Another Week, another Week in Panels! Which is full of Panels!

As mentioned, and if you didn’t see it, Week in Panels was in fact given a shout out over at Nerdist last week. It’s pretty cool getting a referenced over at a bigger website, so big thanks to Charles Webb for that.

Meanwhile, in this weekly edition of Week in Panels, things are absolutle chalk full thanks to the help of Gaiji Dan, Matlock, AnarChris, and Gavok. Gaijin Dan should probably be happy that his usual manga contributions were given a special note in Webb’s WiP shout-out. Lots of double – and even triple – representations on display.

So, yeah…YAY!

Now that I’ve successfully patted us on the back hard enough to cure us of any choking hazards that might have coincidentally been happening at the exact same time, let’s get on to panels, shall we?

Action Comics: Futures End #1

(Sholly Fisch and Pascal Alixe)

Angry Birds Comics #7

(Paul Tobin and David Baldeon)

Avengers World #1 [Gavok’s Pick]

(Nick Spencer and Marco Checchetto)

Avengers World #1 [Matlock’s Pick]

(Nick Spencer and Marco Checchetto)

Read the rest of this entry �

And now, after much delay, it’s time for that time of the week – Week in Panels time. That time where we take panels and use them to sum up the comics of the week.

This week I’m joined by Gaijin Dan and Gavok. It’s probably a broken record by this point, but IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series? Gavok and I both agree that it’s pretty dang awesome. The current Turtles in Time miniseries equally so.

That and others as we get this panel party rolling!

All-New Invaders #9

(James Robinson and Steve Pugh)

 All-New Ultimates #7

(Michel Fiffe and Giannis Milonogiannis)

All-Star Western #34

(Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Darwyn Cooke)

Read the rest of this entry �

STOP! Don’t read THIS WEEK IN PANELS! It’s really a trap!

READ THIS WEEK IN PANELS!

IF YOU DO, YOU SIMPLY FALL FOR THEIR TRAP!

Or not. I’m not sure, It’s all kind of fuzzy, really. The metaphorical context just kind of went right over my head.

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, read The Multiversity. Maybe you’ll have an easier time figuring it out than I did.

In the meantime, here’s this weeks edition of This Week in Panels, as provided by myself, Matlock, and Gavok. Noticeably absent this week is Gaijin Dan, whose standard-issue source of panels took a Japanese Holiday. He didn’t mention which one, and I didn’t bother to look it up either.

All-New Ghost Rider #6

(Felipe Smith and Damion Scott)

All-New Ultimates #6

(Michel Fiffe and Amilcar Pinna)

Angry Birds Comics #6

(Jeff Parker and Stefano Intini)

Read the rest of this entry �

What time is it? Why, it’s time for This Week in Panels! Yay!

This week I’m aided by Gaijin Dan, Matlock, and Gavok. Gavok noted that there’s a lot of Gerry Duggan, but I can’t say I’m seeing it.

This weeks issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was pretty dang great. It’s almost an entire issue dedicated to subverting the classic Krang and Shredder team-up of the 80’s, and they do a terrific job with it and fitting things in to the status quo of the IDW series.

If you’re a fan of the Ninja Turtles, I really can’t recommend the series enough.

Ok, PANEL TIME!

Astronerd

(Kazue Kato)

Avengers World #11

(Nick Spencer and Raffaele Ienco)

Batman #34

(Scott Snyder, Gerry Duggan, and Matteo Scalera)

Read the rest of this entry �

It’s time for another edition of This Week in Panels (Belated Version)! This week I’m joined by Gaijin Dan, Matlock, TheAnarChris, and Gavok.

Gavok and Matlock decided to have a fun time with Black Widow and Punisher this week. As best I can figure, the two comics are telling the same story, and so the panels from those two comics show the same thing but from different angles drawn by different artists. It’s fascinatingly fun.

I also picked up Superior Spider-Man for the first time ever this week, though I saw it less as purchasing an issue of Superior Spider-Man and more as purchasing a prologue to the upcoming Edge of Spider-Verse because that’s what it was pretty much billed as. They weren’t kidding, either. I don’t know how critical the issue will be when the ball gets rolling for real, but it definitely feels like this is where the event kicks off.

