Biff Bam Pow Comics

So there I was, comic in hand, poised to read the latest issue (560) of Amazing Spider-Man (pictured below), when I had a feeling that hardly ever hits me. A feeling of utter boredom. A feeling I got - before I even opened the cover.

I’m sorry - I just couldn’t bring myself to review this book. I can’t do it - I hate the concept with a passion, and I despise its execution. Brand New Day is truly awful.

Therefore - as of today - Amazing Spider-Man has (very sadly - I am a big Spidey fan) come off my pull list.

And I feel compelled to urge you to do the same. Don’t waste your money - it’s just not turning out anything like a decent storyline.

For those new to the blog - click here to read how life could have been if Keith Planit had have been given a shot.

So no more Brand New Day for me. Off to The New Avengers for my Spidey fix now instead.

So I come back in from watching the new Indiana Jones film (for those of you who haven’t seen it yet - you really need to) - and I’m browsing one of my usual favourite places - Super Hero Hype - when I see an interesting story.

Frank Miller has done something really gutsy - and addressed the fans concerns over the trailer. Click here to read a sneak preview of his blog at Super Hero Hype, then add a comment to let us know what you think.

In safe hands? Or is The Spirit’s city screaming, because it’s filled full of unhappy fans?

You decide…

Brilliant…! I was getting a little worried about the Fantastic Four after Mark Millar / Bryan Hitch’s last issue, but happily - book 557 has put many of those fears to rest.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Issue 557 picks up right where 556 left off, giving the closing act of ‘World’s Greatest’ - with the FF and pretty much the entire Marvel U mopping up Alyssa Castle’s mistake - the rampaging CAP.

Needless to say, Reed twigs CAP’s one and only weakness pretty quickly, and does his best to exploit it with his Anti-Galactus suit. Yes - you read that right - his Anti-Galactus suit.

That could have come in handy a little while back eh?

As with the previous three issues, this book serves well as a stand-alone story. Unlike the past issues however - this issue has a mini-link in to Secret Invasion - blink and you’ll miss it.

This issue also requires that you read the Mighty Avengers issue 11 beforehand…

Pete’s Score: 4 out of 5
(much better - recommended - should be an interesting next issue with that cliffhanger…)

So there I was, browsing through t’interweb last week, when I a little note popped up from my mail client to tell me I had a new message.

“Please moderate comment” was the mail - with the comment being a simple “review me”, from Spleenal.

Intrigued, I followed the link to his blog, and browsed through the comic (Where I Vent My Spleen) on offer, out of curiosity more than anything else.

Bugger me if the blog isn’t filled full of good strips.

As you read through Where I Vent My Spleen, you’ll notice that Spleenal has taken a great deal of time to capture the frustration of life, and play heavily on its inherent funny side. Doing this well (which he does) is something particularly hard to do consisently. Happily - this isn’t a problem.

I imagine that it’d been said before, but there is some brilliantly funny material within the blog - which I’d go so far as to say is worthy of becoming a collected book, something that I sincerely hope is in the works.

Take a moment out of your day - especially if it’s stress filled - and visit Where I Vent My Spleen. It’ll be worth your while.

Oh - and it’s home grown - from the UK - so it must be great!

So you’ll probably remember that this time last week, we took a moment out to look at Julia Wertz’s The Fart Party, which is one of the most truly original and witty webcomics around. I got in touch with Julia to let her know that her work was great, and begged and pleaded with her for an interview. Julia graciously agreed…

BBPC: Julia - firstly, thanks for taking a little time out for this interview, it’s truly much appreciated…! I guess the first question that springs to mind is - what inspired you to create The Fart Party?

JW: I just wanted to have a way to document my life without keeping a real diary. I found it was much easier to capture small, seemingly insignificant moments in comics form rather than writing. Plus it’s much funnier that way. Comics like “the shitler” would be total crap in writing form, the image is 99% of the story. 

BBPC: So has it been plain sailing with The Fart Party and your other ventures? Or have there been a few hiccups along the way? (there certainly have been a few hurdles with Biff Bam Pow Comics!)

