Tag: siena fallon

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An Ultimate Comics Announcement

If you’re a customer at Ultimate Comics, then I’m guessing that we’ve met before. I’ve been lucky enough to work at the shops for the past four years, first managing Ultimate Comics Durham, then moving over to manage the Ultimate Comics Cary location, and most recently serving as the Operations Manager for all three stores.

I spent my days chatting with all of you about our favorite comics, the heroes we admired, the writers and artists who left an impact on us, and our love of such an amazing medium. I’ve had the chance to work with amazing people. Everyone who works at Ultimate has an unparalleled love for comics and for this business; it’s been a privilege to work alongside them. I’ve made lifelong friends with my coworkers and with some of the customers at the shop.

Working together, I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’ve given out thousands of comics at some of the biggest Free Comic Book Day events in the state. We’ve given back, partnering with amazing charities and nonprofits like Magic Wheelchair and the Hero Initiative. We’ve helped save hundreds of lives through the blood drives run by the Blood Connection. And perhaps most importantly, we’ve helped build an incredible community right here in the triangle. A community that embodies one of my core personal beliefs, that comic books are for everyone.

Looking back on all of this, it is with mixed emotions that I announce that I will be leaving Ultimate Comics in February. I have been given an exciting opportunity in the comic book industry (stay tuned for more news on that) and will be moving out of state.

While I am excited to make this big change, I will miss my family at Ultimate Comics greatly. I will miss the shops as well, shops I truly believe to be some of the best in the country. I know that everyone will continue the store’s mission of serving it’s community and promoting the comic book medium. My Assistant Manager Harrison will be taking the reigns at the Cary store and I’m so excited to see what he and the rest of the staff have in store for you in the coming year.

I want to thank Alan, the owner of Ultimate Comics for giving me some incredible opportunities during my time here. He has been such a positive force for comics in North Carolina and it’s been an honor working with him. 

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be at Ultimate Comics Cary, so make sure to come by for one last comics chat!

-UC Operations Manager Siena Fallon

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The Green Lantern #3 Review

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Liam Sharp

Colorist: Steve Oliff

Letterer: Tom Ozrechowski

Variant Cover: Jae Lee and June Chung

 

When DC’s The Green Lantern series was announced, writer Grant Morrison described his pitch as a more grounded take on the character. Hal Jordan is a space cop and this 12 issue series would be treated as a police procedural, one that focused on the day to day rather than the apocalyptic storylines that the corps has been known to deal with. Naturally that means the third issue features Hal Jordan trying to arrest God.

 

No, not that God. Just an alien that happens to look like the God from the Old Testament. The Earth has been put on the black market and along with characters like Steppenwolf from the planet Apokolips, this Shephard is an interested buyer. No one is buying the Earth if Hal has anything to say about it.

 

This issue is another fantastic entry in this must-read series. Morrison continues to buck against the decompressed storytelling that has become the norm in comics. Each issue is meant to serve as a near self-contained story that adds to an overarching storyline told throughout the 12 issue series. Meaning that any reader can grab any issue off the shelf and hop in without feeling lost or feeling like they were cheated out of a full story.

 

While facing off with God may not sound like typical police procedural fare, Morrison has done a great job making the series feel like a grounded take on the character while keeping the surroundings and plot lines as strange as one would expect from a Morrison sci-fi comic. It strays far from feeling like a typical superhero comic. This is classic British science fiction comic book storytelling. Think old school 2000 AD rather than DC Comics.

 

Issue 3 is filled with high concept science-fiction goodness. It somehow manages to be politically relevant without issues feeling forced or out of place. The creatures from Dhor that play a prominent role in the issue are Randian caricatures, showing the result of an amoral society built around a rampant free market. There’s a ncie allusion to our society’s apathy towards an increasingly dismal looking future on planet Earth. And the ending and next issue might promise some comment on police brutality.

Liam Sharp is the perfect artist for this book. His work is again something out of 2000 AD mag. Every panel is so intricately detailed that one can spend chunks of time picking out new favorite details. Sharp’s work on this series has been some of the best in comics right now. You can tell he is leaving everything on the page.

 

Green Lantern #3 is a stand out issue of an excellent comic series and is a must read for any fan of the medium. Check it out and grab issues #1 and 2 to catch up on one of the most rewarding series in comics coming out right now!

 

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Conan the Barbarian #1

Writer: Jason Aaron

Penciler: Mahmud Asrar

Colorist: Matthew Wilson

Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

Cover: Esad Ribic

 

By Crom, Conan is back, and at Marvel no less! This month you’re going to notice that Marvel is going all in on Conan. Marvel’s launching two new ongoings with Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan done by Gerry Duggan and Ron Garney, an Age of Conan mini-series done by friend of the store Tini Howard and Kate Niemczyk, and a full month of Conan True Believers! For those new to the character that may seem like a lot, but Conan was once a Marvel Comics staple. With Marvel celebrating its 80th anniversary, bringing Conan back to the fold feels right.

 

Now I will fully admit that my Conan credentials may seem light. My dad was a big Conan fan. I remember reading through some late 70’s Conan as a kid, but I always preferred Thor. I was, however enthralled by the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan movies. In those movies, Arnold succeeded in making Conan larger than life and while a bit silly at times, the sense of adventure always kept me coming back for more. Besides, the sequel had Grace Jones as a badass warrior and Wilt Chamberlain…nuff said. Despite my eternal disappointment that Conan the Destroyer’s ending teaser was never followed through, I had never been motivated to check out the comics until now.

 

It was writer Jason Aaron’s enthusiasm for the source material that got me excited to give Conan a try. When the series was announced, he tweeted a photo of his bookshelf filled to the brim with Conan novels and comic collections. Since his Thor is one of the best comics coming out right now, I knew I had to give Conan a try. This issue did not disappoint.

 

Aaron’s love for the character radiates off of the pages. The book opens with a beautiful two page spread with art from the original Marvel era of Conan. It was nice to see the homage, but Aaron makes sure to deliver his take on the character. Similar to his Thor run, we aren’t seeing a story from just one period of Conan’s life. The Life and Death of Conan starts off while Conan is still just an adventurer but threads into his life as King Conan of Aquilonia. Aaron delivers a fast-paced and bloody first issue, filled with the brawls, and pulpy dialogue you’d expect from a Conan story.

 

Mahmud Asrar’s art more than keeps up with the pace of the story. Conan is the statuesque and legendary figure of myth, but the art remains kinetic and energetic. Matthew Wilson sticks with a heavy red and brown color palette helping set the tone, underscore the violence, and build the world.

 

This issue was a great start to the series, perfect for long-time Conan fans and new readers. I’m excited to see the rest of the new Conan line. If you’ve been jonesing for a fun fantasy romp, don’t miss this issue.