But enough of my yammering, let’s see some panels!

Action Comics Annual #3

(Greg Pak, Ken Lashley, Aaron Kude, Jack Herbert, Cliff Richards, Julius Gopez, Will Conrad, and Pascal Alixe)

Angry Birds Comics #5

(Paul Tobin, Corrado Mastuntuono and Dian Fayolle)

Aquaman and the Others #5

(Dan Jurgens and Lan Medina)

Read the rest of this entry �

Welcome back to This Week in Panels, that weekly bit where we cut down comics with a chainsaw until only the most crucial panels remain to tell you everything you really need to know about them.

Helping me hack comics to pieces this week are Gaijin Dan, Matlock, and Gavok. All of us are armed and dangerous, but we’re really not much a threat as long as you don’t let us get in close.

As you might expect after last week, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy this week. The movie didn’t quite live up to what I was expecting, but I’m pretty sure that’s only because what I was expecting was pretty much impossible for any movie to live up to. It’s still right up there alongside Winter Soldier and Dark World to help Marvel’s Phase 2 kick Phase 1’s butt, and it is without a doubt by far the flat out funniest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date – I can’t think of another of Marvel’s movies that even comes close in the number of straight-up laugh out loud moments.

Gavok could back me up on that, too. He flat out said “Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet? Go see Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Provided he’s not too busy morning over Zilius Zox, at least.

But enough of that, it’s time for panels!

All-New Ghost Rider #5 [Gavok’s Pick]

(Felipe Smith & Tradd Moore)

All-New Ghost Rider #5 [Matlock’s Pick]

(Felipe Smith & Tradd Moore)

Aquaman Annual #2

(Jeff Parker & Alvaro Martinez)

Read the rest of this entry �

Ooga Chaka

Ooga, Ooga, Ooga Chaka

Ooga, Ooga, Ooga Chaka

Ooga, Ooga, Ooga Chaka

It’s This Week in Panels! That weekly thing where we…take single comic panels for… summarizing.

I’m feeling real hyped right now…for a certain movie….Guardians of the Galaxy…believe it, it’s a thing!

Alright, that’s probably gone on long enough. Helping keep this column full of panels this week are Gavok – the Thief, Space Jawa – the Thug, Gaijin Dan – the Assassin, and Matlock – the Maniac.

And now it’s time to get hooked on some panels.

Afterlife with Archie #6

(Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Francesco Francavilla)

All-New Invaders #8 (Gavok’s Pick)

(James Robinson & Steve Pugh)

All-New Invaders #8 (Matlock’s Pick)

(James Robinson & Steve Pugh)

Read the rest of this entry �

Gavok: BTW, after Week 250, I’m taking a break from Week in Panels. I have a lot of real world responsibilities now and don’t have time for it.

Space Jawa: What would it take for someone to take over for you?

Gavok: Why, you want to?

Space Jawa: Yeah.

Gavok: Sure, have at it.

And that’s the abridged version of how I became the new host of This Week In Panels.

Oh, and then Gavok went out, bought a cigar, lit it, and then reached through the internet so he could put it out in my face. I think because he was trying to make a tradition out of it or something? I don’t know.

Jerk.

Anyway, joining me this week are Gaijin Dan, Matlock, TheAnarCHris, and Gavok himself. Gavok, Matlock, and I are all in agreement that the art on She-Hulk continues to be terrible, though I’m the only one who managed to get all the way through it. I’ll probably hold off on further issues until they get someone better, though. Because as it stands, I’m feeling inclined to think that I could do a better job.

Believe me when I say that I don’t make such statements lightly.

But let’s get to some panels, shall we?

Avengers World #9 (Matlock’s Pick)

(Nick Spencer & Stefano Caselli)

Avengers World #9 (Gavok’s Pick)

(Nick Spencer & Stefano Caselli)

Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet #5

(Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman, & Ty Templeton)

Read the rest of this entry �

(After some unintended delay…) THIS! Is Week in Panels!

Greetings, and welcome to a brand new edition of This Week in Panels, where brevity is the soul of comic reviews. And NOW(!), it’s time to kick things off with this brand NU reboot-that’s-totally-not-a-reboot edition.

