiet a basic design but the more you see the character’s eyes the more they seem to torment you and dig under your skin. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those eyes and that is an amazing thing to accomplish.

I would recommend Bone: One Volume Edition, containing all 55 issues in a 1300+ page package, to anyone who is a comic book fan. It would also be excellent for people who are interested in or are open to fantasy based stories. It is not for children but it is excellent from teenagers and up, even if the package of a very cartoony character might turn those people away.

This is very easily the best independent work I have ever read and that makes it all the more sad that Jeff Smith really hasn’t produced anything of note since. He’s done two prequels to the Bone story and a Shazam mini for DC. I really hope that it is because it takes him so long to draw and write his work, and not that he was only good at his own creation. Because if Jeff Smith can produce work of this calibre on any other book, and I mean any, then he has to do it. To not do it would be a crime against humanity.

Oh and to answer how terrible Get Karven was. Very, very terrible.

Three Month Wait

I know it was just days ago I complained that everything is always spoiled 3 months in advance but I’ll admit I still look at the solicitations released from publishers. I need to in order to preorder my comics and receive a 25% discount. So yeah, that's my fault but it's a necessary evil if I'm going to get the most bang out of my buck. Do be warned though, if you don't read solicitations then this column might spoil the premise and plots of upcoming books.

Anyway, I plane to a run down of the titles I'm most excited for every month. So welcome to the first regular column on this blog "Three Month Wait".

We begin with the November 2007 solicitations. We’re out of the Marvel cross over event World War Hulk and while sometimes this is a quiet period, this year it seems we are jumping straight into the next event, the Skrull Invasion. DC on the other hand is busy counting down to Final Crisis with a series and many tie-ins’ no one really seems to care that much about.

Without further ado, here are the comics I really can’t wait three months for!

5. Robin #168, Nightwing #138, Detective Comics #838 and Batman #671

That's right, one pick in and I'm already cheating by listing four comics as one. While DC are hyping Final Crisis to be their next big crossover they don't seem mind having lots of mini crossovers in the meantime. With Countdown I'm skipping all the tie-ins’ I don't care about (That being 95% of them) and the other crossovers between titles I'm just ignoring altogether. However with the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul I am making an exception. The reason I'm making this exception is because Robin is easily one of my favourite DC characters, if not my favourite (I'll leave defining that list for a future blog) and I love the Batman family almost as much.

4. Heroes Hardcover

Yes, I've read all of the chapters before but still I think they were well written and the art was great. I'm a big fan of the show so I'll be getting this for sure. I think the online comic tie-ins were great and gave people an extra insight into the show and its’ characters. I'd like to believe this will bring new people into the comic store but with them being free on the Internet, I doubt it.

3. Illumanti #5

As I've made clear I am very interested into the Skrull Invasion, especially the part with the heroes mistrusting of each other. I also enjoy the Illuminati even if they apparently haven't done anything of use, ever. This issue promises to reveal a member or members of the group as Skrulls. I can't wait to see whom!

2. Angel: After The Fall #1

Let's get this out here, as it's a good a place as any. I love Joss Whedon. I'll admit I got into the game late when it comes to his work but I will never leave his world now. He has me in his grasp and he can do with me what he wishes. The only reason the follow up to Angel Season 5 isn't #1 is because of the hefty $3.99 IDW price tag. I still can't justify paying a $1 more for better paper quality, especially when the last 4 or 6 pages are adverts for their other books. Still I can't wait; Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 has been excellent.

1. Amazing Spider-Man #545 and Marvel Masterworks Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 9

Yup, I'm cheating again. There is a reason though. As we know very little about #545 apart from rumours and speculations, all I can say I am interested in is the apparent fallout, which leads to the thrice a month Spidey book. It's not enough to give it the full #1 spot. Hopefully I’ll enjoy the first three parts but I won’t know until I get them in my hands.

