Comic Picks by the Glick

Manga and Comic Reviews

The fate of the Ultimate Universe: Grist for the Mill

As you know, speculating on the fate of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is an ongoing concern around here.  Initially launched way back at the turn of the millenium with the intent of providing continuity-free updates of Marvel characters to appeal to a modern audience, the imprint succeeded beyond everyone’s expectations.  Not only did “Ultimate Spider-Man” and […]

Marvel Previews Picks: March 2014

Okay, Marvel, what you’re doing with the “Infinity” hardcover is a grade-A DICK MOVE as far as I’m concerned!  Previously, the hardcover was set to collect not only the six-issue miniseries of the same name, but also issues #12-23 of “Avengers” and #7-12 of “New Avengers.”  All of Hickman’s build-up and essential tie-ins to the […]

Stumptown vol. 2

THIS SERIES IS STILL TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE! I don’t know why Oni thinks that it’s a good idea to release Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth’s enjoyable shaggy dog private investigator in an oversized hardcover format for $30 a volume.  Done correctly, putting a title in hardcover can signify prestige and that’s best seen in manga […]

Dark Horse Previews Picks: March 2014

Remember “Xerxes?”  The sequel to “300” to be written and illustrated by Frank Miller that was previewed back when “Dark Horse Presents” launched back in 2011 and to serve as the basis for the upcoming film sequel “Rise of an Empire?”  Well, after turning in two issues a couple years back, Miller has yet to […]

The myth of the jumping-on point.

Over a week ago, Jonathan Hickman and Tom Brevoort talked about what constitutes a good jumping on point for a series.  Issue #24 of Hickman’s “Avengers” was cited as such, given the push it has received as being part of the “All-New Marvel NOW!” initiative.  Hickman thought that it was a terrible example of a […]

Pink by Kyoko Okazaki

Terrible ending coda aside, Kyoko Okazaki’s “Helter Skelter” was an engrossing thriller that left me eagerly awaiting this story.  Described as her “representative work” on the back cover, “Pink” is entertaining fluff and light on its feet with its protagonist’s determined refusal to acknowledge life’s harder edges.  Interestingly enough, its quality proves to be the […]

DC Previews Picks: March 2014

DC’s new weekly series “Batman Eternal?”  That’s old news now with the announcement of their newest weekly series “Future’s End.”  Taking place “Five Years Later,” which is also thought to be the theme of the company’s event for this coming September, the only characters mentioned as participating in it so far are Batman Beyond, Frankenstein […]

An odd couple of anthologies.

In one corner we have “Mouse Guard:  Legends of the Guard vol. 2.”  Part of the excellent “Mouse Guard” series with a host of great creators both known and unknown to me.  The first volume also won an Eisner for being the best anthology in the year that it was released.  In the other we […]

Storm Dogs vol. 1

This wasn’t on my “must buy” list but I decided to give it a shot anyway.  It’s just that the idea of a science fiction story that was part “Star Trek,” part “C.S.I.” sounded appealing to me and it had that “unknown new title from Image” vibe to it so that was a plus too. […]

Sex vol. 1: The Summer of Hard

Rather than revel in my arrested adolescence and continue to make more jokes about the book’s title I’m just going to cut to the chase.  There’s plenty of the title act in “Sex,” and it runs the gamut from straight, gay, lesbian, and with a number of fetishes attached it throughout the story.  It’s not […]