Closing out the week...

Today sees the addition of Elliott Serrano to the site. His column, COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR, opens up by discussing Stephen Colbert's run for President.

Also, Vince Moore concludes his powerful series on race and comics, "40 Acres and a Mule of My Own."

You don't want to miss either of these things. Honest.

/Mason

This bit of PR went out this morning:

COLUMNIST ELLIOTT SERRANO JOINS THE COMICS WAITING ROOM!

The Comic Culture Warrior is the Latest Addition to the Comics Columnist Community!

TEMPE, AZ, Friday, November 9, 2007-

The Comics Waiting Room (www.comicswaitingroom.com) is proud to announce the addition of columnist Elliott Serrano to the site. Serrano will be writing his column “COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR” for the site and exploring not only the contents between the covers of our favorite hobby, but also the trends, foibles, and general oddities of geek culture. With his sharp wit and observational skills, he’ll bring new and entertaining insights to light and keep readers smiling along the way.

“COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR” will appear on Fridays on a bi-weekly schedule, and the column will be archived at www.comicswaitingroom.com/ccw.html so that anyone who has missed an installment can easily catch up.

Comics Waiting Room owner and Editor-in-Chief Marc Mason had this to say about the addition of Serrano to the site: “I had the pleasure of getting to know Elliott at San Diego this year, so I’m excited to bring him onboard the site. It wasn’t easy; everywhere we went, he was swarmed by wide-eyed young girls entranced by his dreamy looks and geek glasses, so I wasn’t sure we’d be able to pull this off. Fortunately, his recent vow of celibacy has finally taken hold and he’s ready to put that nonsense behind him and do some writing. It should be a lot of fun, as long as he can stay focused and out of the clubs.”

About The Comics Waiting Room:
Established by Marc Mason in July 2006, after working for a number of other comics-related websites, The Comics Waiting Room has consistently added new content five to six days a week. The site offers reviews of comics, graphic novels, and media, as well as occasional media and entertainment features. After producing 99.9% of the content himself in the first year, the second year has seen the addition of four new columnists to the site, with more to come!

Contact: Marc Mason
marc@comicswaitingroom.com

Two for Thursday! Vince is running a bit late, and we have another new columnist in the pipeline, but first, new reviews!

First, Fred Chao's JOHNNY HIRO returns, and that's a damned good thing.

Then, a look at Mike Dubisch's E.C. homage, WEIRDLING.

Saddle up and click away!

/Mason

Wednesday...

So yesterday I wasn't able to do any site updates, thanks to a schedule that just buried me. So today you get *3* new things to read! Ain't I sweet?

First up is the newest installment of JESS KNOWS BEST! This time around, Jess offers helpful hints about bubblegum and getting super powers!

Next comes a brand new FULL BLEED! This week, Matt remembers when 22 pages really was 22 pages, and when trades were actually something special.

Finally, a review by yours truly of the Luna Brothers' new series, THE SWORD.

Whew! Whatcha waiting for? Go do some readin'!

/Mason

Manga Monday! This week, a look at all three volumes of the cat-centric FREE COLLARS KINGDOM.

It didn't exactly make me want to lick my paws.

/Mason

Thursday means the end of this week, as Friday the Waiting Room will be on holiday. But don't fret; as an apology, you get three, yes three!, new things to read today!

First is part two of Vince Moore's "A Mule and Forty Acres of My Own," his powerful look at race issues in comics and pop culture. This week, he talks about being told as a kid that "Black Folk Don't Do That" by his family, and the need for a new civil war for the imaginations of blacks. It's thought-provoking stuff.

Then, two new reviews. THE SAVAGE BROTHERS arrive in trade, and DRAFTED picks up the pace a little in its second issue.

Thanks for reading, and we'll see you next week!

/Mason

HALLOWEEN BLOG EXTRA

Ahh, yes... instead of a weekender last week or this coming one, I'm splitting the difference with a very "day appropriate" Blog Extra. What goes better with Halloween than vampires? Just about nothing, so here's an early look at the latest book coming from Harris Publications.

That book would be VAMPIRELLA QUARTERLY: FALL 2007, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and drawn by Stephen Segovia. This issue brings to a close the storyline dealing with Vampi taking on her nemesis the Red Queen and the Queen's attempts to raise Chaos itself. At the end of part two, she succeeded, using the body of Vampirella's lover Adam in order to do it. As you might guess, she found that sort of problematic.

Parts one and two have been just fine on a story level, but Segovia's art has been dragging down the book and continues to do so. He seems incapable here of actually just telling the story; instead, he puts most of his energy into making sure he can contort Vampirella into one stupidly contortioned pose after another, or flat out making panels that focus on her ass (with the occasional crotch shot). Frankly, it's embarrassing. Other artists have worked on the character and shown how to balance the needs of the story with the needs of those who spank over the character's costume. Segovia's work never comes close.

And unfortunately, the story kind of crashes in this climax, too. A HUGE deus ex machina moment crops up to change the course of how things are going, and the ending feels artificial on top of it. Fialkov is a smart writer, so this is an abberation, and I was surprised by it.

Happily, we get another Archie Goodwin/Jose Gonzalez reprint in this issue, and it's another dandy. I'd pick up these books on the strength of the classic tales alone.

Still, Vampirella deserves better, and so do the readers. Cheesecake is fine, as long as it's served with some actual storytelling ability, and you just don't get it here. Picking up the latest VAMPIRELLA QUARTERLY is a scary prospect, indeed.

/Mason

Today in FULL BLEED... Matt re-watches the Indiana Jones trilogy and remembers what made the first one so great and the next two... not so much.

