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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Wednesday, February 9, 2005
Life continues to throw its cute little challenges my way, but I'm still hanging on.
Let's see what I have for you today.
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AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE ESCAPIST
More and more, I'm choosing to read my ongoing comics series in trade paperback format. I get a more satisfying chunk in a more convenient package and generally save a few cents in the process. Even when the price difference between single issues and the trade isn't great, I can usually receive a more generous discount than I receive buying the single issues.
MICHAEL CHABON PRESENTS THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE ESCAPIST VOLUME 2 [Dark Horse; $17.95] collects the third and fourth issues of the ongoing title. Though its height and width are smaller than the regular prestige format comic books, the stories still read as well and the art still looks terrific. Anthologies being the mixed bags they are, I'll give you a blow-by-blow review.
Text pieces purporting to give the history of the Escapist in comics appear throughout the book. The non-non-fiction pieces are a favorite of mine, especially those written by Roy Thomas, who has a knack for juxtaposing his real comics career with the bogus data he presents here.
In "Heil and Fear Well," Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton meld the Escapist's super-heroics with EC horror comics. The over-the-top adventure is deliciously ghastly in its parody. It's an inspired piece of work.
While I applaud Chabon including some alternative cartoonists in the mix, many of their strips fail to amuse or provoke. Coming up short twice in this volume is Paul Hornschemier, but Matt Kindt delivers some wonderful graphics via the wrap-around cover and the supposedly "lost" Escapist issue from 1953.
Stuart Moore's "The Escapist 2966" - drawn by Steven Conley - is entertaining but not outstanding. The best thing about it is an epilogue that comes out of nowhere. The story could have improved had the epilogue and main plot been interwoven from the start with equal emphasis given the epilogue.
Kevin McCarthy's "The Boy Who Would Be The Escapist" might be my favorite story in the volume. It's heart-wrenching.
McCarthy's and artist Dean Haspiel's "The Trial of Judy Dark" posits Jack Kirby doing an Escapist tie-in under an alias. It's a fun ride, but, again, not outstanding.
"To Reign In Hell" spotlights Big Al, the Escapist's large and well-spoken associate as the villainous Iron Chain attempts to turn him. Writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Roger Petersen combine for a moody, suspenseful tale with a poignant conclusion.
Closing out the volume are an Escapist gallery - Mike Mignola and John Cassaday are the standouts - and creator bios.
MICHAEL CHABON PRESENTS THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE ESCAPIST VOLUME 2 picks up four out of five Tonys.
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COMICS IN THE COMICS
Veteran TOT readers know I love self-referential comic strips. From January 26, here's ZIGGY by Tom Wilson.
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TONY POLLS
New TONY POLLS questions were posted yesterday and, through a fluke of luck, I'm bringing you the final results of the previous week's questions today. Don't figure on such quick service on the currently running questions; if the voting doesn't go his way, I'm told the Phantom of the Opera will insist on a recount.
Here we go...
Choose your favorite 2004 comics or comics-inspired movie from this list.
SPIDER-MAN 2.....43.88%
The Incredibles.....34.53%
Hellboy.....8.63%
Catwoman.....0.72%
Fat Albert.....0.72%
Garfield: The Movie.....0.72%
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.....0.72%
Team America: World Police.....0.72%
The Punisher.....0.72%
The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie.....0.72%
Blade: Trinity.....0%
I didn't see any of these.....7.91%
Of the movies I saw - about half of them - I was torn between the top two contenders. I voted for THE INCREDIBLES. SPIDER-MAN 2 is a magnificent movie, very entertaining and very faithful to the core concepts of the comic book, but nothing in it caught me by surprise...while THE INCREDIBLES delighted me anew every couple of minutes. Hellboy was pretty darn good, too, but it was up against two of the best super-hero movies ever.
Choose your favorite 2004 fantasy/horror/sci-fi film from this list.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN.....30.33%
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.....23.77%
Shrek 2.....11.48%
Dawn of the Dead.....8.20%
I, Robot.....5.74%
Van Helsing.....3.28%
Alien Vs. Predator.....2.46%
The Grudge.....2.46%
The Village.....2.46%
The Butterfly Effect.....1.64%
The Polar Express.....1.64%
Secret Window.....0.82%
The Day After Tomorrow.....0.82%
The Forgotten.....0.82%
Exorcist: The Beginning.....0%
Resident Evil: Apocalypse.....0%
Shark Tale.....0%
The Chronicles of Riddick.....0%
The Stepford Wives.....0%
Other.....4.10%
The only one of the above movies I've seen is I, ROBOT, so I sat this question out. It was an entertaining flick, though not as good as the Harlan Ellison version would have been. I've now seen SHAUN OF THE DEAD and, had I seen it earlier, I would have sent it to myself as a write-in vote.
There were more fantasy/horror/sci-fi movies than I could fit on the poll because I'm limited to 20 choices. That's why I added the write-in option.
In 2004, approximately how many movies did you see in movie theaters?
More than 50.....0.76%
41-50.....0%
31-40.....1.53%
21-30.....8.40%
11-20.....25.95%
1-10.....58.02%
None.....5.34%
I thought I was a stay-at-home stick in the mud, but it turns out my 1-10 visits to the theater puts me in the majority.
In a typical year, will you see more movies at the theater or at home (DVD/video)?
At the theater.....13.64%
At home.....72.73%
About the same.....13.64%
I was in the majority here as well.
When I posted these questions last week, working from a list of 2004's top 100 movies, I mentioned I'd only seen 13 of them. Since then, in a relatively mad frenzy of movie rentals, I've seen COLLATERAL and THE LADYKILLERS. I found the former predictable but well worth watching for Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
THE LADYKILLERS, on the other hand, was a hoot-and-a-half from start to finish. It's one for the home library and it's inspired me to seek out and watch the original as well.
This week's TONY POLLS questions ask you to choose which of a number of items you'd like me to review in this column...and also to give the thumbs up or thumbs down to a half-dozen genre movies and TV series. You can vote by going to:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
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TONY'S MAILBOX
Reader TIM HARTIN echoed my feelings on SHAUN OF THE DEAD in this brief note:
In the fantasy/horror/sci-fi category, I voted other. My vote has to go to SHAUN OF THE DEAD - touching, funny, full of zombies - a great movie all around.
Let the record show that TONY HOWSON also cast a write-in vote for SHAUN OF THE DEAD.
MARK BERNSTEIN wrote:
I had to vote "Other" for the second question. I understand that sticking to the top 100 box office makes it easier to winnow your list, but you left out what was clearly the best SF movie of last year, one good enough to pull in a couple of Oscar nominations (actress, screenplay, possibly others). I'm referring, of course, to ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to get the DVD as soon as possible.
As a general rule, anything written by the amazing Charlie Kaufman, who wrote BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION, & CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, is well worth seeing.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 02/08/2005 | 02/09/2005 | 02/10/2005 >>
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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