1st issue Challenge

[BobBretall]

As an extra added treat, the protagonist works in a comic store, I loved the scene set in the shop with the hard-core customer coming in for his comics.

I have heard and read comments/reviews that didn't like the fact that it took place in a comic book shop and that the character was a sterotype. That fail to see or understand that it wasn't a sterotype but a character that is based on hard-core customers, who do act the way he did in the book. Sometimes fans can look at themselves in the mirror.

Yeah, too bad they didn't have a customer that those people wish would be in the comic shop instead of the kind of customer who would ACTUALLY be standing around waiting for the shop to open.

[spid]

Threshold #1 (DC)

I enjoyed this issue enough, however I’m not really sure what the premise of this series is and where it is headed. As a person that doesn’t read previews or read much in the way of comic book “news” the first issue doesn’t make clear what the intent of this series is. Is this going to follow Caul (was this character introduced in the New Guardians annual or does he have more history?) and Stealth? Is the series going to follow this “The Hunted” game show? Is the book an anthology like DC Universe Presents? Is it an anthology that will stay focused in the “Lantern Verse”? If anyone knows I would be interested in the theory of this book.

As for this issue, I liked but didn’t love it. Following the character Caul from the New Guardians Annual into this “The Hunted” game show was interesting enough. I am not sure I would want to read a series completely about that, with films and books like the Running Man and Hunger Games and comics like Avengers Arena and Deathmatch I am not sure we need another story like this. The introduction of the character Stealth seems interesting enough. I liked the first story in this issue but don’t know if I would want to continuing reading about The Hunted for an extended period. The second story, a Larfleeze story I enjoyed a bit more than the first story. The cliffhanger was somewhat unexpected and could have ramifications across the entire Green Lantern Universe.

Overall the issue was OK and I will get the next one, but for $3.99 an issue I don’t think I will stick with this title in the long run unless I get a stronger sense of what it really is.

I agree with pretty much everything you said. I think if you are looking for this kind of story you are probably better off reading Avengers Arena, Deathmatch, or even America's Got Powers. America's Got Powers is not exactly the same, but it seems to hit the same themes as this book.

So far I am going to continue to pick up this book, but I do not think it will go beyond 12 issues if it gets that long of a chance.

[BobBretall]

Garth Ennis' Red Team #1 (Dynamite) - This was essentially 20 pages of talking heads for $3.99. Ennis seems to me like he really wanted to write a police TV show & did a comic instead. While this may have been good on TV with actors livening it up with their performance, my reading of it in my own head didn't do justice to the material, it came across to me as pretty dry. I also don't like the entire "flashback told from an interrogation room" framing device. At $3.99 for 20 pages I can do a lot better.

[abysslord]

That said, it doesn't sound like there's going to be anything I can say to get you to try a Boom book.

For other people, I'd recommend trying the book for $1. I personally thought it was much better than Avengers Arena.

Not true, I may check out the first issue now because it's so cheap. In fact, I'll add it to my next shipment now

Not true? I was playing off this quote in your 1st post:

I won't even try Deathmatch because:

I meant 'not true' about the part 'there's nothing i can say to get you to try it'. I read your arguments and agreed

Just updating this: I read Deathmatch #1, 2 and agree it's very well written and it's on my pull list now. I just hope it's not another BOOM title in my collection around 12 issues but we'll see.

[Perry]

Has anyone tried FIVE GHOSTS (Image)? I just saw an article on Bleeding Cool about it (HERE) and I missed ordering it, but now I am intrigued.

[BobBretall]

Has anyone tried FIVE GHOSTS (Image)? I just saw an article on Bleeding Cool about it (HERE) and I missed ordering it, but now I am intrigued.

I ordered it. 1st issue is not out yet.

[Perry]

Has anyone tried FIVE GHOSTS (Image)? I just saw an article on Bleeding Cool about it (HERE) and I missed ordering it, but now I am intrigued.

I ordered it. 1st issue is not out yet.

Ahhh, probably why I can't find it.
Haha. Thanks.

