See the conclusion of Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion.
- Matt Price
Joss Whedon
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The second act of Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is up! Go check it out.
– Matt Price
The first act of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” is online at www.drhorrible.com. Starring Neil Patrick Harris and directed by Joss Whedon, “Dr. Horrible” is about a down-on-his-luck supervillain. Act 2 is scheduled to go up Thursday, and Act 3 is scheduled to go up Saturday. The videos will be online until midnight Sunday.
– Matt Price
Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.
First episode coming online at http://www.drhorrible.com on July 15 from Joss Whedon.
Monthly comics remain the backbone of many comic-book stores, and several strong storylines worked their way into fans’ hands in 2007. While some fans suffered from “event fatigue” as last year’s “Civil War” and “Infinite Crisis” were followed by “World War Hulk” and “Countdown,” events done right still drew in fans. While superhero comics remained a mainstay of monthly comic books, slice-of-life tales and science fiction also found a place among the year’s best comics. The following are the ten best comic-book series of 2007.
1. Captain America — All Captain America had to do to have the best comic on the stands was get killed. In “Captain America” No. 25, writer Ed Brubaker drew the attention of the nation by killing Cap. Since the Captain’s death, the story has continued to be compelling, as Captain America’s friends and allies investigate his death. In January, someone new will take the mantle of Captain America.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 — Joss Whedon continues his critically acclaimed television series “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” in comic-book format. With arcs written by Whedon and Brian K. Vaughan (“Y: The Last Man,” TV’s “Lost”), “Season 8” captures the wit and action of the television series, with a much lower budget.
3. The Sinestro Corps War — Geoff Johns and company showed the world how to do a superhero crossover with “Sinestro Corps War,” which ran through “Green Lantern,” “Green Lantern Corps” and four specials. The Green Lanterns, an intergalactic peacekeeping force, find themselves stretched to their limit when Sinestro, a former Green Lantern, creates his own corps, dedicated to spreading fear throughout the galaxy.
4. Y: The Last Man — Vaughan’s long-running saga about the last male left on earth after a plague remains one of the best science-fiction dramas of recent years. Questions are answered and destinies uncovered as the series, drawn by Pia Guerra, heads toward its finish. (The final issue, No. 60, is set for a January release.)
5. Local — While Brian Wood’s “Local” suffered from some delays, the issues that did hit stores were among the best of the year. With artist Ryan Kelly, Wood explores life across the United States as each issue takes place in a different city. “Local” No. 9, set in Norman, features main character Megan McKeenan dealing with the death of a parent.
6. Strangers in Paradise — Writer-artist Terry Moore, one of the last of the 1990s self-publishers still standing, completed his epic about love and relationships, “Strangers in Paradise,” in 2007.
7. Action Comics — Johns and co-writer Richard Donner (director of “Superman: The Movie”) wrote an epic tale featuring the Kryptonian villains Zod, Ursa, and Non — and introduced a new supporting character to the Superman mythos. With artist Eric Powell (“The Goon”), Donner and Johns reinterpreted the Bizarro World. And, with artist Gary Frank, Johns took Superman to the future to meet up with the Legion of Super-Heroes.
8. Booster Gold — Spinning out of the year-long DC hit “52,” “Booster Gold” brings depth and adventure to a hero created in the 1980s that many would have assumed was played out. Booster Gold was known in his initial incarnation for seeking fast fame and corporate sponsors, but after the events of “52,” Booster is now the only hero who can prevent certain calamities from happening to the timeline. However, he has to continue to most to seem the same cocky jerk he was prior to the events of “52.” The book is co-written by Jeff Katz and Johns, with art by the creator of Booster Gold, Dan Jurgens. Sort of a superhero “Quantum Leap,” Booster is motivated to try to save his best friend from death — but must first work with time-traveler Rip Hunter in his quest to stop disastrous events throughout time.
9. The Brave and the Bold — Writer Mark Waid and artist George Perez create the retro blast of fun that is “Brave and Bold,” teaming up DC heroes to solve mysteries and fight crime.
10. The Immortal Iron Fist — Brubaker and Matt Fraction, with artist David Aja, revamp Marvel’s 1970s martial arts hero Iron Fist. The first storyline examines the history of the power known as the Iron Fist, and how it fell to hero Danny Rand, the latest in a line of warriors to wield it.
– Matt Price
Matt and I have been working on our lists for the best of 2007 and with the New Year rapidly approaching, here’s a look at my uninformed opinions on the matter.
Note: I cheated, as you can clearly see, by grouping a few titles together. But this ain’t rocket surgery, folks. I can do what I want. You’re not the boss of me!
1. Trials of Shazam!
Judd Winick breathes life into a character (Captain Marvel Jr.) that most people couldn’t care less about, making his three-dimensional and captivating.
2. DMZ
In the midst of the Iraq War, this comic book brings war home literally, and the adventures of Matty Roth have as much to do with the world we live in as the fictional world of a New York split apart by civil war.
3. Blue Beetle/ Booster Gold/ Checkmate
Spinning out of Infinite Crisis are three exceptional relaunches of three previously canceled series. These are the little engines that could and desperately must if only to prove that books without Superman or Batman can deliver big on story.
4. Stormwatch PHD
In the WildStorm Universe, heroes aren’t really heroes, so it’s up to normal folks like the Stormwatch Post Human Division to put them in their place. A spiritual successor to “Stormwatch: Team Achilles,” this book is entertaining from whole cloth, creating true characters out of a poorly defined world.
5. X-Factor
While the rest of the X-universe is mired in awful, dreadful continuity, only Peter David’s “X-Factor” enjoys the mutant community. Centered around Jamie Madrox’s detective agency, this book is consistently a source of big laughs and shocking twists.
6. Captain America
Captain America is dead! Long live Captain America! What could have been an unmitigated disaster (a book in which the lead character is dead) was given wings by Ed Brubaker. Add in a character many thought was a huge mistake (Bucky aka The Winter Soldier) and you’ve got a bona fide miracle.
7. Fables/ Jack of Fables
All bow down to Bill Willingham, who took one of the most simple ideas ever (What if storybook characters were real and living in New York?) and created a giant world from it. This year in “Fables” we’ve seen Flycatcher, a joke character, turned into a warrior king. Meanwhile, with Matt Sturges, “Jack of Fables” has become one of the funniest books on the shelves while adding a new layer to an already rich world.
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Holy God, do I love this series. Picking up where the TV show left off with creator Joss Whedon at the helm, “Buffy: Season 8″ is a wild ride that goes far beyond the budget of any movie. Dawn is a giant! The army hates Buffy! Next issue right now please!
9. Incredible Hulk
The genius of “Planet Hulk” and the follow-up “World War Hulk” is how much sense it makes. Of course The Illuminati would try to send Hulk somewhere that he would kill anybody. Of course something would go wrong and he’d end up a gladiator. Of course he’d come back, madder than ever before. The results by Greg Pak were astounding.
10. Nova
Much like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, if you’d told me a couple years back that I’d be reading and loving Nova comics, I’d have called you a moron and questioned your human lineage. Now I have the luxury of reading Abnett and Lanning’s monthly space opera, starring a character who has really come into his own.
Listen to Elwell and I expound eloquently here. We cover Incredible Hulk #112 (starring Hercules), Angel: After the Fall #2, Marvel Holiday Special, Superman #671 and Birds of Prey #113!
