The considerable spike in site visits over the past few days leads me to believe either that a) people are just getting to their Spider-Man #615 letters page, or b) that you're all wondering where the hell our 2009 Year-End Awards Show is. Well, do not fear, it is all recorded, winners exist that are known only to us, etc., but Aaron has had to put in some crazy hours this week due to year-end programming at his real job, so it just needs to be edited. Perhaps we'll spend New Years Eve doing that, just as we spent Christmas Eve recording the show, because that's just how much we love you. Either way, we thank you for your patience, and for making 2009 Awesomed By Comics' best year ever! (Yes it only had six months of 2008 to compete with, but still).
December 30, 2009
December 27, 2009
December 20, 2009
ABC Podcast, Episode #73 and visual aids
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by the world's only horse-engineered audio recording of our cat eating. I know, right, happy holidays! Shocking turns in Mark Waid's The Unknown: the Devil Made Flesh and Brian K. Vaughan's Ex Machina score big, as does Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber's simulated waterboarding in Underground. Kyle Rainer wins the All-Time Super Contest for Cheesiest Ways to Rejoin the Living, and Power Girl gets hit on by the supreme leader of Earth-Diggler. Also, do not miss us and many other special guests on the War Rocket Ajax Christmas Special, available Monday Dec. 21 at noon EST! We sing, like for real.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Before we get to the comics visuals, here's that terrifying Lidsville theme that Aaron insisted I post. Seriously, you will question your own humanity after watching this:
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Spider-Man #615, cover by Javier Pulido:
Evie's pick, from Dark Avengers #12, cover by Mike Deodato and Rain Beredo:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Fables #91, by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham:
Aaron's pick, from Ex Machina #47 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, but it gives too much away if you're reading it in trade so I'll just put up these adorable penguins and bunnies from Tiny Titans:
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Before we get to the comics visuals, here's that terrifying Lidsville theme that Aaron insisted I post. Seriously, you will question your own humanity after watching this:
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Spider-Man #615, cover by Javier Pulido:
Evie's pick, from Dark Avengers #12, cover by Mike Deodato and Rain Beredo:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Fables #91, by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham:
Aaron's pick, from Ex Machina #47 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, but it gives too much away if you're reading it in trade so I'll just put up these adorable penguins and bunnies from Tiny Titans:
December 18, 2009
Awesomed By Comics: officially better than This American Life
From the letters page of this week's Amazing Spider-Man #615, which editor Stephen Wacker wrote the week before Thanksgiving, wherein he lists the things he is most thankful for:
For the record, I am a professional music critic and think both Adam Lambert and George Michael are extremely talented and dynamic performers.
But anyway, what company, huh? From the bottom of our hearts, a real honor sir. Especially given the delightfully varied reviews we've given certain members of your book's creative team over the past year-plus. But the highs have been quite high indeed.
For the record, I am a professional music critic and think both Adam Lambert and George Michael are extremely talented and dynamic performers.But anyway, what company, huh? From the bottom of our hearts, a real honor sir. Especially given the delightfully varied reviews we've given certain members of your book's creative team over the past year-plus. But the highs have been quite high indeed.
December 15, 2009
ABCP Episode #72 and visual aids
Tuesday is the new Monday.
