What’s up, fellow nerdlingers? How were your weekends? Ours were great, thanks for asking! On Saturday, we met with some awesome pals to record an episode of the podcast and hash out a lot of details for that super cool Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World screening we’re putting on with them. Remember to check in on Friday for the big announcement with all the details! But in the meantime, how about some comics that were rad?

Hooray!

DECAPTIVATING!

Sometimes I find myself in the mood for something a little irregular. Certainly, as much as I enjoy the superhero genre (and I do quite a bit), there’s something about taking the tropes and guts of a straight punch-em up and veering wildly off course.

In the pages of The Bulletproof Coffin, creators David Hine and Shaky Kane do this in a myriad of ways. At its core, its a book about superheroes that is more inspired by some of the old EC horror comics more than anything else. There are some familiar shapes and characters, but the situations and designs are call back to a far-gone era of creepiness, albeit with a touch more of the fantastic. Add to that the level of meta-commentary about the history of comics, and the act of creation, and you have something that almost lives and breathes on its own - something very close to fiction transcending its roots of non-existence. (Does any of this make sense? God I hope so.)

Regardless of whether or not that previous sentence made any sense, I find myself quite enamoured with the series. This week, the first issue of the second mini-series hit (titled Disinterred), and it continued to flesh out the odd world Hine and Kane introduced in the original series, expand it in some strange ways. A dash of crime is added in with the more horrific elements and (true to form) the whole thing veers wildly into a world full of crazy, and ending with the origin of a superhero. Only in The Bulletproof Coffin would a character have its introduction occur in such a horrific and roundabout way - but of course, that’s part of the book’s charm. And so we award this book the Decapitastic! Award for… well, for reasons that should remain obvious. Kudos to all involved! (B)

LIGHTNING ETC.

For all the smack that some people like to talk about The New 52, a lot of it forgets that despite the mistakes DC Comics might make now and again (like having some of the first New 52 collections come out over a year after the initiative started), there are some tremendous books coming out of that company right now, and right at the top of the list is Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato‘s work on The Flash.

I have never been a particularly big Flash fan. I always wanted to be - helped in part by Justice League (Unlimited) - but I never seemed to find a place to jump on that made the character as exciting and cool as he was in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure there were some incredible Flash comics that have come out before the current run, but with only occasionally ducking my head in, I simply didn’t have the luck to find them. When Geoff Johns wrote the most recent pre-Flashpoint story with Manapul and Buccellato on art, I finally got a Flash comic that hooked me on the first page, and now that Manapul and Buccellato have completely taken over the series with its relaunch, I’ve got a Flash comic that is exactly the Flash that I’ve had in my mind since I was a kid.

A lot has been made out of some of the elements of the character’s relaunch, namely the lack of Wally West (yet) and the fact that Barry Allen is no longer married to Iris West, but for all those sacrifices from the old continuity, what we’re left with is a Flash that’s unencumbered by its baggage or its protagonist’s time-traveling-alternate-dimensionizing near-omnipotence. This is a young Flash, still getting used to his powers and discovering what he can do. He’s not so idolized yet that he has an entire museum dedicated to people loving him in a weirdly meta way. When he realizes an implication of his abilities and tries to use that, he messes up. He causes some damage and the rest of the opening arc, right up to the conclusion in The Flash #5 last week, is filled with the resultant doubt and tension. What all can Barry do? What are the consequences? Can he learn how to be better than he is? The final page sets these questions up as the crux of the next arc, and it’s exciting.

One reason I like teen hero books is because there’s a license for the heroes to make big mistakes and deal with the consequences. That doesn’t usually happen with the adults in the same way, but with The Flash, it feels like the book isn’t weighed down by the trappings of its hero’s history. All that went out with the old continuity; Manapul and Buccellato are telling a different story, one with so much possibility and wonder. The sky’s the limit and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. To recognize this, I’m happy to give them the Jetpack Adventures Award. (J)

Whelp, this week’s pick sure is bittersweet.

As many of you already know, a few weeks ago, Kurtis J. Weibe announced that Green Wake would be coming to a premature end with next month’s 10th issue. The news set off a cascade of posts from the heartbroken fans, upset that such a good series would be cut short. But at the end of the day, the support didn’t quite translate into dollars (or at least enough dollars) for the book to continue - and so we find ourselves entering an end game of sorts.

This issue brings a lot of the plot points to a head, giving a bit more colour and motivation for the story’s supposed villain - and the reader is left to ponder who (or what) the real force behind all of Green Wake’s troubles. While this occurs, some tragedy strikes a little close to the home of our protagonist and… well, let’s just say the issue does not end on a cheery note.

As we’ve stated before, this book will be sorely missed. It was one of the best on the stands, and will continue to be until its end in five weeks time. If you’ve missed out on the series, do yourself a favour and grab yourself the first trade. And then immediately demand that your shop pre-order the second… whenever that should hit the stands.(B)

This is Comics! The Blog. We now commence our broadcast week.