Alex and Joe hang out and talk about Batman.
You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Autumnlands: Woodland Creatures
A few weeks ago I wrote about the first volume of The Autumnlands in this column (which you can find in a horribly typo filled post here because apparently I forgot to spell check). I was quite taken with the book, and remarkably surprised that I’d never come across the story before, and as I’m sure you’ve figured out, I picked up the second trade. This time for full price.
The second trade, Woodland Creatures picks up, with the aftermath of the bridge battle sending Dusty and Learoyd left abandoned on the ground as the rest of the citizens are rehomed.
Whereas the first volume touched on the divide of rich and poor in a class-based society, the second really drives home the differences between the magic users and the rest of the woodland creatures, culminating in a shocking and remarkably relevant commentary on the imposition of one’s will over another.
Slavery, class divide, religion, environmental damage and technological abuses are all touched upon here in a way that doesn’t come off as Kurt Busiek standing on a soapbox, but rather encouraging us to think about the world around us. Maybe something that seems impossible has a rather obvious solution when approached from a different angle.
If you’re looking for a fun fantasy story, then you will find what you’re looking for with the second volume in the Autumnlands saga. Without question, this is a top notch comic book. But like any great science fiction or fantasy series, the messages barely beneath the surface are more powerful and relevant for their seemingly innocuous delivery and framing within the confines of the story.
As with all great works of fiction, Woodland Creatures asks exactly as much of the reader as it needs to in order to encourage you become a better person. Yup. But as deeply as I have read into this book, and possibly far deeper than I should have, you don’t need to do that. This is a book that can be enjoyed solely as a great story.
Image has a vast library of great books, and while we’re still waiting on the third volume of the series, this book is worth reading now. Yes, there’s a set up for the following issue, and yes there are unanswered questions, but nothing that will haunt you long into the night (though the wait for the next chapter will suck).
As with most books covered in this column, it’s a book I don’t see getting the love it deserves – that’s why the book is Underrated. Go read it now. You won’t regret it.
Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.
Alex and Joe hang out and talk about the worst movie in super hero trilogies. Sort of. We don’t really know what we’re doing with this.
You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Autumn Lands: Tooth And Claw
In another case of “Alex bought something for Underrated without knowing anything about it beforehand,” we have The Autumn Lands: Tooth And Claw by Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey, Jordie Bellaire and John Roshell of Comicraft. I had never heard of this series before spotting it at my LCS last week as I restocked the trade shelves (I’m not a nice person, they pay me to do it). Then this week a used copy came in, and I couldn’t turn down a half priced trade.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that $5 was an utter steal for this book. Within four pages I had become absorbed into this wonderfull world of anthromorphic animals, magic and class based society.
Autumnlands is published by Image, with the first volume being released in 2015 that collects the six issues released from November 2014 to June 2015. There was a second volume released in 2017 that collects the eight issues released from November 2015 to January 2017. As a person who only recently discovered the series, I can imagine that the less than frequent release date didn’t help garner Autumnlands much buzz – but I could easily be wrong here as it is entirely possible I just missed it. Like I missed the comics.
Magic is failing in the world, and a group of sky-city dwelling wizards want to bring back the Great Champion so that he can show them how to return the world’s magic. Only… the wizards didn’t bring back a savior, they snagged themselves a soldier. An effective soldier, but a soldier nonetheless. From anther world, or time, or dimension. Into this new world, then, the soldier finds himself embroiled in the politics of a city (or he would if he seemed to care about such things), and it’s through the uses of the types of animals that we can see a class-based commentary begin to form.
Although this is more a rule of thumb than specifically stated, meat eaters, generally, seem to be at the top of the hierarchy, while herbivors are (quite literally) at the ground level. There are exceptions to this, including a wizarding giraffe, however. But put the politics and commentary aside, and you still have a solid fantasy story about a hero who finds himself alone in a strange world who must somehow protect and save those who need him. Busiek delivers on multiple levels with this book, and it’s easy to see why there’s a cover quote telling us it’s his best work in some time.