JW: My whole life has been one giant hiccup since then. Nothing is plain sailing once you start putting your life out there for people to read. The Fart Party has actually probably gone the smoothest, but books like “I Saw You…” (the anthology of missed connections comics I’m editing) had been nothing but a long, drawn out nightmare. That’s why I’m kind of glad I still have to wait tables or work in coffee shops for cash, because it keeps me grounded. 

BBPC: I had a look around The Fart Party website, and was pretty intrigued about your love / hate relationship with New York - what was the original idea behind the big move? Is it getting better for you?

JW: I was just tired of my old life in SF (although now I really miss it) I was antsy and wanted to go somewhere else. I was going to go to Portland but it seemed too much like settling down and going to Brooklyn seemed more intriguing. There are definitely things I hate about New York, but I can’t deny that it’s an incredibly interesting place. People watching here is amazing and there’s always something waiting around the corner to blow you fucking mind. Some days the constant activity really wears me out, but I’m not ready to settle down yet so I think it’s a perfect time for me to be here. 

BBPC: Has moving up to New York opened any doors for you?

JW: Well, yes and no. I’ve done some freelancing for magazines like Vice and the New York Press, but after I did that, I realized I could have done it from San Francisco. So it’s opened doors in the way that I would have never even considered doing those things before, but since they were right in my face in NY, I was motivated to actually do them. 

BBPC: Irritatingly (on my part), I’m guessing that you’re not going to be ‘crossing the pond’ anytime soon for an appearance at any of the UK conventions - but I’m sure you’ll be popping up at a US con in the near future…! Where’s your next appearance going to be, and will there be anything special for people to look out for (apart from your original artwork)?

JW: I’ll be at MoCCA in New York, Heroes Con in North Carolina and SPX in Baltimore this year. I’m so disorganized that I don’t know what I’ll have at those tables that is new, but hopefully something? Maybe I’ll start selling pieces of my dignity for $25 cents a pop.

BBPC: You’re probably getting used to the good press coming to you from your work on The Fart Party (as some people may already know that you’ve received some great reviews at Bookgasm, New York Entertainment, Gutter Geek and Biff Bam Pow Comics) - but what about the first review you received? Was it good - and what did you think of it?

JW: The first review I got was actually from the Onion and it was really good. I was so happy about it and when I went to pick up a copy, my friend Matt Berneir was with me and I said “now I can show my mom I’m legit!” and he said “now you can be all “look mom, I made it into a fake newspaper!” 

BBPC: Julia, thanks again for the interview - are there any last words you’d like to add? Maybe a few pointers about how people across the pond can get their hands on your art and / or comics?

JW: The only thing I can suggest is to go to comic book stores and ask the owner to order it wholesale from Atomic Books. They can contact Rachel Whang at Rachel@atomicbooks.com. It would help out me and Atomic Books. If they want artwork, I have some available at fartparty.org/store or contact me at juliawertz@hotmail.com

BBPC: It’s truly been great - let us know if anything new is happening with you and / or The Fart Party!

Remember to checkout Julia’s work over at The Fart Party website, and then drop her a note of love and appreciation on her MySpace page!

You can tell a comic is a good read when it inspires debate for 3 days after reading it. I picked this book up on Saturday, and I’ve been locked in a battle of possibilities with my brother ever since.

***SPOILER ALERT***

In a nutshell, this book gives an insight into how the Skrulls deal with the Sentry during Secret Invasion - namely by sending him more than a little off the deep end, bringing him face to face with his inner demon - the Void. Oooorrrr, rather, the Skrull version of the Void.

A pretty nasty insight into the ways Skrulls work - but a damn fine read nonetheless. Now - here’s where the 3 days of debating comes in. Right at the start of this book, there’s an explosion in outer space. The Sentry gets kicked into touch by an exploding Skrull ship, and wakes up in the Baxter Building.

Later in the book, after the Sentry goes a little bat-crazy and flies off into space, he spots something strange in what appears to be the ring around Saturn. Right here is where we begin to have different opinions.

