New Cool Artist Find - Annie Wu

Why do I love art so much? It’s because you never know where or when something will hit you in the face and drop you on your ass. I’m doing my normal nothing on the internet and one video leads me to another blog to another website and bam! I find a post of all kinds of artists. One of the first ones is by, get this, a WOMAN…. I know, I couldn’t believe it either!!

Well it’s true, this amazing picture of the JLA is by Annie Wu. From what I can find about her; she’s a young up and coming artist. Well to be honest I haven’t read too much other than her About on her blog, but I’ve looked at some of her other work too. Very clean lines but I want to say kinda dark as well (theme not color). I definitely feel there is a new trend in some of the young art like Annie and dare I say Ryan Ottley that at first I would say is a wave but really is old school, of having fewer lines but more detail.

I was looking at some old Disney animation work from the days of Cinderella and Snow White. Old school animation that had to be good but at the same time had to be able to be drawn over and over so there must be a simplicity to the line but at the same time have detail. I think that’s what I’m loving about Ottley’s work and what I’m seeing here. While in the 90’s we where amazed by all the crosshatching that was disguised at detail, but in many cases was really just covering up what the artist couldn’t do. Knowing how to do a wisp of hair with just two lines is much more impressive than if you draw two straight lines and then crosshatch and shadow the thing to death to make it look wispy.

So here’s to Annie Wu. Check out www.anniewuart.com

Superman : Earth One

I love Superman : Earth One.

Now before you read it, forget everything you know about Superman and all the lore that goes with the character. If you can’t do that, don’t read the book. In fact, don’t read comics in general these days because there is a time and a place for memory and continuity.

Big Blue has never been one of my favorite characters to read. The problem for me is that if he’s unbeatable, there’s no real tension that can be sustained in a Superman series. This sentiment has been said before. I’m not the first one that’s seen the life and death of superman also be his Achilles heal.

If you take away about 99% of what you know about Superman and just start reading this book, I think you’ll find it refreshing. Straczynski tells a great beginning. This is obviously DC greatest statement to Marvel’s Ultimate line. I’ll say the same things to haters of what’s done in the Ultimate line… THIS IS DIFFERENT. I get that it’s hard to separate your brain from the years and years of comics that you’ve consumed but you have to give these stories a chance and give the writers the benefit of the doubt.

If you’d have titled this book Man with Super powers, sold the story in regular story form and gave it no hype; I’m sure it wouldn’t have sold as many books. Likewise I bet there would have been a ground swell about this story and a strong fan base would have been gathering each issue. I think to The Authority. We all knew who Batman and Superman where supposed to be but you take it for granted because it’s called something different and it helps that in Authority they’re gay lovers and it’s made very clear. As a sidebar, check out the first few trades of Authority; they’re great stories with great emerging writing and drawing heavyweights-to-be.

The point is that Earth One is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. A different take on the Superman story. As good as Geoff Johns’ recent run on Superman, his take on Superman Origins and then the combined efforts on New Krypton where recently; they didn’t or can’t give a complete reboot of the superman story. At the end of the day, they’re still beholden to the 70 year legacy of Action Comics and the various Superman books. With Earth one, we have the chance and are given, a new version of Superman is unleashed.

I’ve heard of the complaints. They all seem aesthetic and not about the actual story. The book isn’t some “emo” version of Supes’. It feels like what a kid that’s been tucked away for years might actually feel like when he’s force to leave home for the first time and find his place in the year 2010. Finally it seems that a writer is allowed to show that it’s totally ridiculous for Clark Kent to be at a thriving newspaper. Straczynski gets him in the suit, gets him at the Bugle and gets Lois Lane and all the other characters in and surrounding him. But the tone of this Man of Steel is vastly different. Unsure and in the dark about so much.

