As I mentioned a few weeks back, I'm a Mary-Jane Watson fan-boy. Where there are plenty of people who think that Gwen Stacy is supposed to be Peter's true love, I'm Team MJ and as far as I'm concerned, she has put in more than enough time to be considered his designated other. While I can't deny that for the most part One More Day was not a very good story, the true victory for it lay in the fact that even though OMD was an editorially mandated move to split up MJ and Peter, it ended in a way that reminded readers of her strength and worthiness to be Mary Jane Watson-Parker, she was the hero in that story.
Now OMIT has been released to fill in the blanks after two years and erase the continuity gaps and for the most part I had no qualms with it, at least until this final issue. Peter convinces Tony Stark, Reed Richards and Stephen Strange to help him conceal his secret identity, only to again be portrayed as an emotional wreck who drags Mary Jane along for the ride, forcing her to keep her memory intact as well.
Where the story fails is that Quesada's reason for them splitting isn't because of real legitimate reason or something that has grown out of the story, but because he just simply wrote it out. The truth of the matter is that Mary Jane has continually been a rock for Peter, patient, loving, understanding and while more than occasionally frustrated, still devoted. After all the garbage of the 90s, Aunt May getting shot should have been a walk in the park, instead the story stomps all over OMD by having Mary Jane confess that she isn't strong enough or brave enough to be with Peter, when history shows us that it is clearly the other way around.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
How I Spent My Summer Vacation: Darwyn Cooke
My relationship with Darwyn Cooke is a weird one. I wouldn't describe myself as a huge fan of his even though I absolutely adore his style. I liked New Frontier well enough and after that, Cooke just sort of dropped off my mental map unless someone showed me a sketch they had obtained at a show or something like that. Last summer, I came across Cooke's first adaptation of Richard Stark's Parker novel and while I wanted to read it, I continued to put it off until recently. When I finally purchased The Hunter, I also grabbed Cooke's "Batman: Ego and Other Tales" which happened to include the graphic novel "Selina's Big Score."
Batman: Ego is a great story where Bruce Wayne faces off against his Batman persona in an examination of the life the two of them are living and questions whether or not it is truly worth the cost. While not a fresh tale by any means, Cooke does a fantastic job of portraying the Mental Batman in a grotesque way that really helps convey just how heavy the burden of being the Caped Crusader must be.
Selina's Big Score may be one my favorite stories of the summer. I've been enjoying a number of heist storylines lately between Parker, Inception and the Black Cat mini going on over at Marvel but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Cooke does an excellent job of framing the story across four chapters, allowing each of the important figures to have a role and a viewpoint, speeding along the narrative by also having them involved in different aspects of "The Job" while also dealing with events of their own. The total number of Catwoman solo stories I've read prior to Selina's Big Score was 0, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Ms. Kyle as a slick, capable and intelligent heroine who carries the weight of her choices while constantly moving forward with her life. I may actually check out the Brubaker book now, having read this.
Parker: The Hunter is a fantastic revenge story and Cooke perfectly paces it and allows the art to do a majority of the heavy lifting. In fact, the first probably thirty or so pages feature no dialogue at all, with the pages broke down into a variety of panels and splashes that introduce the hero. I had absolutely zero exposure to the work of Richard Stark before I picked up this book but as a standalone work, I found it to be quite good. Each character has a clear voice and look which helps the barely colored art. If I have one complaint it is that the book is far too small. Cooke's art is absolutely gorgeous but far too smushed onto the page. If you like stories about bad guys getting revenge on bad guys, Parker is for you. I read it in a single sitting and I am drooling in anticipation for the next book.
Batman: Ego is a great story where Bruce Wayne faces off against his Batman persona in an examination of the life the two of them are living and questions whether or not it is truly worth the cost. While not a fresh tale by any means, Cooke does a fantastic job of portraying the Mental Batman in a grotesque way that really helps convey just how heavy the burden of being the Caped Crusader must be.
Selina's Big Score may be one my favorite stories of the summer. I've been enjoying a number of heist storylines lately between Parker, Inception and the Black Cat mini going on over at Marvel but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Cooke does an excellent job of framing the story across four chapters, allowing each of the important figures to have a role and a viewpoint, speeding along the narrative by also having them involved in different aspects of "The Job" while also dealing with events of their own. The total number of Catwoman solo stories I've read prior to Selina's Big Score was 0, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Ms. Kyle as a slick, capable and intelligent heroine who carries the weight of her choices while constantly moving forward with her life. I may actually check out the Brubaker book now, having read this.
Parker: The Hunter is a fantastic revenge story and Cooke perfectly paces it and allows the art to do a majority of the heavy lifting. In fact, the first probably thirty or so pages feature no dialogue at all, with the pages broke down into a variety of panels and splashes that introduce the hero. I had absolutely zero exposure to the work of Richard Stark before I picked up this book but as a standalone work, I found it to be quite good. Each character has a clear voice and look which helps the barely colored art. If I have one complaint it is that the book is far too small. Cooke's art is absolutely gorgeous but far too smushed onto the page. If you like stories about bad guys getting revenge on bad guys, Parker is for you. I read it in a single sitting and I am drooling in anticipation for the next book.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Jumpstarting the Brain - Reviews for 09/01/10
So pardon me for the month off, the semester ended the 3rd of August and I took the last few weeks to absolutely shut my brain off. Now as school starts back up, I need to re-learn how to read, write and talk with my big boy voice. Here are two reviews for this week to start:
I Am An Avenger #1: Marvel continues to put out these anthology jam session issues that are usually good for one story out of the 4-5 in them at $3.99 a pop, meaning you can get burnt just as easily as you can be entertained. I picked up this issue specifically for the Duane Swiercynzski Iron Fist story which turned out to be a very relaxed and emotional story that provides a nice cap to his run and bridges to the upcoming series by Fred Van Lente. I also really enjoyed the lead story involving the Young Avengers by Jim McCann and Chris Samnee. The Young Avengers are an important property to me, probably second only to Spider-Man, so I'm always anxious when a non-Heinberg writer takes them for a spin. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded as everything in this short tale sparkled. McCann has a great grasp on the characters and I had never purchased a Samnee drawn comic before, so I was pleasantly surprised, especially with the opening splash of the new Avengers Mansion. The other two shorts were about the Pet Avengers and Squirrel Girl, which were fun to look at but didn't really have any meat. I enjoyed the issue, but would have liked a smaller price tag. B+
Shadowland: Elektra #1: I'm not buying Shadowland or Daredevil as they haven't been very good but that certainly hasn't stopped me from picking up the different tie-ins as various writers and artists wade in and out of the story. Zeb Wells drops in to pen this one-shot, exploring Elektra's relationship with the events of Shadowland and how Matt Murdock's descent into evil is affecting her. Wells is without a doubt one of my favorite Marvel writers and he does a fantastic job of balancing the emotion with the action in this comic, devising some pretty great fight sequences. I know that I complained about Emma Rios's involvement in Shed, but I have nothing but praise for her in this issue, she absolutely killed it in every way possible. She is a rapidly rising talent and I'm very excited to see where she goes next. I grabbed the Dark Reign: Elektra trade by Wells recently and I'm also now quite curious to see if my opinion of this issue changes after I read that. Potentially my Book of the Week A
I Am An Avenger #1: Marvel continues to put out these anthology jam session issues that are usually good for one story out of the 4-5 in them at $3.99 a pop, meaning you can get burnt just as easily as you can be entertained. I picked up this issue specifically for the Duane Swiercynzski Iron Fist story which turned out to be a very relaxed and emotional story that provides a nice cap to his run and bridges to the upcoming series by Fred Van Lente. I also really enjoyed the lead story involving the Young Avengers by Jim McCann and Chris Samnee. The Young Avengers are an important property to me, probably second only to Spider-Man, so I'm always anxious when a non-Heinberg writer takes them for a spin. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded as everything in this short tale sparkled. McCann has a great grasp on the characters and I had never purchased a Samnee drawn comic before, so I was pleasantly surprised, especially with the opening splash of the new Avengers Mansion. The other two shorts were about the Pet Avengers and Squirrel Girl, which were fun to look at but didn't really have any meat. I enjoyed the issue, but would have liked a smaller price tag. B+
Shadowland: Elektra #1: I'm not buying Shadowland or Daredevil as they haven't been very good but that certainly hasn't stopped me from picking up the different tie-ins as various writers and artists wade in and out of the story. Zeb Wells drops in to pen this one-shot, exploring Elektra's relationship with the events of Shadowland and how Matt Murdock's descent into evil is affecting her. Wells is without a doubt one of my favorite Marvel writers and he does a fantastic job of balancing the emotion with the action in this comic, devising some pretty great fight sequences. I know that I complained about Emma Rios's involvement in Shed, but I have nothing but praise for her in this issue, she absolutely killed it in every way possible. She is a rapidly rising talent and I'm very excited to see where she goes next. I grabbed the Dark Reign: Elektra trade by Wells recently and I'm also now quite curious to see if my opinion of this issue changes after I read that. Potentially my Book of the Week A
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
S.H.I.E.L.D. Notes #1: "The Unholy Resurrection of Leonardo da Vinci"
I mulled over doing some of these but honestly had no clue if there would be any interest in them. All credit goes to David Uzumeri of Funnybook Babylon fame for the original idea and format with his Batmannotations and the dudes of the Something Awful Comics Board for saying they actually wanted to see this. Let's see what we can come up with:
Issue One
Page 1: Enter Leonid. Described by Hickman as "The Eternal Dynamo... the great engine of the human machine. He represents progress, the advance of society and all that other cool stuff." He is cosmic in origin but human in form which gets explored more in issue #2.
Page 2: Panel 1 is Agents Richards and Stark, Fathers of Iron Man/Tony Stark and Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards.
Howard Stark: I don't believe his appearance here is considered a retcon given that most of the stories he appeared in were set in the World War 2 era. I'm also not certain how this time line is going to work here with Marvel's sliding time scale. Tony originally became Iron Man around the period of Vietnam, which has now been retconned to Afghanistan, given that S.H.I.E.L.D. begins in 1953, we may or may not see this touched on.
Nathaniel Richards: Already known in the 616 universe for being a time traveler, his appearance here working for Shield isn't surprising given the book and organization's population of ordinary men who have stepped outside of the world in order to better humanity.
Useless trivia: I'm about 60% certain their car is based on the 1955 Thunderbird, and would certainly make sense as the prototype for S.H.I.E.L.D. flying cars. Although suicide doors are making a comeback, they were last popularly used on the 1971 model.
Panel 4 is our first glimpse of the cosmic powers of young Leonid.
Page 3: "I was taken to Rome." This isn't the first Hickman comic involve the city of Rome, his comic Pax Romana featured a Catholic Church that utilized time travel to try and shape the future of the world.
Page 4: The Eternal Place probably refers to the longevity of Rome through time. The Immortal City may or may not relate to the book, "Rome, The Immortal City" as well as the film, "The Immortal City" which appropriately features the tagline: "Where The Destiny Of The World Was Decided!"
I wasn't able to track down an origin for the headpiece the various councilmen are wearing. They may be original design by Dustin Weaver, but they do look similar to the headpiece work by Noh-Varr in issue three of the Grant Morrison/JG Jones comic, Marvel Boy. They may simply be an evolution of the headpiece worn by Imhotep as we see later on.
Page 5: Panel 1 "Rome is built atop an older Rome and even more ancient layer lies beneath.." I don't know if there is a city that has been destroyed and rebuilt more times than Rome, from the fires started by Nero, to the sacking by the various barbarian tribes during the Dark Ages.
Panel 2 "The Immortals" or the High Council of The Shield clearly aren't immortal barring some sort of Secret Warriors/Fantastic Four reveal.
Panel 3 I'm not sure what the appropriate name for this machine is, it is either an early typewriter or something that is recording the conversation. This is Howard Stark speaking into the machine however, what the ultimate goal is remains uncertain. The quote "Everything begins with an idea." has probably been spoken a thousand times over across the history, but is officially attributed to motivational speaker Earl Nightingale.
Page 6: A flashback to 2620 B.C. What we're seeing is the arrival of The Brood, created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. Their first appearance was Uncanny X-Men #155 (March 1982). Brood implant eggs much like the Aliens we all know in love and when the egg hatches, it takes over the host's body.
Page 7: The introduction of the first of our Action Philosopher (copyright Fred van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey of course!) Imhotep. To his right is one of the early incarnations of the Moon Knight, avatar of the Egyptian God, Khonshu. To his left, a young En Sabah Nur.
"This is not how the world ends!" is truly the mantra or motto of this comic and may or may not be a play on the T.S. Eliot quote, "This is the way the world ends" from his poem The Hollow Men. The poem dwells on the troubles of holding onto hope and was written after World War 1 which at that time had been the worst conflict the world had ever seen. Given that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a sort of sermon on the power and the ability of the mortal man to overcome adversity in a world of creatures and Gods, the two phrases juxtapose well.
Pages 8-9: This is just awesome.
Pages 10-12: Transition from Imhotep's shield to 1953 Rome. The shield is placed at the center of a diorama of our solar system, no doubt reflecting the believed importance of the agency. The quoted subjects by the councilmen are probably considered important components of the human intellect, but admittedly I don't know what to make of this quite yet.
Page 13: Flashback to 114 A.D. Zhang Heng, while having a palace is a statesman, not the Emperor. The Shield and Spear refer to Imhotep's weapons when he defeated the Brood, and the division of East and West is not uncommon throughout history, and began with the splitting of the Roman Empire by Diocletian, if not even earlier. What is he facing is one of the Celestials, created by Jack Kirby in his comic, The Eternals. This particular Celestial might be, Ashema the Listener, created by Peter David and Salvador LaRocca. Note the bird symbol on his chest piece.
Pages 15-17: Florence, 1495. The readied device is a early telescope for looking at the sun. What Leonardo da Vinci and his assistants are seeing is the impending arrival of Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In the workshop on the wall is Imhotep's shield again, and a clockwork dog. The skull on the desk makes me wonder if da Vinci's desk is supposed to be the scene of this promo image:
Pages 18-20: Forward 8 years, da Vinci and his team have finally perfected what I could only describe as a one man flying spacesuit or maybe even a chronosuit for time travel. A better look at the workshop shows us several things: Imhotep's helmet, the headpiece being worn by the councilmen, a prototype airplane, and plenty more. I had originally predicted that the golden orb was early vibranium but that is probably not the case. Again, "This is not how the world ends."
Pages 21-23: 79 years in the future and it falls now to Galileo to stop Galactus.What they've constructed is an early version of the Ultimate Nulifier, the only weapon capable of intimidating Galactus. The weapon was first utilized by the Fantastic Four during the "Galactus Trilogy." The herald in this spread could possibly be Gabriel, the Air Walker.
Page 26: 1956 in Rome. The first appearance of The Night Machine, Leonid's father. We previously saw doves on page 15 at da Vinci's workshop. Given the last page reveal, The Night Machine and da Vinci are working together, the dove has a greater significance. I read a theory somewhere, it might have been David Uzumeri's Twitter, that predicted The Night Machine is actually Nikola Tesla and looking at their mustaches, I might have to agree.
Page 30: Richards and Stark utilizing some self-assembling Stark/Shield Tech and gravity boots. This is the first time in the story they're identified by name. If The Night Machine is Tesla, the "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" would refer to Tesla's death in 1943.
