Spider-Man: Reign #4 (of 4) — Writer: Kaare Andrews; Artists: Andrews and Jose Villarrubia
The finale’s actually the best issue of the series, with, finally, a few decent action scenes and some heroism (and no penises or radioactive bodily fluids). It has at least one cringe-worthy moment, though, as a nine-year-old street kid says “Let me tell you a thing about hope! Hope has three daughters: Anger at the state things have fallen into. Courage to fight to make things right. And the third daughter is truth,” a piece of dialogue that I’m pretty sure no one, in the history of spoken English, has ever actually said out loud before (then three stupid things and one kind of interesting thing happen, which has pretty much been the batting average for this series).
I can see why a talented artist like Andrews would write something like this; good artists aren’t necessarily instinctively good writers. What I can’t see is why Marvel thought it would be a good idea to publish it, or how a normally tasteful and competent editor like Axel Alonso would end up associated with it. Criticizing this book at this point seems like kicking a lame puppy, but it’s irresistible — and maybe a public service, too; we don’t need more comics like this. The two versions of the first issue are selling for $10 and $15, and yet the story is… well, it’s not good. This and Captain America #25 could be warning signs of a coming Speculator Apocalypse; maybe it’s time to start filling the sandbags.
Moon Knight #8 — Writer: Charlie Huston; Penciler: David Finch; Inkers: Danny Miki with Crimelab Studios
Another book on its… (fifth? sixth?) relaunch. It always starts strong, as readers remember how cool the character looks, but then after five or six issues the book’s dirty little secret once again becomes clear: he’s freakin’ Batman. You can give him multiple personalities, and talk about avatars and moon gods all you want, but he’s still Marvel’s Batman, with his cape and his little gadgets and his psychotic villains, and sooner or later he’s just boring. This isn’t helped when it’s so hard to root for any of the characters in the book, even the hero (especially the hero) because everyone acts like such a jerk. Points for having the hallucinatory rotting dead guy make fun of Captain America during his speech (“Kill him….please, just to shut him up, please kill him.”), but that’s not enough.
Tales of the Unexpected # 6 ( of 8 ) — Writer: David Lapham; Artist: Tom Mandrake (Spectre story); Writer: Brian Azzarello; Artist: Cliff Chiang (Dr. 13 story)
I might end up buying this when it’s all over; it depends on where the story ends up. Right now, everyone’s acting like idiots — the whole we-can’t-stop-the-bad-guys-until-they-kill-somebody-and-then-we’ll-kill-them-too plot is just irritating, especially because we’ve been down that road with this character before. On the other hand, we’ve got two issues to go, so there’s still time to resolve it satisfactorily. On the other other hand, I’m still trying to figure out the resolution to Lapham’s 12-issue Batman run from a couple of years ago, so he may not be the go-to guy for satisfying conclusions.
The Dr. 13 story is a big sloppy jokey mess, but it’s such inspired insanity that it almost makes the book. You have to love Azzarello’s willingness to assay a joke about oral sex that winds its way through a Spanglish-speaking pirate, a Legion of Substitute Heroes character, a French-speaking caveboy, Genius Jones, and the title character’s daughter, who sticks the ending by breaking the fourth wall for a naughty wink at the camera. “I wan’ to teekle joor feelerz,” indeed.
Punisher War Journal #5 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Artist: Ariel Olivetti
Interesting how Marvel’s positioning this as the relate-to-the-superheroes title, since Garth Ennis is doing his own independent thing with the character over in the regular comic. The downside is that we get bad ’90s flashbacks like Bushmaster, the guy whose forearms turn into massive guns (a concept that, trust me, looks just as stupid as it sounds). Fraction plays it mostly straight, too, which may be a mistake, although the auxiliary-cop character is kind of cool. It’s an OK read, but I still can’t quite bring myself to buy this, especially with what looks like Punisher-tries-to-be-Cap looming in the next few issues.
Wonder Woman # 5 — Writer: Will Pfeifer; Pencillers: Geraldo Borjes and Jean Diaz; Inker: Wellington Diaz
OK little stand-alone story, with a contemporary plot-hook that makes sense for the character, and an inspiring theme about, well, inspiration. I doubt it’s going to be much consolation to readers expecting the resolution of the previous arc, but new readers wouldn’t hate it. Much like The Flash, this title is now feeling its way after a disastrous relaunch, and is going to need a few good stories in a row to bring back readers.
Gen 13 #6 — Writer: Gail Simone; Penciller: Talent Caldwell; Inker: Livesay
Last issue of the introductory/relaunch arc, which means the first issue where the characters are all together, and acting like their recognizable selves (having to take six issues to get to this point is a textbook example of the Curse of the Trade). Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let’s give Simone and Caldwell a few issues to see what they can do.
Green Lantern Corps #10 — Writer: Dave Gibbons; Pencillers: Gibbons and Patrick Gleason; Inkers: Gibbons and Christian Alamy
This Corps stuff never works; it always gets some initial buzz with the high concept of the rings and all the weird alien characters at first, and then after a few issues it devolves into space opera. Gibbons gets me to flip through it, but a few cool aliens and assorted splash panels are about the only payoff. For that, I have to try to remember the plot and all the characters, and put up with Guy Gardner; that’s not a fair trade.
