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dantastic's review
4.0
Wednesday Comics collects the run of Wednesday Comics published by DC in 2009 in a format resembling newspaper adventure strips. I bought the series when it was coming out and read it but forgot most of it in the ensuing years. I kept meaning to reread it but the newspaper pages were awkward and the issues were scattered between a few long boxes. Lo and behold, this popped up on Shopgoodwill and no one else bid on it so I got it for $6.99.
Like I said, I forgot most of this in the past 14 years but I thought the stories were good to great for the most part. There were a couple I skimmed because I wasn't a fan of the artwork - Hawkman by Kyle Baker, Wonder Woman by Ben Caldwell, and Teen Titans by Eddie Berganza and Sean Galloway.
Of the rest, I'd have to say Deadman by Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck, Supergirl by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor, and The Flash by Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher were my favorites. Hell, I even liked the Metal Men strip by Dan DiDio but how can you dislike anything drawn by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez? You can't.
Befitting the newspaper format, this is an oversized hardcover. Instead of reprinting the issues as they were published, the stories were printed together, making for a much smoother reading experience.
It's funny that DC has this reputation of being Marvel's copycat boring brother, and sometimes they are, but they also published innovative books like this. And stuff like Watchmen and Sandman, if you've heard of those. Sadly, they don't do as many experimental works since Mark Chiarello got the axe a few years ago.
The adventure strips of our ancestors would be proud. Four out of five stars.
Like I said, I forgot most of this in the past 14 years but I thought the stories were good to great for the most part. There were a couple I skimmed because I wasn't a fan of the artwork - Hawkman by Kyle Baker, Wonder Woman by Ben Caldwell, and Teen Titans by Eddie Berganza and Sean Galloway.
Of the rest, I'd have to say Deadman by Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck, Supergirl by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor, and The Flash by Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher were my favorites. Hell, I even liked the Metal Men strip by Dan DiDio but how can you dislike anything drawn by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez? You can't.
Befitting the newspaper format, this is an oversized hardcover. Instead of reprinting the issues as they were published, the stories were printed together, making for a much smoother reading experience.
It's funny that DC has this reputation of being Marvel's copycat boring brother, and sometimes they are, but they also published innovative books like this. And stuff like Watchmen and Sandman, if you've heard of those. Sadly, they don't do as many experimental works since Mark Chiarello got the axe a few years ago.
The adventure strips of our ancestors would be proud. Four out of five stars.
jhouses's review
3.0
Una impresionante reedición en tapa dura y a tamaño real de un experimento/homenaje de DC a la clásica tira cómica de los periódicos americanos. Sensacionales páginas serializadas a tamaño maxi con historias de los superheroes emblemáticos de DC a cargo de primeras figuras del comic. Historias fuera de continuidad (o en el limbo) que permiten la creatividad correr libre. El nivel de las historias, como en todas las antologías, es variable pero en general el comic es una delicia.
matt4hire's review
5.0
Such fun stuff. Some of the stories are really strong, like Flash, Adam Strange, Kamandi, and Batman, while some are a bit weaker, like Metal Men, Superman, and Wonder Woman. But all of them have a little bit of something to offer, and they all make great use of the oversized format.
noursie22's review
3.0
Batman: He's like a freakin' black-widow-magnet assassinator! All the women in his life die. And yet I still find it hard to ever sympathise with the bat.
Kamandi: Cute lions and tigers <3 Too much narration, didn't like the narrative style overall really.
Superman: Cute but boring, I would have been more interested in a genuine crisis of faith and the human race. Tied up too nicely, though not predictable, I'll give it that.
Deadman: I wanted more backstory, interesting concept, not interesting enough to make me google the character. Perhaps it was the emphasized accent and cliched protagonist vernacular.
Green Lantern: Enjoyed the most, learnt about a superhero that wasn't particularly very high on my radar.
Metamorpho: Neil Gaiman writing. What more could I say?
Teen Titans: Meh.
Strange Adventures: are strange.
Supergirl: Aww Streaky and Krypto, best bit was when Streaky attacked the mouse.
Metal Men: Too much happening in a short span of time, good though.
Wonder Woman: Un-engaging.
Sgt. Rock: Nice to see someone without superpowers for a change?
The Flash: WHAT!
The Demon and Catwoman: you know you're a lit student when the most amusing part of this comic was the iambic pentameter and the nod to Shakespeare.
Hawkman: And so we flap! Because Dinosaur island exists, randomly. What am I saying? After all this, I'm being pedantic about dinos??
