Fantastic Four, Vol. 3
List Price: $29.99
Price: $23.99
You Save: $6.00 (20%)
List Price:
Price: $23.99
You Save: $6.00 (20%)
|
Waid Mark
Empire
 List Price: $14.95 DescriptionCustomer ReviewsThe True Cost Of PowerMark Waid is doing something these days that seemingly no one else with his history is, or has even thought of. Instead of working within current continuity and frameworks of existing characters -- think Grant Morrison and Batman, Geoff Johns and Green Lantern/The Flash (both great writers doing great work, expanding the mythos of these pre-existing characters) -- Waid explores uncharted territory in 'Empire'. Things are turned on their head, with the villain, Golgoth, the victor and the lone superhero who could defeat him killed on live TV. Golgoth controls nearly all, and is in the process of eradicating the small, remaining pockets of resistance around the world. But what is actually required to rule the world? We see Golgoth's family suffer, his "loyal" followers plot their own machinations, and his painful, inevitable acceptance of the need to be merciless, no matter who or what the cost. It is a unique vision Waid and Barry Kitson, the artist, have created. Kitson's work demands more than a passing mention -- he brings this disturbing world brilliantly and believably to life. The "twist" or "loose thread" at the end isn't either, in my opinion -- it's a hint at a possible sequel, and also a comment on the power humanity can bring to a purpose -- be it good or evil. I also recommend Waid's current series "Irredeemable", which is another step in Waid's unique extrapolations of the the "hero vs. villain" dichotomy. 'Empire' asks "What if a villain won, and ruled the world as a result?" 'Irredeemable' asks "What if the world's greatest hero, riven with emotional and mental instability since childhood, breaks completely, and becomes the world's greatest villain?" Start with 'Kingdom Come', read 'Empire', and then check out 'Irredeemable'. Chilling Distopia I stayed up way to late last night because I couldn't put this down. I read the last three chapters after intending to only read one. Mark Waid is one of the great storytellers in comics and as he says in his forward he gets to construct the whole world in this story. The result is a "protagonist" who is a cross between Darth Vader and Julius Cesar. Golgoth runs a horrifying empire with an iron fist. This book really scared the hell out of me. Sloppy Construction, Maybe? I won't post any spoilers, but there were at least three completely unnecessary and occasionally detrimental tangents taken in Empire, one of them happening so late and being so inconsequential to the events of the story that it was basically a waste of paper. Also, I personally found it very hard to figure out what the story of Empire was supposed to be. Taken at its word Empire is about the stresses a supervillain has to deal with after having successfully conquered the world, however, that premise is quickly negated in the comic (turns out he's still in the process of conquering the world), and further on it's completely ignored so that a series of fruitless subplots can take place instead. These subplots focus heavily on the main character, Golgoth's, supporting cast, and in doing so serve only to turn Golgoth into little more than a bit player in his own comic. The subplots also resolve themselves quickly with little bearing on the main narrative, and do so ostensibly at the climax of Empire. This makes for a very disappointing climax, seeing as almost all of the conflicts died down rather than coming to a head. In short Empire has gorgeous art but the story felt as if Waid was attempting to reveal the links in a chain one by one, yet ultimately the links didn't seem to be, err... linked. Graphic SF Reader Waid decides to turn his hand to a villain, with th excellent Kitson doing the artwork. Here, a superhuman dictator is the protagonist. This graphic novel is all about how far will he go to maintain control of his massive, far-spanning Empire. The answer - a lot. Don't expect a lot of sweetness and light. When this man has to make ruthless decisions, he most definitely errs on the side of ruthless. Enjoyed ... but left me hanging out there Ok, I will be the first to admit that I am a sucker for a well written graphic novel ... and this is indeed one such well written graphic novel. Mark Waid has been a favorite of mine for quite some time, and so I anticipated reading this since the date I purchased it. And Kitson's art was pretty darn impressive. Yet, however interesting the story started out and continued to be as I progressed ... I just didn't feel a full "completeness" to the entire story arc ... and found too many loose threads for my taste in the end. Perhaps this feeling derives from the very core history in the story of how "Empire" came to be picked up by DC, but I would not re-read this title. Great escapist entertainment for an evening, but I am already looking to pass it on and out of my permanent collection. Thanks Mr. Waid/Mr. Kitson for the effort, just fell a little flat.
Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh (The Unknown)
 List Price: Price: $10.19 You Save: $4.80 (32%) DescriptionMark Waid brings another installment of the world’s greatest detective! With only six months to live, Catherine Allingham’s terminal condition finally reaches critical mass!. But nothing will stop her from trying to solve even more mysteries. With the clock ticking down to the inevitable, what sort of deal with the devil will Doyle have to make for Catherine’s soul? Find out in this thrilling final volume of the critically acclaimed series!
Hunter-Killer Volume 1 (v. 1)
 List Price: Price: $16.49 You Save: $8.50 (34%) Product Details
DescriptionWhat if the nuclear arms race was just a cover for a far more insidious detente? How would the world's government deal with the true fallout of the Cold War? From the minds of comic legends Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, The Flash) and Marc Silvestri (X-Men, Wolverine, The Darkness) comes this science-fiction/action-thriller that has mesmerized fans worldwide.Customer ReviewsOne Excellent Comic BookHunter-Killer volume 1, is amazing. This is one of the best Top Cow comics! Mark Waid (writer) is an excellent story teller, while Marc Silvestri (artist) draws with energy and detail. The last chapters are drawn by Basaldua and Rocafort, who both do an amazing job as well. Yes it does get violent and gory, but that is what comics are for. If you enjoy comics like Cyber Force or X-men, this is a great pick.
Captain America: Operation Rebirth
 List Price: Price: $25.64 You Save: $4.35 (15%) DescriptionThe world again believes Captain America dead, but his life is saved by one he himself thought lost forever: S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter, the gallant girlfriend he saw perish in flames long before! But his one-time true love has only rescued him on behalf of his deadliest enemy, the Red Skull, who can't conquer the world until he and Cap stop Adolf Hitler and the Cosmic Cube from doing it first! Will working with one evil against another cost Cap his place as the U.S.A.'s premier protector? Guest-starring the Avengers and Doctor Doom! Collects Captain America #444-448 and #450-454Customer ReviewsCap at his best!Mark Waid and Ron Garney re-invigorated the man and put him back on track. I especially liked that both Operation Rebirth and it's follow-up story arc Man Without A Country were included in this collection, as I tend to view these as "part 1" and "part 2". If you were ever interested in who Captain America is (and really, who he SHOULD be for all you aspiring writers), start here. Make no mistake. This is a must read. Classic Cap at his best When Waid and Garney took over Cap, I was thrilled. Waid had made some wonderful stories for the Flash, and he did not disappoint with Operation Rebirth. As a longtime Captain America fan, I was thrilled to read this short run by Waid and Garney. The stories were great: Cap was re-invigorated; Sharon Carter was brought back in a way classic readers never expected; Shield was right there in your face; and of course, Cap's nemesis, the Red Skull has a leading part. The artwork on this comic is just beautiful. It was way ahead of all of it's counterparts at the time. Marvel made the disastrous decision of doing the Heroes Reborn re-launch of many Marvel comics, which ended this run by Waid and Garney. After having read the best Cap that I had ever read, I ended up cancelling comic book subscription to Cap when the Inferior 'Heroes Reborn' Captain America took the place of this run by Waid and Garney. I have never been so thrilled to read a comic as much as I was for Captain America in this era. If you like Captain America, this is a MUST READ! Waid "Rebirths" Cap The "Operation Rebirth" storyline was a major factor in reintroducing Captain America to a new generation in the late 90s. After Cap suffered a terrible run in the late 80s-early 90s (D-Man, anyone?), Waid was able to re-invigorate the character and give him something to fight for and against. The story is taut and tense; the art is crisp and clean. And the Red Skull is there as well. What more could you ask out of a Captain America story? While Waid and Garney's relaunching of the Captain America title and franchise didn't last beyond a handful of issues, this story still stands as one of the strongest ever. Read and enjoy. Great! With the Super-Soldier Serum wearing off, Captain America's body decays, and begins to die. Left alone in his death throes, Cap is spirited away, and revived by his old enemy, the Red Skull. Working with Cap's old flame, Sharon Carter, the Skull needs Cap's help to defeat a common enemy. Can Captain America trust the Red Skull? No. But, to save the free world, he might have to work with him. It is great to see Captain America again, and this comic novel carries him forward as the great hero we remember. The story is very good, and the illustrations are nothing short of excellent. I bought this book for my son, who liked it a lot, but I just had to steal it away and read it for myself. It's a great book, and my son and I both highly recommend it to you! Another classic Mark Waid tale For the realists, this is a great explanation of why Cap was thawed out in the '60's, but hasn't aged 30 years today. The only story better than this is the follow-up "Man Without A Country".
