Comic Signing by Writer J.T. Krul

Yesterday I got to head into NYC, check out the latest branch of the Midtown Comics industry (it's actually fairly downtown) AND I got to get about 19 comics signed by one of today's best writers: J.T. Krul. Most recently known for his run with Green Arrow and Teen Titans, Teen Titans issue #97 came out yesterday as well and it was a great end to an arc that involved a new character "Solstice" and a whole bunch of Indian mythology.

J.T. got to telling me a little more about how he got the idea to use Indian mythology/gods in his books, and also how he's pushing his series out a little faster, so that before the DC new 52 comes out, he can clock the series at a whopping 100 issues. He mentioned "you may see more of Solstice in the reboot. I hope I didn't create the character all for nothing." Also, preliminary scans of Nicola Scott have been sent in for issue 100 and he says they're looking really good. We look forward to it!

J.T. Krul and I

Comics he signed, along with Certificates of Authenticity for each.

Will The New 52 Break DC?

I've heard many a fan/fanboy/hater/idiot/pessimist/orc say that this will be the end of DC Comics as we know it. I guess it has the potential to be, yes, but no it will not. Many say that this new reboot/not really a reboot/but really more than a regular reboot reboot will be their jumping off point, instead of on. And truly, I can understand the frustration. Everything that we know about classic characters is viable to change, and that's a scary thought. I'm still trying to figure out why Superman is wearing armor plates! But this is how I see it:

Come late August/early September, new comic Wednesdays come along and the stores are packed with geeks/freaks/koolkids/notsokoolkids/superheroes AND 52 new comics from DC. Maybe those fanboys will be heading in just to pick up their indie books, or Marvel books, but there is absolutely no way they'll be able to overlook the elephants in the room! There's going to be 52 shiny new books in there, all at a beautifully innocent 1st issue!

And let's say those pessimists actually go through with their plan to not buy any DC comics. After 3 months of no Batman/Superman/Green Lantern... Hawk & Dove, they're not gonna miss 'em at all! And a year goes by, the first huge storyarc comes around, some galactic evil threatens all life, and they're not going to think twice about it. They can honestly be content with never opening up another DC comic again, never even following their used-to-be favorite heroes again... No, this doesn't sound realistic! So I honestly think comic store owners have nothing to worry about. All that talk will be just that: talk. Maybe some truly will stick to their "word," but in the end the books will sell!

Will the new 52 comics bring in a new, younger crowd? I can't say that I know. I don't see how they are planning on actually advertising all of this. Maybe commercials on kids shows? Idk. If only comics were as popular as they were in the days of the Lost Boys. 

Game of Thrones Comic Coming September!

If you're a fan of the book series in which A Game of Thrones takes place, by unparalleled author George R. R. Martin, a fan of the HBO show adaptation that recently concluded it's ten episode epic-first season, or just a fan of anything fantastical and/or adventurous, you should really consider being excited for this book. Due out this September, the series will be published by Dynamite. Written by Daniel Abraham, and drawn by Tommy Patterson, with covers from Alex Ross (above) and Mike S. Miller. This is going to be good.

Another Shot at the New Justice League

So here's another shot at what we're to expect from the Justice League. I'm assuming these seven will be the main league members, and the few in the background will jump in and out unannounced as they please. This was taken from Toon Tumblers Facebook page, and is intended to be used as a drinkable glass cup for SDCC.

Aquaman looks about the same, except for this fins on the back of his calves which look kinda cool. Makes him more hydrodynamic. Green Lantern Hal Jordan looks the same, and it makes sense. @GeoffJohns0 is doing a great job keeping him a top seller. Wonder Woman looks completely different, so I don't even want to talk about her. Superman looks... platey, like he pieced his costume together. nd his belt is now red, instead of his tights. His shoes are... metal. Sure. I'm positive @jimlee00 know what he's doing. And the 'S' shield is actually cool, now that I've gotten a chance to look it over properly. Oh, oh, and the popped-collar. Superman knows what's in! Batman also looks the same, but his costume is also platey and looks like he pieced it together. His boots are also metal. The Flash looks the same, besides the metal boots. Cyborg... grew crab claws and a big metal underbite. I think he might have too much going on.

On the left we have Deadman (JLA status? yeah okay), Ray Palmer's Atom, Element Woman, Firestorm, and on the right we have Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary (some speculate this may be Power Girl, because we haven't seen anything of her new look yet), and Mera.

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Edit: Nevermind what I said about Aquaman's leg flipper thing. It's always been there.

Catching Up on Thor

Yesterday, I started my Twitter feed, and I kicked it off by posting my reviews of the last 5 canonical Thor issues. With the limited message space on Twitter, I feel I'd like to discuss my thoughts a bit further. If you're not into spoilers, or haven't read all the way up yet, read at your leisure :)

Marvel decided a few months back that the greatest way to make a jump-on-point with their more popular series was to make an issue between continuity, and thus: Marvel.1! Thor #620.1 was enjoyable enough. It shows an average feast in the hall of the Asgardians. An average feast meaning the Grey Gargoyle came and turned everyone into stone! Only in comics, I swear. Mark Brooks artwork is noteworthy for it's detail and crisp look, and great for a Thor book. As far as jumping on points go... eh, maybe. The cover art was extremely bland. I feel like most of Thor's cover art looks like this. I gave this issue a 7/10.

