In My Own Story

The villain always thinks he's the hero in his story. I've been arguing and fighting with people, trying to justify why we're working together.
I've told people that our plans are sound, that our goals are just... Trying to convince them that we knew what we were doing...
...all that time I think I was just trying to convince myself I hadn't turned... Hadn't lost sight of who I was--
--Hadn't become the bad guy in my own story.
Well, news-flash... We were... We are.

- Invincible #100

by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley

Thursday Morning Theology Hangover

You know the drill. Yesterday was Wednesday. I bought some new releases after work, spent the evening reading them, and I spend my morning sipping coffee and writing random thoughts about them. No, I don't assign a grade or a score for each comic. I've watched too much Adam Sessler to do that. But, hopefully from the short reaction I give to each issue, one can get a sense that I either like it or didn't like it. However, I am ever the optimist, especially about  things I paid cold hard cash for, so if I even seem to waffle on whether an issue is good or not, you should probably take that as an indication that you can go ahead and skip it.

Should I do a pick of the week? Is that what people do? Fine. Let's give it a try. Now, it won't necessarily be the best by literary or artistic criteria each time, but more along the lines of just what I enjoyed reading the most each Wednesday night.



Pick of the Week: The Fuse #3

Easter Reads

Okay, Okay, so Easter is only a few days away

I messed up on that one. But I just thought about this last night so I'm trying to make it happen. Bear with me.

Anyway, what examples of graphic literature do I recommend one read to commemorate this holiest of times in the Christian calendar? I thought about it and picked out five titles that one could read around Easter to contemplate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. No, none of them is a comic book adaptation of Mel Gibson's movie (if such a thing exists). But, come to think of it, I would totally read a comic series based on Murtaugh and Riggs from the Lethal Weapon movies. Somebody at IDW should get on that!

Seriously, there was a Die Hard prequel comic.

Back on track! I could have delved into individual issues, but I decided on stories which are readily available in collected editions from retailers such as Amazon or ComiXology (mostly).

Thursday Morning Theology Hangover

All right! Look at this! I did another thing on time! Crazy! Okay, so it helped that my purchase pile wasn't too big this week. Man, just imagine if I included digital comics in this. That would be incredibly unwieldy. You have no idea. But here, on this Thursday morning, I present to you the print comic books I read last night. I hope you enjoy. I sure did.

Thursday Morning Theology Hangover

"I don't sleep because sleep is the cousin of death."

Actually I don't sleep because my throat feels like it's filled with shards of glass and I'm worried my chest will rupture with every violent coughing fit that strikes me. But, coughing yourself awake at 4am gives you the prime opportunity to finish the comics you bought last night but weren't able to finish.

So, I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Against Violence

Though Judaism was shepherded through history by many violent military figures like Joshua and David, the Pentateuch had some strong things to say against violence, possibly as early as the 1400s BCE.
The prophet Isaiah, writing around 700s BCE, described a perfected future where "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

- "A History of Nonviolence" in Occupy Comics #3

by Caleb Monroe and Theo Ellsworth

Thursday Morning Theology Hangover

Go read Trillium!

I said the first time that I might not always have the opportunity on a Thursday morning to do this. And that clearly happened for the past several Thursdays. But I'm back! I've got a pot of coffee brewing and some good comic books to briefly talk about. I'll even play a little catch up with issues from the past few weeks that I haven't covered. Are you excited? Are you ready?

Christ's Armies [NSFW]

Caution? With the Lord on our side? What kind of a show of faith is that? Do you fear these devils so much that you forget what it is we're fighting for?
While the holy monastery is raped before our very eyes, you fucking squabble about tactics? We are the Lord's soldiers, his right hand...
...Gabriel's sword itself could not be more suffused with his love!
Such a lack of faith is troubling...and dangerous!
I should be surprised if the Lord himself did not twist your very form into that of the enemy, to be cut down by our own swords!
For all we know this could be the start of the last days, Armageddon itself with us as vanguard for Christ's armies.
So show a little fucking spine, you stupid old man!

- Northlanders Vol Three, "Lindisfarne" Part 1

by Brian Wood and Dean Ormston