Marvel Masterworks Spider-Man Vol. 9 is here because I love the classic Spider-Man stuff with Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita. If I'm honest, I prefer it more then the legendary Fantastic Four run from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I've been waiting for this a long time. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

So that's it for this run down of my top picks from the November Solicitations. We'll see in 3 months if I've picked wrong and end up disappointed.

I'm a Skrull, He's a Skrull, She's a Skrull, Cause We're All Skrulls!

I’ll admit that when the shocking ending of Elektra being a Skrull in

New Avengers #31 hit, I wasn’t that interested. I’ve never been one for cosmic comics, and tend to prefer the more grounded heroes such as Spider-Man, Batman and Robin.

Then issue #32 hit and saw the entire team do nothing but sit on a plane and accuse each other of been a shape shifting infiltrator. Some people hated that issue as it was nothing but talking heads but I loved it. This made the Skrull Invasion for me, seeing all the heroes begin to suspect the others could all is against him, In a medium predominately filled with people who hide behind masks, this is such a simple idea with the potential to be a classic.

We’ve been promised that the Skrull reveals won’t just be C and D Listers and some big names in the Marvel Universe aren’t quiet what they seem. Armed with this information I’m using this post to make my judgment call of which heroes I think are and aren’t Skrulls in the Marvel Universe.

After or during the event, depending on out in unfolds, I will follow up on my picks and show how far off I really was.

It’ll also be interesting to see if these apparent big name reveals were just hype and we’re left with the Human Fly and The Spot being revealed to be Skrulls.

Skrull Invaders:

Jessica Jones Baby – Yeah. I don’t understand how on earth that would work… if they kidnapped the baby sometime after birth or somehow Jessica was impregnated with a shape-shifting foetus.

The end of New Avengers #31 showed his green eyes opening wide, so he either is or it’s a red herring. That’s entirely possible of course, seeing as everyone who isn’t a main character in the New Avengers seem to have

green eyes now just to toy with the reader’s imagination.

Doctor Strange – It seems likely we have a traitor in New Avengers and the Illuminati apparently have one as well. My money is on Doctor Strange. He used a spell to figure out if anyone on the New Avengers was untrustworthy and everyone passed… but who tests the tester?

Black Bolt – I have a hard time buying that the Hulk can kick his ass off panel and he puts up with his brother stealing his wife and throne from under him in Silent War. He either has a really big chin, or he’s lost his backbone.

Jarvis – Trust me.

Not a Skrull:

Spider-Woman – This would make her a New Avenger placed in the team as an undercover Hydra agent, secretly working for Nick Fury but she’s really a Skrull invader. This Quadruple agent gig has to be a red herring. She’s not a Skrull.

Iron Man – People may not agree with Tony’s means to met his ends but I think he’s acting in character. He’s acting a complete and utter tool to his friends but still his character.

Spider-Man – They’ve learnt from the Clone saga… I hope.

Wolverine – I don’t know how they’d explain away his memories in Wolverine Origins if he was a Skrull.

Echo – She killed Elektra, unveiling this sleeper agent situation. Unless its some brilliant master plan by the Skrulls to plant Echo further into the New Avengers, she isn’t green.

Ms. Marvel – A lot of people suspect she is a Skrull thanks to a weird transformation in Ms. Marvel. I think this was some double bluff and she is sharing her form with some other cosmic being.

Deja Vu

When I received my comic bundle this week, I was shocked to see another copy of World War Hulk #3. It was marked with a £0.00 sticker so I just assumed they had over ordered and as a bonus for being a good customer they tossed it to get rid of stock.

However I peeked into a few World War Hulk #3 topics around the Internet and several people are reporting the same thing.

According to comic book store owners there was some sort of printing error... but no one knows what exactly.

Has anyone gotten any information on this mystery misprint? I can't spot the slightest change but it must have been pretty big to send out free copies to stores to give to people who already purchased the issue.