Kamandi: Cute lions and tigers <3 Too much narration, didn't like the narrative style overall really.
Superman: Cute but boring, I would have been more interested in a genuine crisis of faith and the human race. Tied up too nicely, though not predictable, I'll give it that.
Deadman: I wanted more backstory, interesting concept, not interesting enough to make me google the character. Perhaps it was the emphasized accent and cliched protagonist vernacular.
Green Lantern: Enjoyed the most, learnt about a superhero that wasn't particularly very high on my radar.
Metamorpho: Neil Gaiman writing. What more could I say?
Teen Titans: Meh.
Strange Adventures: are strange.
Supergirl: Aww Streaky and Krypto, best bit was when Streaky attacked the mouse.
Metal Men: Too much happening in a short span of time, good though.
Wonder Woman: Un-engaging.
Sgt. Rock: Nice to see someone without superpowers for a change?
The Flash: WHAT!
The Demon and Catwoman: you know you're a lit student when the most amusing part of this comic was the iambic pentameter and the nod to Shakespeare.
Hawkman: And so we flap! Because Dinosaur island exists, randomly. What am I saying? After all this, I'm being pedantic about dinos??
librarycobwebs's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
erutane's review
3.0
It's a good collection, but while the size makes for a fun reading experience early on, eventually it becomes laborious to heft around, making the over-sized format a little impractical. Unless you have a really big coffee table on which to stow it.
Also, Aquaman and the entire undersea nation has cable. And he talks through a clam. That really stood out to me for some reason.
Also, Aquaman and the entire undersea nation has cable. And he talks through a clam. That really stood out to me for some reason.
syebba's review
3.0
Not bad, not bad--a collection of story arcs of major comic figures. To be read over time, not to be attacked too vigorously or rapid fire.
tiedyedude's review
3.0
A solid collection of newspaper-style comics. Each comic was done by a different artist and there is a wide range of characters. As with most such compilations, there will be some hits and misses. I could not follow and could barely read the Wonder Woman comic. I'm not familiar with Deadman, Sgt. Rock, or the Metal Men, and their stories didn't do much to peek my interest. I mostly bought the collection for Lee Bermejo's art in the Superman story, which was very good.
I would recommend this for DC fans, it just didn't blow me away. Also, the size makes it difficult to read comfortably and even harder to shelve.
I would recommend this for DC fans, it just didn't blow me away. Also, the size makes it difficult to read comfortably and even harder to shelve.
rickklaw's review
5.0
Throughout the 30s, 40s, and 50s, adventure strips dominated the Sunday newspaper comics pages. Oversized, full color pages featured the thrilling tales of Prince Valiant, Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and countless others. Under the guidance of DC art director Mark Chiarello, Wednesday Comics successfully re-captured this lost era with a series of oversized weeklies à la the Sunday funnies (dubbed Wednesday rather than Sunday in honor of the day new comics arrive in stores). This beautiful 11"x17" 200-page hardcover volume collects all the tales from the incredible 12-week run. While each featured A-list talent, some stories work better than others. Jack Kirby's creation Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth (expertly rendered by writer [a:Dave Gibbons|13285|Dave Gibbons|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] and artist [a:Ryan Sook|12427|Ryan Sook|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]); [a:Paul Pope|61230|Paul Pope|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]'s unique take on Adam Strange; and especially Hawkman as delightfully envisioned by [a:Kyle Baker|119646|Kyle Baker|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] lovingly embrace the format and lessons of their antecedents. Other excellent tales include writer [a:Brian Azzarello|17029|Brian Azzarello|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]'s and artist [a:Eduardo Risso|54360|Eduardo Risso|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]'s noir-infused Batman; the charming Silver Age style science fiction adventure of the Green Lantern ([a:Kurt Busiek|7338|Kurt Busiek|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg], writer and [a:Joe Quiñones|3174232|Joe Quinones|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg], art); the Karl Kerschi/[a:Brenden Fletcher|3174231|Brenden Fletcher|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] unique time travel take on The Flash; and an unusual team-up of The Demon and Catwoman (imagined by writer [a:Walter Simonson|44724|Walter Simonson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1211852153p2/44724.jpg] and artist [a:Brian Stelfreeze|611842|Brian Stelfreeze|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]). Regardless of the story, one mood permeates the entire volume: fun. Combine all this with previously unpublished strips starring Plastic Man and Creeper, original sketches, and Chiarello's impressive book design, and Wednesday Comics quickly emerges as must-experience for all classic comic book fans.
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