I’m not saying this is a masterpiece. There are tiny things that I’d gripe about. Being at the Daily Bugle in the first place is kinda stupid and if they made it a different media type or different job all together, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings. I will say that if he was going to be at a newspaper, the change in all the characters definitely makes it believable. Characters like Perry White are given the 21st century voice that they’ve been needing. Lois and Jimmy are updated. Metropolis has been redone. I don't want to say updated because it's not the beacon of civilization that it currently is in other books. (I've always believed that Metropolis was in fact Chicago, while Gotham is clearly New York.) Even Krypton seems to be given a slightly different back story.

There’s too much that is left unsaid to give a fair thumbs up or down on many of these changes. We’re left with many mysteries such as what our villain says as his end comes. Nothing is mentioned about Lex Luthor, which is also great. We don’t need to crowbar Lex into every story.

It's also not fully clear on why Superman has to go out and make it on his own and "find his way". I understand that's what the Kents wanted for him to do but he's Superman, he could have done anything. If he wanted to be a hermit, no one was going to stop him. The only thing I could think is that you have to keep along the lines somewhere that this is Superman. If you totally rip the S from his chest you're no longer writing a Superman book. There's just certain things you have to go with.

I am slightly worried that Straczynski has a trail of stories that start off great or even beyond great but as we know the end is nearing, they start to loose steam. The first book or so of Rising Stars is some of the best story telling around. But I felt that the end was not equal to the outstanding beginning. Maybe that’s the trouble with writing such a great opening piece, that everything after it has to be as great. There is something said about setting the bar too high. But I don’t feel he did this on book one of Earth One. Like I said, it’s good / bordering on great. But not the most amazing tale ever. There’s room to grow and fail. If the next few books came out and where crap, I’d still think this was a great shot and brave step for DC, who at times is too afraid to let their “big three” be seen in any other light than truth justice and what’s been going on for the past 70 years.

I’ll give this one 4 out of 5 stars. This is a good beginning and a must read for any other fans that want a new variation of the Superman story without loosing who superman is. I think it’s also a good stepping stone for the future and has the possibility of possibility. That’s to say, there’s room to change and directions to go with this Superman that where previously locked away.

Why was Krypton at war? Why was it so bad if Kal-El escaped? Who was the traitor who gave Krypton's enemy the means to destroy it? What didn't Superman learn before the villain's death?

Current Obsession = Ryan Ottley

As I do more to keep all you kiddies up to date on what the Bear likes and don't like, I wanted to point out my current obsession with Ryan Ottley's work. He's the regular artist for Invincible and has just been killing it lately. I went back to the beginning of the series to see if his work has always been this good or if I was just noticing it more.

As you know, he didn't become the regular artist until Trade 2 of the series. Even though his earlier work was solid, it was not nearly what it is today. Nothing is better and more fascinating than to see an artist grow. We are truly lucky that he's been able to work on this book for as long as he has and that he's become (and probably strives) to be one of the great comic artists of our generation.

I looked back at his work and it was definitely raw. You can see that he was holding back. It really wasn't until Trade 5 or 6 when you see him really taking off. Now not only do you pick up Invincible for the great story but I can't wait to see what Ottley has created this time around. He shines when it comes to detail but doesn't give any less effort to when he's doing a two page splash either. In fact it seems with the more confidence he gets the more intricate and bigger pictures he challenges himself and us with. With a recent two page splash he not only has a huge picture of Invincible defeating Conquest but in the background he's got box after box of Invincible head butting Conquest into submission. I find myself taking more time to stare at pictures like these than I would to read a regular page of comic. His simplicity of line and his use of the thickness of those lines, he's able to create detail in a very unusual but simple way. His art is so clean but delivers such detail, it proves you don't need a bunch of cross hatching to create the illusion of detail.

If you're not reading Invincible, start. It's a Kirkman book and it's great, so you'll want to start with Trade 1. But take note of the growth of a great artist in Ryan Ottley. He's going to be around for a while and I certainly won't complain about that.

He can also be found recently doing the pencils for the first few books of Haunt where McFarlane does the inks. Very interesting.

Inception review

It's 2 AM and I just got home from seeing Inception. It's a beautiful mindfuck!!! I can't even describe it. Even if I were to tell you what the movie is about and attempt to delve into the twists and turns, I'd do you a disfavor.