Page 32: Panel 3, the E that is top middle of the page is the constellation Cassiopeia, to the right of it is the Big Dipper, and on the bottom left is Andromeda. I doubt there is a deeper meaning here, just a portion of the sanctuary.
Extra Material: I'm not certain what I can say about this stuff. Section Four: The Source, I believe is a reference to Leonid, the Human Engine. If his purpose is to "stand in the gap" as Page 12 tells us, then he is what will allow humanity to bridge "the gap" towards Section Seven, "The Death of Chaos / Tomorrow" or simply, the future.
The Vitruvian Man is supposed to encompass the perfect symmetry of man, and thus the universe. Leonid would be the connection between sections three and five. What that means, I have no clue.
Issue One
Page 1: Enter Leonid. Described by Hickman as "The Eternal Dynamo... the great engine of the human machine. He represents progress, the advance of society and all that other cool stuff." He is cosmic in origin but human in form which gets explored more in issue #2.
Page 2: Panel 1 is Agents Richards and Stark, Fathers of Iron Man/Tony Stark and Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards.
Howard Stark: I don't believe his appearance here is considered a retcon given that most of the stories he appeared in were set in the World War 2 era. I'm also not certain how this time line is going to work here with Marvel's sliding time scale. Tony originally became Iron Man around the period of Vietnam, which has now been retconned to Afghanistan, given that S.H.I.E.L.D. begins in 1953, we may or may not see this touched on.
Nathaniel Richards: Already known in the 616 universe for being a time traveler, his appearance here working for Shield isn't surprising given the book and organization's population of ordinary men who have stepped outside of the world in order to better humanity.
Useless trivia: I'm about 60% certain their car is based on the 1955 Thunderbird, and would certainly make sense as the prototype for S.H.I.E.L.D. flying cars. Although suicide doors are making a comeback, they were last popularly used on the 1971 model.
Panel 4 is our first glimpse of the cosmic powers of young Leonid.
Page 3: "I was taken to Rome." This isn't the first Hickman comic involve the city of Rome, his comic Pax Romana featured a Catholic Church that utilized time travel to try and shape the future of the world.
Page 4: The Eternal Place probably refers to the longevity of Rome through time. The Immortal City may or may not relate to the book, "Rome, The Immortal City" as well as the film, "The Immortal City" which appropriately features the tagline: "Where The Destiny Of The World Was Decided!"
I wasn't able to track down an origin for the headpiece the various councilmen are wearing. They may be original design by Dustin Weaver, but they do look similar to the headpiece work by Noh-Varr in issue three of the Grant Morrison/JG Jones comic, Marvel Boy. They may simply be an evolution of the headpiece worn by Imhotep as we see later on.
Page 5: Panel 1 "Rome is built atop an older Rome and even more ancient layer lies beneath.." I don't know if there is a city that has been destroyed and rebuilt more times than Rome, from the fires started by Nero, to the sacking by the various barbarian tribes during the Dark Ages.
Panel 2 "The Immortals" or the High Council of The Shield clearly aren't immortal barring some sort of Secret Warriors/Fantastic Four reveal.
Panel 3 I'm not sure what the appropriate name for this machine is, it is either an early typewriter or something that is recording the conversation. This is Howard Stark speaking into the machine however, what the ultimate goal is remains uncertain. The quote "Everything begins with an idea." has probably been spoken a thousand times over across the history, but is officially attributed to motivational speaker Earl Nightingale.
Page 6: A flashback to 2620 B.C. What we're seeing is the arrival of The Brood, created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. Their first appearance was Uncanny X-Men #155 (March 1982). Brood implant eggs much like the Aliens we all know in love and when the egg hatches, it takes over the host's body.
Page 7: The introduction of the first of our Action Philosopher (copyright Fred van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey of course!) Imhotep. To his right is one of the early incarnations of the Moon Knight, avatar of the Egyptian God, Khonshu. To his left, a young En Sabah Nur.
"This is not how the world ends!" is truly the mantra or motto of this comic and may or may not be a play on the T.S. Eliot quote, "This is the way the world ends" from his poem The Hollow Men. The poem dwells on the troubles of holding onto hope and was written after World War 1 which at that time had been the worst conflict the world had ever seen. Given that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a sort of sermon on the power and the ability of the mortal man to overcome adversity in a world of creatures and Gods, the two phrases juxtapose well.
Pages 8-9: This is just awesome.
Pages 10-12: Transition from Imhotep's shield to 1953 Rome. The shield is placed at the center of a diorama of our solar system, no doubt reflecting the believed importance of the agency. The quoted subjects by the councilmen are probably considered important components of the human intellect, but admittedly I don't know what to make of this quite yet.
Page 13: Flashback to 114 A.D. Zhang Heng, while having a palace is a statesman, not the Emperor. The Shield and Spear refer to Imhotep's weapons when he defeated the Brood, and the division of East and West is not uncommon throughout history, and began with the splitting of the Roman Empire by Diocletian, if not even earlier. What is he facing is one of the Celestials, created by Jack Kirby in his comic, The Eternals. This particular Celestial might be, Ashema the Listener, created by Peter David and Salvador LaRocca. Note the bird symbol on his chest piece.
Pages 15-17: Florence, 1495. The readied device is a early telescope for looking at the sun. What Leonardo da Vinci and his assistants are seeing is the impending arrival of Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In the workshop on the wall is Imhotep's shield again, and a clockwork dog. The skull on the desk makes me wonder if da Vinci's desk is supposed to be the scene of this promo image:
Pages 18-20: Forward 8 years, da Vinci and his team have finally perfected what I could only describe as a one man flying spacesuit or maybe even a chronosuit for time travel. A better look at the workshop shows us several things: Imhotep's helmet, the headpiece being worn by the councilmen, a prototype airplane, and plenty more. I had originally predicted that the golden orb was early vibranium but that is probably not the case. Again, "This is not how the world ends."
Pages 21-23: 79 years in the future and it falls now to Galileo to stop Galactus.What they've constructed is an early version of the Ultimate Nulifier, the only weapon capable of intimidating Galactus. The weapon was first utilized by the Fantastic Four during the "Galactus Trilogy." The herald in this spread could possibly be Gabriel, the Air Walker.
Page 26: 1956 in Rome. The first appearance of The Night Machine, Leonid's father. We previously saw doves on page 15 at da Vinci's workshop. Given the last page reveal, The Night Machine and da Vinci are working together, the dove has a greater significance. I read a theory somewhere, it might have been David Uzumeri's Twitter, that predicted The Night Machine is actually Nikola Tesla and looking at their mustaches, I might have to agree.
Page 30: Richards and Stark utilizing some self-assembling Stark/Shield Tech and gravity boots. This is the first time in the story they're identified by name. If The Night Machine is Tesla, the "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" would refer to Tesla's death in 1943.
Page 32: Panel 3, the E that is top middle of the page is the constellation Cassiopeia, to the right of it is the Big Dipper, and on the bottom left is Andromeda. I doubt there is a deeper meaning here, just a portion of the sanctuary.
Extra Material: I'm not certain what I can say about this stuff. Section Four: The Source, I believe is a reference to Leonid, the Human Engine. If his purpose is to "stand in the gap" as Page 12 tells us, then he is what will allow humanity to bridge "the gap" towards Section Seven, "The Death of Chaos / Tomorrow" or simply, the future.
The Vitruvian Man is supposed to encompass the perfect symmetry of man, and thus the universe. Leonid would be the connection between sections three and five. What that means, I have no clue.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Brain Stew: SDCC Aftermath
So the San Diego ComicCon was this weekend and there were plenty of huge announcements that are going to shake some things up and may or may not make some people happy. Here are three big ones that caught my eye:
Batman Inc.: Definitely the biggest announcement and the one I had been waiting for was the reveal of this title, the next chapter in Grant Morrison's Batman epic. From what Grant and Dan Didio have said, the key idea of this book is about "franchising Batman" and will feature multiple Dark Knights. Admittedly, I can't help but feel pleased as back in April I mentioned this:
"Another outcome is to revisit something Tony Daniel touched on during his Battle for the Cowl mini: Multiple Batmen. The potential for artistic confusion seems infinite, but Bruce and Dick in differing costumes, prowling the city, if executed well could be a lot of fun."
Grant also mentioned that this will primarily be a Bat-Family team-up book like The Brave and the Bold which will no doubt be a ton of fun. Definitely one of the best things to come out of the con.
Amazing Spider-Man goes from a Brand New Day to the Big Time: Awhile back, Bleeding Cool News posted a story that the BND era of Amazing Spider-Man was coming to a close and this weekend Marvel confirmed it. After two years of thrice-a-month shipping with a brilliant rotating team of talent, ASM will switch to a bi-weekly schedule, written by Dan Slott with art by Marcos Martin, Paulo Siqueira and Humberto Ramos. Some of the teased bits included Spidey in a Fantastic Four outfit, plenty of costumes, the return of impact webbing and Mac Gargan's devolution into the Scorpion.
My first thought on this was to abandon ship but I think I may give it a shot. Dan Slott isn't Zeb Wells, Joe Kelly, FvL or Waid, but he has still done some fun things with the book and admittedly New Ways to Die is what got me buying ASM again. It looks like his primary goal is to make the book fun and take it somewhere fresh, especially with all the people asking why Peter is broke if he is on the Avengers and stuff. I'm down for a Peter that is more Batman than Booster Gold and the artistic talent is still top notch.
Power Man and Iron Fist On-going: I may have lied when I said that Batman Inc. was the biggest announcement, as I definitely went nuts when I read this. An Iron Fist title has been absent for over a year now since Duane Swierczynski's run ended and while I knew there was going to be a Power Man and Iron Fist mini tying into Shadowlands, the news that it would be a pre-cursor to a new on-going is fabulous news. What's even better is that it is going to be written by Fred Van Lente who is one of my favorite writers in the industry right now. I have no clue what direction this is going to take or even how much I'm going to like the new Power Man but I'm still very, very excited.
Batman Inc.: Definitely the biggest announcement and the one I had been waiting for was the reveal of this title, the next chapter in Grant Morrison's Batman epic. From what Grant and Dan Didio have said, the key idea of this book is about "franchising Batman" and will feature multiple Dark Knights. Admittedly, I can't help but feel pleased as back in April I mentioned this:
"Another outcome is to revisit something Tony Daniel touched on during his Battle for the Cowl mini: Multiple Batmen. The potential for artistic confusion seems infinite, but Bruce and Dick in differing costumes, prowling the city, if executed well could be a lot of fun."
Grant also mentioned that this will primarily be a Bat-Family team-up book like The Brave and the Bold which will no doubt be a ton of fun. Definitely one of the best things to come out of the con.
Amazing Spider-Man goes from a Brand New Day to the Big Time: Awhile back, Bleeding Cool News posted a story that the BND era of Amazing Spider-Man was coming to a close and this weekend Marvel confirmed it. After two years of thrice-a-month shipping with a brilliant rotating team of talent, ASM will switch to a bi-weekly schedule, written by Dan Slott with art by Marcos Martin, Paulo Siqueira and Humberto Ramos. Some of the teased bits included Spidey in a Fantastic Four outfit, plenty of costumes, the return of impact webbing and Mac Gargan's devolution into the Scorpion.
My first thought on this was to abandon ship but I think I may give it a shot. Dan Slott isn't Zeb Wells, Joe Kelly, FvL or Waid, but he has still done some fun things with the book and admittedly New Ways to Die is what got me buying ASM again. It looks like his primary goal is to make the book fun and take it somewhere fresh, especially with all the people asking why Peter is broke if he is on the Avengers and stuff. I'm down for a Peter that is more Batman than Booster Gold and the artistic talent is still top notch.
Power Man and Iron Fist On-going: I may have lied when I said that Batman Inc. was the biggest announcement, as I definitely went nuts when I read this. An Iron Fist title has been absent for over a year now since Duane Swierczynski's run ended and while I knew there was going to be a Power Man and Iron Fist mini tying into Shadowlands, the news that it would be a pre-cursor to a new on-going is fabulous news. What's even better is that it is going to be written by Fred Van Lente who is one of my favorite writers in the industry right now. I have no clue what direction this is going to take or even how much I'm going to like the new Power Man but I'm still very, very excited.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Brain Stew: Red Mass for Mars
After two years of waiting, the last issue of this series finally came out this week and much like the Christian Bale screaming at the dude on the set of Terminator: Salvation, I have no clue what could have caused such a delay. The final issue was a quick read so unless Ryan Bodenheim had some kind of artistic troubles, I imagine this issue just sat on someone's desk for a long time.
Given that the entire thing was written probably back in late 2007 - early 2008, it is very hard to align the current incarnation of Hickman with the underwhelming script of Mars. It is certainly an interesting concept: a Superman raised by "vikings" versus two good hearted farmers but was done much better by Mark Millar with his Red Son story. But while the plot is weak, plenty of Hickman's strengths still shine through, particularly his talent for world building which is some of the best in the industry. Also present are Hickman's potent monologues and dialogue and ability to write bad asses in general. Jonathan has single handedly revitalized Nick Fury for Marvel and although everyone associates him with science fiction properties, I would love to see him take a real shot at Captain America, be it Bucky Barnes or Steve Rogers.
Bodenheim's work is gorgeous, detailed and packed on the page, although the storytelling is quite basic but will certainly develop with practice. I can't help but wonder how this book would look without the signature Hickman colors however. After months of looking at full colored Marvel work, I had forgotten that Hickman's independent works are often colored solely in blacks, whites and earth tones to denote the present while reds and blues are used to accentuate or for flashbacks.
As a rookie project, Red Mass for Mars is a good early work and there are plenty of devices within that have clearly been harvested and refined for other works. It certainly isn't a must read and I doubt I could see myself pushing it on other people who weren't already interested in his work, but I didn't feel I was wasting my time either.
Given that the entire thing was written probably back in late 2007 - early 2008, it is very hard to align the current incarnation of Hickman with the underwhelming script of Mars. It is certainly an interesting concept: a Superman raised by "vikings" versus two good hearted farmers but was done much better by Mark Millar with his Red Son story. But while the plot is weak, plenty of Hickman's strengths still shine through, particularly his talent for world building which is some of the best in the industry. Also present are Hickman's potent monologues and dialogue and ability to write bad asses in general. Jonathan has single handedly revitalized Nick Fury for Marvel and although everyone associates him with science fiction properties, I would love to see him take a real shot at Captain America, be it Bucky Barnes or Steve Rogers.
Bodenheim's work is gorgeous, detailed and packed on the page, although the storytelling is quite basic but will certainly develop with practice. I can't help but wonder how this book would look without the signature Hickman colors however. After months of looking at full colored Marvel work, I had forgotten that Hickman's independent works are often colored solely in blacks, whites and earth tones to denote the present while reds and blues are used to accentuate or for flashbacks.
As a rookie project, Red Mass for Mars is a good early work and there are plenty of devices within that have clearly been harvested and refined for other works. It certainly isn't a must read and I doubt I could see myself pushing it on other people who weren't already interested in his work, but I didn't feel I was wasting my time either.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
"One Moment in Time Part One" -- A Review and Discussion
I'm going to abandon my no-spoilers policy because I want to talk about this book in a little more depth, so if you haven't read the issue yet, move on please. Otherwise, join us down a bit.
