My Favorite Walt Simonson pages #2

This one comes to us from THE MIGHTY THOR vol. 1, issue # 339. Odin invites Thor, Lady Sif and Beta Ray Bill into The furnaces of Nedavellir, the great forges of the Dwarves where Eitri the master Weapon-smith of Asgard casts a second hammer out of molten Uru metal.

Odin then pours a portion of the his life force into the molten hammer and casts an enchantment giving the bearer of this new weapon, Stormbreaker, all of the powers and abilities of Thor.

Eitri instructs Bill (Thor's new ally and equal in both strength and virtue who Odin has appointed as protector of Asgard and the realm eternal,) to pull the molten Stormbreaker out of the forge so that the enchantment can hold.

What comes next is one of my favorite comic book pages of all time:



-"By Ymir's frosty beard!"

The many talents of The Batman [Catwoman #1]

During one of my nerd-tastic outings with a couple of buds, one of them (who we'll call Malformed to protect his real identity) brought up the excellent observation that Batman's true power is being prepared for any situation, no matter how crazy things get Batman always manages to come out on top.

I believe nowhere is this point best illustrated than in the latest DC relaunch, CATWOMAN #1, where Selina puts the moves on Mr. Batman and he counters with something right out of his own porn parody.

Behold....


The Bat-Hickey




And mighty boner-rang!





Welcome to the new DC!


"oh my"
- George Takei

My Favorite Walt Simonson pages #1

After having just enjoyed THOR on blu-ray with my family and since I recently received my WALT SIMONSON'S THOR ARTIST EDITION from IDW (which is a thing of beauty and a steal at $99 bucks) I thought I'd share some of my favorite pages from his now legendary Marvel comics THOR run.

Today's page comes from THE MIGHTY THOR vol. 337, a forsaken Donald Blake (Thor's alter ego) is left stranded on the wreckage of a shield helicarrier without his enchanted hammer screaming against a tempest for his father aide.



Damn that's sweet.

-Grandaiza out.

COMIC BOOK MOMENTS : Ratzi bashing at it's finest.

Courtesy of DC's Flashpoint - Frankenstein and the Crusaders of the Unknown.

I tell you man, any mainstream comic that has the Frankenstein monster ending the Nazi menace at the height of WWII gets the GRANDAIZA seal of comic awesomeness.

I love how the "Monster" deals with a caped German unber-man droning on like a run of the mill old school comic book villain.




The following page is also priceless as Fuehrer faces the monsters rage, I love how they have Hitler throwing his arms up in a panic like a bitch, also the SS officers expression as Hitler is put out of his misery is a nice touch.




Fun stuff.

Super Fail #4 - Psycho Robin

For those of you who've lost touch with what's going on in the Batman books, let me give you the $2 tour...

Dick Grayson, aka Robin Numero Uno aka Nightwing is currently the Batman of Gotham City and his sidekick is none other than Damien Wayne, Bruce's kid that he fathered unbeknownst to him with Talia Al Gul, Ras Al Gul's Daughter evil bitch must have poked a hole in the bat condom, SUPER EVIL!!

Oh and Bruce Wayne is also parading around as Batman in a different costume getting into fights around the world and recruiting more Batmen, but we'll save that mess for another day.

Just to give you an Idea of what Richard Grayson has to deal with on crime fighting nights, here's how Damien aka Robin the 5th, deals with an inmate during a prison break:



Yes he's carving up Mr. Zsasz, the killer that marks his kills in his own flesh, not exactly what I expect out of a "Robin" but his psychotic episodes sure do make for some entertaining funny book reading.

JOHN'S COMIC BOOK MOMENT # 2

(This one's for Pete, the worlds biggest Spider-fan)

The latest run of Amazing Spiderman was quiet fun, but the final chapter had the "I wonder if spiderman would ever get angry enough to use his sticky little fingers to rip someone face off" moment.

And who could push the wise-cracking, cool as a cucumber Parker over the edge?

Non other than Kraven's wife and kids who murdered Madame Web, Spider Girl ( Cassandra Kane ) and another spidey clone Kaine ( don't ask ) in a bizarre ritual to resurrect Kraven who blew his own head off in the now classic "Last Hunt" story.

Dig the sound effect "SCHRIIIIIIIPPP" gruesome!