This movie is to be seen. I almost don't want to see it again because I just want to sit back and process it. Every actor was spot on and does a magnificent job. Nolan, the director, shows that he can truly craft a movie. So many times I was afraid that the movie was going to fall apart onto it's self but it never did. Nolan did a great job of keeping a multi-level movie together. This could have easily been a disaster. But throughout the movie it just kept building into a beautiful crescendo.

It was amazing to see a packed house be played like puddy in a director's hand. All the way until the last scene Nolan had an entire theater on the edge of their collective seats. When the movie ended, the entire crowd had the same verbal reaction. It is a spectical and I urge all to go see it in a movie theater to enjoy it. It was so good, that the 2 1/2 - 3 hour movie had everyone stunned. Don't worry about others making noises. Everyone will be too busy getting their mind blown that, except for a few fully intentional laughs, you could hear a pin drop.

This was a great movie. I won't say anything more than to just see it. Once you have, and have given some time to think about it, then we can talk.

Crap Books and thoughts

By now I realize that most of this blog is based on what I like or opinions on what I’ve thought about recent movies or shows. Most of the time I try to be positive but I know a lot of the online community likes negativity rather than to just hear glowing remarks.

So let me bring up two comics in particular and a thought.

1) The New Avengers: Finale. This was bad (I’m saving horrible for something else later). I read a lot of Bendis haters but I really don’t know why. I almost always enjoy his work and yeah it can get wordy but it’s certainly not like Claremont’s constant word volcano of shit. I’m a fan of banter, especially when used correctly. I think it works much more in a book like Ultimate Spiderman vs say New or Dark Avengers. Overall I like it. I also like ass kicking which this book has none of. It doesn’t even have good scenes of banter between Norman Osborn and anyone.

You’ve got a beaten down, green faced and deranged Osborn and you do nothing with him? Instead we get a moronic story between left over Avengers fighting Madame Masque’s father. I have a hard enough time taking a daily shit, I don’t need to struggle trying to give two shits about a story that sucks. Overall I’ve been a big fan of all the different New Avenger stuff. I’ve ridden the ride all the way from the start and while many have had their ups and downs with the book, I’ve loved it for what it is. And when it’s rocking; nothing is better.

To me (which obviously this is because I’m writing it) I found this story a total waste of my time. The fact that they made this a bigger issue than normal really pisses me off because they could have done so much with it. A writer and artist finally get more than 22 pages and this is what they turn out? I’m also not one to usually bash the artists because I know how hard it is to do this work, but I expect more from Hitch. To read the artist’s credit being Hitch and Immonen I’m totally shocked at what shit this book is. Hitch’s work looks like a guy who’s bolting for another company and I can’t tell you where Immonen comes in? It’s really bad and I’ll leave it at that.

2) The other book I’d like to put on a spit and roast is The Sentry: Fallen Sun. I love the idea and execution of how the Sentry came to be in the Marvel world. I think it was an innovative idea making up a figure that was “lost” in the comic world and really fleshing him out. Even though I think the character could have really been brought along further I can get over it and believe that he’s the ultimate villain rather than hero. Why would you not use this “Superman” archetype to it’s full potential in the Marvel universe. Hell they’re can only be a million stories that fans would love to read. Hell, we’re introduced to this man by him taking Carnage into space and ripping him apart, and doing the same to the god Ares. He’s bad ass. No that could never sell any books??? I’d find it more interesting to read text from the powers that be explaining why they went so far to create a character just to kill him off in such a short amount of time.

I understand that the comic book world is a business. I understand that there are movies that are coming out and you can’t have Osborn running the country, Captain America dead and Tony Stark without the Iron Man armor. When the average movie go-er leaves the theater and goes to the comic book store for the first time, they want to see a story resembling what they’ve just watched. And leading up to the 2012 Avengers pic, I understand that we HAD to start to enter the Heroic Age.