Amazing Spider-Man #638: So here it is, after the conclusion of "The Grim Hunt" last week, Joe Quesada, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief steps in to walk us through the fallout of the "One More Day" storyline, and reveal what happened to save Aunt May's life and establish the Brand New Day status quo. Picking up the threads from a two year old story, "One Moment in Time" is going to be a lot of things to a lot of different people. For the haters who have been hating on ASM since 2008, in their eyes, this is probably going to justify their hate. For those who joined the book recently, there is going to be a lot of confusion and for those who are willing to see it through to the end, hopefully there will be satisfying answers.
Personally, I think I fall into the latter category even though I am a total Mary-Jane fanboy. I caught the Spidey bug with Maximum Carnage, at age 7, so it took me years to truly understand who Gwen Stacy was, and why it was so important that she showed up during the Clone Saga. Because of that, I've never been a fan and Mary-Jane has always been my gal, so while I, like so many other people, were super critical of dissolving the marriage, I can't deny that the ends have certainly justified the means. Let's break the issue down a bit:
While we knew that the secret of Mary Jane's whisper was going to be a reveal, I, like I think a lot of people, were caught off guard by how minor it turned out to be. A number of theories I've read believed that Mary Jane was the architect of everything and so far that doesn't appear to be the case. There is still more to be revealed so the potential is there, but we'll have to wait and see.
I was also very surprised to see a lot of Quesada art haters come out of the woodwork for his framing pieces. I'm not a huge fan of the first Mary-Jane page, but everything else was at least decent, although the people who've written pages about Joe Q being obsessed with Peter to the point of drawing him to look like himself are just off the rails.
If there is one group of people I want to hear from when this is over, it will be those who suggested that this should have been released as a remixed version of the Wedding Annual issue, which is essentially what they've done here. I wasn't shocked that they cannibalized it but was actually anticipating Rivera simply re-drawing a lot of the issue, rather than them actually replicating pages of the comic.
That said, Rivera's art really is gorgeous here isn't it? It is like the perfect blend of modern and classic and does a fantastic job of supplementing the annual pages, capturing the Silver Age feel while bringing quality storytelling to the additional parts. He colors his own work and his mastery shows, this is probably the biggest project he has had to date and I hope it lands him something huge in the future.
So through one issue, the whisper is revealed and the wedding failed to happen because Mephesto as a bird managed enact some Butterfly Effect, releasing a criminal and allowing the resulting actions to lead to Peter being knocked unconscious and missing the wedding. It is definitely going to be interesting to see where things go from here, as this first issue ends in unison with the annual. Everything after this is off the map so to speak, which means full time Rivera but everything written is from Quesada.
Overall, a solid issue. I do think that this is going to be a story that relies more on the whole than the sum of the parts however. If I had to rate this issue on its own, I would probably give it a B-, but I'll give it to the conclusion.
Amazing Spider-Man #638: So here it is, after the conclusion of "The Grim Hunt" last week, Joe Quesada, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief steps in to walk us through the fallout of the "One More Day" storyline, and reveal what happened to save Aunt May's life and establish the Brand New Day status quo. Picking up the threads from a two year old story, "One Moment in Time" is going to be a lot of things to a lot of different people. For the haters who have been hating on ASM since 2008, in their eyes, this is probably going to justify their hate. For those who joined the book recently, there is going to be a lot of confusion and for those who are willing to see it through to the end, hopefully there will be satisfying answers.
Personally, I think I fall into the latter category even though I am a total Mary-Jane fanboy. I caught the Spidey bug with Maximum Carnage, at age 7, so it took me years to truly understand who Gwen Stacy was, and why it was so important that she showed up during the Clone Saga. Because of that, I've never been a fan and Mary-Jane has always been my gal, so while I, like so many other people, were super critical of dissolving the marriage, I can't deny that the ends have certainly justified the means. Let's break the issue down a bit:
While we knew that the secret of Mary Jane's whisper was going to be a reveal, I, like I think a lot of people, were caught off guard by how minor it turned out to be. A number of theories I've read believed that Mary Jane was the architect of everything and so far that doesn't appear to be the case. There is still more to be revealed so the potential is there, but we'll have to wait and see.
I was also very surprised to see a lot of Quesada art haters come out of the woodwork for his framing pieces. I'm not a huge fan of the first Mary-Jane page, but everything else was at least decent, although the people who've written pages about Joe Q being obsessed with Peter to the point of drawing him to look like himself are just off the rails.
If there is one group of people I want to hear from when this is over, it will be those who suggested that this should have been released as a remixed version of the Wedding Annual issue, which is essentially what they've done here. I wasn't shocked that they cannibalized it but was actually anticipating Rivera simply re-drawing a lot of the issue, rather than them actually replicating pages of the comic.
That said, Rivera's art really is gorgeous here isn't it? It is like the perfect blend of modern and classic and does a fantastic job of supplementing the annual pages, capturing the Silver Age feel while bringing quality storytelling to the additional parts. He colors his own work and his mastery shows, this is probably the biggest project he has had to date and I hope it lands him something huge in the future.
So through one issue, the whisper is revealed and the wedding failed to happen because Mephesto as a bird managed enact some Butterfly Effect, releasing a criminal and allowing the resulting actions to lead to Peter being knocked unconscious and missing the wedding. It is definitely going to be interesting to see where things go from here, as this first issue ends in unison with the annual. Everything after this is off the map so to speak, which means full time Rivera but everything written is from Quesada.
Overall, a solid issue. I do think that this is going to be a story that relies more on the whole than the sum of the parts however. If I had to rate this issue on its own, I would probably give it a B-, but I'll give it to the conclusion.
"I saw it on the "youtube."" Reviews for 07/21/2010
No Bendis or X-Men this week! Taste it Second Coming!
Dark Wolverine #88: One of the best things to come out of Marvel's Dark Reign event was putting Daniel Way's character, Daken, in the Bendis-written Dark Avengers, and letting Way push a Dark Wolverine book. As the son of Wolverine, the character continues the Snikkiting and invincibility of his Old Man, but has a much more devious and self-centered attitude, as well as pheromone powers. During Dark Reign's "The List" mini-event, Osborn used Daken to kill the Punisher, kicking off the Frankencastle storyline and now it is time for Round 2. In terms of plot, the comic is straightforward. Way and Liu set up a great bit that ties into their current long-form story and giving current DW fans some scenes to enjoy that do an excellent job of introducing Daken in a more personal way for Remender readers. After that, Frank hits the pages and it is pure action. Nothing visually crazy, but a very enjoyable beat-em up with some decent dialogue as the two banter back and forth now that the field is a little more even. I wish there was a bit more plot here, but I honestly wasn't expecting much more than 4 issues of violence from this story. At this point, the potential to surprise is there but I'll continue to enjoy this story the way I enjoy Michael Bay flicks, from a purely popcorn and entertainment perspective. B-
Brightest Day #6: Last week I threatened to drop the book after this week and clearly someone listened to me. Or maybe the quality of the book is just inverted to the amount of pages that the Hawkpeople get. It also helped that the issue primarily spotlighted my two favorite characters, Martian Manhunter and Firestorm. The evidence continues to build for my theory that the revived people are still Black Lanterns and that their quest will be to complete some task to purge them, and apparently we'll find out in two weeks. The book remains gorgeous, as it should with all the talent on it but I, like everyone else, am totally over the amount of pointless murder in this series. Johns and Tomasi need to find some ways of generating cliffhangers that don't rely on violence and maybe start interacting with the wider DC universe. This book has the potential to go great places, but I honestly don't know if it will. What I can definitively say is, I will be dropping this for sure after the next issue as that will be where the first trade ends, unless it absolutely blows me away. B
Heroic Age: Prince of Power #3: This continues to be one of the best books on the stands and with the team on it, how could it not? Man, that is almost verbatim from the quote on the cover, but it is so true. Pak and Van Lente continue to shine, producing a comic that crackles with wit, sparks with action and remains full of plot and forward progress to a story that is closing in on 50 issues. Cho and Thor continue their search for the Book of Thoth, battling their way through Mythology to a semi-predictable end, meanwhile Athena and Cho's Gorgon-girlfriend work to escape from the Olympus Group prison. These stories are so well researched and enjoyable that it almost makes me wonder if College Mythology courses are going to start teaching with them and what kind of progress could be made. My only qualm with this book is how often it taps into pop-culture and current trends, I saw a quote somewhere that said, "As soon as you refer to something real, you've dated your book." and I can't disagree. And yet, how can you not love a comic that refers to Indiana Jones, Terminator 3, and Lolcats in an original and hilarious fashion? The art team continues to kill it on this book as well, the characters look great, the action is crisp and the layouts and storytelling are top notch. This book is a classic case of one that I always find drifting to the middle of my stack, but as soon as I read it I realize it has made a very, very solid case for potential book of the week. A must-read series. A+
Deadpool #25: At long last, another Deadpool anniversary issue. While Way hasn't recaptured the magic of Deadpool vs Bullseye from last year, he continues to write enjoyable, zany adventures for DP to embark on. The stories aren't anything particularly special, but the biggest credit I can give them is that they're fun, fairly witty and do an excellent job of balancing Deadpool's insanity with his skills and plotting of a trained mercenary. This month resolves Wade's pitstop in Las Vegas on his journey to become a hero with the expected results. Carlo Barberi has really surprised me with his pencils, for the longest time I had considered Paco Medina to be my "definitive" Deadpool artist, but I may rescind that if Barberi continues on the book. The biggest surprise was the bonus story, by personal favorite Duane Swierczynski and features art from Phillip Bond. The 10 page quickie also features "3-D glasses" that help you simulate DP's vision in the tale, which just happens to be non-existent. A fun extra where a blind Wade faces off against some villains, the plot is barely present and really just let's these two creators have some fun. Swierczynski continues to be my favorite Deadpool writer, having produced a great story in Deadpool #900 last fall, a mini called Wade Wilson's War that is on-going at the moment, and a fabulous Origin story that came out last week. The way he handles Wilson's inner dialogue continues to improve with each issue and his imagination for crazy situations is a perfect fit. If Way ever gives up the book, I really hope they'll consider bringing him in. Until then, I'll take it where I can get it. As I told Mr. Bond earlier in the day, him and Duane plus + "3-D glasses" = A+
Dark Wolverine #88: One of the best things to come out of Marvel's Dark Reign event was putting Daniel Way's character, Daken, in the Bendis-written Dark Avengers, and letting Way push a Dark Wolverine book. As the son of Wolverine, the character continues the Snikkiting and invincibility of his Old Man, but has a much more devious and self-centered attitude, as well as pheromone powers. During Dark Reign's "The List" mini-event, Osborn used Daken to kill the Punisher, kicking off the Frankencastle storyline and now it is time for Round 2. In terms of plot, the comic is straightforward. Way and Liu set up a great bit that ties into their current long-form story and giving current DW fans some scenes to enjoy that do an excellent job of introducing Daken in a more personal way for Remender readers. After that, Frank hits the pages and it is pure action. Nothing visually crazy, but a very enjoyable beat-em up with some decent dialogue as the two banter back and forth now that the field is a little more even. I wish there was a bit more plot here, but I honestly wasn't expecting much more than 4 issues of violence from this story. At this point, the potential to surprise is there but I'll continue to enjoy this story the way I enjoy Michael Bay flicks, from a purely popcorn and entertainment perspective. B-
Brightest Day #6: Last week I threatened to drop the book after this week and clearly someone listened to me. Or maybe the quality of the book is just inverted to the amount of pages that the Hawkpeople get. It also helped that the issue primarily spotlighted my two favorite characters, Martian Manhunter and Firestorm. The evidence continues to build for my theory that the revived people are still Black Lanterns and that their quest will be to complete some task to purge them, and apparently we'll find out in two weeks. The book remains gorgeous, as it should with all the talent on it but I, like everyone else, am totally over the amount of pointless murder in this series. Johns and Tomasi need to find some ways of generating cliffhangers that don't rely on violence and maybe start interacting with the wider DC universe. This book has the potential to go great places, but I honestly don't know if it will. What I can definitively say is, I will be dropping this for sure after the next issue as that will be where the first trade ends, unless it absolutely blows me away. B
Heroic Age: Prince of Power #3: This continues to be one of the best books on the stands and with the team on it, how could it not? Man, that is almost verbatim from the quote on the cover, but it is so true. Pak and Van Lente continue to shine, producing a comic that crackles with wit, sparks with action and remains full of plot and forward progress to a story that is closing in on 50 issues. Cho and Thor continue their search for the Book of Thoth, battling their way through Mythology to a semi-predictable end, meanwhile Athena and Cho's Gorgon-girlfriend work to escape from the Olympus Group prison. These stories are so well researched and enjoyable that it almost makes me wonder if College Mythology courses are going to start teaching with them and what kind of progress could be made. My only qualm with this book is how often it taps into pop-culture and current trends, I saw a quote somewhere that said, "As soon as you refer to something real, you've dated your book." and I can't disagree. And yet, how can you not love a comic that refers to Indiana Jones, Terminator 3, and Lolcats in an original and hilarious fashion? The art team continues to kill it on this book as well, the characters look great, the action is crisp and the layouts and storytelling are top notch. This book is a classic case of one that I always find drifting to the middle of my stack, but as soon as I read it I realize it has made a very, very solid case for potential book of the week. A must-read series. A+
Deadpool #25: At long last, another Deadpool anniversary issue. While Way hasn't recaptured the magic of Deadpool vs Bullseye from last year, he continues to write enjoyable, zany adventures for DP to embark on. The stories aren't anything particularly special, but the biggest credit I can give them is that they're fun, fairly witty and do an excellent job of balancing Deadpool's insanity with his skills and plotting of a trained mercenary. This month resolves Wade's pitstop in Las Vegas on his journey to become a hero with the expected results. Carlo Barberi has really surprised me with his pencils, for the longest time I had considered Paco Medina to be my "definitive" Deadpool artist, but I may rescind that if Barberi continues on the book. The biggest surprise was the bonus story, by personal favorite Duane Swierczynski and features art from Phillip Bond. The 10 page quickie also features "3-D glasses" that help you simulate DP's vision in the tale, which just happens to be non-existent. A fun extra where a blind Wade faces off against some villains, the plot is barely present and really just let's these two creators have some fun. Swierczynski continues to be my favorite Deadpool writer, having produced a great story in Deadpool #900 last fall, a mini called Wade Wilson's War that is on-going at the moment, and a fabulous Origin story that came out last week. The way he handles Wilson's inner dialogue continues to improve with each issue and his imagination for crazy situations is a perfect fit. If Way ever gives up the book, I really hope they'll consider bringing him in. Until then, I'll take it where I can get it. As I told Mr. Bond earlier in the day, him and Duane plus + "3-D glasses" = A+
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The first rule of X-Force is, you do not talk about X-Force. (Reviews for 07/14/10)
X-Men Second Coming #2: It is with great, great pleasure that I review this book, primarily because it ends my sixteen week marathon of reviewing X-Books and also because it was actually a fair solid bookend. Where Second Coming #1 was the launch title, #2 is a nice little anthology that wraps up the remaining plot threads while laying out the new status quos for the X-Books. The reveals here aren't anything surprising, but the writing is solid through and through. Way back in like week six I complained how Matt Fraction handled the funeral interlude and Mike Carey's bit here further exposed its awkwardness. The last page of this issue concludes a storyline that has been on-going for five years now and it is definitely going to be interesting to see not only what comes next, but how we look back at world where there were "No More Mutants." While the mystery surrounding Hope Summers is slowly becoming clearer, the future of the X-Men remains murkier than ever. The new X-Force looks like it could be highly entertaining though. B+
Avengers Academy #2: Two issues in and I really love this book. I've been a strong proponent of Christos Gage for awhile now and it is good to see him finally penning a series that clearly has his fingerprints all over it. I'm digging the new characters and while there are already some strong voices, each one is unique and fresh enough to not fade into the background just yet. The kids are definitely the hook for the book, so it is hard to keep in mind that the mentoring Avengers are also important figures here as well, and Gage brings them to the forefront here addressing some of Quicksilver's drama in a fun way. A lot of credit to Gage too for keeping this book interesting by doing a lot of different things. A nice mix of character interaction, action, flashbacks and forward movement blend well to produce an excellent second issue. Although admittedly I'm a bit nervous that they are launching into a crossover after 2 issues, but Jeff Parker is a talent, so we'll see what happens. Mike McKone continues to guide this book with his talents as an artist and as a storyteller, constantly keeping the pages moving in different ways and keeping the eyeball engaged, even if his faces can get a little wonky. They can cancel Atlas all they want, but I don't know how they could even dream of canceling this book. The first three pages of Avengers Academy alone will haunt JT Krul and Joe Casey's dreams for years to come. A-
Invincible Iron Man #28: Sometimes I wonder if I could just trade Matt Fraction $2.99 for a copy of the script instead of the issue. I love comics but I'd almost prefer the novella considering I only read the words. Larocca draws perfectly suitable Iron Men and Iron Men action scenes, but a majority of the book is usually talking heads and they always look goofy. I've heard that the fault lies primarily with D'Armata, the colorist, but my problems tend to be with the entire visual package. Regardless, whatever has gotten into Fraction recently has been fantastic. I didn't particularly enjoy World's Most Wanted or Stark Disassembled but I am absolutely loving Stark Resilient: it is funny, action packed, developing Tony's new status quo in a significant fashion and really reads a comic featuring a science action hero should. It always seems to drift towards the middle or bottom of my stack, but Iron Man continues to be some of the best treatment the character has received in recent memory. B
Batman #701: I love Grant Morrison. His Batman run continues to be one of the best stories that has been produced in comics and I cannot even imagine what will have come to pass by the time it is all said and done. Revisiting the conclusion of the R.I.P. storyline from Bruce's perspective almost two years after it wraps, G-Mo continues to frame some of the recent Batman and Robin threads that people have been theorizing about since the Return of Bruce Wayne began by showing us that Bruce actually knew about some of them even if Grayson and Co didn't. Admittedly this issue is a bit shallow for those whole have been pouring over the issues, but excellently spells out the ending of R.I.P. for those who had some difficulty with it, however it is still enjoyable even though it feels like some practice work for Bruce's return as Bruce. Tony Daniel's art continues to improve and looks worlds better than it did at the time of R.I.P. I've been a slow convert to his work and now that he'll be continuing on the book as both the writer and artist, I can look forward to his next arc. Overall, another superb chapter in one of the best Batman stories ever told. B+
Amazing Spider-Man #637: Holy Geez this book was insane. The final issue of The Gauntlet/Grim Hunt was definitely a doozy as Joe Kelly wraps everything up in an explosive fashion. For some reason I find a weird enjoyment in the stories where Peter gives in and becomes "The Spi(y)der" and this was no exception. Pushed to the limit by Kraven's clan, he finally has enough and goes off the rails to end this once and for all. I won't say too much as I try my best to stay committed to my "No Spoilers" policy, but this issue was absolutely top notch from beginning to end. Michael Lark killed it, and Kelly wrote a bonkers script. A worthy successor to Kraven's Last Hunt indeed. A+
X-Force - Sex and Violence #1: Over a year after its announcement, this book has finally dropped and while the plot is paper thin, it is definitely one of the most beautiful comics I have seen this year. Gabriele Dell'Otto's talent as a painter and storyteller puts DC's painting talent to shame and even though his pace is slow, his work is GORGEOUS. There is not a page in this comic that isn't amazingly illustrated, colored and rendered. A perfect summer popcorn comic. The art alone gets it an A- even though Michael Bay movies have more plot.
