and so it begins

[some_stars]

I just exchanged money for a comic book for the first time in...I believe five years; summer 2006 is the last time I remember being in a comics shop, and even that was just for back issues. But now that I've caught up on all the X-Factor I downloaded, I feel guilty about downloading new ones since I would actually very much like this book to continue, preferably forever. I had to go to two shops to find #224--there are three near me, which is nice, if potentially dangerous--and it felt really, really weird to just pick up one issue and go to the counter and buy that single issue. I never used to do that. I wasn't sure I could do that; I feel like an alcoholic who just had one drink and then stopped.

I plan to continue exchanging money for X-Factor, and anything Young Avengers-related (as long as it remains awesome), and probably nothing else. I want to support queer characters and good writing, but I still feel generally hateful toward the entire institutional culture of superhero comics, and also I have no money. And also, as long as I only buy a couple books a month, I can put off having to get another longbox and deal with where the hell I would even put it. My old ones are currently acting as furniture, and I have to move the printer anytime I want to get something out of them. Then I have to finish reading whatever it is in one sitting so I can put it away and move the printer back, because there's literally nowhere else for it to be. So that's a problem.

Comments

[sister_wolf]

Who is on X-Factor right now? Both writer & team members. That was one of the titles I followed a couple of years ago.

[some_stars]

It's still Peter David, and Emanuela Lupacchino has been on pencils since 208, with a couple issues done by other people. I really like her work, though it's not as special as the Sook and Calero-type art of the early issues--it has less atmosphere and the composition tends to be much more ordinary, but it's not *bad,* it's really quite good. And she's wonderful at facial expressions, and little touches with body language, and making everyone look extremely attractive but still like individuals and not at all bland. She's very cheesecake-influenced in both good and bad ways, but mostly good; I like that a book so focused on characterization gets a lot of attention paid to faces.

...that was kind of a whole treatise, apparently I've really missed talking about this stuff. And I really adore Lupacchino's work on this book.

[sister_wolf]

Oooh. Now you've made me really curious to see the art. I love comic book artists who give really good facial expressions. Amanda Conner is one of my favorites -- her faces are fantastic. She's made me laugh out loud with some of her facial expressions. (Present icon included.)

*wanders off to find back issues*

[some_stars]

Good facial expressions are a rare treasure in comics! Oh man, I'm having so much fun diving back into comics art. X-Factor has some of my most favorite styles and such AMAZING colorists, and the inking in Children's Crusade sends me into fits of joy, and just...ART. YAY ART.