Monday, September 5, 2011

My Weekly Pull - August 31st

So finally coming to the end of the busiest week ever.  Bought all my new business clothing, moved into my new place, and started some exciting articles for September at the Weekly Crisis, and starting my new job tomorrow morning.  In all the hubbub, I totally forgot to do my continually less relevant Weekly Pull article.


Rectifying that oversight now.


Marvel

SECRET AVENGERS #16
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #626 POINT ONE
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #668 SPI

DC Comics
FLASHPOINT #5 (OF 5)
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1

Other Companies
BODYSNATCHERS #3
BUTCHER BAKER RIGHTEOUS MAKER #6
SKULLKICKERS #10

A relatively light week, but that's mostly because DC only published two comics (both of which I bought, you'll note).  I've given my thoughts on both of the titles over at TWC here and here (you can also see short reviews for Secret Avengers and Journey Into Mystery at the latter link).  Suffice it to say, they were pretty good.  Flashpoint was actually infinitely better than I would have expected, and I would go so far as to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spider-Man was amazing as always (ha!).  Seriously, Dan Slott is killing that title.  I don't like paying 3.99 for a 22 page comic book, but he makes it worth my time and money, so I can barely complain.

I keep buying Butcher Baker, and I keep enjoying the experience, but I'm never quite sure what it is I like about it.  I should really sit down and figure that out at some point.  Maybe write a review of an arc or something.  It'll happen one day, maybe.

Also, I feel the need to reemphasize how amazing Skullkickers is.  I discovered this book by accident when Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics linked to it a few weeks before it released.  Picked it up on a whim and have loved every moment of it.  It's a fantasy book with a healthy mix of Dungeons & Dragons mentality thrown in for good measure.  The plots are always exciting, and the book is always hilarious.  Cannot recommend it enough.

Unfortunately, I have decided that I'm going to buy all 52 of DC's new comics coming out this month, so the small list you see here will be a thing of the past (at least for the new four weeks).  Expect my next column to have twenty-plus comics.

Thank god for that new job...

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Nowhere to Go But

          They forgave him, of course.
          More accurately, Edmund and Lennox forgave him. Kevlin refused, but his voice of dissent was overruled.
          The matter technically resolved, they descended the tunnel. The group's survival was possible only because of Lennox's impressive strength and heretofore unknown climbing abilities. Where Edmund was too old, Jones too tired, and Kevlin too brash to maintain proper grips throughout the descent, Lennox was able to catch them each and every time they fell, preventing what would have otherwise been their untimely deaths.
          The foot of the falls achieved, everyone was certain to thank Lennox.
          Repeatedly and profusely.

So tired.  In the midst of moving I didn't really think I would have all that much time for writing, but after stressing out a bit over packing, I'm really happy I set aside some time to compose this next part of the story.  The process of figuring out what the group would do next and how they would manage it was really relaxing.  Took my mind off all the work I have ahead of me tomorrow (le sigh) and gave me a nice little sense of accomplishment.

I remember way back when that I mentioned I would sometimes talk about what I was thinking or trying to do with the pieces I put for "1 Character 100 Words" (a name that is becoming less and less accurate as time goes on).  I haven't done it all that much of late, but let's see if I can't provide a bit of insight into this one.

I think my original intention of focusing on a particular thing to work on in each and every piece has been forgotten a bit in the pursuit of creating a complete story out of this tale.  Or, perhaps more accurately, what I'm focusing on has changed a bit.  While I spent the early stories trying to write in a certain style or practice describing a certain scene, I've been more insistent on trying to make sure that each piece is complete and moves the story around in one way or another.

This time, I wanted the group to get to the base of the falls (duh), but I also wanted to put at least some of the spotlight on Lennox.  He hasn't done all that much thus far, but I really like the character.  I struggled a bit with why the others wouldn't be all that great at climbing, but I think this worked pretty well.

Anyways, that's enough navel-gazing for me.  If you have any thoughts you're wanting to add, don't hesitate to leave a comment.  Otherwise, enjoy this latest part in the Four Adventurers continued adventure.