3) Which leads me to my last point. That is, if you’re going to put out these ancillary books to charge us more money and think that we have to buy these books because of some great conclusion that you didn’t get to tell during the Siege storyline; instead of extra long crap stories do something really cool and finish off what you started. I realized that I just spent $10 on horrible books. Books that had nothing to do with the next evolution of the Avengers or Sentry. No one needed to buy these books to continue along with the Marvel universe. Siege wrapped it up and I thought it did it well enough. Take your balls in your had and put out some kick ass ending that really wraps up what us die-hard readers have been enjoying. Would it have been so hard to make the New Avengers story about how the Avengers that have been running from the law for a few years now finally get to their revenge on either the Dark Avengers (which the last issue of that series was a B in my book, it did a good job and I’m sorry to see that book leave) or see how they’re going to get their life back.

I’ve had enough of this god damned baby of Jessica and Luke Cage. He’s a fucking Skrull right? is there anyone who doesn’t think that’s what’s going to happen to him? It must be because I’m looking at almost three pages of story on how Luke had to call his wife to tell her he’s OK and won’t be coming home for dinner. What is this, 7^th Fucking Heaven? I could care less. Oh and let’s make the final villain someone I have no idea who he is or care what he’s about. They don’t even show what makes the dynamic of the Hood / Hood’s real life family / Madame Masque so unique and interesting. There’s a mean three way that for good or bad should be addressed but seems to be slipping through the Marvel fingers like He-Man ooze (and with the same stale stink).

Anyway, I know I’m usually pointing out how good something is or how I’m excited about a book. But I had to be one of the many bloggers that just rip on things. I was that disappointed. I really don’t understand why if you’re going to put out something extra, and have names like Bendis / Hitch / Immonen working on the book, why waste all that talent and time to put out lame and expensive bullshit.

In an odd twist, Marvel can learn something from recent DC books such as Darkest Night and Brightest Day. I really liked where Darkest Night was going and then it was ended oddly to me as well. But again I think it has to do with main stream and movie continuity rather than hard core fans 100% happy. Wouldn’t we all love to see Sinestro as the White Lantern for a few years, doling out Dirty Harry like justice across the universe? He was the “greatest lantern ever”. But sadly that idea interferes with soon to be movie projects, BUT I’M HAPPY TO LIVE IN THE WORLD OF BIG BUSINESS AND I UNDERSTAND. Alls I’m saying is do what you have to do in the main books. Don’t waste my time and money and artistic talent with books that suck, go nowhere and / or repeat what’s being done in the main book.

In Fallen Sun all I remember are characters who barely REALLY knew Sentry lament over his death. I wish if there where going to be superheroes standing around in the graveyard they could be standing over a headstone that reads, Bear’s $4 lies here. He didn’t pay his mortgage this month in order to read this shit!

Lost finale

I liked the Lost finale.

I’m still trying to absorb it. As a character story, it was great. I realize the final season wasn’t going to answer everything anyway but we saw a conclusion that was good (maybe made weaker men cry) but wrapped up a lot of story.

I’d forgotten more of the mysteries than remembered anyway. Such as what was Walt’s mysterious powers? I was reading a message board that was going off on how this wasn’t resolved. Shit, I don’t even remember anything about that. So who cares. Certain things can just be left alone. Would knowing what happened to Walt and whatever powers changed the ending or made it better? Would knowing what the island really is changed anything? or why babies couldn’t be born on the island?

The show was great this year. It was just a great show. It ended as a great show. If you want everything answered to a T, read LOTR books. If you can manage to sit through that tedious bullshit, then you can gripe. Me, I’ll watch the movies and let a few things go unanswered like in the lost finale, which did really answer the important big questions.

2012

If the world is going to come to an end in 2012, then it looks like we'll be going out in style.

They've just announced that the third Batman movie by C. Nolan will be out in 2012. I've got my thoughts on whether they can build on such a great movie which the Dark Knight was, but that's for a later discussion.

So far, slated to come out is Spider-Man 4, Star Trek 2, and (keep your fingers crossed for this one) The Avengers movie. It could be an all out war at the box office if all these movies come out in 2012. And frankly it's a war I'd like to see.