From www.Grandaiza.com

(from Marvel's amazing spiderman # 627 )

COMIC BOOK MOMENT # 1 ( WEEK 4 - JUNE 2010 )

Welcome to the premiere installment of "comic book moment of the week" I'm going to take look at some of the comics that are coming out from the big Three publishers and just highlights some of the moments from these books to give those of you who are out of the comic loop a glimpse into the world of your favorite character.

We're going to file this weeks entry under "writer is either painting himself into a corner or he's going to open a can of clones" with this weeks moment,


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 635 - THE GRIM HUNT part 2
writer : Joe Kelly - Artists: Michael Lark & Stephano Gaudino

A follow up to the KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT story from the 80's where Kraven drugs spidey up, buries him and then proceeds to become the "Spider" by wearing his "skin". Parker finally wakes up, finds Kraven, beats the living snot out of him and then Kraven sends a letter to the NYPD confessing to all sorts of wrong doing and shoots himself with an rifle and dies.

Several years later, Kravens wife and his Two kids along with the Sinister Six all get together to pay Spiderman a little payback.





Don't worry folks, it's just a flesh wound.....

.....sweet Jesus! what kind of sick spider snuff book is this?!?

From

I know that next issue they'll bullshit their way out of this one, but until then they've go my attention.

HERCULES, LION OF OLYMPUS AND PROUD GOAT F*CKER

Picked up a trade on sale at my local B&N of the Incredible Hercules (current series) for my commute and I have to admit that I'm really enjoying the overt womanizing tongue and cheek approach to Hercules that Marvels going with.

Herc get's a thumb up for putting the Fun back in funny books and another one for admitting that he enjoys making sweet love to women, beasts and inanimate objects.

(click for high res)

HEADLINE: MATT'S DEAL WITH ANOTHER DEVIL.

Just thought I'd keep those of you who, for whatever reason, don't keep up with what's happening in the world of funny books...

( the following takes place between DD 500-501 )

I scanned some images from the latest run of Daredevil where they're doing some interesting although conflicting things with Mr. Murdock.

once again he got into a scrap with Wilson Fisk who was looking to get his hands on control of ...wait for it.....The Hand, those pesky ninjas who dress in red garb and have nothing better to do than torment our boy Matthew, the perfect gift for an evil fat bastard.

click for hi-res

But what does our good Irish-Catholic-humanitarian-super guy do once he wrestles control of the Hand away from the Kingpin?


He pulls a Keyser Söze and Becomes the leader of the HAND!

oh Matthew, if only Sticks could see you now...

COOL COMIC BOOK MOMENTS : DAREDEVIL (pt. 7)

And we're back!

In Daredevil #231, we see a rejuvenated Matt Murdock slowly begin his ascent back to being a hero again.

First, he rescues Ben Urich (and Ben’s wife) from an attack by Kingpin’s enforcer (that’s how good Born Again is – the scene where Matt saves them is awesome, but I don’t see how I have enough room to feature it).

Later, he shows up to foil a plot by the Kingpin to have a psycho in a Daredevil costume murder Foggy Nelson (Kingpin doesn’t know he has a chance for two birds with one stone, as Karen Page was staying with Foggy at the time).

Beyond a memorable psycho villain, this scene is also marked by some great storytelling by Mazzucchelli and, of course, that dramatic last page, which I would easily count as “the” moment here, as we see that while Karen Page might need Matt Murdock, Matt Murdock sure as hell needs Karen Page just as much!

COOL COMIC BOOK MOMENTS : DAREDEVIL (pt. 6)

Today we continue our look at what is most likely the greatest Daredevil story ever told, Born Again, by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.

Enjoy!

When last we saw Ben Urich, he was having his finger broken by one of the Kingpin’s enforcers ("every time you speak Matt Murdock’s name aloud, we break one of your fingers") while Urich watched as the enforcer crippled the crooked cop that was ready to tell Ben the truth about the frame job on Matt Murdock.

Interspersed in the next issue, we see how this affected Urich, all leading up to a really great moment at the end.

Mazzucchelli really shined on these Urich panels, with his depiction of Urich’s reactions to everything.

I love how once again the Kingpin’s actions would have worked had he not gone one step too far. That’s a great little piece of writing right there by Miller.

COOL COMIC BOOK MOMENTS : DAREDEVIL (pt. 5)

The problem with doing Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli is that there are certain moments that I think you “have” to mention, but at the same time, they’re only, like, one page deals, so I almost feel bad to take up a whole installment just for what essentially amounts to a couple of really cool lines. But you know what? Those lines are just so darn cool that I have to do it.

At the end of Daredevil #229, there is a series of vignettes where we catch up on all of our characters.