Unexpected Heel Turn

It takes a lot to shock me in a comic book. This is not to say comic books aren’t as finely crafted as a movie or a television show because they are. What does make it so hard to shock me is that comic books, is one of the few mediums where the fans have come to expect issues being spoiled for them before they get their hands on it.

The problem can’t just be blamed on online comic forums either. All the comic companies are advertising their product 3 months in advance in their solicitations, so most of the time we know the big shock ending 3 issues before it hits. You can’t blame the companies for this either, as these twists and turns are what help sell the comic to stores and in turn, to the customers.

That being said, when I received my comic books for the past two weeks I was presently surprised to be shocked not once but twice!

The first was in Daredevil #99 penned by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Michael Lark.

Milla Donovan has been a supporting cast member in Daredevil for a long time now and to be honest has become sort of annoying. She does little else but cry. Now if I was in her situation, I would be on the floor in the fettle position weeping right along side her… but it doesn’t make for a particle interesting read month in month out. She’s the weak link Brubaker’s Daredevil.

This week however saw Milla snap. Yelling at Lily (Some European broad with super powered smell) to “Die Bitch!” and then attempt to push her in front of a subway train. Luckily for Lily, some unsuspecting New York citizen was behind her and tumbled under the speeding train instead.

If it was a nervous breakdown thanks to her marriage to Daredevil, or if there is something more sinister going on is yet to be seen. Apparently it involves Mr Fear so it’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds.

The second shocker was the last page in The Amazing Spider-Girl #11 written by Tom DeFalco and pencilled by Ron Frenz.

I love Tom DeFalco. I loved his 80’s Spider-Man run and enjoyed most of his other books since then, albeit not as much as Amazing. His work on Spider-Girl however is very high on the list of my favourite DeFalco runs. It is one of the very few titles that is every issue, very rarely ever experiencing a slip in quality. It’s really a shame not enough people read it.

I will admit that I haven’t enjoyed this re-launch as much as I enjoyed the first 100 issues but it’s still good enough for me to have a subscription too.

An upcoming solicitation for the book said Spider-Girl feels guilty for what happened to her brother… pretty open ended but given the feel of the book I felt it was just going to be she felt guilty Carnage kidnapped her father, Spider-Man and her toddler brother.

Oh no. It wasn’t the obvious. We got Baby Carnage! That’s right, little Ben Parker in full symbiotic glory.

When I saw it I wasn’t sure if I should gasp with shock or laugh at the corny idea. Either way, it was interesting and it’ll be very interesting to see where it goes from here. I’ll put my trust with DeFalco.

A Once In A Lifetime Conversation

The title says it all. The confrontation between J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man… scratch that, Peter Parker has been 44 years in the making.

Spider-Man has always been my favourite character. He is one of the few characters who are so complex that you can tell any type of story be it drama, action, comedy etc. and it fits. The only other example I can think of is Batman, although I would argue comedy stories with him have been a no-no since the 80’s and The Dark Knight Returns.

While a lot of fans where outraged with the unmasking, I was quiet happy. With any type of fiction if you set up something, it has to happen. If the action hero says he doesn’t like guns, you can bet 9 times out 10 he will get a gun and blow the hell out the villain by the end of the movie.

It’s the same with Spider-Man and his mask. At some point someone was going to take that mask off and show us the reactions of his supporting cast. I always expected it to be covered up later and with One More Day it appears I could be right but I digress.

One of the reactions I most wanted to see was J. Jonah Jameson. When Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man #23 hit this week we finally got that once in a lifetime conversation and we got it with one of my favourite writers Peter David at the helm.

Yet, I was under whelmed.

Now before you complain, hear me out. I think PAD did great in the issue. They went straight to the root of the Spider-Man/Jonah feud and questioned why it exists. In the end it wrapped up. It did what is said on the tin and it did well.

But remember what I said, this is once in a life time and it has been building up for 44 years. There was so much for the two to discuss but they didn’t and it is likely we will never get to see them discuss this again.

