Butterflies in the sky

Sorry about the radio silence lately, kids, but things have been busy here at GCP HQ. Of course, not so busy that I couldn't swing by the library yesterday to pick up some comic trades and graphic novels I missed out on the first time around.

I'm lucky enough to have a library that is really active in bringing in a wide variety of comics, from the classic collections to the newer stuff and for all age ranges. Take a look at what I checked out (literally!) and tell me what you think of my selection in the comments.


Marvel Adventures: The Avengers Vol. 4 — Weirder and Wilder (by writer Jeff Parker and artist Leonard Kirk)

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers Vol. 7 — The Dream Team (Parker and Ig Guara)

JLA: The Hypothetical Woman (Gail Simone and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez)

Rasl Vol. 1: The Drift (Jeff Smith)

Goats: Infinite Typewriters (Jonathan Rosenberg)

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 — The Authorized Adaptation (Bradbury and Tim Hamilton)

Jack Kirby's The Losers (Kirby)

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (Stark and Darwyn Cooke)


I'm probably looking forward to reading those last two the most, though I've got to admit the Satanic chicken of Goats has its own special kind of gravitational pull.

And for the record, yes, I do read books without pictures, too. Especially when I come across something called I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President (Josh Lieb). A title like that is catnip, I tells ya.

Friday Night Fights: The things that matter

Yeah, I know that, as this is being posted, it's still only Tuesday, but since I'll be cooling my heels in an airport lobby in a few hours this will be my only chance to get my shots in for Bahlactus' Friday Night Fights: Ladies Night!

As a long renowned ladies man myself (ahem), I've come to appreciate certain qualities in a woman, not least of which include character, intelligence, kindness, wit and — obviously — a whole lot of patience.

Mostly though, I dig a woman who likes dogs and will punch a dragon in the face.

Click to Balsaad-size!

Strangely enough, my wife told me something similar on our second date — how could I not marry her?!


Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here.

Panels from Rose Vol. 1
Jeff Smith, writer; Charles Vess, artist

Favorite Panel Friday: Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil

Let's just get something out of the way - Jeff Smith gets it.

His retelling - and reinvention - of the Captain Marvel origin is so much fun it makes me want to put on a thunderbolt T-shirt, wrap a towel around my neck and run around the house yelling, "Shazam! Shazam!"

Smith has packed a lot of story into just the first two issues of his four-issue mini-series, Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, and enough pitch-perfect character moments to make me depressed with the fact it's not a regular series. Attention DC: If you're really looking for that fabled "gateway" comic that will appeal to a broad range of fans and bring in new readers at the same time, guess what? You've already got it.

That panel up there proves it. That's just a taste of what amounts to Captain Marvel smacking around mouthy alligator-men for ... let's see ... one, two ... five pages! Stupid, stupid alligator-men!

Plus there's some wonderful moments with Dr. Sivana (of course he works for the government); the newly found, pain-in-the-butt little sister Mary Marvel; and a giant robot threatening to "remove all trace of human civilization." How cool is that?

And it's even given us a new quote to throw around. I know I'm just waiting for the chance to yell out, "We've lost! Quick! Eat the children!"

Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil #2: Jeff Smith, writer/artist