When Words Collide: A Whole Lot O' Content

Wow. Checking back, I realize that I haven't regularly posted links to my "When Words Collide" column at CBR since June of last year. Sad, really.

I won't bombard you with a list of everything I've written for CBR since then, but here are some of the things I've written in the past few months, in reverse order (the most recent stuff first):

1. Dancing with the Destroyer: How Robert Kirkman reinvigorated a Golden Age DC character and made me weep with joy.

2. Kevin Colden, Man of Mystery, Man of Scandalous Intent: The first mature-readers Zuda series and an interview with the Eisner-nominated man behind it. Yeah, that happened.

3. A Tale of Two (Comic Book) Cities: New York's MoCCA Festival vs. the Boston Comic Con? How many winners can there be? Answer: all of them. (Plus, Jack Kirby Bronze Age goodness.)

4. Frank Miller's New Gods: I linked to this when I posted the Miller story in its entirety, but it's still something worth mentioning because it's (a) Frank Miller, and (b), Jack Kirby, and (c) Darkseid. Three of my favorite flavors.

5. Brendan McCarthy is a God of Spiders and Other Things that are Good: I ruminate on "Spider-Man: Fever" and other important topics. Mostly awesome ones involving drawings by McCarthy.

6. Retcon Reviews: My controversial ironic take-down of such critically-acclaimed masterpieces as "Secret Wars II" and "Ultimatum." Zing! Take that, people who got paid to write bad comics!

7. Jorge Molina's Marvel House (Style) Party: Here's a guy trying to carve a career in mainstream superhero comics. What is that like? I wonder. So I ask.

8. Fifteen Must-Have Collected Editions that Sort of Came Out Already, Mostly: This was basically a way to remind myself what I should buy in recent months, and let people know about the goodness inside. If you're curious, I have since bought six of the books on the list. Guess which ones, and win a prize!

9. Scott Snyder: Who is This Guy? If you don't already know, Scott Snyder is the next big thing, and I've known that for a while. Plus, he's a teacher. And that makes him doubly cool. Not as cool as "American Vampire." But close.

10. Bendis, Bendis, Bendis: I spent a month writing about Bendis, including a list of the "Bendis Top Ten," plus a Three-Part Examination of the Bendis Daredevil: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3!

If you've been reading all the WWC stuff all along, thanks! If not, it looks like you'll have plenty of fun and informative and probably mind-blowing catching up to do.

When Words Collide: Summer Collected Editions

There's nothing like window shopping for expensive hardcover collections in an economy like this, eh?

I really don't need 20 more collected editions -- I already own most of the stuff in some form or another -- but that doesn't stop me from recommending the 20 Best Collected Editions coming up in the next few months. Honestly, I'll probably end up buying most of these books anyway, because they are full of great stuff, and I like having these kinds of things much more than the individual floppies. (I really have to look into bookbinding more closely. My tendency to fall for double or triple dipping is getting ridiculous.)

But with stuff like "Captain Britain by Alan Moore and Alan Davis Omnibus" and "Marvel Masterworks: Warlock" Volume 2 scheduled for the summer months, how can I really resist?

So go read Chris Marshall's list of upcoming Collected Editions, then go read this week's "When Words Collide" to see my recommendations. Tell me what I forgot to include in my admittedly Marvel and DC-heavy list!

Batman R.I.P.: The Deluxe Edition Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Batman R.I.P.: The Deluxe Edition, about which I write the following sentences: "But this is still a book worth reading, largely because what it loses in internet-speculation context, it gains in distance from Morrison's own promises. Many readers were annoyed, even angry, by the lack of clear resolution in the final chapter of 'R.I.P.' Here, in this isolated, hardcover context, the final chapter works much better. It's still not a conclusive finale to the larger question of Dr. Hurt's identity, but such a conclusion isn't promised within the book's pages. What's promised within its pages, implicitly, is a resolution to the Batman-gets-broken-mentally storyline. And that does, indeed, resolve, with a mentally-shattered Batman rising up from his own staged death -- as he literally smashes out of his own coffin -- and turning the tables on his enemies. It's a good Batman story, with betrayals and counter-betrayals, with a bravura performance from the Joker, and with enough unique visual concepts (the garish Zur-En-Arrh costume, Bat-Mite, the Club of Villains) to make the story rise well above the fair-to-middling morass of Batman collected editions."

Read the entire review HERE.

When Words Collide: Best of 2008 Collected Editions

Thus, it begins.

My 2008 "Best of" lists, that is. In this week's "When Words Collide," I count down the Top 20 Collected Editions of 2008.

Why do it before the end of the year? (1) I've looked at the release schedule and I don't think anything else will dethrone these 20 in the next two weeks, and (2) You'll soon be absolutely bombarded with "Best of" lists -- they've already started to trickle out -- and that means it's time to act!

As the CBR blurb states, I have kind of an eclectic list. Not REALLY eclectic, as it's still Marvel/DC heavy, relatively speaking, but I do throw in a few choices that, while obvious to some, might make the mainstream crowd scratch their heads.

And since writing the list last week, I did read one other collected edition that might have had a chance to crack the Top 20: American Elf Vol. 3. But even that would have landed just outside the 20 best, so no worries -- the list is still accurate! Admit it, you were a little worried, right?

Anyway, enjoy the list and buy all the collected editions and read 'em up.

When Words Collide: A Bounty of Books

In this week's installment of "When Words Collide," I rank the Top 20 best collected editions and graphic novels scheduled to hit the shelves in the next month. It's an impressive list o' goodness, and I give you the rundown on what's what and why and wherefore.

Honestly, who's going to be able to afford all of this cool stuff that's hitting the shelves?

Maybe if I sell a whole bunch of books tonight, I will! Don't forget to visit Chapters Book Store in Pittsfield tonight at 6:00 PM for a fantabulous book signing event, featuring me (with copies of Grant Morrison: The Early Years and Teenagers from the Future) and Joe Staton (with...I'm not sure, but something good). See you tonight!

Meanwhile, read all about the Top 20 upcoming books HERE.

Recommended Summer Reading 2008 Hits THE SPLASH PAGE

Chad Nevett and I can get caught up in the weekly comic book grind all to often. We feel the need to comment on what's "fresh," and rarely get time to discuss some of our favorite older comics or collected editions. So we decided to spend this week talking about what we would recommend this summer--what collected editions should you buy and read over the coming months, and why? That's the question, and we give plenty of answers.

Get your wallets ready, because this installment of the internet's hottest non-gossip column will make you want to spend some heavy duty cash this summer. Read all about it in the newest Splash Page.

Or, as always, you can click HERE.