The Weekly Haul: Reviews for March 27, 2008

Van Jensen

Van Jensen is a former crime reporter turned comic book writer. In addition to ComicMix, he contributes to Publishers Weekly and Comic Book Resources. He lives in Atlanta, and his blog can be found at graphicfiction.wordpress.com.

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9 Responses

  1. Alan Coil says:

    Van, thanks for the reviews.Perhaps you should put the publisher's name in the review. Although I recognize the publishers of most of the titles, I have no idea who publishes Transhuman.

  2. Lee Houston, Junior says:

    It might also be a good idea to list whatever titles you do not review that came out this week at the end, because I find it hard to believe that what you did review is all that actually came out this week.

    • Alan Coil says:

      I sorta agree, Lee, but there are usually 50 titles or so a week just from Marvel and DC. One list I just checked showed over 90 comics delivered this week, and another 30 books, magazines, and trades. And some books don't get delivered in the same week to all comics shops.

    • Van Jensen says:

      Thanks for reading, Lee! Sadly, not only do I not have enough space to review every comic, I don't have enough space to list every comic! A whole, whole lot come out every week, and a good source for tracking down a full list is <a href="http://www.diamondcomics.com.That” target=”_blank”>www.diamondcomics.com.That said, I'm always looking for suggestions for more books I should take a look at. If there's something good that I missed, post about it in the comments or send me an email.

  3. JM Ringuet says:

    Hey Van, I'm the artist on TRANSHUMAN and I'm sorry to see you didn't like the book because of the style. What we are trying to do here is something different, like a mockumentary on paper (think Best in Show or The Office) something necessarily implying little action, lots of dialog, and emotions expressed through subtle facial expressions rather than over the edge kinetic motion. In many way this is the opposite of any classical superhero comic, although it is also a superhero origin story of sort. We try to do things differently so we take a risk, and we understand it's not everybody cup of tea. I hope some of your readers will think differently and accept the fact that this is still a comic book even if people don't fly around ;)Thanks for posting a review of our book!

    • Van Jensen says:

      JM – Thanks for stopping by and giving your thoughts on the book. I actually tend to prefer non-superhero books (my best-of list last year was dominated by stuff like Super Spy, Exit Wounds, etc.). That said, one of the big things I look for in comics is visual engagement (which doesn't need to be a slobber-knocker fight), and I just didn't find it in Transhuman. But, as always, that's just my opinion, and I've certainly been wrong before.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Hey Van, I'm the artist on TRANSHUMAN and I'm sorry to see you didn't like the book because of the style. What we are trying to do here is something different, like a mockumentary on paper (think Best in Show or The Office) something necessarily implying little action, lots of dialog, and emotions expressed through subtle facial expressions rather than over the edge kinetic motion. In many way this is the opposite of any classical superhero comic, although it is also a superhero origin story of sort. We try to do things differently so we take a risk, and we understand it's not everybody cup of tea. I hope some of your readers will think differently and accept the fact that this is still a comic book even if people don't fly around ;)Thanks for posting a review of our book!JM Ringuet

  5. Peter David says:

    "She-Hulk #27 — Here's another book that's struggling, as it's too slow, too text-heavy and completely incongruous with the mainstream Marvel Universe."Curse all those words. Why can't the book just be pretty pictures instead of making demands upon a reader's brain?"Why isn't Jen's Skrull friend taken in for serious questioning by "Iron Man and pals?"Becaues they don't know that she's traveling with a Skrull."Why would Iron Man feel the need to show up in person at a minor homicide trial that barely concerns him?"Because Mallory Book asked him to come, because it involved the Froma whom he battled, and because his former lover was involved."How is She-Hulk able to be roaming the country and in New Jersey with the Last Defenders?"With decades of history of Marvel characters such as Spider-Man and Wolverine being all over the map in different books, NOW you decide to draw the line when it comes to one hero being in multiple places in multiple titles?PAD