A Few Thoughts About Invincible Iron Man #20

Invincible Iron Man is easily one of my Top 3 favorite comic titles currently. Even though I thoroughly dislike Marvel I buy it in support of Matt Fraction’s work on this book. In fact, every Marvel book I buy is to support the creators who are working on it. Well, after reading this issue my like for Fraction’s work is now outweighed by my dislike for Marvel so I will no longer be purchasing this title. Why? I am completely done supporting Marvel titles that charge extra money in exchange for reprinted bullshit.

Months ago I remember reading a Cup O’ Joe column where Joe Quesada said that Marvel would longer charge extra money for “filler.” So, what happened to that? They still continue to employ that practice to this day and I am just not going to deal with it anymore. By the looks of last month’s sales chart it looks like I am not the only one.

The last issue of Invincible Iron Man was also $3.99 but it was because there were extra pages of interior art and therefore it was a longer than normal story which was worth the extra dollar. When I bought this issue I figured it was the same reason but when I got home and finished reading the issue I found out I was sorely mistaken. So, yes, I got taken like a chump and I really don’t like that feeling. The next time this happens within the pages of Fantastic Four, Secret Warriors, Thunderbolts or any of the other few Marvel books I still buy I will be dropping them as well until I no longer buy Marvel Comics. Luckily I have a job where I can read them for free.

I am now beginning to suspect where Geoff Johns got the inspiration for this character:

But damn, Invincible Iron Man #20 was yet another solid issue of the series.

J.

A Quick CCW Review: Green Lantern #48

Title: Green Lantern #48
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy w/Tom Nguyen
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

This could quite possibly be the best issue of the Geoff Johns written Green Lantern series I have read. There is so much going on in this issue (quite like the last few) that, in a less capable writer’s hands, this story could easily fly off the rails. And the fact that it doesn’t is a testament to why Johns and DC Editorial have made Blackest Night the success that it is. Here are some quick reasons why this issue worked for me:

1. 7 Lanterns, 7 Voices: Do you know how refreshing it is to read a comic consisting of 5 or more main characters and NOT have all those characters sound the same? Now, if you only read New Avengers or Dark Avengers you would have no idea what I am talking about but if you read Agents of Atlas, Fantastic Four or Invincible Iron Man you do. Here Geoff Johns has given every Lantern such a distinct voice that it would be quite easy to pick out who is who just by reading the dialogue. It helps every character stand out from the pack.

2. Every Lantern Has Their Time to Shine: 5 issues ago it was The Black Hand, 4 issues ago it was The Star Sapphire, 3 issues ago it was Sinestro, the last two issues it was Indio-1 and in this issue it’s Atrocitus and Larfleeze. Devoting time to each individual character goes a long way in helping the reader to become emotionally invested in those characters and the overall story.

3. Atrocitus and Larfleeze: I haven’t cared for Atrocitus since his introduction in the Secret Origin storyline. To me, he just seemed like another ruthless, violent character that was quite shallow. And I do have to say that I fucking HATED Larfleeze in the Agent Orange story arc. I can not tell you how much this character annoyed me…but because of this issue I have changed my opinions of both of those characters. Atrocitus has a pretty heart breaking scene toward the end of this issue and, well,…Larfleeze was kinda the highlight of the entire issue. I would be lying if I said I didn’t actually laugh out loud when I read the issue’s last page.

4. Doug Mahnke’s Art: This guy is just incredible. If it weren’t for his art on this book I could almost guarantee you I would not be enjoying it as much as I am. Mahnke, Gleason and Reis’ art is just as important to the success of Blackest Night as are the reasons I stated above.

This issue lead straight into Blackest Night #5 where some major shit went down. Haven’t decided if I’m going to do a written review for it or save it for our tapings this weekend. Only time will tell.

Also, watch out for spoilers in our comment section if you have yet to read this issue or Blackest Night #5. Just a fair warning.

J.

New CCW TV Episodes Tonight

So, ya, Elliott was having some problems with his hard drive which is why there have been no new episodes uploaded. Now, you are asking yourself “Do I sense a big but?” and you should that if Elliott is involved that, yes, there is a big but. BUT, E has temporarily solved his computer problems and will be uploading at least two, quite possibly three new episodes tonight. I myself will be attempting to write a couple of posts tonight right here. Stay tuned.

J.