Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 3, Issue 8

Hopefully I’m able to actually post this up to the blog. Blogger is experiencing some difficulties this morning, you see, and as usual, I’ve waited until the very last moment to actually write anything post-able.

Now, it’s quite possible that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Blogger, and instead, there’s something wrong with me. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

So I’m currently typing this into a Word doc, and hoping that I’ll be able to copy/paste it onto the blog later on. (Preferably sometime before comics shops open up on the East Coast, because we all know how integral this column is to the publishers’ sales charts.)

We’ll see how that goes.

In the meantime, I wanted to touch upon the death of comic and animation writer and creator Dwayne McDuffie, who passed away suddenly yesterday.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a fan of McDuffie’s writing, and that, in a single issue of JLA that he penned--and, more specifically, a single spread in that comic--he managed to nail the heart of the Batman character.

McDuffie's comics were often like that--character studies; little conversations amidst lots of action.

More than just his writing, however, McDuffie brought attention to the fact that comics were almost completely devoid of diversity. And he worked to change that.

CBR has a really nice feature on McDuffie, where friends talk about his life and his work. You can check that out here.

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There's really no good way to transition from the above, so I'm just going to get right into this week's new comics.

First up, we have The New York Five, issue 2, from Vertigo.
I know it doesn't make much sense to recommend a number two issue--and especially one that requires some knowledge of the characters, but this book is too good not to mention.

This series is the sequel to the now-collected New York Four ($9.99 in trade paperback, from DC), and follows the college lives of four young women. Written by Brian Wood, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite comics creators today, and drawn by the amazing Ryan Kelly, the original series debuted under the now-defunct DC Minx line.

The New York Five has made the move over to Vertigo proper, and so far, the series picks up right where volume one left off. And, while I'll give you the solicitation information for issue two in just a minute, this is really a recommendation to run out and buy volume one.

Because of the price point, I've noticed that several stores in my area are carrying the trade, so chances are the book might be there when you hit your store later today. If you like slice of (New York) life stories, then this is the book for you. Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Here's the solicitation information for this week's issue from Vertigo:

Everyone has secrets, and Riley's are well documented! But what about the other girls in THE NEW YORK FIVE? In this second issue, Merissa and Lona deal with ghosts both at home in Queens and coming into JFK on the red-eye...

This book is excellent, and it gets the Official Exfanding Seal of Approval.

That's it for comics today, but I'd also like to remind you that the direct-to-DVD feature, All Star Superman, written by Dwayne McDuffie and based on the Grant Morrison classic, is out in stores now.
It was released yesterday, and I'm heading to Best Buy to procure my own copy tonight. From all accounts, it has received good reviews, and it looks pretty great. Morrison's story probably wasn't the easiest to turn into a film, but DC's direct-to DVD features have been solid overall, and I've enjoyed each of the ones I've purchased.

And with that, I need to get a move on. Before I do, though, what are you Waiting for?