The villains Jonah helped create were but a throw away line.

John Jameson being “outed” as Spider-Man to Jonah by Peter was never mentioned.

Jameson’s connection to Peter was never mentioned. He’s a hard ass but he’s always felt close to Peter, he even secretly paid for his lawyer when he was framed for murder.

Jonah never question the times he saw Peter standing right next to Spider-Man (with Ben Reilly, The Prowler or someone in the suit).

The topic of Captain Stacy and Gwen Stacy’s death was barely touched.

They never mentioned Norman Osborn.

Those are just the major points, there are so many more. Now I can’t blame Peter David for this. I think he did a great job with the page count he had and I’m sure I’ll reread this issue a lot in time to come but I can’t help but think Marvel screwed up.

At the very least this should have been a double sized issue.

Instead we end up with an issue that sums up the entire unmasking. We see reactions only very briefly because we have to hurry up for the next event. In fact, that sums up Spider-Man at the minute. Avengers, The Other, Civil Way, Unmasking, Back in Black, One More Day. We aren’t getting enough time to let the stories breathe and tell them selves. Instead we jump from one event to the next, forgetting the infinitely more interesting fallout. My only hope is that with the book coming out thrice monthly we’ll get this time.

This issue did mark PAD’s departure from the book so I would like to say I’ve enjoyed his return to Spider verse very much. Just like he is doing over in X-Factor, he seems to be the only writer who is really making an effort to tackle dangling plot lines and he handles them well. PAD is most likely more of the finest writers at his craft and his ability to weave an interesting yarn at the same time as dealing with things he might not want to or choose to is a truly rare talent.

The passing of Mike Wieringo

I think by now most comic book fans have heard about the tragic death of Mike Wieringo. At 44 his death is a tragedy. On the subject of his death there is very little else to say.

I’ve never met the man so I can’t claim to have any insight into the man and his life. All I can discuss is the work he put out on the shelf every month.

Mike was an amazing talent. Most people would describe his art as cartoony. I have done so many times in the past. However, coincidently, for the past few weeks I have been working my way through his and Todd Dezago's Sensational Spider-Man run. His untimely death has made me look at these issues and really analyse his art.

It isn't cartoony. What it is, is full of youth and enthusiasm and hope. It’s slick and curvy. It’s beautiful to look at and you can tell it has been crafted over for hours. The character of Spider-Man leaps out of the page at you and he really is the larger then life character he should be.

He was a very talented artist, appreciated by everyone who saw his art but over looked by many. He wasn’t a superstar, but he was amazingly talented.

I myself have over looked some of his better work such as Fantastic Four and Tellos.

So I vow that I will track down his runs on these books. It might take months, it might take years but I know I need them because I didn’t know how much I enjoyed his work until I knew it was gone.

Welcome to my blog!

I really don't know how to open this up. One side of me is excited at the prospect of discussing my views and opinions on the latest comic news and releases... but the other, slightly bitter side is berating myself for opening a blog.

Blogging is something I never really understood or cared for. I vowed I would never open a blog yet here I am with my tail between my legs.

I've followed the trend and now the only thing to separate me from the Internet pack is that I don't own a MySpace or any other online community account. Let's see how long that lasts.

So what is Comic Saga?

Well, the title is little more then a nod to the trend to add “Saga” to any big comic event. Dark Phoenix Saga, Clone Saga, the dropped Dark Wolverine Saga.

The point? Well it inflates my ego. It also allows me to show my points and opinions about comic books past and present to the world on their very own website.

I hope anyone visiting enjoys the site and posts their thoughts on the topics as well. I welcome any and all conversation; I wouldn’t have started this blog if it didn’t allow for people to give their side.

I do have to add that as a university student any time work crops up this will have to take a backseat but I'm pretty good at managing my time. I also get my comic books shipped to me every 2 weeks, so some weeks may be slower then others.

So, let’s see how it goes.