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.

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+

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.

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.

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.