Avengers Academy #2: Two issues in and I really love this book. I've been a strong proponent of Christos Gage for awhile now and it is good to see him finally penning a series that clearly has his fingerprints all over it. I'm digging the new characters and while there are already some strong voices, each one is unique and fresh enough to not fade into the background just yet. The kids are definitely the hook for the book, so it is hard to keep in mind that the mentoring Avengers are also important figures here as well, and Gage brings them to the forefront here addressing some of Quicksilver's drama in a fun way. A lot of credit to Gage too for keeping this book interesting by doing a lot of different things. A nice mix of character interaction, action, flashbacks and forward movement blend well to produce an excellent second issue. Although admittedly I'm a bit nervous that they are launching into a crossover after 2 issues, but Jeff Parker is a talent, so we'll see what happens. Mike McKone continues to guide this book with his talents as an artist and as a storyteller, constantly keeping the pages moving in different ways and keeping the eyeball engaged, even if his faces can get a little wonky. They can cancel Atlas all they want, but I don't know how they could even dream of canceling this book. The first three pages of Avengers Academy alone will haunt JT Krul and Joe Casey's dreams for years to come. A-
Invincible Iron Man #28: Sometimes I wonder if I could just trade Matt Fraction $2.99 for a copy of the script instead of the issue. I love comics but I'd almost prefer the novella considering I only read the words. Larocca draws perfectly suitable Iron Men and Iron Men action scenes, but a majority of the book is usually talking heads and they always look goofy. I've heard that the fault lies primarily with D'Armata, the colorist, but my problems tend to be with the entire visual package. Regardless, whatever has gotten into Fraction recently has been fantastic. I didn't particularly enjoy World's Most Wanted or Stark Disassembled but I am absolutely loving Stark Resilient: it is funny, action packed, developing Tony's new status quo in a significant fashion and really reads a comic featuring a science action hero should. It always seems to drift towards the middle or bottom of my stack, but Iron Man continues to be some of the best treatment the character has received in recent memory. B
Batman #701: I love Grant Morrison. His Batman run continues to be one of the best stories that has been produced in comics and I cannot even imagine what will have come to pass by the time it is all said and done. Revisiting the conclusion of the R.I.P. storyline from Bruce's perspective almost two years after it wraps, G-Mo continues to frame some of the recent Batman and Robin threads that people have been theorizing about since the Return of Bruce Wayne began by showing us that Bruce actually knew about some of them even if Grayson and Co didn't. Admittedly this issue is a bit shallow for those whole have been pouring over the issues, but excellently spells out the ending of R.I.P. for those who had some difficulty with it, however it is still enjoyable even though it feels like some practice work for Bruce's return as Bruce. Tony Daniel's art continues to improve and looks worlds better than it did at the time of R.I.P. I've been a slow convert to his work and now that he'll be continuing on the book as both the writer and artist, I can look forward to his next arc. Overall, another superb chapter in one of the best Batman stories ever told. B+
Amazing Spider-Man #637: Holy Geez this book was insane. The final issue of The Gauntlet/Grim Hunt was definitely a doozy as Joe Kelly wraps everything up in an explosive fashion. For some reason I find a weird enjoyment in the stories where Peter gives in and becomes "The Spi(y)der" and this was no exception. Pushed to the limit by Kraven's clan, he finally has enough and goes off the rails to end this once and for all. I won't say too much as I try my best to stay committed to my "No Spoilers" policy, but this issue was absolutely top notch from beginning to end. Michael Lark killed it, and Kelly wrote a bonkers script. A worthy successor to Kraven's Last Hunt indeed. A+
X-Force - Sex and Violence #1: Over a year after its announcement, this book has finally dropped and while the plot is paper thin, it is definitely one of the most beautiful comics I have seen this year. Gabriele Dell'Otto's talent as a painter and storyteller puts DC's painting talent to shame and even though his pace is slow, his work is GORGEOUS. There is not a page in this comic that isn't amazingly illustrated, colored and rendered. A perfect summer popcorn comic. The art alone gets it an A- even though Michael Bay movies have more plot.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT ROBINS? YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT CROWBARS?? -- Reviews for 07/08/2010
Batman and Robin #13: When Batman and Robin first launched a year ago, there was a lot of talk about how the old Adam West show and the bizarreness of the 70s would be felt in this book. Arcs would be shorter, deeper, and interconnected on a huge scale and now 13 months removed from that, it is definitely fair to say they've succeeded. The new arc "Batman and Robin Must Die!" is the closing arc to Batman and Robin Year One and if you consider the Blackest Night month off to be a mid-season hiatus, BaRMD is definitely the beginning of a season finale. Morrison lays all the cards out on the table, explaining the truth behind "Sexton"'s role over the last year, the mystery of the Domino Killer and how The Joker has been affected by Bruce Wayne's absence. G-Mo also turns the dial up to 11 and all the various threads and scheme enter the next phase as we finally see the return of Professor Pyg, his Dollotrons and the Viral Addiction of the first arc, on top of inching closer to finally revealing what Simon Hurt's master plan truly is. Frazer Irving handles the art for this arc, and while I wasn't too keen on it for Return of Bruce Wayne #2, it is much better here. Irving's Joker is especially great, a splendid blend of pathetic and frail, creepy and menacing and will no doubt be featured more in what lies ahead. I love this book more and more each time it comes out. A
X-Force #28: With only a week to go in Second Coming, I am absolutely bored and unimpressed. The storytelling has been decent but the story itself just stopped being interesting around the time of Nightcrawler's funeral. As you've certainly guessed, the good guys have won by this point, the sacrifice has been immense and what causes Hope's powers to manifest is something that we all predicted months and months and months ago. An explanation is pending, but there is only so much that can be left to the imagination when Mike Choi draws the ever familiar Phoenix Force around her, but what a Phoenix Force he draws. The Choi/Oback team remains one of the best in comics, just absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous work. I've reviewed this story every step of the way, and quite frankly I'm glad the ride is just about over. C+
Brightest Day #5: Johns and Tomasi have finally gotten the idea that it is OK to not feature everyone in every issue. The hurdle they now need to overcome is trimming the fat on useless plot points. The week's development for Hawkman and woman and Aquaman and Mera was great, but the pages of Aliveman in the graveyard trying to do various resurrections just felt excessive. My chief problem is that each week continues to feel like the characters are simply moving from plot point to plot point and their personalities fall by the wayside unless serve the greater narrative. The art is great, everyone on board is doing excellent work, however I wish Brightest Day had someone on staff to serve in the Giffen capacity, providing layouts that would help these guys maximize their layouts and storytelling a bit. Ultimately the series continues to be just alright, I really want to see something fresh, not Aquaman handling the BP Oil spill. One more issue and I'm off if things don't pick up. C+
Amazing Spider-Man #636: The Grim Hunt has been one of the darkest and most intense Spider-Man stories maybe ever and this week provides a brief respite for everything. A brilliant issue that actually features very little Spider-Man, Joe Kelly re-focuses the spotlight on the Kraven family and the fallout of their patriarch's resurrection for them and the world at large. While there were no surprises how everything played out, it has been great to see someone exploring the JMS totemology a bit more and do some interesting things with it. Next week's finale is super-sized which will no doubt more than make up for this slow but solid issue. I'm praying for some of the Spider-Spikes myself. B+
Scarlet #1: I honestly don't know what to make of this comic. Like S.H.I.E.L.D. I feel like I know it will be good in the long run and there is a powerful undercurrent of quality to the book but nothing in this initial issue grabbed me and screamed in my face. The premise can definitely go some places, but Scarlet feels like another Bendis woman, disillusioned, disenchanted and plain bitter with the world and her dialogue feels a lot like Jessica Drew's from the Bendis/Maleev Spider-Woman joint. Talking at your reader is cool, breaking the fourth wall is cool, but it isn't like it hasn't been done before, maybe I just expected something other than what I got, I honestly don't know. Maleev kills in this book though. Alex was an acquired taste for me originally and so his new style has taken some getting use to, especially with his reliance on a model, but I'm totally down with it. I enjoyed this comic in a loyalty to Bendis way but it feels like a weak effort after how good his last few issues of Avengers and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man have been. I think I'm going to litmus test it tomorrow on a friend from out of town, and will maybe come back to it in a bit. If you like Bendis or Maleev, at least check it out. B-
Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1: April 2008. That is how long I have been waiting for another issue of Heinberg/Cheung Young Avengers and I know there have been people waiting longer than me and thankfully, this comic does not miss a beat, at all. After sitting on the back burner for almost 4 years now, Heinberg and Cheung return to continue the development of Patriot, Hawkeye, Hulkling, Wiccan, Vision, Stature and Speed and resolve the mystery of what happened to the Scarlet Witch. Although it is a bit slow to start, this is still an absolutely fantastic issue: Allan continues to write the kids faithfully, handles the grown Avengers wonderfully and although this script was obviously written ages ago, remains entirely appropriate even for the current Marvel setting. Even better news is that this is finally the return of Jim Cheung to comic book interiors. The guy has literally been sitting around waiting for this for months and hasn't had a serious project since Brian Bendis tapped him for New Avengers: Illuminati back in like 2007. He's been doing cover art for Secret Avengers since then but it just hasn't been the same. With Children's Crusade, Cheung is back in action and it is quite easy to see why he was tapped to be one of Marvel's Young Guns Artists a few years back. The guy draws fantastic faces that teem with emotion, great action scenes and I love how humanly alien the he draws Hulkling. These guys are truly superior storytellers and Children's Crusade is really going to be a special project once it finishes.... in a year and a half. A+
X-Force #28: With only a week to go in Second Coming, I am absolutely bored and unimpressed. The storytelling has been decent but the story itself just stopped being interesting around the time of Nightcrawler's funeral. As you've certainly guessed, the good guys have won by this point, the sacrifice has been immense and what causes Hope's powers to manifest is something that we all predicted months and months and months ago. An explanation is pending, but there is only so much that can be left to the imagination when Mike Choi draws the ever familiar Phoenix Force around her, but what a Phoenix Force he draws. The Choi/Oback team remains one of the best in comics, just absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous work. I've reviewed this story every step of the way, and quite frankly I'm glad the ride is just about over. C+
Brightest Day #5: Johns and Tomasi have finally gotten the idea that it is OK to not feature everyone in every issue. The hurdle they now need to overcome is trimming the fat on useless plot points. The week's development for Hawkman and woman and Aquaman and Mera was great, but the pages of Aliveman in the graveyard trying to do various resurrections just felt excessive. My chief problem is that each week continues to feel like the characters are simply moving from plot point to plot point and their personalities fall by the wayside unless serve the greater narrative. The art is great, everyone on board is doing excellent work, however I wish Brightest Day had someone on staff to serve in the Giffen capacity, providing layouts that would help these guys maximize their layouts and storytelling a bit. Ultimately the series continues to be just alright, I really want to see something fresh, not Aquaman handling the BP Oil spill. One more issue and I'm off if things don't pick up. C+
Amazing Spider-Man #636: The Grim Hunt has been one of the darkest and most intense Spider-Man stories maybe ever and this week provides a brief respite for everything. A brilliant issue that actually features very little Spider-Man, Joe Kelly re-focuses the spotlight on the Kraven family and the fallout of their patriarch's resurrection for them and the world at large. While there were no surprises how everything played out, it has been great to see someone exploring the JMS totemology a bit more and do some interesting things with it. Next week's finale is super-sized which will no doubt more than make up for this slow but solid issue. I'm praying for some of the Spider-Spikes myself. B+
Scarlet #1: I honestly don't know what to make of this comic. Like S.H.I.E.L.D. I feel like I know it will be good in the long run and there is a powerful undercurrent of quality to the book but nothing in this initial issue grabbed me and screamed in my face. The premise can definitely go some places, but Scarlet feels like another Bendis woman, disillusioned, disenchanted and plain bitter with the world and her dialogue feels a lot like Jessica Drew's from the Bendis/Maleev Spider-Woman joint. Talking at your reader is cool, breaking the fourth wall is cool, but it isn't like it hasn't been done before, maybe I just expected something other than what I got, I honestly don't know. Maleev kills in this book though. Alex was an acquired taste for me originally and so his new style has taken some getting use to, especially with his reliance on a model, but I'm totally down with it. I enjoyed this comic in a loyalty to Bendis way but it feels like a weak effort after how good his last few issues of Avengers and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man have been. I think I'm going to litmus test it tomorrow on a friend from out of town, and will maybe come back to it in a bit. If you like Bendis or Maleev, at least check it out. B-
Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1: April 2008. That is how long I have been waiting for another issue of Heinberg/Cheung Young Avengers and I know there have been people waiting longer than me and thankfully, this comic does not miss a beat, at all. After sitting on the back burner for almost 4 years now, Heinberg and Cheung return to continue the development of Patriot, Hawkeye, Hulkling, Wiccan, Vision, Stature and Speed and resolve the mystery of what happened to the Scarlet Witch. Although it is a bit slow to start, this is still an absolutely fantastic issue: Allan continues to write the kids faithfully, handles the grown Avengers wonderfully and although this script was obviously written ages ago, remains entirely appropriate even for the current Marvel setting. Even better news is that this is finally the return of Jim Cheung to comic book interiors. The guy has literally been sitting around waiting for this for months and hasn't had a serious project since Brian Bendis tapped him for New Avengers: Illuminati back in like 2007. He's been doing cover art for Secret Avengers since then but it just hasn't been the same. With Children's Crusade, Cheung is back in action and it is quite easy to see why he was tapped to be one of Marvel's Young Guns Artists a few years back. The guy draws fantastic faces that teem with emotion, great action scenes and I love how humanly alien the he draws Hulkling. These guys are truly superior storytellers and Children's Crusade is really going to be a special project once it finishes.... in a year and a half. A+
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Quick Thoughts on Jeff Lemire's The Nobody
I picked up Jeff Lemire's The Nobody on a whim at the comic shop a few weeks back and have only now gotten around to reading it. I read The Invisible Man back in College for a Science-Fiction English class and while I didn't dislike it, I didn't really enjoy it all that much either. I've also got Lemire's Essex County sitting on my shelf to read, so when I saw it on the rack, I picked it up without knowing anything about it.