Likewise, there’s also a cver quote extolling Benjamin Dewey’s art work, and rightly so, as he and colourist Jordie Bellaire deliver the second punch with their all out visual assualt. Rarely have I been so surprised by a book’s visual impact as I was when reading this.
Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw is fatastic, and I’d have been supremely happy with this at twice the price – I’m pretty sure my LCS has volume two (or they did when I put it on the shelf), so I’ll be picking that up this weekend, too. Volume one is going to set you backaroud $10 new, which is an astounding deal for six issues, let alone six issues of this quality. Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw is a really good read, phenomenl, even.
But as with most books covered in this column, it’s a book I don’t see getting the love it deserves – that’s why the book is Underrated. Go read it now. You won’t regret it.
Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.
Alex and Joe hang out and talk about toys (mostly).
You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
This column is a rerun from late 2018. Enjoy!
This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Thrud the Barbarian
Another week, and yet another case of “Alex bought something for Underrated without knowing anything about it beforehand,” or it would be had Alex not received Carl Critchlow‘s Thrud the Barbarian a few years ago from the now defunct Comic Bento. Published by Titan Comics, the trade paperback collects the original Thrud the Barbarian five issue miniseries, as well as a couple of single page shorts from White Dwarf magazine, and was originally published in 2013. If you missed this when it first came out, don’t be surprised – I’m not sure it was ever released on a large scale outside Britain.
Thrud the Barbarian is what I’d consider a quintessentially British comic; it blends in equal parts the violence , chaos and destruction that one would expect from a Conan parody with the silliness and tongue in cheek humour that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Monty Python skit. But with a lot more smashed heads and limbs flying free of bodies. The Titan Comics collection consists of five stories that can be read independently of each other (seven if you’re counting the bonus strips), or in one go – which is what I did when rereading it recently.
Honestly, I reread it because I was reorganizing my bookcase and saw the cover again and wanted something fun, easy and not too deep or involved to read. Thrud was certainly that, and I loved every irreverent thought, every stunningly painted cover, and the computer coloured artwork. It was exactly the kind of book that I needed to read after a busy week, a book that I am glad I own, and one I am even happier that I noticed on the shelf.
As a fan of heroic fantasy books, I loved Critchlow’s send up of the genre; the visualization and sight gags and some brilliant punchlines across all the stories in in the collection. I loved every aspect of this book; the sound effects, the dumb-as-a-post hero just wants his beer and the cartoon-like hyper violence that ties it all together in such a lovely package.
Without a doubt this is one of my favourite books I’ve ever written about for this column, even if I did forget I owned it for a little while.
And yet, had it not been for the Bento box, I would never have heard of this book. Which is easily one of the best aspects of the online blind box subscription thingies – the introduction to new and exciting books and comics you otherwise would never have been exposed to. Consequently, this is a book I don’t see getting the love it deserves – that’s why the book is Underrated.
Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.
After Matthew beat Joe in Batman trivia last week, his prize/reward/curse was to come back with his choice of topic; a dive into Free Comic Book Day from a publisher, comic shop worker and consumer’s perspective.
Matthew’s book Crashing is available now through IDW Publishing. His webcomic The Rhyme Scheme is available for free here. He can be found on Twitter @matthewklein316 and Instagram @macktheknife1116.
You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Animated Series
I woke up stupidly early this morning, and as I sat on the couch waiting for the kettle to boil ignoring my cats I realized that when I was a kid I would often be up at this time willingly for one reason and one reason only: cartoons. I’ve always felt that superhero cartoons were somewhat looked down upon when I was younger, and while that may not be the case now, that still means there’s a wealth of animate superhero adventures out there that may not have the same cult following as Batman: The Animated Series.
And yes, I’ll use cartoons and animated series interchangeably.
