From the Five Of The Greatest ‘Year One’ Stories In Comics Posted 6/19/09 4:01 pm ET by Alan Kistler

Excerpts..

“JLA: YEAR ONE” (DC): …this story written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Barry Kitson, readers finally got to see how much the team awkwardly learned how to work together and what early menaces…

….several guest-stars (including Batman and Superman)…

“NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE” (DC): Written by Scott Beaty and Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Scott McDaniel….Dick Grayson decided he would no longer be Batman’s partner, Robin. ….seeking advice from Superman and chatting with the ghost of a long-dead acrobat….how Dick reacted to the news that there was now a new Robin in Gotham and just how he finally assumed the guise of a Kryptonian mythical hero called “Nightwing.”

“X-MEN: CHILDREN OF THE ATOM” (Marvel): …This story, written by Joe Casey and illustrated by Steve Rude, gave us a revised origin story on the teens who would become the original X-Men…

“GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN” (DC): Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ivan Reis, this was the story of how test pilot Hal Jordan became the Green Lantern…revealed previously unknown connections between characters, …foreshadowed stories from later years in Hal’s career (including the upcoming “Blackest Night” crossover)…..

“BATMAN: YEAR ONE” (DC): most successful of these revised origins…

…The first story to be called “Year One” is still the staple that others are measured against. Written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazuchelli..
…..

Focusing on mobsters and corrupt city officials rather than super-villains, this story is a character-driven piece…

….Honorable mentions go to “Green Arrow: Year One” and “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

Now that my new November 2008 Wizard has arrived, it’s time to replace out my October 2008 Wizard. But before I let it go, I thought I’d quickly skim through it one last time and make some notes:

1. Trolling Online – page 6
   1. comment from LORDD3R3K “I highly recommend going back and rereading Morrison’s run [on Batman] from the begining. Seriously dude, done in one sitting, the series has an amazing flow.
   2. “Man, what a great end for the first arc. Booster Gold is the bomb. It’s sad to see Geoff [Johns] and Jeff [Katz] leave, but the next arc seems fantastic.” – AJORTON
2. “Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?” by Neil Gaiman coming in January
3. Kevin Smith’s 3-part Batman: Cacophony coming in November
4. Geoff Johns and Ethan van Sciver’s Flash: Rebirth
5. Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk finally received the final script from co-creator Damon Lindelof, putting an end to the series that started in December 2005.
6. The Pull List – pg. 16 – Ghostbusters Manga Vol.1 (Tokyopop) – “A host of short stories starring your favorite Ghostbusters as they get slimed in true manga fashion.”
7. Trade Show (pg. 86)
   1. Superman: Krytonite – Darwyn Cooke and Time Sale (Sept 10) – $24.99(though it should be worth noting there is one review so far on Amazon for this, and it’s an average rating.)
   2. Batman: The Black Glove – Grant Morrison – Sept 3
8. Batman: Broken City – Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso.
9. Cleburne seems a bit intriguing. “The riveting and controversial Graphic Novel based on a true story” comes out in November 2008. It’s by Murphy, Milgrom, and Brown. And it revolves around Confederate General Patrick Cleburne who wants to free the slaves so they can fight. More on rampartpress.com

I came across this article on viewing digital comics on an iPhone or iPod touch today over on comicbookresources.com.

The application is by iVerse Media and they are looking to have comics start for $.99. In addition to getting comic adaptions and new comics from professionals, they are also accepting submissions from new creators. The info on this can be found over here on iVerse Comics’s Submissions Page. They need more than just an idea and/or script (damnit) – they want some sample artwork, etc.

Sounds like a great opportunity for someone who wants to get a comic off the ground and has the means to at least get started.

The July 27, 2008 Washington Post had a review on Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. It was reviewed by Evan Narcisse and got an A-.

In case you can’t read the screenshot I pasted of the review, Here’s a link to the Washington Post page featuring the review. I couldn’t search for it for the life of me on their site so I had to browse through the Sunday Source print edition to find it. Remind me to e-mail the web editor (Amanda McGrath and complain about that).