While the class approached the book with an intended reading about the idea of "The Other" and how society deals with entities that are alien to it, Lemire's take approaches the story in a similar fashion, but changes the story in a fairly significant way. While Wells' Invisible Man is actually the villain of the story, Jeff's Griffen is the hero, even though the stories are about 85 to 90% identical.
With the addition of a sixteen year old girl who befriends Griffen, her sympathetic narration and Lemire's clever writing casts The Nobody as a sympathetic protagonist even in the fact of doing some fairly horrible acts. I was actually sort of surprised that I was upset with the conclusion given that at that point, The Invisible Man has killed at least two people and wounded another.
Really a great narrative tweak that refreshes an old favorite while remaining loyal to the original material. I'm sure there is a lot more to say and I may come back to it once I finish Essex County and get a better handle on Lemire as a writer.
While the class approached the book with an intended reading about the idea of "The Other" and how society deals with entities that are alien to it, Lemire's take approaches the story in a similar fashion, but changes the story in a fairly significant way. While Wells' Invisible Man is actually the villain of the story, Jeff's Griffen is the hero, even though the stories are about 85 to 90% identical.
With the addition of a sixteen year old girl who befriends Griffen, her sympathetic narration and Lemire's clever writing casts The Nobody as a sympathetic protagonist even in the fact of doing some fairly horrible acts. I was actually sort of surprised that I was upset with the conclusion given that at that point, The Invisible Man has killed at least two people and wounded another.
Really a great narrative tweak that refreshes an old favorite while remaining loyal to the original material. I'm sure there is a lot more to say and I may come back to it once I finish Essex County and get a better handle on Lemire as a writer.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Revisiting Casanova
After two years of inactivity, Casanova is finally returning to Comic Shops this next week and I could not be happier. Casanova is a comic unlike any other I've read in my 20 years as a comic fan. Created in 2006 by Matt Fraction and the twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, it is slick, intelligent, witty, packed with action and stuffed to the gills with swagger, the book radiates pizazz. For two years, Casanova slid into stores, a cult hit with vision before its time. Now, with the clout of multiple Eisners, Fraction/Ba/Moon have prepared to re-launch the book under Marvel's Icon Imprint. While two volumes have been published and the first was the only one to make it to trade, the series will launch with re-prints of the first two stories before starting a third arc. These won't be the standard green/white/black/purple colors that older readers are familiar with, instead we'll be getting total re-colors, brand new covers and some additional material provided by the creative team.
My discovery of Casanova was perhaps the best diamond in the rough story of my life. Back in 2008, when I was first getting back into comics, I purchased the first volume of the Immortal Iron Fist on a whim. As probably the best run the character may ever receive, even a born again rookie like myself was able to see the quality infused on every page of that comic and I used it as a springboard to find more books. While Ed Brubaker was already a known quantity at the time, Matt Fraction was still a fairly up and comer, but he was set to launch the brand new Iron Man series and would be joining the creative team of Uncanny X-Men when issue #500 dropped. A quick journey to his Wiki page and I was given a resume was much shorter than it is now. A few issues of The Order, a Spider-Man annual, and Iron Fist were all books I recognized, but Casanova was something I had never heard of, nor had anyone else I talked comics with. I had no clue who Gabriel Ba or Fabio Moon were, I was a kid who hated Batman, loved the Clone Saga and hadn't touched a non-Marvel book in ages. But armed with a gift card, I took a gamble.
When I popped the book open, with the very first page, I was blown away. From the very first words, Fraction's dialogue and imagination crackle and pop with a creative electricity that I had never experienced before. As a tights-and-flights reader until that moment, I had no clue how to handle a science-espionage-epic-standalone and I was loving it. From a staring match versus a 3-in-1 monk to a city seemingly powered by sex, the adventures of alternate-dimension kidnapee antihero turned hero Casanova Quinn were everything I had been missing from comics and never even known it. Ba's pencils were both strange and amazing to me. I was used to the excessive Liefeld and Lee styling of the 90s and once my eyes adjusted and learned to read the pages, I had no problem understanding why the man is an award winning artist. If Matt is a butcher, Ba is a master chef, turning the script into an experience that is both read, AND seen.
In a sense, Casanova was my Rosetta Stone. It was my first non-Alan Moore/Neil Gaiman comic. It was my first real non-Marvel experience, my first attempt at trying to follow along with a long form story and my first real taste of a genre away from Spider-Man. For fifteen bucks, Matt Fraction handed me a cipher to better understand what had come before and what is yet to come. Since then I've gone on to not only read, but understand and appreciate works like Promethea, Grant Morrison's The Filth and David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp, all amazing works that I might have never gone near while clinging desperately to Iron Man. In fact, now that I think about it, Fraction's Invincible Iron Man #1 was also the first comic I ever reviewed, perhaps I should thank him for this blog as well.
Before I sat down to write this, I dusted the book off the shelf and went through it again, enjoying as much, if not more than I did that first time. Two years of analysis and practice have sharpened my reading abilities immensely and I found myself rewarded. I noticed things I had missed twice over, appreciated ideas that had made their way into other comics, like the ancient Japanese war machine that feels vaguely reminiscent of the Russian Jetpack Bear headed team of the first two issues of The Order, and was in general able to just appreciate the series and the experience again with a more mature and removed view.
I absolutely cannot wait to get to the store this Thursday to pick up the first issue of this re-launch and if you're reading this, I hope you will too. I rarely double dip on material I already own, but I know for certain that this will be worth every single penny. To the Misters Fraction, Ba and Moon, I wish you guys incredible success this time around, and I am salivating for a chance at Volumes 2 and 3. To everyone else, I implore you, please, please, please, give this a chance. I do not think you will regret it.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Some Musings About Wonder Woman's New Costume
First off, the image is compliments of DC's The Source. Surely by now you have heard that Wonder Woman is undergoing a costume change, away from the blue panties and breastplate and into this new, more "urban and stealthy" garb. While I consider myself a Wonder Woman fan, I haven't found any enjoyment from her main title in sometime, settling for sustenance via my favorite author's runs over on the various Justice League books. When this dropped, I didn't think I was going to have any particular opinion about it, but after talking with Shelley from Bat Romance and Andy from I live sweat, but I dream lightyears.. I realized that I did.
While not a fan of the blue panties specifically, I always dug the iconic nature of Wonder Woman's costume. It is recognizable in a way that very few heroes are, much like Batman, Superman and Spider-Man. A few weeks back, Mahmud Asrar posted this rendition of Diana that he did that I absolutely fell in love with:
Image is from Mr. Asrar's Twitpic account, findable here.
I absolutely dig everything about this. The boots are updated to a more military look: the bracelets are full out bracers, the panties are replaced with a skirt, the breastplate is more armored looking while the split cape evokes a bit of ancient general/warlord/Xena feeling that still translates to the superhero world. Yes, there are no straps on the plate, but given the magic nature of the costume, I'm willing to suspend some disbelief and imagine that the chest piece is magically fitted. It preserves functionality, looks cool, maintains the iconic nature of her costume and does away with seeing her gluts.
This new costume... just doesn't do it for me. Like Superman, Wonder Woman to me is all about the bright colors, and adding black leggings, a black choker and a leather jacket just makes it too Black Canary for me. I do dig the gauntlets, but everything else just feels so muted that the pros seem few and far between. I understand that there are some story motives that went into this design, and I'm willing to wait until I see a few more artists draw it before I turn in a final judgment, but if I just glanced at this picture, I would have never known it was supposed to be Diana.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
"You can't swing a dead cat without hittin' someone wearing a power ring!" Reviews for 06/30/10
Green Lantern #55: This issue must have been the easiest bit of Green Lantern that Geoff Johns has ever had to write. I can think of about five different bits of dialogue that feel like they were ripped straight from the Internet, but it makes sense given that the issue focuses on the Ultimate Troll, Lobo, who is really only in this story as a plot device. While ultimately nothing new happens, it was still worth the $2.99 to watch Mahnke kill it on the art. Dex-Starr squares off against Lobo's dog, and we get some killer spreads as well. Also included is the Secret Origin of Dex-Starr, which no one really asks for, but was a fun little thing to read. I imagine this was probably a bit of a breather issue for Johns, given how much he has on his plate right now and while the plot doesn't advance too much, the issue still exudes quality. B+, would be higher with some forward plot motion although the J.T. Krul joke makes me want to give it an A.