My opinion: The Sentry sees ‘the Void’ in the ring of Saturn (where his mind has placed him), is horrified by the fact that he still exists, curls up into a ball and is consumed by him - then rockets back to earth to save Lindy (who I’m pretty sure is already dead - but that’s another story).

Dave’s (my brother’s) opinion: The Sentry has been a Skrull all along, but isn’t aware of it (a-la Captain Marvel), and he’s horrified to see his true self in the rings of Saturn, where he’s been all along (for reasons yet to be disclosed). A Void then returns to earth, to look after Lindy.

I’m pretty sure I’m right - but then so is Dave. What do you think? Add your comments below to let us know!

Pete’s Score: 4 out of 5
(anything that gets you talking as much as this issue will, is worth $2.99 - recommended) 

Damn, MySpace is the place to be today. There I was, browsing away, flicking through posts, when I stumbled across this little beauty, courtesy of Kal and Kara…

Well, I wasn’t all that keen on what happened in The Initiative issue 12, but I (begrudgingly) understood why it had to pan out like it did. Which is why I picked up issue 13 - to give it a second chance.

And to be honest, I had a bit of a mixed reaction to it.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Christos N. Cage takes up the writing reigns this issue, introducing a new team of recruits (Boulder, Prodigy, Annex, Batboy, Gorilla Girl and Sunstreak) to readers, and doing a fine job of creating an interest in them from the moment they step off the bus at Stamford. Steve Uy also once again takes up art duty on the book, giving an interesting but not  amazing take on our new young heroes.

Sadly, as good a follow up to issue 12 as this is - it isn’t a comic that inspires confidence in the life of the book. Christos did a fantastic job of creating a really interesting character (Boulder [or Butterball as Taskmaster nicknamed him]) with some unique points of interest - but commits a cardinal sin almost instantaneously by removing him from view before the end of the book. Although, the way Boulder reminisces about his short time on the base, does leave you with a smile.

Pete’s Score: 3 out of 5
(could have been great, if Boulder had been sticking around for a little longer - but still enjoyable) 

You may remember a couple of days ago, when I mentioned New Cee Diddy Holla’s blog, that I threw in a little comment about the latest DC teaser - Dan Didio’s whiteboards. Well - most of you will have seen them already (as they aren’t exactly new) - but to those of you who are interested in seeing a bigger picture, click on the below thumbnail to see more.

Have some thoughts on it? Then leave some comments here, or over at New Cee Diddy Holla’s original post (where I left my thoughts a few days ago)…

Alright - I know I’ve said this before - but Hercules and Amadeus Cho are definitely crying out for their own book (and not just a Hulk ’stand-in’ comic).

***SPOILER ALERT***

Issue 117 picks up right where 116 left Herc and Amadeus - deep in Skrull territory, with Athena convincing a council of gods that they must take up arms to fight the coming invasion. Oh - and adding a little sidenote that Herc will be leading everyone into battle.

A tiny detail, but more than enough for Hercules to kick a truck into touch over in a hissy fit (as Athena neglected to mention that small detail to him in their travels). Sure enough, all the gods (apart from the Asgardians [Thor's tribe], who haven’t been invited because of their recent troubles) agree to be part of the fight - and lend the services of Snowbird, Tecumotzin (Ajak of the Eternals), Amatsu-Mikaboshi and the God-Eater.

Just as they depart on their mission however, they see the beginnings of the Skrull invasion on earth (and can do nothing about it - tying nicely into Secret Invasion issue 1), and wonder if Athena’s eyes have always been so… green…?

This issue, as with the one before it, is fantastic on multiple levels. Both the artwork from Rafa Sandoval and script from Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente never miss a beat, with both always beautifully portraying the epic world of the gods. And not only that - both also tie in perfectly to Secret Invasion, giving us what might be the beginnings of an interesting ’sneak peek’ to the background plan of how the Skrulls will be dealing with the gods…

Pete’s Score: 4 out of 5
(thoroughly recommended as before - not only an issue to buy, but a book you should subscribe to)