Amazing Spiderman #583 — (Main story): Writer: Mark Waid;  Pencils: Barry Kitson;  Inks: Mark Farmer;  (Obama story): Writer: Zeb Wells;  Artist: Todd Nauck First of all, thank God for Mark Waid: his story, a slice-of-life look at Peter Parker told from the point of view of Betty Brant, is sophisticated, charming and deeply human, reminiscent of one of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City stories. Kitson’s and Farmer’s art isn’t flashy, but it’s clear and doesn’t get in the way, and for a quieter story like this that’s just fine. The story’s also self-contained (although a few subplots get thrown in), so … Continue reading →

The Boys #26 — Writer: Garth Ennis;  Artist: John Higgins Between Ennis’s propensity for the grossout, and his gleeful skewering of pop culture (this current Boys arc involves a satire of the X-Men mashed up with a tribute to Animal House), it’s easy to forget just how good a writer he can be, too; he seems here to be setting up a crisscrossing skein of mistaken motivations worthy of the Coen Brothers.  Whether the two young lovers at the heart of his story end up in a tragedy or a comedy is still unsettled, but the very fact that he … Continue reading →

Black Lightning #1 (of 6) — Writer: Jen Van Meter; Artist: Cully Hamner How not to launch a superhero revival: fill your first issue with lots of boring grownups talking and doing other boring things, with lots of little panels and murky, generic art, and exactly nothing involving, you know, actual cool heroes in cool costumes using their cool powers. Yes, this kind of slow build might work in a trade, but as an initial comic offering this is disastrous: any kid (and most adults) attracted by the cover is going to feel ripped off, and won’t be coming back … Continue reading →