Irredeemable: Volume 1
 List Price: $9.99 DescriptionA comic book industry event: a new original ongoing superhero series from Mark Waid! IRREDEEMABLE dares to ask the question: what if the world's greatest hero decided to become the world's greatest villain? A "twilight of the superheroes"- style story that examines super-villains from the writer of KINGDOM COME and EMPIRE!Customer ReviewsCool concept and executionThis is just an excellent concept that is executed very well. I'm not a comic book guy, but I picked this one up and love it. Vol. 2 is on the way. Can't wait for 3 and 4. Decadent fun The Plutonian used to be the world's greatest superhero. What a fearsome superhero he was indeed with limitless strength, immeasurable speed, anti-gravity, impervious skin, enhanced senses, ocular radiation, and rumored telepathy... Unfortunately, Mark Waid's hero doesn't stay a hero. Something happens to corrupt Plutonian and he becomes the world's most terrifying enemy rather than its steadfast protector. Mark Waid says in an introduction to this first graphic novel installment of Irredeemable that: "In superhero comics, pretty much everyone who's called upon to put on a cape is, at heart, emotionally equipped for the job. I reject that premise." Sure, the idea isn't wholly original (although I'd argue that it's relatively unimportant in this case). What better example than that of Watchmen to demonstrate a history of super heroes completely emotionally unprepared to have the power to "protect"-and worse, to even decide for themselves what the populace needs protection from. So the tradition of the "perverted" superhero is there already. However, I think Mark Waid takes the story a different direction. Whereas Watchmen is concerned with morality, humanity, and different types of power, I'd say that Irredeemable is concerned wholly with power and psychology. What do I mean by "power" and "psychology"? Well, I mean that Irredeemable is actually a story that plays with the idea of what went wrong and the very humanity of that error. Of course, power plays into it-quite a lot-but the focus is on perverted humanity. And I totally dig that. In a way, it's hard to talk about Irredeemable without addressing two previous comics, at least for me. I've already mentioned Watchmen, so that's out of the way, so I may as well get to the other: Superman. As far as I could tell-and please keep in mind that I'm not at all a Superman fan, so I'm just going by what I view as general knowledge-there were a lot of Superman references. Such as the scene in which the Plutonian dances with his girlfriend while floating above the ground. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's a direct reference to Superman. And it makes total sense to have these references. In a lot of ways, Irredeemable wants to engage with the idea that Superman began. Superman is the hero that can save everyone and a man that can be ultimately trusted with that power. The Plutonian is what Superman might be if that trust was not well-founded. Really, I could gush about Irredeemable a long time. It's decadent fun. The art is gorgeous and well suited to the story. The plot and characters are grotesque, but all the more fun for that grotesqueness. The darkness is delicious. Honestly, I can't wait to begin the second volume. Took my expectations and slaughtered them ruthlessly Even perusing all of the raves in the press about Irredeemable, I was still skeptical. After more than two decades, we have yet to reach a saturation point when it comes to superhero deconstruction. Mark Waid finally caved into market forces, I posited, and penned his own "evil is cool" tale about a superhero with feet of clay. Yawn time. Man, did I get thrown for a loop. Envision the finest person you can think of, then envision the most vile. Now imagine the gulf that would have to be crossed for the former to become the latter. When other writers deconstruct heroes, they do stories about what are essentially corrupt evangelists; demagogues who present a valiant face to