As always, for those who are Nu-ly joining us, This Week in Panels works as following: The contributors take all the comics they’ve read for the week, and then pick out the one panel from each of those issues that best summarizes that comic. The two major rules being 1) No Splash Pages, and 2) Don’t pick a panel from the first or last page of the issue.

Other than that, it’s pretty much fair game!

Contributing this week as I take over from Gavok are “Marvelous” Matlock, “Dandy’” Gaijin Dan, “Grinnin’” Gavok himself, and myself, your new host, “Smilin’” Space Jawa.

And NOW!, let’s get to some panels!

Provided I can avoid making any (more) first-time mistakes…

All-New Invaders #7

James Robinson & Mark Laming

The Amazing Spider-Man #1.3

Dan Slott & Ramon Perez

Angry Birds Comics #3

Jeff Parker & Paco Rodriquez

Read the rest of this entry �

It’s time for This Week in Panels! The weekly segment where my wonderful contributors and I all take the comics we’ve read over the course of this week and cut them down into one panel. One representative panel that tries to explain the issue. We’ve only been doing this for… oh shit, 250?! Christ.

Yes, it’s Week 250. For nearly five years I’ve been doing this series. I started this back when Old Man Logan and Blackest Night were still going on. I originally got the idea during the short time I was writing at Pop Culture Shock. I did a bunch of one-paragraph comic reviews every week and I hated it. How many times can you write the same review of Ed Brubaker’s Captain America?

A few years before that, one comic site I can’t remember (probably Newsarama) had a preview of an upcoming issue of Civil War. Rather than show several pages, it just showed a handful of panels without context. I found the whole thing more intriguing than if we got the regular style of preview and I guess that just stayed with me. Another thing that stuck with me was when people would talk about the first Agents of Atlas series. One thing I’ve read once or twice was that it didn’t matter what you had to say about the comic in terms of opinion. Just show the panel of a 1950’s robot running down a hallway carrying a talking gorilla while said gorilla shoots four guns via both hand and both feet. That says everything.

I figured that I read a bunch of comics on a weekly basis, but nobody really had any interest in my opinions. Why would they? I’m just some guy on the internet. Worse than that, I’m a guy whose favorite character is an alien-wearing journalist-turned-hobo with delusions of grandeur recognized for being one of the poster boys of everything wrong with the 90’s. My opinions should be taken with a grain of salt. Why talk about what I read when I could just show you in its purest form and let you decide for yourself? I suggested the This Week in Panels idea to David and he put a cigar out on my face. I took that to mean, “Yes, go ahead.”

ThWiP has been very good to me and I was happy to see that it got enough regular readers and regular contributors. Gaijin Dan and Space Jawa especially, who never missed a beat when it came to sending me their stuff. I’m glad to see my idea was vindicated and it kept enough people interested.

With a heavy heart, I’m announcing that after 250 wonderful weeks, I’m stepping down from This Week in Panels. It sucks, but I need to move on. One of the things about starting ThWiP was that I wanted to do a weekly series for the sake of proving to myself that I could hit a regular deadline. And I did. Unless there was a hurricane or some kind of power-destroying storm, I hit the update every Sunday. Then I got my position at Den of Geek US, which has responsibilities beyond just writing articles. Plus my main job has been keeping me busier and busier. ThWiP updates went from regularly happening over the course of Sunday night to late Monday night or even early Tuesday morning. Simply put, I actually have real deal deadlines to deal with now.

Hell, I haven’t written a non-ThWiP update for 4thletter! since WrestleMania happened. I kind of need to rectify that and I have only so many hours in the day.

ThWiP isn’t done-done, at least. Space Jawa, otherwise known as Michael Stangeland (or as I keep accidentally typing, “Strangeland”) will be taking up the mantle. Personally, I can’t wait to see what he’s capable of.

Anyway, I still have this 250th update to do. We got me, Gaijin Dan, Matlock, Space Jawa, Was Taters, AnarChris and Dickeye. Let’s go down the road one more time.

Action Comics #33
Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift, Pt 2
Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru

Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet #4
Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman and Ty Templeton

Read the rest of this entry �