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Aaron's mea culpa regarding microphone technique, which is ironic since his mic distorts for a minute at the very beginning, and he didn't notice. Secret Six and S.W.O.R.D. win big, partially because they're two of the four books Evie read, but mostly because they win everything when they come out anyway. Aaron gushes over Paul Tobin's Marvel All-Ages output, and claims to have coined the phrase "Tobinverse," although he may or may not have. (NOTE: A google search turns up only one Paul Tobin-related result for "tobinverse" - ironically posted just last week, by friend-of-the-show Douglas Wolk.) Also, we decide the X-Men anthology books are better than anything else X-related.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Secret Six #16, cover by Daniel Luvisi:
Aaron's pick, from The Boys #37, cover by Darrick Robertson:
Panel(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from The Unwritten #8 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross:
Evie's picks, from Nation X #1 by James Asmus and Mike Allred:
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Aaron's mea culpa regarding microphone technique, which is ironic since his mic distorts for a minute at the very beginning, and he didn't notice. Secret Six and S.W.O.R.D. win big, partially because they're two of the four books Evie read, but mostly because they win everything when they come out anyway. Aaron gushes over Paul Tobin's Marvel All-Ages output, and claims to have coined the phrase "Tobinverse," although he may or may not have. (NOTE: A google search turns up only one Paul Tobin-related result for "tobinverse" - ironically posted just last week, by friend-of-the-show Douglas Wolk.) Also, we decide the X-Men anthology books are better than anything else X-related.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Secret Six #16, cover by Daniel Luvisi:
Aaron's pick, from The Boys #37, cover by Darrick Robertson:
Panel(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from The Unwritten #8 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross:
Evie's picks, from Nation X #1 by James Asmus and Mike Allred:
December 13, 2009
Podcast coming Monday
Hey kids, we went to Boston this weekend and just got home, so the podcast will be a day late--but it will for surely be going up tomorrow night. So hang tight, we thank you for your patience!
December 6, 2009
ABC Podcast Episode #71 and visual aids
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by a horse's advice on playing bridge, and our brand new Kirby-cracklefied logo. Word. Magnificent mathiness this week in Echo, musical mirth in Deadpool Team-Up and marvelous magic in Strange and Black Widow & The Marvel Girls. New star fave Kieron Gillen takes over Thor, and Fantastic Mr. Fox gets tremendous mileage out of a fist pump.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Dark Avengers Annual #1, cover by Chris Bachalo:
Aaron's pick, from Barack the Barbarian #3, cover by Joel Humberto Herrera:
Panel(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Strange #2 by Mark Waid and Emma Rios:
Evie's pick, from Deadpool Team-Up #898 by Mike Benson and Carlo Barberi:
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Dark Avengers Annual #1, cover by Chris Bachalo:
Aaron's pick, from Barack the Barbarian #3, cover by Joel Humberto Herrera:
Panel(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Strange #2 by Mark Waid and Emma Rios:
Evie's pick, from Deadpool Team-Up #898 by Mike Benson and Carlo Barberi:
December 4, 2009
LOGO FUN!
You know how you see those ladies at the mall, or the grocery store or wherever, and they're in their late 30's, early 40's, and they still do the poof thing with their bangs, and you think to yourself "good lord, do these women own a television? Don't they know that nobody does that anymore?" And you know that it's because they learned to do their hair in the late 80s/early 90s, and it looked good when they were in high school, and that's probably mentally still where they are and/or would like to be. That was when their sense of personal style was formed, and they've never been able to shake it.
Where am I going with this?
I "learned" graphic design in the late 9os/early 00s. Photoshop 5/6. Layer Styles. 'Embossing' is to my graphic design skill set - what 'boiling' is to Irish cuisine. Multiple fonts per logo. (You guys are lucky you're not getting Comic Sans up there.)
So whoever issued that scathing criticism in the post down there is totally right. I do like the A made up of an exclamation point - but screw the "BC." Let's flatten it, add some comic-booky stuff, and there you go.
Is this any better?
Where am I going with this?
I "learned" graphic design in the late 9os/early 00s. Photoshop 5/6. Layer Styles. 'Embossing' is to my graphic design skill set - what 'boiling' is to Irish cuisine. Multiple fonts per logo. (You guys are lucky you're not getting Comic Sans up there.)
So whoever issued that scathing criticism in the post down there is totally right. I do like the A made up of an exclamation point - but screw the "BC." Let's flatten it, add some comic-booky stuff, and there you go.
Is this any better?