[dbm]

THE HIGH WAYS #1: John Byrne's new creator owned from IDW. I loved it. It's a sci-fi story about an young new recruit aboard a junky work for hire space ship. The first issue is heavy on the character and universe building, and it all worked for me. Interesting characters, interesting situation they've gotten themselves into, and of course great art.

[fudd71]

Katana #1

I really wanted like this book but I just couldn't. The biggest problem was nothing really happens in this story. There was a lot of rather uninteresting setup and after finishing the issue I don't feel like anything happened. This will be my final issue of this series.

[BobBretall]

Katana #1

I really wanted like this book but I just couldn't. The biggest problem was nothing really happens in this story. There was a lot of rather uninteresting setup and after finishing the issue I don't feel like anything happened. This will be my final issue of this series.

We'll be covering this on next Monday's Weekly Comics Spotlight. I have the book but have not read it yet.

[fudd71]

Katana #1

I really wanted like this book but I just couldn't. The biggest problem was nothing really happens in this story. There was a lot of rather uninteresting setup and after finishing the issue I don't feel like anything happened. This will be my final issue of this series.

We'll be covering this on next Monday's Weekly Comics Spotlight. I have the book but have not read it yet.

I am really looking forward to hearing what you gentlemen have to say, I have seen a few positive reviews of this book and I just don't see it. I have even re-read it twice looking for what others are liking and I just don't see it.

[boshuda]

Freelancers

It's a bit out of date now, I recently read issue #3. I am enjoying this series. It features more cartoony, graffiti style art that my limited art exposure would compare to Rob Guillory from Chew. Each issue is packed with story compared to many comics out right now, but it also features an ongoing story. The primary characters, two young ladies trained in Kung Fu, can't seem to figure out who their allies or villains are. The action is heavy, the art and dialogue are engaging, and it's just an overall fun story. I could definitely see this as a fun, serial television series of the type that Pamela Anderson would have starred in several years ago. I recommend keeping an eye out for the inevitable trade.

[fudd71]

G.I. Joe #1

So after dropping off G.I. Joe a year or two back I decided to come back to my favorite comic series and the one that first brought me into the hobby and then brought me back with the IDW relaunch. Overall the plot of this issue was good, but it did have a few flaws, none fatal but very close. Regardless of what the editor says on the letters page at the end of the book, this book didn’t feel very accessible. It felt like I was missing a lot of story, there are quite a few references to things that I assume happened toward the end of the last series. I also don’t know who told comic book writers the first page of a book has to be in the middle of the action and the next page has to be X minutes, hours, day or weeks earlier. If you are a decent writer you can use this technique to hide information and build suspense. In the case of this book, if it hadn’t been for the “8 hours earlier” on page two I would have guessed the printer just made a mistake and printed page 15 at the beginning of the book. That first page served no purpose but to make me think the writer was a told amateur hack. I have heard many good things about Fred Van Lente as a writer over the years, but with this being my first exposure it felt like bad fan fiction. I am interested enough to see where this goes to pick up issue #2 but this title is on a very short leash. I had also planned on picking up the Chuck Dixon written series but if #2 isn’t better I think I will just wait a few more years until trying G.I. Joe again.

[BobBretall]

I had also planned on picking up the Chuck Dixon written series but if #2 isn’t better I think I will just wait a few more years until trying G.I. Joe again.

Why decide to skip a Chuck Dixon series because you don't like what Van Lente is doing on a different title?? This is curious to me.

Personally, I'm ONLY planning to get the Dixon series because I like Dixon/Gulacy, I have no interest in GI Joe.....just in what may be a well-written series.

[fudd71]

I had also planned on picking up the Chuck Dixon written series but if #2 isn’t better I think I will just wait a few more years until trying G.I. Joe again.

Why decide to skip a Chuck Dixon series because you don't like what Van Lente is doing on a different title?? This is curious to me.

Personally, I'm ONLY planning to get the Dixon series because I like Dixon/Gulacy, I have no interest in GI Joe.....just in what may be a well-written series.

I too really like Chuck Dixon, one of my favorite writers. Unfortunately the editor's sales pitch on the last page of this issue made it sound like the two series will be very closely tied. It implied they would be telling the same story from two different points of view.