Author Archives: Phil

About Phil

With 40 years of experience in comic reading, collecting and reviewing, English Professor Phil Mateer has an encyclopedic mind for comics. Feel free to ask Phil about storylines, characters, artists or for that matter, any comic book trivia. He will post your questions and answers on the AABC blog. His knowledge is unparalleled! He is also our warehouse manager, so if you are looking for that hard to find comic book, ask Phil!

Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #259

Yet another week with lots of first issues; comics fans certainly can’t complain about a lack of new options this year!  Let’s start with Marvel, who are offering three brand-new titles (even though they’re all revivals…): She-Hulk #1 — Writer: Charles Soule;  Art: Javier Pulido This is a well-done first issue: it takes the best ideas from the character’s previous run (especially that she’s a lawyer specializing in superhero legislation, meaning her stories can involve practically anyone in the Marvel universe), adds a new wrinkle (she quits her job at her current law firm, and has to decide what to … Continue reading

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Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #258

Let’s start with the Marvel output this week, since there are a couple of new first issues: Ms. Marvel #1 — Writer: G. Willow Wilson;  Art: Adrian Alphona This one’s gotten some press coverage, since the title character, Kamala, is a 16-year-old daughter of Pakistani immigrants, and a Muslim. Wilson does a good job of making her a normal kid; she hangs out at the Marvel equivalent of a Circle K with a couple of friends before school, writes Avengers fanfic, fights with her parents about wanting to go to parties with boys, sneaks out to do it, and then a … Continue reading

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Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #267

Since there are a fair number of books this week, let’s be different and break them down by company…. Deadly Class #1 — Writer: Rick Remender;  Art: Wes Craig Pretty Deadly #4 — Writer: Kelly Sue Deconnick;  Art: Emma Rios Bad Dog #6 (of 6) — Writer: Joe Casey;  Art: Diego Greco Image’s business model — for a set administrative fee, they provide a publishing platform for creators, who retain all rights to their work — has attracted a number of excellent writers and artists over the last few years, and led to a sprawling, diverse group of titles. Cases … Continue reading

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Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #266

All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1 — Creators: Various This is a series of eight-page stories involving five new Marvel launches — Silver Surfer, Ms. Marvel, The Invaders, Black Widow and Avengers World — meant to showcase those books’ creative teams and tempt readers into buying the comics; the stories are all woven together with a quest by Loki, who’s also headlining a new title: Loki, Agent of Asgard. Points here for making each episode a brand-new story, and not just a reprint of pages from the various first issues — but points off for charging readers $6 for the … Continue reading

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Phil’s Reviews: Stuff I Bought #265

Sergio Aragones Funnies #11 — Creator: Sergio Aragones Aragones had some back problems earlier this year, and this book stopped coming out, but they’ve been fixed and he’s returned, and that’s welcome news: he’s one of our greatest living cartoonists. People who think of him only as the guy who does the marginal gags in Mad might be surprised at just how good a storyteller he is, but a comic like this lets him stretch out and show his versatility: there’s a memoir about getting Mad editor William Gaines a present, a horror story with a neat twist, a “war” … Continue reading

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