Invincible #73: Another great issue from Kirkman and it has been great to see him picking some things up as a writer. No real surprise how last month's cliffhanger plays out, but what made this issue so enjoyable was how the fallout is handled. I remarked either in a review or to someone a while back that now the Viltrumite War is here, no one really cares because there are so many other interesting things going on with the book and I think the creative team agrees. The structure of this issue allows for plenty of plot to be on-going while also dedicating plenty of time to fleshing out Oliver, who has been apart of the book for almost two years now but never really gotten face time, and letting him interact with Nolan, developing their father/son bond. With some clever narration, our boys are already ready to return to what will no doubt be the climax/deciding moment of the war and the story can go forward from there. Ottley really is a great artist and this issue was an excellent break for him to just draw characters and backgrounds without having to pour so much detail into the hyper-violence that has been so prevalent in the series lately. I really look forward to this book each month and highly recommend it. A-
Secret Avengers #2: The Avengers family is so hot right now that it may be the best franchise in comics. Academy is highly enjoyable, Bendis is in rare form in the main book and New Avengers, and Ed Brubaker's fresh take on a "stealth" Avengers continues to be both fresh and refreshing. Continuing right where SA #1 left off, Cap's team continues the search for Nova and clues to understand what is going on on Mars. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Sharon Carter deals with the fallout of last month's cliffhanger. Secret Avengers across two issues has been the perfect blend of action, dialogue, mystery and plot that so many books strive for, but to few seem to reach. My only complain is that Valkyrie disappears in this issue, but given that she is primarily there as muscle thus far, I can forgive it. Artistically, Mike Deodato is drawing absolutely out of his mind. His layouts are great, his action is awesome and although his art is often heavily shadowed and darkly colored, it still looks spectacular. I'm also really digging his Beast, giving him the perfect blend of cat, ape and man. This series is only two issues in, so I really hope people are hopping aboard. It is accessible, fun and continuity free. A
Flash #3: I really dig Geoff Johns on the Flash. I had no interest in the character before I read his Wally West run, and so I was stoked to get the opportunity to follow a second run as it happened. Johns does a great job of handling the time travel and of writing the Rogues, so seeing him merge those two to produce the Renegades has been very enjoyable, especially with Francis Manapul's art. Each Renegade looks immediately evocative of his particular Rogue, but the designs are fresh and different enough to set them apart. Likewise, their tweaked abilities are also a lot of fun and will be curious to see what else this new police force has up its sleeve for dealing with Speedsters. My biggest complaint though is that while everything has been about speed thus far, the plot hasn't actually moved anywhere. The Mirror Monarch died in issue one, and we're no where closer to understanding how or why it is going to happen. There is still a lot of story left to go and no doubt there will be plenty of clues as we build towards Flashpoint. So while I'm a little disappointed, I'm not giving up yet, especially with Fran Man on art. I absolutely love what this guy does, from his little details, to his action scenes, to his fantastic use of splash pages. It is put together brilliantly, and looks top notch. It feels good to be buying The Flash each month, but I wasn't in a rush to read this issue. B
Wonder Woman #600: The third anniversary issue to drop this month, Wonder Woman is the tie-breaker to whether or not these have been a success, and after reading it, I definitely wish I hadn't. While Batman #700 had the luck of being written by Grant Morrison, the Superman and Wonder Woman issues have been giant anthologies of snippets and quick stories to illustrate why these heroes are so great. Admittedly, I only purchased the issue to get a taste of JMS's upcoming run and the Diana's new outfit, which I'll comment on elsewhere and was a bit nervous to see that 20 different people are credited on the cover. A collection of five stories and a handful of pin-ups, the stories ranged from a lot of fun (Amanda Conner's story which is a bit of a prologue to her work on Power Girl) to groan worthy (Gail Simone's Diana is great! story) but didn't really leave me satisfied in any particular capacity. The JMS prologue has me interested enough to buy the first issue, but I'm going to be disappointed if these pages are replicated. I was expecting a great deal of "cheesecake" in the pin-ups, but even Greg Horn and Guillem March managed to keep it fairly reined in. My biggest disappointment was the inclusion of some preview pages for Cornell's upcoming Action Comics run. It is just a personal gripe but in an issue that is supposed to be a celebration of the character, I would think everything in it should be included to ensure some bit of timelessness and tribute to it, so that it can be picked up in 2010, or in 2040. Overall, not real great, but not absolutely horrible. My only regret was paying $4.99. C+
Invincible #73: Another great issue from Kirkman and it has been great to see him picking some things up as a writer. No real surprise how last month's cliffhanger plays out, but what made this issue so enjoyable was how the fallout is handled. I remarked either in a review or to someone a while back that now the Viltrumite War is here, no one really cares because there are so many other interesting things going on with the book and I think the creative team agrees. The structure of this issue allows for plenty of plot to be on-going while also dedicating plenty of time to fleshing out Oliver, who has been apart of the book for almost two years now but never really gotten face time, and letting him interact with Nolan, developing their father/son bond. With some clever narration, our boys are already ready to return to what will no doubt be the climax/deciding moment of the war and the story can go forward from there. Ottley really is a great artist and this issue was an excellent break for him to just draw characters and backgrounds without having to pour so much detail into the hyper-violence that has been so prevalent in the series lately. I really look forward to this book each month and highly recommend it. A-
Secret Avengers #2: The Avengers family is so hot right now that it may be the best franchise in comics. Academy is highly enjoyable, Bendis is in rare form in the main book and New Avengers, and Ed Brubaker's fresh take on a "stealth" Avengers continues to be both fresh and refreshing. Continuing right where SA #1 left off, Cap's team continues the search for Nova and clues to understand what is going on on Mars. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Sharon Carter deals with the fallout of last month's cliffhanger. Secret Avengers across two issues has been the perfect blend of action, dialogue, mystery and plot that so many books strive for, but to few seem to reach. My only complain is that Valkyrie disappears in this issue, but given that she is primarily there as muscle thus far, I can forgive it. Artistically, Mike Deodato is drawing absolutely out of his mind. His layouts are great, his action is awesome and although his art is often heavily shadowed and darkly colored, it still looks spectacular. I'm also really digging his Beast, giving him the perfect blend of cat, ape and man. This series is only two issues in, so I really hope people are hopping aboard. It is accessible, fun and continuity free. A
Flash #3: I really dig Geoff Johns on the Flash. I had no interest in the character before I read his Wally West run, and so I was stoked to get the opportunity to follow a second run as it happened. Johns does a great job of handling the time travel and of writing the Rogues, so seeing him merge those two to produce the Renegades has been very enjoyable, especially with Francis Manapul's art. Each Renegade looks immediately evocative of his particular Rogue, but the designs are fresh and different enough to set them apart. Likewise, their tweaked abilities are also a lot of fun and will be curious to see what else this new police force has up its sleeve for dealing with Speedsters. My biggest complaint though is that while everything has been about speed thus far, the plot hasn't actually moved anywhere. The Mirror Monarch died in issue one, and we're no where closer to understanding how or why it is going to happen. There is still a lot of story left to go and no doubt there will be plenty of clues as we build towards Flashpoint. So while I'm a little disappointed, I'm not giving up yet, especially with Fran Man on art. I absolutely love what this guy does, from his little details, to his action scenes, to his fantastic use of splash pages. It is put together brilliantly, and looks top notch. It feels good to be buying The Flash each month, but I wasn't in a rush to read this issue. B
Wonder Woman #600: The third anniversary issue to drop this month, Wonder Woman is the tie-breaker to whether or not these have been a success, and after reading it, I definitely wish I hadn't. While Batman #700 had the luck of being written by Grant Morrison, the Superman and Wonder Woman issues have been giant anthologies of snippets and quick stories to illustrate why these heroes are so great. Admittedly, I only purchased the issue to get a taste of JMS's upcoming run and the Diana's new outfit, which I'll comment on elsewhere and was a bit nervous to see that 20 different people are credited on the cover. A collection of five stories and a handful of pin-ups, the stories ranged from a lot of fun (Amanda Conner's story which is a bit of a prologue to her work on Power Girl) to groan worthy (Gail Simone's Diana is great! story) but didn't really leave me satisfied in any particular capacity. The JMS prologue has me interested enough to buy the first issue, but I'm going to be disappointed if these pages are replicated. I was expecting a great deal of "cheesecake" in the pin-ups, but even Greg Horn and Guillem March managed to keep it fairly reined in. My biggest disappointment was the inclusion of some preview pages for Cornell's upcoming Action Comics run. It is just a personal gripe but in an issue that is supposed to be a celebration of the character, I would think everything in it should be included to ensure some bit of timelessness and tribute to it, so that it can be picked up in 2010, or in 2040. Overall, not real great, but not absolutely horrible. My only regret was paying $4.99. C+
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Reviews for the Week of 06/23/2010
An uninspired choice of title, I do apologize as I'm a bit fried but let's get to the reviews:
Secret Warriors #17: This book hangs in the balance. Already shaved down from 60 issues to 30 or so, the lead artist has left for other projects and sales are hanging in the mid to low range. Admittedly, it is impossible to initiate anyone into this book without having them start at issue #1 and very few people are willing to do that right now. I can only hope that Hickman keeps his head up and keeps writing the hell out of this book. He is such a talent and when this all wraps up, it is going to be a huge part of his bibliography for years to come. Each issue has been fantastic and this one is no different. Beginning the new arc, "The Last Ride of the Howling Commandos" we begin to see the final pieces get into place as Nick Fury's PMC unit celebrates one last time before what may potentially be their final mission. Also great to finally see some of the other caterpillars for the first time in over two years. These combined with a great last page are why I love this book so much. Fantastic dialogue, excellent characters and incredibly deep plot. Vitti has become the new lead artist here and his work is solid. but Casseli is definitely missed. My only real criticism is that after more than two years of having one of the most recognizable covers on the stands, Marvel broke away from that to showcase the Heroic Age banner. B+
Avengers #2: I don't know what has gotten into Brian Bendis, but I'm damn glad of it. For three weeks in a row now I've read a Bendis book that just absolutely smashes it out of the park. I was initially critical how rushed the initial issue was but those concerns fall away as the writing keeps the narrative tightly focused on the adventure at hand rather than worrying about ironing out continuity. Plenty of standing around chatting by the heroes, but also loads of great dialogue, especially from Tony Stark. I know plenty of people are upset with how Marvel Boy is being handled and I agree that "Protector" is the most ham fisted naming ever, but after an issue, I'll let it slide. Fantastic stuff by JRjr here, I really dug the 2099, Days of Future Past and Age of Apocalypse nods and the cliffhanger spread is absolutely awesome. I didn't think it was possible but the Avengers stock continues to rise and the next issue will only get better. A
Amazing Spider-Man #635: Anyone buying singles right now but not buying Spider-Man, does not like good comics. It is absolutely insane how good this book is. After how powerful #634 was, I had no clue how Joe Kelly was going to top himself, but he did. The plot on this story is absolutely off the rails providing homage to Kraven's Last Hunt, The Clone Saga, JMS's run, The Gauntlet and all kinds of crazy stuff. The involvement of the "other Spiders" makes perfect sense and you can't help but fist pump and pep talk Peter as he goes through this issue. Michael Lark continues to bring his A game to the world of Spider-Man and I'd expect nothing less. The bonus material is alright, it is frustrating to only get 2 Marcos Martin pages a week, and Fimura brings his unusual style to another stale "lost tale." Neither outshine the main book, but given that ASM is in the middle of its best run maybe ever, that isn't surprising. A+ (It is pretty hard to talk about this book without delving into spoilers, but good lord just read it.)
X-Men Legacy #237: I want so badly to just write, "Was ok" and move on, but that wouldn't be fair. Another chapter that hits "good" on the solid factor but just isn't that great. The dire threat of the Nimrods is wrapped up quickly with out X-Force ever really feeling like it was in danger and the last page cliffhanger is only a cliffhanger because I was so bored with the plot that I never bothered to put the time into figuring out how that particular thread would work out. Greg Land manages not to wreck things too badly again and even manages to put together a decent spread page. Two chapters left by Kyle and Yost, hopefully they end this with a bang. B-
Secret Warriors #17: This book hangs in the balance. Already shaved down from 60 issues to 30 or so, the lead artist has left for other projects and sales are hanging in the mid to low range. Admittedly, it is impossible to initiate anyone into this book without having them start at issue #1 and very few people are willing to do that right now. I can only hope that Hickman keeps his head up and keeps writing the hell out of this book. He is such a talent and when this all wraps up, it is going to be a huge part of his bibliography for years to come. Each issue has been fantastic and this one is no different. Beginning the new arc, "The Last Ride of the Howling Commandos" we begin to see the final pieces get into place as Nick Fury's PMC unit celebrates one last time before what may potentially be their final mission. Also great to finally see some of the other caterpillars for the first time in over two years. These combined with a great last page are why I love this book so much. Fantastic dialogue, excellent characters and incredibly deep plot. Vitti has become the new lead artist here and his work is solid. but Casseli is definitely missed. My only real criticism is that after more than two years of having one of the most recognizable covers on the stands, Marvel broke away from that to showcase the Heroic Age banner. B+
Avengers #2: I don't know what has gotten into Brian Bendis, but I'm damn glad of it. For three weeks in a row now I've read a Bendis book that just absolutely smashes it out of the park. I was initially critical how rushed the initial issue was but those concerns fall away as the writing keeps the narrative tightly focused on the adventure at hand rather than worrying about ironing out continuity. Plenty of standing around chatting by the heroes, but also loads of great dialogue, especially from Tony Stark. I know plenty of people are upset with how Marvel Boy is being handled and I agree that "Protector" is the most ham fisted naming ever, but after an issue, I'll let it slide. Fantastic stuff by JRjr here, I really dug the 2099, Days of Future Past and Age of Apocalypse nods and the cliffhanger spread is absolutely awesome. I didn't think it was possible but the Avengers stock continues to rise and the next issue will only get better. A
Amazing Spider-Man #635: Anyone buying singles right now but not buying Spider-Man, does not like good comics. It is absolutely insane how good this book is. After how powerful #634 was, I had no clue how Joe Kelly was going to top himself, but he did. The plot on this story is absolutely off the rails providing homage to Kraven's Last Hunt, The Clone Saga, JMS's run, The Gauntlet and all kinds of crazy stuff. The involvement of the "other Spiders" makes perfect sense and you can't help but fist pump and pep talk Peter as he goes through this issue. Michael Lark continues to bring his A game to the world of Spider-Man and I'd expect nothing less. The bonus material is alright, it is frustrating to only get 2 Marcos Martin pages a week, and Fimura brings his unusual style to another stale "lost tale." Neither outshine the main book, but given that ASM is in the middle of its best run maybe ever, that isn't surprising. A+ (It is pretty hard to talk about this book without delving into spoilers, but good lord just read it.)
