Review: The Sentry

The great heroes of Marvel have been established for decades.  Spider-Man, The Avengers, The X-Men.  Creating a new character and garnering enough popularity with that character to join the big boys (and girls) in main storylines and events can take years.  For instance, the character Deadpool was introduced to Marvel in 1991, and is just now coming into prominence in the Marvel universe.  So what do you do when you want to skip that whole process?  The Sentry holds the answer.

Quickie: DC Comics Covergirls

Louise Simonson's intricately researched and beautiful coffee table book takes readers on a tour of the lives of our favorite DC heroines and femme fatales.  With chapters dedicated to fan favorites like Wonder  Woman and Catwoman, as well as the lesser known Vertigo girls and supporting cast like Lois Lane, this book was thoroughly fascinating.  It also profiles the masters of cover art, ranging from the 1930's to today, using hundreds of images, many in their full sized glory.  There is something here for everyone, whether you're interested in comics history or evolving gender roles and their reflections in art.  There is also a very witty introduction written by the brilliant Adam Hughes, master of the pin-up comics cover girl.  If you like your heroes with a little bit of feminine wiles, this is the book for you!

Review - The Question: Zen and Violence

As a long time fan of The Question as he appeared in the fantastic Justice League Unlimited television series, I have always been curious about the character's origins.  Dennis O'Neil began writing the character in 1987, and Zen and Violence is the first collection of his work on the character, documenting his leap from ruthless investigative reporter to martial artist vigilante.

Quickie: Li'l Depressed Boy

A satire that alternately mocks and embraces hipster culture through the tried and true format of "boy-meets-girl".  Cynical, but heartfelt, creator's S. Steven Struble and Sina Grace, show no remorse for the extremely blatant caricature that is the series, even going so far as to name their protagonist LDB, or Li'l Depressed Boy, a literal every man with a blank face and a doll body who is of course chasing his own Manic Pixie Dream Girl (look it up).  Without this wink to the reader, LDB would be cliche, and it is interesting to read a book toeing that thin of a line between sincerity and mockery.  The book is undeniably "hip", drenched in pop culture allusions and self referential humor, in almost a self-hating sort of way.  It even has a scan page in the back with instruction to make a LDB paper doll.  I read the first collected trade, and the comic is still ongoing, so for now, let's just call it an homage.  And speaking of homages, click the jump to see more fabulous LDB art, including shout outs to other tales of this genre.

Review: The Definitive Irredeemable (collected issues 1-12)

Amazing and pitch perfect cover art by John Cassaday

Long time members of Graphic Content (if you can call a little over a year "long time") will no doubt remember Mark Waid's writing from Kingdom Come, one of last year's most popular discussion books.  In yet another examination of the true challenges of super-heroism, Irredeemable takes a look at what happens when the pressures of the career irrevocably destroys a hero, leaving behind...something else.

2012-2013 Book List Finalized

Things have leveled out, and since club attendance has been on the rise and new members have been joining, I was finally able to order the rest of the books for this year of Graphic Content.  Head over to the "Discussion Book 2012-2013" link on the right of the page to check out the full list!

Questions: Barefoot Gen Vol. 1

Boy, as finales go, that one was a doozy, and if you're like me, you're racing for the next volume.  But before  you get started on that, let's see what we've gleaned from Volume 1, shall we?