November 30, 2009
ABC Podcast Episode #70 ON LOCATION UPSTATE BOYEEE and LOTS AND LOTS OF VISUAL AIDS
SO, ONCE AGAIN...pardon our appearance as we try out a new logo, please give your yeas and nays in the comments... This very special episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Fun Facts About Rochester, NY, where we have recorded the show on location at (a hotel a few miles away from) the Strong National Museum of Play. In addition to an exhibit on American Comic Book Heroes and the National Toy Hall of Fame, the museum houses a fully stocked '80s video arcade, a supermarket just for kids, a fantastic interactive Sesame Street exhibition, and enough wandering toddlers to feed a medium-sized nation. Big winners in the comics department this week include Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, Beasts of Burden, Ares, Dominic Fortune, Angela Robinson's The Web, and New Avengers, and hilarious, exasperated furor is reserved for the likes of Blackest Night and JLA. Be sure to peruse the exciting visual offerings below, as there is far more this week than the typical.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's picks (tie), from Unknown Soldier #14, cover by Dave Johnson, and Beasts of Burden #3, cover by Jill Thompson:
Evie's pick, from Invincible Iron Man #20, cover by Salvador Larroca and Rian Hughes:
Panels(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Dark Avengers: Ares #2, by Kieron Gillen and Manuel Garcia:
Aaron's pick, from New Avengers #59, by Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen:
Bonus Crap of the Week Link: Here is way more than everything you will ever need to know in a thousand lifetimes about the film Lambada, relevant to this week's Crap of the Week discussion vis a vis Paco "Vibe" Ramone. God I want to die just writing all of that. Anyway, the link above is from something I wrote in 2004 after watching the movie, apologies for the hue and context and quality, etc. You'll know what I mean.
Choke on This Turktopus, Peter Parker: Lest you think Aaron and I are completely those crazy-comic-book-black-sheep-of-the-family types, here is what brother-in-law Chris spent several weeks and trips to Home Depot building for his Halloween costume this year, which we finally saw on Thanksgiving between potatoes and pie. Aaron's sister went as Black Cat, but we didn't ask her to put that on because Aaron would have thrown himself out the window, obviously.
Museum! Of! Play!
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's picks (tie), from Unknown Soldier #14, cover by Dave Johnson, and Beasts of Burden #3, cover by Jill Thompson:
Evie's pick, from Invincible Iron Man #20, cover by Salvador Larroca and Rian Hughes:
Panels(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Dark Avengers: Ares #2, by Kieron Gillen and Manuel Garcia:
Aaron's pick, from New Avengers #59, by Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen:
Bonus Crap of the Week Link: Here is way more than everything you will ever need to know in a thousand lifetimes about the film Lambada, relevant to this week's Crap of the Week discussion vis a vis Paco "Vibe" Ramone. God I want to die just writing all of that. Anyway, the link above is from something I wrote in 2004 after watching the movie, apologies for the hue and context and quality, etc. You'll know what I mean.
Choke on This Turktopus, Peter Parker: Lest you think Aaron and I are completely those crazy-comic-book-black-sheep-of-the-family types, here is what brother-in-law Chris spent several weeks and trips to Home Depot building for his Halloween costume this year, which we finally saw on Thanksgiving between potatoes and pie. Aaron's sister went as Black Cat, but we didn't ask her to put that on because Aaron would have thrown himself out the window, obviously.
Museum! Of! Play!