S.W.O.R.D. #3

I love this book. I think it's great for all the reasons that other books fail. It's a spin off, which usually means that the company is just trying to get some more money from an event. To me this one works. It's funny, the characters are new and have tons of room to grow. This book can even link the marvel space stuff to the earth stuff.

SWORD is like the port authority of the world. Think Men in Black but without Will Smith, oh and funny with more sci-fi parts. All the things you want without the mind wipe jokes.

But I just read that this might get canceled. It would be a real shame if this title does get canceled. So far it's been fun and exciting. I urge you to pick this title up, even just to see Lockheed kick some ass. And who doesn't like to see a cat sized dragon taking on a SWAT team of HAMMER agents?

Lastly I have to say that the art was a little weird at first. The way they drew Beast was more of a blue cow than the cat Beast we've grown to love. But now I like it. It fits the tone of the writing and it just all works. I wish Marvel would give this title some time to grow. I've seen them give much worse titles a lot longer to linger to a slow death. Let's not jump ship after the first arc.

Avatar Review

When I first heard about this movie, so many years ago, I said it sounded stupid. I kept thinking of that anime Avatar crap and couldn't get those images out of my mind. Then I started to hear bits and pieces of what the movie was truly about. Still, it wasn't making my blood heat up.

But, and you can ask many people about this, I said that I didn't want to hear anything more about this movie until it comes out. This was a James Cameron movie. The man who brought us Aliens, T1, T2, The Abyss (all of which could easily be in my top 10 or 2o influential movies) and to some extent Titanic. I never liked Titanic but could certainly appreciate it for the special effects and scope of the movie. Even though I didn't care for the story, and knew the ending, you now see how the path of special effects changed once that movie came out.

So having said all this, I didn't want to know anything and would take faith that JC (huh, never thought of that connection before) would know what he's doing.

Avatar proves he does. The movie is spectacular. I wouldn't call the story ground breaking or some of the ideas and designs so new that it will change the way people think, but the execution. This movie does what Titanic did, changes the path of special effects and opens doors to what future film makers and story tellers can do.

The film is a good, solid film which is what is needed to hold up with the eye candy that would make a fat kid cum. The love story and themes of technology vs nature are all strong and well done. This wasn't My Life where I'm crying half way through the movie. The 3D worked well. Once I even found myself jumping at an effect. What made the 3D good was that it didn't try to be a 3D movie. No gimmicks just, come see this world and get immersed in this world, which you do.

Another masterpiece by a master. A film maker that doesn't take crap, knows what he wants, has a clear vision and makes that vision come to life. At the end of the day, that's what I'll remember. It's what inspires me to create and pisses me off that I'm not creating as much. At the end, all I kept thinking was, what's holding me back. Now I know that no matter what I think of is possible. And to not limit myself to what I know can be done, but take my ideas further because technology can make them attainable.

It's a great movie and will make Billions. But better yet, it will make better film makers and inspire better films. James Cameron is a limit breaker. It reminds me of the Matrix where the young child tells Neo, there is no spoon (which is the secret of the Matrix). Avatar reminds us and tells us that there is no spoon. Once you understand that, you're mind will be free.

Let's see what all the hub-bub is about

Any of you who know me, knows that I hate the Watchmen. Ok, I feel a geek sniper aiming in on me now.

Maybe it's because I read it so long after it came out, I feel current writers are taking what Moore did to higher and better levels. Or maybe I prefer more superheros in my super hero books. Or maybe I just like good books and so many have been persuaded over the years to say this is a great book when it's really not.

Either way, I don't like Watchmen. I do like when people tell me the story and what it's all about and the intricacies inside the book, but I couldn't even stay awake reading Watchmen. Instead of Ambien, I'd read a few pages of Watchmen and I'd be out like a light.

Never the less, this weekend on HBO is the movie's big premier. I've already got it set to record. I'm sure there are some really good points and I'm a fan of Zack Snyder so in a way I am looking forward to watching the Watchmen. The long asked question will be answered this Saturday. Who watches the Watchmen, well... the BEAR will be. I'll let you know how it was.