A Skrully Mort

Morbius isMichael Morbius, a biochemist who tried to cure his rare blood condition with an experimental treatment involving vampire bats. Can anyone be surprised that it went horribly wrong and he became the "living vampire" an occasional enemy and ally of Spider-Man.

Okay, this weeks Mort is ridiculously difficult, so good luck. Just so my comments section isn't completely empty, let's add a comic-themed question. Give me your top five favorite comics currently being put out and explain why. Here's mine:

5. Booster Gold- Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. The set-up (Booster doing the Quantum Leap bit throughout the DC Universe) is original, and the fact that the resolution usually comes through Booster's brain and not his powers is just a plus.

4. Flash- I've never been a huge fan of the Flash Mythos, but the recent addition of Wally West's twins adds a humor that makes this title a must have for me.

3. Metamorpho (Year One) - The year one series are updating the origins of DC characters, and this mini series has been outstanding in doing just that for DC's Hulk.

2. The Atom / Blue Beetle- Yeah, I'm cheating by putting two, but this is a legitimate tie. Both of these titles are legacy characters who skew more towards humor than straight up action. Both are kind of quirky, but somehow seem to work flawlessly.

1. The Brave and the Bold- Mark Waid putting together the most random pairings of characters in the DC universe and George Perez drawing it. What's not to love about this?

A Morbid Mort

I was pleasantly surprised with the response to my departure from the game last week, so we will do more of that in the future. However, it wouldn't be the Mort Game if we didn't, you know, play the game every so often. The new Mort is up.

In some quick comics chat, Keeper mentioned in his last comment being excited for the last issue of Illumanati. After reading it, I would have to agree. Big exciting doings in the Marvel universe, although I wish that they would actually finish one crisis (World War Hulk) before they move on to the next.

This week is going to be a banner day in the Hylemon household as my wife says. All-Star Superman, Booster Gold, Captain Carrot, Salvation Run, A Teen Titans Special, Welcome to Tranquility, Captain Marvel, House of M: Avengers, Marvel Comics Presents, Thor, and X-Factor are some of the comics I am most excited about.

Have a great week!

Comic Book Art Review

Nico Minoru is the mystic leader of the Runaways occasionally known as Sister Grimm. When she bleeds, her "Staff of One" appears and she is able to cast virtually any spell (although she can apparently only use a spell once). I'm constantly surprised that I catch everyone with Runaways morts, since it is one of the best series on the shelf today. Unfortunately, since Joss Whedon has taken over (whom I love), the series has become at best a quarterly title. I have the entirety of the series if you want to read it. By the time you finish it, the next issue may be out.

A change of pace today. Instead of our usual game, I thought we could talk about comic book artists. I've told several of you that I am weird for a comic book reader,because I usually tend to ignore the artwork in favor of the text. Even I, however, have to be impressed by some of the art work I see. Conversely, some art is so visually jarring that it makes it impossible to focus on a good story. What makes for good comic art, and what is "distractingly bad" (as Jennifer and I often label work)? Here is some of my favorite and least favorite artists:

Favorites:

George Perez- A veteran who has drawn every major character for either of the big two. Crisp, clean art that is beyond beautiful. Check his work out in the current Brave and the Bold Series.

David Finch- Got his start at Top Cow, but currently brings his super detailed art to Marvel.

Greg Horn- Realistic Painting with alot of humor (especially the covers to the current She-Hulk Series).

Greg Land- Probably best known for his ability to draw really beautiful women, he has that sort of detailed artwork that makes every picture pop off the page. Find his work in the current Ultimate Power series.

Least Favorites:

Howard Chaykin- I don't know if it is because everything I've read by him is tinged with his liberal political leanings, but I just can't get myself to enjoy anything with his name attached to it. His work also seems blocky, and every character he draws appears to be bloated.

Leinil Yu- Yu's work may just be too stylized for my liking. His art on New Avengers makes my head hurt a little.

Skottie Young- It has something to do with body proportion and detail, or the lack thereof.

Others:

I'm not sure I could put either of these as favorites, but when I'm in the right mood I really enjoy these two.

Mike Allred- His Solo book was one of the best I've ever read. His work is distinctive and very visually appealing.

Keith Giffen- Again, it is very stylized, but not really in a negative way. What he does with perspective makes for a different reading experience.

So, who are your favorite artists and why?