THESE ARE COCOONS HOLY SHIT
And finally, some of my favorite inductees in the National Toy Hall of Fame:
And finally, some of my favorite inductees in the National Toy Hall of Fame:
Episode #70 is up, VERITABLE CORNUCOPIA OF VISUALS COMING SOON
(PARDON OUR APPEARANCE WHILE WE MESS AROUND WITH A POTENTIAL NEW LOGO)
We're getting ready to truck it out of Rochester, but our special on-location-ish episode of the podcast is up here or in the right sidebar. Be advised that we have our normal visual aids PLUS pictures and other bonus material galore, that I just don't have quite enough time to post before check-out, so those will be up tonight. So please come back! Anyway:
This very special episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Fun Facts About Rochester, NY, where we have recorded the show on location at (a hotel a few miles away from) the Strong National Museum of Play. In addition to an exhibit on American Comic Book Heroes and the National Toy Hall of Fame, the museum houses a fully stocked '80s video arcade, a supermarket just for kids, a fantastic interactive Sesame Street exhibition, and enough wandering toddlers to feed a medium-sized nation. Big winners in the comics department this week include Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, Beasts of Burden, Ares, Dominic Fortune, Angela Robinson's The Web, and New Avengers, and hilarious, exasperated furor is reserved for the likes of Blackest Night and JLA.
We're getting ready to truck it out of Rochester, but our special on-location-ish episode of the podcast is up here or in the right sidebar. Be advised that we have our normal visual aids PLUS pictures and other bonus material galore, that I just don't have quite enough time to post before check-out, so those will be up tonight. So please come back! Anyway:
This very special episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Fun Facts About Rochester, NY, where we have recorded the show on location at (a hotel a few miles away from) the Strong National Museum of Play. In addition to an exhibit on American Comic Book Heroes and the National Toy Hall of Fame, the museum houses a fully stocked '80s video arcade, a supermarket just for kids, a fantastic interactive Sesame Street exhibition, and enough wandering toddlers to feed a medium-sized nation. Big winners in the comics department this week include Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, Beasts of Burden, Ares, Dominic Fortune, Angela Robinson's The Web, and New Avengers, and hilarious, exasperated furor is reserved for the likes of Blackest Night and JLA.
November 25, 2009
November 22, 2009
ABC Podcast, Episode #69 and visual aids
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by the metalest costume wear since the Weezer snuggie, stay cool. Marvel's newest cosmic event Realm of Kings takes off like a rocket, and the ladies of Terry Moore's Echo and Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber's Underground take multiple top honors. We also get giddy over the return of the Joe Kelly/Ken Niimura team-up in this week's Amazing Spider-Man back-up, and Aaron fulfills a favorite creator's musical request.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Realm of Kings: Inhumans, cover by Stejpan Seijic:
Evie's pick, from Underground #3, cover by Steve Lieber:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Amazing Spider-Man #612, back-up story by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura:
Aaron's pick, from Mighty Avengers #31, by Dan Slott, Christos Gage and Sean Chen:
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Realm of Kings: Inhumans, cover by Stejpan Seijic:
Evie's pick, from Underground #3, cover by Steve Lieber:
Panel(s) of the WeekEvie's pick, from Amazing Spider-Man #612, back-up story by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura:
Aaron's pick, from Mighty Avengers #31, by Dan Slott, Christos Gage and Sean Chen:
November 18, 2009
Hugh Hefner, Jack Kirby and Frank Zappa walk into a bar...
It's been a little while since I've had the time to write about comics like a relative grown-up, but the new issue of Royal Flush Magazine and the accompanying controversy over Paul Pope's naughty centerfold provided a good subject for a look at the intersection between comics, pornograpy moguls, print magazine publishing and skittish chain retailers. So here's a little ditty in Publishers Weekly, please to enjoy, and I highly recommend picking up a copy of Royal Flush wherever you can, it's one of a kind.