the adoring public, but behind the scenes reveal a decadent, cruel aspect. That sort of nihilistic attitude comes easily in today's comics, where fans happily gush about Garth Ennis' or Mark Millar's latest yarn of cape-bashing. But to actually present us with a man who uses his vast power to kill millions and terrorize the entire planet, and then show us how a few pages later how a short time ago that same character genuinely exhibited Superman's humility and goodness--how do you pull that off? Mind control? Evil universe doppleganger perhaps? There are no such cheats here. The reader sees how even the best of men can become disillusioned and immoral, and to some degree even empathize with him. Mark Waid is a dark and twisted [...] genius!!!! People think of Mark Waid as a tow the big name comic guy and why not? I have been a Mark Waid fan since his inspired work on the Flash. And ofcourse his work on "Kingdom Come" is legendary and probably the most recognizble comic since "The Dark Knight Returns". But what people don't know is that Mark Waid is one SICK TWISTED GENIUS. If anyone is a fan and wants to know where he can take a crazy story go read "EMPIRE" This was a story about a madman who ruled the world and not like marvel where he rules for six issues and then everything goes back to normal. No this is what if Doctor Doom ruled the world and killed everyone who opposes him and I mean kills and tortures alot. This was my first taste into what Mark Waid can do. And now it is my pleasure to read "Irredemeemable" this the Mark Waid I have been waiting for. The story is a rattlesnake,on the surface, what if a Superman like hero went evil but in the end it will just bite you in the ass. Short Synopsis: as his former teamates race around the world to find anything about the former hero turned greatest mass murder on earth they come to realize with dawining horror how much they relied on him and how much they don't know about him. We then begin to see parts of the puzzle that make him "IRREDEEMABLE" This was an awsome read and a great ride. A cross between Superman and Breaking Bad Irredeemable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause is an excellent book, and one of my favorite comics right now. I bought this first volume and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the concept shocked me and messed with my mind a bit. What if someone on par with Superman had gone bad, and started committing genocide on a massive scale? And how would the world's heroes (those who the Plutonian hasn't brutally murdered yet) stand up to this menace? Interesting, very interesting. As a longtime superhero fan I find this new spin on the genre highly entertaining, and in the skilled hands of Mark Waid the story shines and horrifies extremely well. The art by Peter Krause can be somewhat wooden at times, but overall its not bad to look at. The best part of the story is the Plutonian himself, and the mystery of why he turned to the dark side that his former teammates are trying to unravel as they desperately search for his weakness by delving into his past. All of the supporting characters are fleshed out rather well too, and the book is full of twists and surprises. Buy it if you like superheroics that are slightly askew. The art did not appeal to me, but other reviewers seem to praise it. Highly recommended. Waid Mark News
|
|
Comic Book ResourcesA Year of Cool Comic Book Moments - Day 141Today we take a look at a great moment from early in Mark Waid's run on Flash! Flash #73, by Mark Waid and Greg Larocque, opens with Wally West spending his first Christmas with his girlfriend, Linda Park. They're spending it with Jay and Joan Garrick.
NewsaramaWAID TV: Mark SableStudios and of course a superstar comics writer in his own right, Mark Waid hosts WAID TV with guest Mark Sable, writer of the new BOOM! miniseries “Unthinkable.” In this exclusive interview filmed at CBR Studios in Los Angeles, Sable discusses with Best Shots Extra: Unthinkable #1 A couple of Boom! comics that are arriving tomorrow