X-Men Legacy #237: I want so badly to just write, "Was ok" and move on, but that wouldn't be fair. Another chapter that hits "good" on the solid factor but just isn't that great. The dire threat of the Nimrods is wrapped up quickly with out X-Force ever really feeling like it was in danger and the last page cliffhanger is only a cliffhanger because I was so bored with the plot that I never bothered to put the time into figuring out how that particular thread would work out. Greg Land manages not to wreck things too badly again and even manages to put together a decent spread page. Two chapters left by Kyle and Yost, hopefully they end this with a bang. B-
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Reviews Whatever Has Spider-Man (for 06/16/2010)
Amazing Spider-Man #633: Shed concludes this week and by now you know that I've been passing out the kool aid to anyone who will listen about how great this story has been, and the final issue did not disappoint. It was however a lot quieter than I had anticipated, which wasn't bad at all. The evolved Lizard is going to be an interesting character for writers to use in the future now that it is clear Curt Connors is officially gone and a potential journey towards hero-dom could be quite interesting. A lot of credit to Zeb Wells for opting to conclude this arc with a lot of emotional power versus a giant fist fight, especially with ASM double shipping this week, those final pages were a subtle and powerful bridge into Joe Kelly's Grim Hunt story. Bachalo is as brilliant as ever and after three weeks, I don't have much more to say about what he brings to the table. A lot of love also to Emma Rios, whom I was skeptical of at the beginning, but performed admirably, especially in the final pages. This story was absolutely stellar and I do not regret my pushing it so hard in the least. A
New Mutants #14: Second Coming marches on this week, inching its way towards the finale and after 11 weeks, it really can't get here fast enough. I'm over rallying speeches, I'm over dramatic moments and I'm through with pointless deaths. Bring on the final confrontations, bring on the manifestation of powers and let's end this thing. At this point, I'm going to really need to be blown away by the finale, because with three issues to go now, I'm not sure how they're going to confront Bastion, save the city, save the future, resolve this three year Hope story and not have it feel like a rush job. At this point however, I fully expect Cable to die in the future, which will cause Hope to jump start the X-gene and rather than be an ending, Second Coming will only be the beginning of the next phase of X-stories. Plot complaints aside, this issue did have some enjoyable scenes, Legion was used in a very interesting fashion and it was great to see Colossus actually victimized, rather than simply off panel. The art was also handled well, given that it was comprised of 6 members, they kept everything looking uniform and solid. B-
Amazing Spider-Man #634: This is it. What everything has been building towards since last June. The Grim Hunt, and holy cow is here in a big way. Starting the story off a few days after #633, Peter is at rock bottom, adding swine flu to his list of burdens. I can't say too much about the plot because things take off from the very first page, including some serious call backs to the Clone Saga, JMS's run and some hints that have been dropped over the last year or so. Some serious care and energy went into this story and it shows. Joe Kelly has really kicked things off with a bang and has turned in one of the best ASM issues of the year, the last few pages alone were probably some of the most difficult and tear jerking panels I've read since.. well since I Kill Giants. Truly heart-wrenching stuff. Was great to see Michael Lark back on the pencils, his faces look goofy on occasion, but he absolutely killed this stuff with his fluid movements and subtle touches that really brought the story to life. The back-up features were alright, I don't think anyone particularly cares about another "Secret Kaine story" written by J.M. DeMatteis, but it was fun to see Max Fiumara back in Spidey's world. I was a little disappointed to find out that the Stan Lee/Marcos Martin joint is only 2 pages a week, but I'll take Marcos however I can get him. I have no clue how they're going to trump themselves next week, but I have every confidence that they will. A+
Brightest Day #4: The instant this story stops being a stream of blue-balling cliffhangers, it is going to take off in a huge way. There is so much talent in each issue that it is absolutely frustrating how poorly paced it has been. Things are slowly picking up, with Martian Manhunter's story missing in action and the Aquaman pages were re-purposed for the new Aqualad. Thankfully the biggest gains were made for Aliveman, who at this point is probably the main character of the story, but my largest frustration comes at the lack of Firestorm pages, primarily because I'm anxious to know if my theory about the revived heroes being converted Black Lanterns is correct. All things considered, the art is great in these issues, but with Reis, Syaf, Clark and Prado, who can be surprised by that. At this point you are either buying this or not, depending on how it all turns out, trade waiting may be the best idea. B
New Avengers #1: It is insanely frustrating how enjoyable this book was. Last week I remarked that I couldn't understand how Bendis wasn't translating the quality of his Ultimate Spider-Man comics into his Avengers work and it looks like he decided to show me the business. New Avengers was everything Avengers wasn't. Organic, natural, fluid, and filled with characters that felt like themselves instead of being puppeted around. I'd almost dare say that half the reason this issue was so good, was because Spider-Man and Wolverine barely do a thing. Luke Cage in the front and center is really the key here and his interactions with Victoria Hand especially let Bendis's talent for dialogue shine. Even the unrevealed enemy-as-driving force feels less forced than last month's encounter with Kang, as the tension builds in juxtaposition with the blossoming New Avengers. Carrying over from the last volume, the team of Immonen, Von Grawbadger and Martin continue to do fabulous things: this book looks great, reads great and flows fantastically. I think it will be difficult for even those who dislike JRjr over on Avengers to dispute that this is a visually impressive book. Overall, my only complaint is that there is no credit to Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction for the lifting of the great idea to elaborate on Doctor Voodoo's spells and where they came from. A+
The Black Cat #1: In a week with 4 Spider-Man comics, this was actually the one I was most looking forward to. Jen Van Meter and Javier Pulido set up a Felicia Hardy story that is running concurrently with the Grim Hunt, and while those details are still developing, the inital story is still fantastic. As a long running member of Spidey's supporting cast, I may be wrong but I don't think Felicia has ever received the level of background that Van Meter provides here, generating a supporting cast of the Cat's own: from the women who handle her gear to the men who provide her with information. It was great to have a look past the "independent woman"facade she is always written with, for a better look into her life. Everything about the story feels genuine, the dialogue is natural and the events of the book are perfectly suited to a street level hero with a more minor super-power. Visually, this comic pops. From the people I've talked to, Javier Pulido tends to get lost in Marcos Martin's shadow, but as an individual talent, he is just as skilled as Marcos, if not more. With a fantastic use of panel construction and unique layouts, Pulido's talking scenes feel just as fluid as the action, eliminating any chance for a dull moment to even exist. I was very surprised at how lengthy this comic felt, even more so than the other Spidey issues this week. With Shed having been concluded, this may be my new Spider-Man comic to push on everyone, as it was absolutely fantastic. A
New Mutants #14: Second Coming marches on this week, inching its way towards the finale and after 11 weeks, it really can't get here fast enough. I'm over rallying speeches, I'm over dramatic moments and I'm through with pointless deaths. Bring on the final confrontations, bring on the manifestation of powers and let's end this thing. At this point, I'm going to really need to be blown away by the finale, because with three issues to go now, I'm not sure how they're going to confront Bastion, save the city, save the future, resolve this three year Hope story and not have it feel like a rush job. At this point however, I fully expect Cable to die in the future, which will cause Hope to jump start the X-gene and rather than be an ending, Second Coming will only be the beginning of the next phase of X-stories. Plot complaints aside, this issue did have some enjoyable scenes, Legion was used in a very interesting fashion and it was great to see Colossus actually victimized, rather than simply off panel. The art was also handled well, given that it was comprised of 6 members, they kept everything looking uniform and solid. B-
Amazing Spider-Man #634: This is it. What everything has been building towards since last June. The Grim Hunt, and holy cow is here in a big way. Starting the story off a few days after #633, Peter is at rock bottom, adding swine flu to his list of burdens. I can't say too much about the plot because things take off from the very first page, including some serious call backs to the Clone Saga, JMS's run and some hints that have been dropped over the last year or so. Some serious care and energy went into this story and it shows. Joe Kelly has really kicked things off with a bang and has turned in one of the best ASM issues of the year, the last few pages alone were probably some of the most difficult and tear jerking panels I've read since.. well since I Kill Giants. Truly heart-wrenching stuff. Was great to see Michael Lark back on the pencils, his faces look goofy on occasion, but he absolutely killed this stuff with his fluid movements and subtle touches that really brought the story to life. The back-up features were alright, I don't think anyone particularly cares about another "Secret Kaine story" written by J.M. DeMatteis, but it was fun to see Max Fiumara back in Spidey's world. I was a little disappointed to find out that the Stan Lee/Marcos Martin joint is only 2 pages a week, but I'll take Marcos however I can get him. I have no clue how they're going to trump themselves next week, but I have every confidence that they will. A+
Brightest Day #4: The instant this story stops being a stream of blue-balling cliffhangers, it is going to take off in a huge way. There is so much talent in each issue that it is absolutely frustrating how poorly paced it has been. Things are slowly picking up, with Martian Manhunter's story missing in action and the Aquaman pages were re-purposed for the new Aqualad. Thankfully the biggest gains were made for Aliveman, who at this point is probably the main character of the story, but my largest frustration comes at the lack of Firestorm pages, primarily because I'm anxious to know if my theory about the revived heroes being converted Black Lanterns is correct. All things considered, the art is great in these issues, but with Reis, Syaf, Clark and Prado, who can be surprised by that. At this point you are either buying this or not, depending on how it all turns out, trade waiting may be the best idea. B
New Avengers #1: It is insanely frustrating how enjoyable this book was. Last week I remarked that I couldn't understand how Bendis wasn't translating the quality of his Ultimate Spider-Man comics into his Avengers work and it looks like he decided to show me the business. New Avengers was everything Avengers wasn't. Organic, natural, fluid, and filled with characters that felt like themselves instead of being puppeted around. I'd almost dare say that half the reason this issue was so good, was because Spider-Man and Wolverine barely do a thing. Luke Cage in the front and center is really the key here and his interactions with Victoria Hand especially let Bendis's talent for dialogue shine. Even the unrevealed enemy-as-driving force feels less forced than last month's encounter with Kang, as the tension builds in juxtaposition with the blossoming New Avengers. Carrying over from the last volume, the team of Immonen, Von Grawbadger and Martin continue to do fabulous things: this book looks great, reads great and flows fantastically. I think it will be difficult for even those who dislike JRjr over on Avengers to dispute that this is a visually impressive book. Overall, my only complaint is that there is no credit to Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction for the lifting of the great idea to elaborate on Doctor Voodoo's spells and where they came from. A+
The Black Cat #1: In a week with 4 Spider-Man comics, this was actually the one I was most looking forward to. Jen Van Meter and Javier Pulido set up a Felicia Hardy story that is running concurrently with the Grim Hunt, and while those details are still developing, the inital story is still fantastic. As a long running member of Spidey's supporting cast, I may be wrong but I don't think Felicia has ever received the level of background that Van Meter provides here, generating a supporting cast of the Cat's own: from the women who handle her gear to the men who provide her with information. It was great to have a look past the "independent woman"facade she is always written with, for a better look into her life. Everything about the story feels genuine, the dialogue is natural and the events of the book are perfectly suited to a street level hero with a more minor super-power. Visually, this comic pops. From the people I've talked to, Javier Pulido tends to get lost in Marcos Martin's shadow, but as an individual talent, he is just as skilled as Marcos, if not more. With a fantastic use of panel construction and unique layouts, Pulido's talking scenes feel just as fluid as the action, eliminating any chance for a dull moment to even exist. I was very surprised at how lengthy this comic felt, even more so than the other Spidey issues this week. With Shed having been concluded, this may be my new Spider-Man comic to push on everyone, as it was absolutely fantastic. A
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Light Reviews for 06/10/2010
I've been a bit overwhelmed with school but I caught some time tonight so I figured I'd throw down a few quick reviews:
Batman #700 Typical DC managed to false advertise the hell out of this book, making people believe that it would be more of an anthology and less of a consolidated story and while it is, it really isn't. I know a lot of people were also expecting this to be a huge moment for the Return of Bruce Wayne story that is on-going right now, but we didn't get that either. However, a lot of credit to Grant Morrison, who gets a bad rap for being inaccessible, for turning out a fantastic, one and done story that (if I can use the ever cliche phrase) rewards longtime readers but is also a fun tale for first timers. Anyone who has ever heard of Batman knows that there is always going to be one, and that is really the only piece of information you need going into the story. The art teams all shine on their respective Batmen, although Scott Kolins out of nowhere was very surprising, especially the style used for his pages. As David Uzumeri mentioned on his Twitter, Kolins normal Flash work would have fit in just fine, instead his pages possess a glossy feel that makes everything feel fuzzy. I absolutely love Kubert's Damian Batman as well, but that is just personal preference. The only thing I can really be unhappy with is the additional 4 pages of "Batcave" material which should have really just been a re-print of Jim Lee's All Star Batman and Robin gateway spread which really is all one needs. From a critical eye this issue could have trimmed some fat and been priced at $3.99, but from a celebratory perspective, it succeeds. A-
PunisherMAX #8: I don't consider myself a Punisher fan, but I love this series to death, if only because each month tells you a little bit more about how absolute insane Jason Aaron actually is. Aaron's take on these characters continues to dwell in the land of excess: graphic violence, absolutely insane situations and a true sense of never really knowing what can come next and yet it all feels very natural to the book. His mastery of these characters keeps everything flowing and Dillion's art remains as solid as ever. I'm going to end this portion now because I find it terribly difficult to review without foul language, but that is just the nature of the beast. B+
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11: Reading this book each month continues to make it more and more difficult for me to dump $3.99 into other Bendis titles because his Spider-Man is just so good each month that it baffles how he isn't translating this stuff to his Avengers work. While no actual webs appear in this issue, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of action as the fallout from last month's Kitty-focused drama segues right into something brand new that I would have never expected if I didn't keep an eye on the solicitations. Strong dialogue, solid art and an enjoyable plot both keep this title in the upper tier of comics and reminding us of how quickly time flies (ASM's similar story was a year ago last July and the iPad was announced in January, but appears here). A
Uncanny X-Men #525: Uncanny has continually been the weak-link in the Second Coming chain, even factoring in Greg Land artwork elsewhere, lacking the necessary urgency and cohesion the other titles have had. At this point the plot really needs to be advancing, and instead readers get yet another collection of character moments that don't really go anywhere. Everyone gets it, Scott is carrying a heavy burden, mutants are extinct in the future and outside the dome everyone is crashing into it just to shut up the occasional "Where were the Avengers?" fan. Let's get on with the story, and don't even get me started on the Watchmen joke. At least The Dodson's are doing what they can. I'm ready for Second Coming to wrap-up so we can finally put this Messiah business to rest. B-
Batman #700 Typical DC managed to false advertise the hell out of this book, making people believe that it would be more of an anthology and less of a consolidated story and while it is, it really isn't. I know a lot of people were also expecting this to be a huge moment for the Return of Bruce Wayne story that is on-going right now, but we didn't get that either. However, a lot of credit to Grant Morrison, who gets a bad rap for being inaccessible, for turning out a fantastic, one and done story that (if I can use the ever cliche phrase) rewards longtime readers but is also a fun tale for first timers. Anyone who has ever heard of Batman knows that there is always going to be one, and that is really the only piece of information you need going into the story. The art teams all shine on their respective Batmen, although Scott Kolins out of nowhere was very surprising, especially the style used for his pages. As David Uzumeri mentioned on his Twitter, Kolins normal Flash work would have fit in just fine, instead his pages possess a glossy feel that makes everything feel fuzzy. I absolutely love Kubert's Damian Batman as well, but that is just personal preference. The only thing I can really be unhappy with is the additional 4 pages of "Batcave" material which should have really just been a re-print of Jim Lee's All Star Batman and Robin gateway spread which really is all one needs. From a critical eye this issue could have trimmed some fat and been priced at $3.99, but from a celebratory perspective, it succeeds. A-
PunisherMAX #8: I don't consider myself a Punisher fan, but I love this series to death, if only because each month tells you a little bit more about how absolute insane Jason Aaron actually is. Aaron's take on these characters continues to dwell in the land of excess: graphic violence, absolutely insane situations and a true sense of never really knowing what can come next and yet it all feels very natural to the book. His mastery of these characters keeps everything flowing and Dillion's art remains as solid as ever. I'm going to end this portion now because I find it terribly difficult to review without foul language, but that is just the nature of the beast. B+
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11: Reading this book each month continues to make it more and more difficult for me to dump $3.99 into other Bendis titles because his Spider-Man is just so good each month that it baffles how he isn't translating this stuff to his Avengers work. While no actual webs appear in this issue, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of action as the fallout from last month's Kitty-focused drama segues right into something brand new that I would have never expected if I didn't keep an eye on the solicitations. Strong dialogue, solid art and an enjoyable plot both keep this title in the upper tier of comics and reminding us of how quickly time flies (ASM's similar story was a year ago last July and the iPad was announced in January, but appears here). A
