Geeking out

[angelophile]

I haven't been worrying with comic reviews over the past year or so, partly because there only seemed a limited interest in them, but also because I tend to be a little laxidaisy picking my books up, so I doubt people would be that interested in reading thoughts on comics that came out three weeks before and have been discussed to death elsewhere. Instead, I've just bummed around scans_daily and thrown my thoughts in there.

But occasionally I'll have a geek out moment.

aimeeish has brought to my attention an article on Joss Whedon's run on X-men which ultimately agrees with a lot of how I feel about the book. I'm sure it's an unfashionable view, but I've been stating for a while now that Joss Whedon sometimes isn't that good. Good to see someone on the same wavelength, although Whedon worshippers will probably disagree.

I'll worship at the altar of Mike Carey who's been quietly delivering a great X-book and now is quietly guiding what's shaping up to be a strong X-book crossover. Something I never thought I'd say a few months ago when the idea of an X-men crossover would have filled me with dread. But thanks to Carey's calm build up we've got a crossover where I can geek out about the classic characters of Colossus, Angel, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Storm going up against the Marauders who cost them so much twenty years ago because the plot built up to that moment rather than it just being tossed in for coolness. Only one character missing from the fight, and guess who I'm gonna be blaming for that?

I've been making a bunch of posts on scans_daily lately during quiet periods at work. (Gotta love torrents of my collection). For those of you that don't check there regularly we have:

Colossus dickery and the Juggernaut.
An example of why Pete Wisdom's head is a bad place to be.
Kitty Pryde, Pete Wisdom and deicidal aliens.
Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison and killer household pets.
The death of Illyana Rasputin.
Empowered - Schrodinger's Catgirl

More to come, including Marrow and Spiderman.

In other comic news, I read the latest issue of The Incredible Hulk last night and it was superb. A delightful return to the dynamic of a self contained team story as the Renegades (Angel, Mastermind Excello, Namora and Hercules) chase around New York while World War Hulk rumbles to a conclusion around them, with Dr. Strange's assistant Wong in tow, trying to recapture the bottled demon Strange released trying to defeat the Hulk. Cue numerous action sequences, some sparkling banter between the characters and perfectly delightful pacing. As superheroics go, this book hit the tone perfectly and I'm sad to see the team split up, but at least it ended on a high. As it is, with Excello and Herc's story continuing in this book, I think I'll continue to pick it up as I'm fond of both characters. So Pak got a convert out of World War Hulk, although as his co-writer her is Jeff Parker of X-men: New Class fame, I don't know who to give credit to.

One page was enough to convince me not to bother with Joe Mad and Jeph Loeb's run on Ultimates. Pretty art, but when you take a twisted joke of Millar's which worked perfectly well as subtext and bluntly make it canon, I'm afraid I'll be passing. And the colouring swamps Mad's art. Disappointing.

Non-comics related, I managed to catch an episode of Jimmy McGovern's The Street last night and it was so. damn. good. A truly intelligent script, balancing bitter-sweet comedy with ruminations on the bleakness of life and a sublime performance from Mark Benton which should put him up there with Tim Spall, David Thewlis, Jane Horrocks, Jim Broadbent and others who have appeared in the series as one of the country's strongest character actors. Excellent stuff, managing to bring out the full gamit of human emotions.

Also watched Gosford Park again, another chance to see dozens of British character actors strutting their stuff. Robert Altman went out on a high and he was well served by the casting on this, one of his final movies. A sparkling script, playing up the cliches of a murder mystery while also detailing the British class system, Maggie Smith's performance manages to stand out even when surrounded by some of the best of British. Well, and a couple of outsiders like Bob Balaban, who I passed on the street last time I was in New York. What a claim to fame. But a delightful, smart movie and always worth a rewatch.

Right, I'm off to eat some Christmas tree decorations.

Why not go and pick out YOUR geek type?