A few things before we start; firstly, these animated series may not be strictly underrated, but rather they may not be fore front on your mind any more. Secondly, I’ve got eclectic taste so these may not be for everybody so be prepared for some potentially foolish claims. Thirdly, these cartoons are all upwards of five or more years old. Lastly, this isn’t a complete, or inclusive, list and it is completely subjective.
X-Men: The Animated Series
Debuting in the early 90’s, this show has one of the greatest opening theme tunes of any cartoon before or since. Perhaps not solely responsible for my love of comics, and despite it being slightly over shadowed by some more modern cartoons, it remains to this day one of my most fondly remembered cartoon versions of an X-Men comic.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man, Spider-Man… the theme tune here was my ring tone for years. What’s more impressive is that I had to actually compose it using the Nokia phone’s number pad. That this was also a brilliantly enjoyable TV show that provided numerous hours of enjoyment is a happy after thought.
The Batman
Okay, so nothing will ever compare to the Batman: The Animated Series, but this short lived cartoon was pretty enjoyable. A young Batman finding his way in Gotham City gave this show a very Batman Begins like feel without the gritty realism; it was a fun look into the Caped Crusader’s early years. Oddly significantly better than Gotham, a much darker live action TV show released years later.
Defenders Of The Earth
The first time I was ever exposed to the Phantom was with this cartoon (get your mind out of the gutter), and he’s been one of my favourites ever since. This may not hold up as well now as some of the others from that era, but I’ll always remember it fondly.
There we have it – a mere handful of underrated animated comic book adaptations that I was thinking of over my morning cup of tea. There are undoutedly more cartoons influenced by comics that are worth watching, so there’s a good chance there will be a second (or third) part to this list eventually when I’m not reminiscing over bygone years.
In the mean time, Underrated will return to highlight more comic book related stuff that either gets ignored despite it’s high quality, or maybe isn’t quite as bad as we tend to think it is.
Until next time!
Alex found a Batman trivia game, and so has challenged Matthew Klein to test his knowledge against Joe in the first of what could be many trivia based episodes.
Matthew’s book Crashing is available now through IDW Publishing. His webcomic The Rhyme Scheme is available for free here. He can be found on Twitter @matthewklein316 and Instagram @macktheknife1116.
You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Thundercats
In another case of “Alex brought something to read just for this column” we have the Thunder Cats miniseries from Wildstorm that I found in the dollar bin at my LCS. Previous iterations of this theme in Underrated have often been a success (aside from Holy Terror which was a terrible comic, but a great column if I do say so myself), but will this one?
Well… kinda. I read the five issues of the miniseries with no context whatsoever which is par for the course when you find something in a dollar bin with no real idea when it was released (2002 is the answer to that). Assuming that you, dear reader, are like me and have some basic familiarity with the 1980’s cartoon, or one of the later iterations.
The thing is with this miniseries is that there is almost no hint given toprevious events, so if you pick this up hoping for a gentle introduction into the world of the Thundercats then you’ll be a touch disappointed. However, the story is still remarkably easy to follow because although Thundercats is a five issue miniseries it feels more like five episodes of a cartoon show with at best a slim plot that leads from the first to last issue. While this may lead some to claim that is leaves the series feeling like a vapid and disjointed mess, I’ll make the case that it invokes a powerful sense of nostalgia that allows children of the 80’s or 90’s the opportunity to easily reconnect with a treasured piece of your childhood.
I would give you a plot summary, but it basically boils down to “the Thundercats are trying to make a new home and are being opposed by villains.” Which is fine. I enjoyed the overly implistic nature of the main plot almost as much as I enjoyed the feeling that each comic was an episode of the show.
Why, then, does this make an appearance in this week’s Underrated? Because I had never heard of the series before, and made an assumption that if you found this in a dollar bin then you’dlikely pass it over as licensed tat. It isn’t tat at all, and was certainly enjoyable enough to spend a half hour or so with for a column that’s supposed to highlight unsung gems, and at best this is a moderately shiny dollar bin gem (unfortunately I had left it too late to read something else for the column so here we are).
Maybe next week I’ll find an actual gem?
Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.