From what I've heard, this is the last issue of the long-running Thor series, Vol. 1. The numbers pick up at 622 in a new title, under the Fear banner, "Journey Into Mystery". For a last issue, I was fairly disappointed. In fact, Matt Fraction's story hardly delivered. The art was very cartoony, but easy on the eyes. The high point I found in this issue is that the colors chosen were so vibrant, they became easily more enjoyable than the story, which was everywhere at once. Some panels were extensively trippy. I gave Thor #621 a 5/10.

Matt Fraction, Olivier Coipel and the gang, really bring Thor back with a great new Galactus themed run and start to a new series. Matt, you've redeemed yourself. The artwork is superb throughout, and so far the story has kept me on the edge of the page (I have to watch out for papercuts!). In the midst of the end of the Thor run, Asgard has fallen to Earth, and in so doing the world tree Yggdrasil has been "rendered in twain". Seeing the possibility and the state that Asgard is in, the Silver Surfer attempts to end Galactus' hunger forever, in sending him to the remains of Asgard. Thor and his folks ain't too happy. Great concept. The cover artwork for issue three is beautiful. It reminds me that these books are as much pieces of art as they are great stories! I rated issue #1 with a 10/10, issue #2 with a 9/10, and issue #3 with a 9/10.

Happy reading! 

To Tweet Or Not to Tweet

So I've got this Twitter... And I've been tweeting. And I think it's a good way to advertise this blog. SO!
Here it is! It's (obviously) comic book based. It's a decent way to just review individual issues, and that's primarily all I've actually done so far. 

First Avengers Poster Art Revealed!

As many may know, Marvel's had this huge epic movie line going for a while, where they were creating films for several heroes that corresponded to the superteam the Avengers, and eventually they would make an Avengers movie, using all the same actors. Well, that's finally happening. After two Iron Man movies (soon to be a third), a Thor movie, a Captain America film, a Hulk remake, and a whole bunch of Samuel L. Jackson cameos at the end of the credits, The Avengers shall hit theaters next year. Recently at a sales pitch someone snagged a quick photo at a poster of the superteam, and although it may just be conceptual at this stage, it's still our first look at the film itself. Take a look.

The Avengers featured on the poster are Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye (who had a cameo in Thor) and Black Widow (who had a cameo in Iron Man 2). Nearly all of the actors who played these characters shall return to reprise their roles, a huge endeavor and success on Marvel's part.

Green Lantern Comes to Theatres

With all the advertisement and money DC is pouring into this movie, everyone should already know this is happening. And it looks damn good. I may just see it opening night, which is... Thursday night, wow. Crept up on me. If the persistent TV spots and well placed billboards haven't sold you, maybe this will. Here's an exclusive first look at some footage shown at Wondercon not too long ago. (Yes, this trailer came out months ago, but it doesn't make it any less cool.)

Books to Look Forward To

Alright, so we all know DC is ruining all that they've spent 75 years to make in the coming months, BUT that's okay! Well... I'm okay with it. Well... No I'm not. But it's cool. Just because there are going to be rolling restarts on all of DC's servers, that doesn't mean the new patch will be disappointing. So, of the 52 titles that DC is launching August/September, what titles will you read?

Here are the few titles I'm looking forward to:

Justice League #1
Aquaman #1
Wonder Woman #1
The Flash #1
Green Arrow #1
Green Lantern #1
Green Lantern Corps. #1
Green Lantern: New Guardians #1
Batman #1
Detective Comics #1
Teen Titans #1
Action Comics #1
Batman #1
Supergirl #1

The titles that I may look into:
The Savage Hawkman #1
The Fury of Firestorm #1
Batman and Robin #1
Swamp Thing #1

To be frank, I'm actually very excited to see what becomes of DC and I wish them the best on their next venture. To see a full list of what's to come, check out DC's blogs:
Justice League Titles
Green Lantern Titles
Batman Titles
The Dark Titles
Young Justice Titles
The Edge Titles
Superman Titles

Happy Reading!

While I'm Roasting New Costume Changes:

Might as well post this one. I'd like to first mention that when I showed my father this picture after the other reboot pictures his first comment was "they should fire that artist." My thought is that DC made her comic more playful, so the artwork is duller, and thus friendly for girls... I know, after reading that last sentence it didn't make much sense to me either.

Her costume is distinctly reminiscent of Wonder Woman and you'd be hard pressed to get that mistaken, but it doesn't scream "Wonder Woman," and it certainly isn't cool. Lose the pants princess. We wanna see those legs that Hippolyta gave you.

After letting the look settle in a little, yeah. It can work out. It probably will, but only time will tell if she gets reverted back.

Alas, Superman Loses the Tights

When someone tries to describe the cliché superhero, they may use the nouns 'super-powers,' 'capes,' and 'tights.' Why is that? Well, I'll tell you why. Superman. As the first superhero, he fits all the clichés and, by definition, he started them. So, by removing the tights, you remove something as symbolic as his S shield. And this is what's going on in the world of DC currently.