We see that Foggy Nelson and Glorianna O’Breen are, amusingly enough, actually seeming to enjoy life MORE now that Matt Murdock is out of their lives. That’s a particularly cruel bit that Miller does – a sort of reverse “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where Foggy becomes a lot happier when he is without his partner, who does seem to bring down a whole lot of crap down on Foggy (see the latest issue of Ed Brubaker’s Daredevil for an examination of this same theme).

Matt Murdock is trying to reconnect to his boyhood memories – first by trying to visit the home he grew up at and next by going to the gym that his father worked out at (his dad was a boxer, in case you didn’t know). This ends with Matt being revisited again by the mysterious nun who helped him at the beginning of this issue (in a beautiful sequence by Mazzucchelli and Miller that I just don’t have space to feature – that’s how good this storyline is – there are really great bits that just can’t make the cut).

Ben Urich is investigating Matt Murdock’s frame job with the main witness against Matt, an “honest” cop. In a striking sequence, the Kingpin sends someone to put a crimp in Urich’s investigation.

Finally, Karen Page has taken up with a crazy crook because she figures he will at least protect her from Kingpin’s goons, who are out to kill her because she is a connection to them (for selling Matt’s secret identity). She is just totally zoned out, as all she cares about now is doing whatever it takes to get to New York, where Matt will “save her.”

Okay, so Miller and Mazzucchelli give us an update on all the characters, and then, for the first time since Kingpin said to himself “There is no corpse” last issue, we see Kingpin. It’s beautifully paced by Miller – we can tell that the Kingpin has been thinking this to himself constantly since we last saw him. “There is no corpse.”

And Miller possibly tops himself with his great “There is no corpse” line from last issue with today’s “And I — I have shown him…that a man without hope is a man without fear.”

Classic.

COOL COMIC BOOK MOMENTS : DAREDEVIL (pt. 4)

Okay, so when we last saw our hero, Matt Murdock’s life has just been ruined by the Kingpin due to information acquired from drug dealers in Miami from Karen Page, former girlfriend of Matt Murdock and current drug addict. Murdock thought everything was just a terrible coincidence until Kingpin blew up his apartment. Now he is extremely unhinged, but he at least knows that the Kingpin is behind it all.

So in a state of practically insanity along with not being in the best physical condition exactly (he hasn’t been sleeping, etc.), Matt decides to confront the Kingpin directly. He’s been dreaming of beating the Kingpin nearly to death all issue long, figuring that he will FORCE the Kingpin to give him his life back.

This then leads to perhaps the best exchange in this series (there are so many, though, it’s hard to pick just one), as the Kingpin sits back and waits to hear about all the gory details of his plan to not only murder Murdock, but to frame him for murder at the same time.

Only, once again, Miller manages to end a tale that is filled with terrible things with an ending that, while still awful, keeps ringing with a sense of almost triumph. To be able to do that in back to back issues is quite striking - he manages to keep the downward spiral going while still giving readers hope for the future.

COOL COMIC BOOK MOMENTS : DAREDEVIL (pt. 3)

Today we begin a look at what is most likely the greatest Daredevil story ever told, Born Again, by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. It might last longer than a week, as there are a lot of cool moments, and they just keep coming with greater frequency as the series continues its slow build towards the ending.

Enjoy!

Born Again began in Daredevil #227, when Frank Miller, Daredevil’s greatest creator, returned to the title to write the comic alongside the incumbent artist, David Mazzucchelli, who was at the time only beginning to show us the greatness that he was capable of.

In #227, Karen Page, Matt Murdock (Daredevil)’s former girlfriend is now addicted to drugs and doing all sorts of dirty, nasty stuff (pornography, whoring, etc.) to feed her habit. Finally, she sells Daredevil’s secret identity for a fix.

The information makes it way up to Daredevil’s nemesis, Wilson Fisk, the so-called Kingpin of Crime.

For the rest of the comic, Fisk systematically “destroys” Matt Murdock’s life - taking away his job, his law license, his money, his reputation, basically everything.

Matt tried to fight it, but for all he knows, he is just having the most horrible month ever - he has no reason to suspect that this is all due to a super-criminal.

Until, of course, the final pages of Daredevil #227, which are practically breathtaking in the way that Miller presents the beginning to this story arc, in the way that even at the start of the tale, when all looks bleakest, he manages to get a slight matter of “triumph” mixed in. It’s a beautiful scene.

Read on to see it…