November 15, 2009
ABC Podcast, Episode #68 and visual aids
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Robo Zen, because it's pretty much the only combination we haven't tried yet. A slew of excellent debuts this week as we give it up for Kieron Gillen, Steven Sanders and Jamie McKelvie's stunning S.W.O.R.D. #1, Mark Waid and Emma Rios' superb Strange #1, and Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk's daring Dark X-Men #1. The Bat Books continue to inspire angst, and Unwritten remains a stack-toppin' smash. There's also an above-average amount of Pokemon stuff. Let's go Pats.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Strange #1, cover by Tom Coker:
Evie's pick, from S.W.O.R.D. #1, cover by John Cassaday:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from S.W.O.R.D. #1, by Kieron Gillen, Steven Sanders and Jamie McKelvie (click to enlarge):
Aaron's pick, from Amazing Spider-Man #611, by Joe Kelly and Eric Canete (click to enlarge):
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Strange #1, cover by Tom Coker:
Evie's pick, from S.W.O.R.D. #1, cover by John Cassaday:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from S.W.O.R.D. #1, by Kieron Gillen, Steven Sanders and Jamie McKelvie (click to enlarge):
Aaron's pick, from Amazing Spider-Man #611, by Joe Kelly and Eric Canete (click to enlarge):
November 8, 2009
ABC Podcast, Episode #67 and visual aids
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by music, some of which is made by us or friends of ours and is good; some of which stole Evie away, and is bad. Very, very bad.
While Evie is AWOL, Aaron is aroused and impressed by Chrissie Zullo's hot babe cover of Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1, while being repulsed and insulted by David Finch's hot babe cover of Psylocke #1. Aaron also is incredibly enthralled with the intricate worlds quickly created by Mark Waid and Christos Gage in The Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh #2 and Absolution #3 respectively. Aaron was also shocked by the motivation reveal in The Mighty #10 and enjoyed the start of the Assault on New Olympus storyline, despite a last-page appearance by a certain 'snikt'-er who just has to get his greasy little sporks into every event, doesn't he.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! (And while you're leaving an iTunes review, why not buy Aaron's band's album, And by The Ampersands?) Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum except don't do that yet because I haven't posted anything there.
Cover of the week
Aaron's pick, from Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1, cover by Chrissie Zullo
Panel of the Week:
Aaron's Pick, from Batman Confidential #36 by Royal McGraw and Macros Marz
And as always, feel free to leave your picks (or your answer to this week's Oscar question!!) in the comments.
While Evie is AWOL, Aaron is aroused and impressed by Chrissie Zullo's hot babe cover of Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1, while being repulsed and insulted by David Finch's hot babe cover of Psylocke #1. Aaron also is incredibly enthralled with the intricate worlds quickly created by Mark Waid and Christos Gage in The Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh #2 and Absolution #3 respectively. Aaron was also shocked by the motivation reveal in The Mighty #10 and enjoyed the start of the Assault on New Olympus storyline, despite a last-page appearance by a certain 'snikt'-er who just has to get his greasy little sporks into every event, doesn't he.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! (And while you're leaving an iTunes review, why not buy Aaron's band's album, And by The Ampersands?) Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum except don't do that yet because I haven't posted anything there.
Cover of the week
Aaron's pick, from Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1, cover by Chrissie Zullo
Panel of the Week:
Aaron's Pick, from Batman Confidential #36 by Royal McGraw and Macros Marz
And as always, feel free to leave your picks (or your answer to this week's Oscar question!!) in the comments.
November 2, 2009
ABC Podcast, Episode #66 and visual aids
This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by something nonsensical and kind of awful. Incredible Hercules wraps up a heroic tale of yes, please, and Kieron Gillen declares sweet war on other new mainstream creators with a triumphant new Ares series for Marvel. We learn a lot about Batwoman's past, and Wonder Woman seems kind of screwed, but she'll probably figure it out. Also, KANG.
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Guardians of the Galaxy #19, cover by Alex Garner:
Evie's pick, from Detective Comics #858, cover by JH Williams III:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Ms. Marvel #46, by Brian Reed and Sana Takeda:
Aaron's pick, from Unknown Soldier #13 by Joshua Dysart and Pat Masioni:
Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.
Cover(s) of the Week
Aaron's pick, from Guardians of the Galaxy #19, cover by Alex Garner:
Evie's pick, from Detective Comics #858, cover by JH Williams III:
Panel(s) of the Week
Evie's pick, from Ms. Marvel #46, by Brian Reed and Sana Takeda:
Aaron's pick, from Unknown Soldier #13 by Joshua Dysart and Pat Masioni:
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