Along with the other restarts, Action Comics, the series that brought you this worlds first superhero, the first American comic series to reach it's 900th issue, will be getting it's first reboot. In it Superman tries to save a world that isn't too fond of it's first hero. This is a good premise for a first issue, and as long as the origin story doesn't take too much of a spin, it should turn out well. It's interesting that the costume he's wearing on the cover isn't full suit. Maybe there's gonna be some explanation as to why he's so tight-less. His lifting an object at that angle is homage to the original first issue, which I was expecting. It's a solid pic, but he's a little too buff for my tastes. I prefer the muscular yet slim supe.

(edit) Notice also they've kept Clark Kent's classic curl. It's those little tidbits that make my day...

Next we have the reboot of the 'Superman' title. Whoever made the cover art... Not a fan bro. Sorry. He looks like an alternate earth Superman that's really mean. And with the loss of his red tights, it just looks downright off-putting. Also, he still has the outline of his tights, just shaded blue... and the shading on his crotchal region makes him look very... brolic. And what are those, kneepads!? Notice though, that the 'S' is back to normal.

Here's a reboot I can stand behind: Supergirl #1. Her new look looks really really cool. I'm totally sold on the trimming of the cape, and how it folds together in the front. Her shield has been stylized very appropriately for that whole 'I'm a teenager from another planet' look, and the boots work really well. The artist also did a great job, so let's hope the story holds true.

And finally we come to Superboy. This is really confusing me. I'm not sure if this is going to be Conner Kent as Superboy, a new Superboy, or what. He is still a clone of Kryptonian/Human DNA, but this is a very strange look. Maybe this is just his uhh... factory look? And when he gets his skin he becomes the Superboy of the Teen Titans series? Dude. I dunno. I like how the S pops out at you like a 3D movie, but I can't see him wearing the Tron outfit to school like that... Superhero school that is. Or maybe they consider it camp?..

It's Time to Catch Up

So, what I plan on accomplishing with this blog is the chance to explain and review comic books to the best of my ability. You see, I Dakota Lopez, a young guy at the age of 19, have pretty much been collecting comic books on and off my entire life.

I remember, I was about 7 or so and my dad had brought me this really crappy free Batman comic book, and although I would view it as a crappy one nowadays, it really uhh... opened my eyes to the medium. I don't have that particular issue still, but it began my urge to collect them. I grew up in Miami, so it wasn't the easiest place to find comic books, especially at the age I was (probably about 8 or 9 now). There was this new mall that opened up, though, called Sunset mall, but I called it Sunset Place for some odd reason, and right next to the mall was this really cool, really geeky store. For the life of me (and this kills me) I can't remember the name of it. Well, they sold really cool action figures and ugly geek shirts and posters, and, in the back, a whole room dedicated to comic books... This was my first real encounter with a comic book store.

This place eventually closed down, or moved to a different location (I'm actually not quite sure), but I ended up being unable to find comics within a reasonable driving distance, so my collection grew a bit of dust. Oh, by the way, even at that age I had all my comics bagged and boarded, and I pride myself on that knowledge.

Anyway, I moved to Redondo, California when I was about 13 and I found this awesome store in Manhattan Beach called the Comic Bug. It rekindled the fire within me, and it was the first official comic book store that I went to regularly. Throughout high school I went through periods of time where, I'd be in and out of comics. In fact, I joined the Comic Book Club (Comic Book Union at the time) at Redondo Union High School in my freshman year, and I met some of the best group of friends I could meet. The Comic Bug ended up moving two times during 2007-8 but it was still in the general area it is today. This is one of the best comic book stores I've been to in my life, very cosy, very roomy and if you're ever in the area, do visit it.

I actually went to a lesser comic convention out there in California, Wizard World '07, and I brought a bunch of comics from my collection to be signed by my favorite cover artist, Michael Turner. I got him to sign 15 to 16 of them, and those are my pride and joy. He was going through chemotherapy at the time, as the picture below shows :( But hey, look at that smile on his face.

Anyway, I moved to Scarsdale, New York at about the age of 16, and have been here since. I found the nearest store, Phoenix, and that's a nice place, with great owners. But, as sometimes happens, I've lost interest in the hobby. So, for the past 2 to 3 years, a lot has happened in the comic book world. DC, Marvel, and other. My favorite cover artist, Michael Turner lost his battle to cancer. I didn't know this until about a month ago... You see, I was planning on selling each and every one of my comic book collection on Ebay, but it wasn't until I actually looked at them again that nostalgia hit me. Hard. I sat on the floor that night, next to my long boxes and just read comic books all night. A friend of mine told me he started a booth at the New York Comic Con, and he gave me and a few friends free passes.

Well, that was the key to the unlocking for my hobby of collecting and reading comic books. A lot has happened. Blackest Night, Brightest Day (someone explain this to me...), in the Marvel universe there's a vampire resurgence and an attack on all mutants, and Spider-Man is no longer unmasked. Follow my blog as I recount how I've been getting back into comics, review them, and discuss them.