Uncanny X-Men #525: Uncanny has continually been the weak-link in the Second Coming chain, even factoring in Greg Land artwork elsewhere, lacking the necessary urgency and cohesion the other titles have had. At this point the plot really needs to be advancing, and instead readers get yet another collection of character moments that don't really go anywhere. Everyone gets it, Scott is carrying a heavy burden, mutants are extinct in the future and outside the dome everyone is crashing into it just to shut up the occasional "Where were the Avengers?" fan. Let's get on with the story, and don't even get me started on the Watchmen joke. At least The Dodson's are doing what they can. I'm ready for Second Coming to wrap-up so we can finally put this Messiah business to rest. B-
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
If Only Every Week Could Be This Great: Reviews for 05/26/2010
Secret Avengers #1: This is the book that Avengers #1 should have been. Strong character voices, intriguing situations, and excellent pacing make this not only one of the best books of the week, but a strong candidate for best book of the Avengers franchise. It is only one issue but I'm tremendously impressed with how Brubaker structured this book. Popular characters are left only to their introductions while characters that may be more unfamiliar to new readers. Figures people may not know like Moon Knight or Ant-Man are the subject of short yet poignant flashbacks that both explore their motivations for joining the team and relating to their actions in the present day, subtlety illustrating why Steve would want them on his team and Ed would want them in his book. Mike Deodato is providing stellar work, hot off of Dark Avengers and he continues to deliver. His action scenes are paced well, his layouts and storytelling remains top-notch and while his normally shadow-heavy and darker style of art is perfectly suited for the book, the brief taste of Mars we got with his pencils were satisfactory as well. If you are buying one Avengers book, it needs to be this one. A
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2: Grant Morrison's masterpiece Batman run continues here and I don't use the word lightly. Grant is the absolute king of comics writing right now and no one comes close. No one else matches his imagination, his scope, his plotting and his eye for details. Casual readers will certainly enjoy this issue of a Puritan Bruce Wayne battling the narrow minding zealots of the Salem era Witch Hunters but for fans of G-Mo and stronger readers there is a deeper end to this pool. No longer limiting himself to the story threads of his Batman and Final Crisis works, there are a number of references to older Morrison works including Animal Man, 52, Seven Soldiers and potentially All-Star Superman as well. Grant is both an absolute genius and totally nuts, elaborating on space, the multiverse and laying out intense concepts about the construction of time. The Puritan story is solid as well, it was fantastic to see Bruce's detective skills on serious display after a long time away and while it remains fairly predictable, it still manages to generate some further questions as we move towards Wayne's inevitable return to the present. Irving's art is solid, fantastic in some areas and questionable in others. I'm not the biggest fan in the world, but I can certainly understand why people like it and try not to let it affect my perception of the comic negatively. Another strong issue and I'm looking forward to Batman and Robin in a few weeks. A
Amazing Spider-Man #632: In all honesty, I was VERY, VERY tempted to simply place a page here and let that stand as my review, but at the end of all things, I do try hard to avoid spoilers and this particular piece is just so absolutely bonkers and key to the whole Shed arc that to do so would ruin a lot for anyone looking to check it out. That said, I ranted about this arc before it began, I continue to do so week after week. This is the best Spider-Man story in the middle of the best Spider-Man long-story in forever. If you have a vague interest in Amazing Spider-Man, please, please, please, pick up this arc. A+++++
Secret Warriors #16: Hickman kills on this book but it should be a sin that it only comes out once a month. There is so much going on sixteen issues in that you almost HAVE to re-read the previous parts of the arc just to stay on your toes. This is going to be a guaranteed omnibus when it finally finishes, an absolute tome of espionage, intrigue, and action that is filled with crosses, double crosses and crosses that you've never even heard of. Keeping up with the BKV tradition of always closing on a cliff-hanger, Secret Warriors does everything in its power to keep you interested, guessing and reaching for old issues. Jonathan has a hold on these characters, Nick Fury especially that no one else will likely ever be able to match and it will be very interesting to see what project he moves on to next. If the book has one weakness however, it is in the art. Until this point, Vitti and Caselli have been the only pencillers to have worked on the title but it looks like time has caught up with them as this month's issue features fill-in work by Gianluca Gugliotta who was selected for a style that matches the other two and while he gets the story told, it is not visually impressive by any means. Next month concludes "Wake the Beast" and it is going to be huge for sure. B
X-Force #27: Funny what a difference a week can make. 7 days ago I was terribly down on Second Coming, the story was slowing a bit, Greg Land was on art and things were fairly boring. Then I popped open X-Force this week and was quite impressed. Mike Choi and Sonia Oback handle the story telling for the first ten or so pages to the point that I almost wondered if there was a printing error. There are no words and there is no real need for them either. The art team is by far the best of the crossover and they've handled the strongest bits powerfully. Given that the story has really been the brain child of Yost & Kyle, I expected them to bring no less than their A game and they did not disappoint. The plot has begun moving again, the characters are interacting well, the mood is as grim as expected and the mandatory amount of Young X-Men were properly harmed. All is well in the Mutant World again. B+
Green Lantern #54: It is an absolutely insane week when Green Lantern is like the fifth or sixth book getting reviewed by me. That isn't an indication of its quality just that it somehow got lost in the stack. Continuing the Spirit Animals arc of the new Brightest Day status quo, the book continues on as wonderfully as always. Things are progressing at a satisfactory rate as Sinestro continues his task to gather the New Guardians while the original Guardian continues hunting down energy beasts. I have a few qualms with the writing, particularly some of the Johnsian Literalism (copyright David Uzumeri 2010) found throughout and the last page left me scratching my head but I'm curious to see where it goes for sure. Doug Mahnke continues to shine with his absolutely awesome art, capturing both human and alien flawlessly and is perfectly suited in every way for this book. One thing that has stood out to me is that the Green Lantern franchise is really turning into just that as some threads from Green Lantern Corps are picked up here and some of the characters will no doubt be featured in the other books as Johns, Bedard and Tomasi expand the Lantern Line into something that may potentially rival the Bat books. All in all, another solid outing. A-
Ultimate Enemy #4: This book has frustrated me beyond belief. I understand that it is part of a trilogy of minis, but the last page has The End. on it. With a period. Then right underneath it, it says "TO BE CONTINUED!" how does that work? How do you put "The End." on a cliffhanger? If you consider this to be just another issue in an event book, it is a lot of fun. Populated by plenty of great character moments and dialogue it carries on the standard quality of a Bendis book, but in the end it has been four issues and the heroes only have the vaguest idea of what they're dealing with. Rafa Sandoval continues to dominate artistically, visually solid, Sandoval continues to prove himself as an excellent storyteller and it is quite clear why Bendis would enjoy working with him. Frustrations aside, I have been enjoying this series to a degree, maybe not a 3.99 degree, but to a degree. A finished trilogy will no doubt cast some better light on this story, so I'll definitely anticipate re-reading it in the coming months. B+ as en event issue. C+ as a miniseries.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2: Grant Morrison's masterpiece Batman run continues here and I don't use the word lightly. Grant is the absolute king of comics writing right now and no one comes close. No one else matches his imagination, his scope, his plotting and his eye for details. Casual readers will certainly enjoy this issue of a Puritan Bruce Wayne battling the narrow minding zealots of the Salem era Witch Hunters but for fans of G-Mo and stronger readers there is a deeper end to this pool. No longer limiting himself to the story threads of his Batman and Final Crisis works, there are a number of references to older Morrison works including Animal Man, 52, Seven Soldiers and potentially All-Star Superman as well. Grant is both an absolute genius and totally nuts, elaborating on space, the multiverse and laying out intense concepts about the construction of time. The Puritan story is solid as well, it was fantastic to see Bruce's detective skills on serious display after a long time away and while it remains fairly predictable, it still manages to generate some further questions as we move towards Wayne's inevitable return to the present. Irving's art is solid, fantastic in some areas and questionable in others. I'm not the biggest fan in the world, but I can certainly understand why people like it and try not to let it affect my perception of the comic negatively. Another strong issue and I'm looking forward to Batman and Robin in a few weeks. A
Amazing Spider-Man #632: In all honesty, I was VERY, VERY tempted to simply place a page here and let that stand as my review, but at the end of all things, I do try hard to avoid spoilers and this particular piece is just so absolutely bonkers and key to the whole Shed arc that to do so would ruin a lot for anyone looking to check it out. That said, I ranted about this arc before it began, I continue to do so week after week. This is the best Spider-Man story in the middle of the best Spider-Man long-story in forever. If you have a vague interest in Amazing Spider-Man, please, please, please, pick up this arc. A+++++
Secret Warriors #16: Hickman kills on this book but it should be a sin that it only comes out once a month. There is so much going on sixteen issues in that you almost HAVE to re-read the previous parts of the arc just to stay on your toes. This is going to be a guaranteed omnibus when it finally finishes, an absolute tome of espionage, intrigue, and action that is filled with crosses, double crosses and crosses that you've never even heard of. Keeping up with the BKV tradition of always closing on a cliff-hanger, Secret Warriors does everything in its power to keep you interested, guessing and reaching for old issues. Jonathan has a hold on these characters, Nick Fury especially that no one else will likely ever be able to match and it will be very interesting to see what project he moves on to next. If the book has one weakness however, it is in the art. Until this point, Vitti and Caselli have been the only pencillers to have worked on the title but it looks like time has caught up with them as this month's issue features fill-in work by Gianluca Gugliotta who was selected for a style that matches the other two and while he gets the story told, it is not visually impressive by any means. Next month concludes "Wake the Beast" and it is going to be huge for sure. B
X-Force #27: Funny what a difference a week can make. 7 days ago I was terribly down on Second Coming, the story was slowing a bit, Greg Land was on art and things were fairly boring. Then I popped open X-Force this week and was quite impressed. Mike Choi and Sonia Oback handle the story telling for the first ten or so pages to the point that I almost wondered if there was a printing error. There are no words and there is no real need for them either. The art team is by far the best of the crossover and they've handled the strongest bits powerfully. Given that the story has really been the brain child of Yost & Kyle, I expected them to bring no less than their A game and they did not disappoint. The plot has begun moving again, the characters are interacting well, the mood is as grim as expected and the mandatory amount of Young X-Men were properly harmed. All is well in the Mutant World again. B+
Green Lantern #54: It is an absolutely insane week when Green Lantern is like the fifth or sixth book getting reviewed by me. That isn't an indication of its quality just that it somehow got lost in the stack. Continuing the Spirit Animals arc of the new Brightest Day status quo, the book continues on as wonderfully as always. Things are progressing at a satisfactory rate as Sinestro continues his task to gather the New Guardians while the original Guardian continues hunting down energy beasts. I have a few qualms with the writing, particularly some of the Johnsian Literalism (copyright David Uzumeri 2010) found throughout and the last page left me scratching my head but I'm curious to see where it goes for sure. Doug Mahnke continues to shine with his absolutely awesome art, capturing both human and alien flawlessly and is perfectly suited in every way for this book. One thing that has stood out to me is that the Green Lantern franchise is really turning into just that as some threads from Green Lantern Corps are picked up here and some of the characters will no doubt be featured in the other books as Johns, Bedard and Tomasi expand the Lantern Line into something that may potentially rival the Bat books. All in all, another solid outing. A-
Ultimate Enemy #4: This book has frustrated me beyond belief. I understand that it is part of a trilogy of minis, but the last page has The End. on it. With a period. Then right underneath it, it says "TO BE CONTINUED!" how does that work? How do you put "The End." on a cliffhanger? If you consider this to be just another issue in an event book, it is a lot of fun. Populated by plenty of great character moments and dialogue it carries on the standard quality of a Bendis book, but in the end it has been four issues and the heroes only have the vaguest idea of what they're dealing with. Rafa Sandoval continues to dominate artistically, visually solid, Sandoval continues to prove himself as an excellent storyteller and it is quite clear why Bendis would enjoy working with him. Frustrations aside, I have been enjoying this series to a degree, maybe not a 3.99 degree, but to a degree. A finished trilogy will no doubt cast some better light on this story, so I'll definitely anticipate re-reading it in the coming months. B+ as en event issue. C+ as a miniseries.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Is Jeph Loeb Responsible for ASM's Gauntlet Storyline?
A few days ago, I was in my local comic book shop and came across a bundle of single issues for Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Spider-Man: Blue for $6.99. I had heard the story was excellent and as trades usually run in the price range of twice that, I had no qualms about throwing it into my pile and heading home. I had the opportunity to sit down and read the story and while I thought it was a very fun and solid story, something about it and its relationship to the current ASM storyline was bothering me. A day or so later in the shower I realized that the reason Blue felt so familiar to me, was because of how similar they two storylines are. Everyone has heard the phrase “there are no more original ideas” at least once in their life and as I began to count the coincidences, I have to on some degree acknowledge that Jeph Loeb may in some ways be responsible for ASM’s “The Gauntlet” storyline. Spider-Man: Blue is the re-telling and re-purposing of some older issues of Amazing Spider-Man and the Silver Age love story of Gwen Stacey and Peter Parker. The project has all the features of an enjoyable Loeb tale, emotion, solid dialogue and both a diverse cast and a multitude of situations for the lead character to participate in as the story evolves. These situations are rarely developed in a significant way, and in the case of Blue, are primarily action sequences to give Spidey some monologue time. It was a quick six issues that told a great story and was over with.
The Gauntlet: Beginning with Amazing Spider-Man #600 and running into June of 2010, Spider-Man’s gallery of villains have been returning, one after another, re-tooled and deadlier than ever to make Peter Parker’s life a living hell. The stories themselves have been fantastic, original, deep and have made the book probably the best it has ever been.
SPOILERS FOR BOTH SPIDER-MAN:BLUE AND THE LAST 40 OR SO ISSUES OF AMAZING-SPIDER-MAN BELOW
In summary, Spider-Man: Blue IS the story of how Gwen Stacey and Peter Parker fell in love, but against the back drop of a larger story. Across six issues, Spider-Man is forced to face several of his villains, who either receive help during the battle, or are set free by a mysterious figure who is revealed to be Kraven the Hunter. Kraven has been studying Spider-Man’s battles to prepare himself to eventually hunt and kill Peter Parker, fulfilling a contract given to him by the Green Goblin. It should be noted that Blue’s timeline has been liberally re-arranged and Kraven’s role in the story modified for Loeb’s goal.
The Gauntlet is the story of Kraven’s family, desperate for revenge against Spider-Man and his allies, preparing themselves for Kraven’s potential return in The Grim Hunt story that is set to occur shortly. Like Spider-Man: Blue, Spidey is fighting these battles one after the other with very little time to rest. He is also unknowingly dealing with the Kravinoff family who has abducted Madam Webb and is using her foresight to ensure Peter is constantly losing battles or experiencing pyrrhic victories. In a sense, The Gauntlet is all about taking the story in the opposite direction than what audiences have been trained to expect from their plotlines.
What kicks off both stories, are encounters with Norman Osborn. Blue hits a story point early in Amazing Spider-Man, around issue thirty-three or so, when Osborn briefly loses his memory and forgets that he in fact is the Green Goblin and that Peter is Spider-Man. The Gauntlet was preceded by the Goblin story, “American Son” where Norman wanted Harry to join his Dark Avengers, and Spider-Man was forced to go undercover to try and help Harry. Both stories get Osborn off the grid for a time, freeing up Harry to be part of the cast and develop his friendship with Peter.
The first villain to appear in Spider-Man: Blue is the Rhino. Set free by Kraven, the Rhino goes on a rampage in downtown New York, looking to get revenge against Spider-Man. During the battle, Spidey manages to break a piece of the Rhino’s hide free and with the help of Curt Connors, creates a modified webbing that allows him to remove the Rhino’s costume and ultimately defeat him.
The Gauntlet’s two-issue take on the Rhino is a similar but very different fashion. More in-depth and focusing primarily on skin/hide as identity rather than power, Joe Kelly introduces a second Rhino that is being funded and trained by the Kravinoffs. In order to prove himself, he is convinced he must defeat the original Rhino and take his “skin” in order to ascend and earn the right to be called the Rhino. Despite Spidey’s best efforts to keep Aleksei Sytsevich out of costume and away from this new Rhino, tragedy wins out and the two Rhinos die in a final battle.
This panel stands out nicely, especially when contrasted with this one from Spider-Man: Blue:
Although featuring Vultures instead of Rhinos, Blue also features a take on legacy villainsn with the inclusion of Blackie Drago’s origin as the Vulture. Poisoning Adrian Toomes in order to find out where he has hidden his wings and armor, Drago escapes from prison and while nearly defeating Spider-Man, fails to kill him, which prompts Kraven to save Toomes and allow the two to battle for the right to be The Vulture, eventually involving Spider-Man.
With Curt Connors’s appearance in the story, it was almost guaranteed that the Lizard would appear in Blue. Maintaining the formulaic story of a one armed doctor trying to re-grow the limb, keep his family together and find scientific success turning into a monster, Blue keeps the story lighthearted. With Spidey’s help, Connors returns to human form in the nick of time, preventing his family from seeing him as a reptile.
The Gauntlet specifically avoids that story by acknowledging the formula exists:
With Madam Webb in their possession, the Kravinoffs are able to obtain knowledge of the future and take action to turn events towards their favor. A story that should have ended normally, if not happily, instead takes a terrible turn that ends with the actual consumption of Billy Connors.
Even some of the minor story beats feel familiar. During Spider-Man’s first battle with Drago, he passes out in the snow and winds up sick, having to go into battle ill a few days later:
The Grim Hunt looks like it will feature a similar moment, as some leaked preview art shows an unhealthy Peter Parker answering a knock at the door:
In the end, my implications here may just be coincidence. It is certainly hard to compare 6 issues versus 36 issues and not expect any overlap. But given the thematic similarities and the involvement of many of the same characters, it is certainly worth taking a look at the two series side by side and mulling it over. Many consider Loeb to be a hack these days, but it is certainly curious to wonder if he unknowingly laid the ground work for one of the best years of Spider-Man ever.
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