The Spirit #10 — Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cook;  Finishes: J. Bone The parody dial’s kind of turned up to eleven, and I had to read the ending three times — although, in fairness to Cooke, it does make sense (“two more people,” but not the Spirit; I get it, although I still don’t like scenes where the hero’s in mortal peril and has to trust to luck instead of skill to get out). Have to admire all the work that went into it, though, and the flashy-but-more-than-competent sense of design and fun that glows in these pages. Justice League of America … Continue reading →

The Immortal Iron Fist #9 — Writers: Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker; Artist: David Aja; The Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1 — Writers: Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction; Artists: Howard Chaykin, Dan Brereton and Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic I oughtta be getting this. Issue #9 continues the “7 Capital Cities of Heaven” martial-arts contest story, with some unexpected twists, and that leads into the annual, as Danny searches out an old friend of the 1930s Iron Fist, who has valuable information about his history. The annual’s flashback adventures to the 1930s have Brereton art, and his lush pulp style fits the … Continue reading →

World War Hulk #4 (of 5) — Writer: Greg Pak;  Penciller: John Romita Jr.;  Inker: Klaus Janson You have to admire how old-school this series has been — it doesn’t waste time trying to integrate or link to all the crossovers or related mini-series; it doesn’t care whether you’ve read them or not. Instead, it just bulls straight ahead, telling its tale and giving you all the action you need, as The Hulk sets up his Death Arena and rubs the Illuminati’s nose in exactly what they did to him. Great art, lots of punching, a sense of an actual … Continue reading →

Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #2 (of 2) — Writer/Artist: Sam Kieth As if to balance last issue’s parade of cheesecake shots, this issue is tilted more toward beefcake, with lots of full-panel Batman and Lobo poses. Kieth seems to be pushing the art, too, exaggerating even more than normal and letting design dominate any attempt at realism (exhibit A: look at the cover). As for the story, the plot aspects that were confusing in the first issue now, in the conclusion… make no sense at all. I’m sure that if I reread both books and thought about it, I could figure … Continue reading →