Agree or disagree, it's an interesting thesis he has on his hands.

/Mason

Making a bit of a change here... for whatever reason, when I began using this blog to update folks on what new content was available over at the main site, I set the links to go to the site's home page instead of straight to the new reviews, etc. Not anymore.

All links from here will take you directly to what I'm talking about. No muss, no fuss.

Today, a review of Naomi Nowak's new graphic novel HOUSE OF CLAY, and it's worth your time. She's pretty much the second coming of P. Craig Russell.

/Mason

Manga Monday! ETERNAL ALICE RONDO comes to a frustrating end...

Follow the white rabbit.

/Mason

It's Friday, and the floodgates are open! Vince Moore's OMNIUM GATHERUM begins its look at issues of race in comics, "Forty Acres and a Mule of My Own" with installment one: "Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?"

Open your mind and come along on the ride, won't you?

/Mason

Two for Thursday! Vince's new OMNIUM GATHERUM is taking a little longer to brew up, so instead you get two new comic reviews! First up is WALK IN, one of the more unusual head trip sci-fis in recent memory. Then, a look at Marc Guggenheim's RESURRECTION, which tells the story of what happens after the alien invasion of Earth is over...

Good stuff today, for sure.

/Mason

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for a new FULL BLEED! This week, Matt comes to praise disaposable culture, not bury it.

Shakespeare references are fun, yes?

/Mason

Tuesday brings a review of the second volume of BORDERLINE, and it turns out to be even better than the first.

And considering the big, glowing pull quote from me on the back, that's saying something.

/Mason

Manga Monday! KUROHIME brings a little fun back to comics, which is alway nice...

Witches with guns that shoot bullets that turn into dragons... very cool.

/Mason

MIDDLEMAN VOLUME THREE: FIRST LOOK

From what I can tell, this Weekend Blog Extra is a bit extra special: it looks like I’m the first person to get an early review of the forthcoming MIDDLEMAN VOLUME THREE up on the net. The book’s official title is MIDDLEMAN: THE THIRD VOLUME INESCAPABILITY (available from Texas’s finest, Viper Comics), and with a moniker like that, you’re probably thinking that writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach and artist Les McClane have once again packed another volume of this series with a metric ton of terrific sight gags, loads of snarky dialogue, and a crate of tongue buried firmly in a cheek. And you’d be exactly right.

Volume three begins with a flashback, sending us to an earlier time in the Middleman’s career, and introducing us to his sidekick prior to Wendy Watson, Middleboy. The duo is on a mission against the Middleman’s greatest foe: Kanimang Kang, head of F.A.T.B.O.Y. (Federated Agents of Tyranny, Betrayal, and Oppression’s Yoke). However, in an amusing homage to Cap and Bucky, Middleboy is soon out of the picture, and we’re back in the present, F.A.T.B.O.Y. still a looming threat. In the meantime, Wendy has continued her training with the Middleman, but still longs for a life outside of the weird one she’s currently living. She’s still an artist, and the opportunity for a gallery show arises… just about the same time that a prominent scientist goes missing, requiring her to play hero instead.

What can you look forward to in volume three? The usual awesome artwork from Les McClane, who only seems to get better. Giant space robots battling one another. A giant mutated shark with arms. Femme fatales. Wendy’s combat lessons paying off. Multiple jokes at the Bond franchise’s expense, including a ninja carrying guns. Zesty dialogue (“Did you just say that so you could call me a bitch?” “I… uh…” “Cause you could have just said ‘give me the antidote, bitch.’” “You know what I mean!”) A betrayal. A death. A change in the series’ status quo. Plus: an alternate ending, drawn by a contest winner, a buncha pin-ups, and most pleasantly, Grillo-Marxuach provides many pages of annotations explaining some of the origins of the jokes, names, and character designs. Whew!

On first read, the primary story does end rather abruptly and without any sort of classic resolution and feels a bit hollow, a fact that Grillo-Marxuach openly alludes to in the characters’ dialogue. But instead of breaking the fourth wall, what it really does is set up the ending to the real story being told in this volume and the deepest emotional impact the series has put to page. There are really two tales being told here and it’s easy to forget that as you move through the pages.

The given alternate ending suggests that at one point, this could have closed the series, and honestly, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. This has become one of my all-time favorite books, but if the creators decide they’re done, more power to them. Better that they call it quits on their own terms than run it into the ground. But the given ending suggests an intriguing and fresh direction, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the property, especially with the filming of the pilot for ABC Family approaching. I know for sure that I’ll be watching.

Be here through the week for site updates, and make sure to friend us on MySpace!

/Mason

Finishing up the week... two new reviews! First up is BRAWL, easily one of the more split-personality efforts of 2007. Then, a look at Jeremy Tinder's BLACK GHOST APPLE FACTORY, a sweet little book from Top Shelf.

Plus: all those cool columns from this week. Go read already!

/Mason

Thursday brings a new installment of OMNIUM GATHERUM, and it's a good one: Vince throws down the gauntlet against Aaron McGruder and says he's part of the problem, not the solution.

It's all about to get very interesting...

/Mason

It's Wednesday, and that means a new FULL BLEED has leaked from the mind of Matt Maxwell. And if that wasn't enough for you, an all-new AISLE SEAT, taking a look at the COMIC BOOK CREATOR and MANGA CREATOR softwares.

Get greedy and go read!

/Mason

It's been a LONG time in the making, but Jess has arrived! JESS KNOWS BEST is the first advice column dedicated to the geek set. Questions about life, love, and all that good stuff? Ask Jess!

What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

/Mason