Wolverine: Origin #12 — Writer: Daniel Way; Artist: Steve Dillon
I don’t know why I don’t like this book more; I like Dillon’s crystal-clear storytelling, and Way’s individual scenes all seem to play well. Maybe it’s because it seems like such a quick read, five minutes and done, moving from point A to point B with nothing particular to linger on. Maybe it’s just that Wolverine vs. his Evil Kid seems like such a bad idea, and bringing in Cyber makes the second bad ’90s flashback for the week. Too many empty calories here.
Captain America #25 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Steve Epting
So, is this a good entry-level comic? Will the people who haven’t picked up a comic in five or ten years who pick up this comic like it?
Yeah; I think it represents us well. Brubaker knows how to present a good story, and he makes sure that there’s plenty of recap for new readers, and that the comic’s a satisfying stand-alone read. It’s got the Falcon and Bucky and Sharon and Dr. Faustus and the Red Skull and Crossbones and it still makes enough sense to work. Epting/Brubaker use a four-tier page with narrow slices of action that sometimes open into full or half-page splashes, an effective trick because Epting can deliver a sense of payoff on the key panels.
Is Cap really dead? Are you high? Brubaker couldn’t kill off Foggy Nelson, and he’s gonna kill Cap? Trust the guy who did Sleeper and Daredevil and, now, Criminal to deliver a satisfying story; just enjoy the ride. Pay no attention as Marvel tries to insist with a straight face that, no it’s real. (Look! We’ll do an autopsy! He’s not an LMD! He’s really dead!) Just hope it’s not like that time they insisted Reed Richards was dead for, like two years, just to prove they could….
For people who just want to read the story: If Marvel makes good on all those overprints they said they had, and then has a second printing in stores in a week or two, you’ll be able to read the damn thing for $5 or $6, and feel like you got your money’s worth. You won’t even have to wait for the trade.
For speculators: In 1992 the bagged upscale version of the death of Superman cost $2.50, and now it sells for $17.50 (Although no one really knows for sure what’s in those perpetually-sealed bags…). That’s a factor of seven, right? And Cap #25 cost $4? So in fifteen years it’s gonna be worth $28? At best? Run around and buy two copies (at most) if you have to, but then read one of them, and don’t expect the other one to put you through college, or even pay for next month’s rent.
Phil Mateer
Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #2 (of 4) — Written and Drawn by: Jeff Smith
No letup on this second issue; we’re in the presence of great storytelling here. Look at the way both Billy and Mary are little kids, both innocent and brave against the looming, corrupt adult world — and yet, the littlest adult, Doctor Sivana (the Attorney General of the United States, and the head of Homeland Security to boot) just oozes menace. The clever/compelling bits go by almost too quickly to count: the Alligator Monsters, both cartoony and scary; Mr. Tawny (we knew from Bone’s Roquejaw that Smith could draw the big cats, but Tawny’s feline-but-somehow-human expressions and poses are just beautiful); the looming manifestations of Mr. Mind, gigantic and eerie, with their little servomechanism arms and opaque red eyes in an otherwise-featureless face; the way Mary pulls the hood on her jacket into a little “o,” completely hiding her face, as she tells her sad story to Billy (which is then balanced by her expression of absolute delight when she gets the Marvel powers later) — wonderful, wonderful stuff, with at least one cool thing on every page. How many comics can you say that about?
Criminal #5 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Artist: Sean Phillips
Brubaker’s “other” book this week — overshadowed by Cap, of course, but in some ways a better story (I’d have been pushing it on everyone looking to buy Cap, except that it’s the last chapter of the arc, and so not the best jumping-on point; let’s get that trade out quickly, Marvel). It ends the only way this kind of story can — badly for everyone involved (when one of the tragedies is that the hero doesn’t die, you know you’re deep in noir territory) — but it’s the journey to the pre-ordained ending that’s the fun part. Brubaker and Phillips have become confident, smooth storytellers — as good as Smith, in their own way, although their gritty universe has no room for the bright optimism of superheroes; their characters have to claw their way through life, and find what redemption they can, by themselves.
The Mighty Avengers #1 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Artist: Frank Cho
Just a continuation of the “official” Avengers, really, as Tony Stark picks Carol Danvers to lead the new team. Some nice picking-the-roster bits (Danvers’ first reaction is to just pick all the strongest characters; she’s never gone dungeon-crawling, apparently), ending with a final-panel villain reveal that oughta be expected (quick: who’s the ultimate Avengers villain? No, not Kang; the other one).
One interesting wrinkle is Bendis’ Return of the Thought Balloon — it’s been banished from mainstream books for so long that now it feels like a new way to read the characters’ minds, and something that can only be done effectively in comics (voice-over narratives in movies and TV are clumsy). I was surprised at how quickly it became annoying, though — maybe because it’s been so many years since it’s been used that it was hard to keep the “voice tracks” of the thoughts and spoken dialogue separate.
Boneyard #24 — Written and Drawn by: Richard Moore
Conclusion of the current arc — it’s a trifle bumpy, since the Big Problem that’s been driving the plot turns into no problem at all. Also, Moore slips up by having two characters comment on how great a speech by Michael is — “impassioned, yet eloquent” — when it isn’t particularly either one. However, that’s all forgiven because the whole thing leads up to an Abby – Michael scene that’s touching and romantic, and yet doesn’t screw up their current relationship, either (Moore’s obviously treading very carefully around what I think of as the Moonlighting dilemma — how to keep romantic tension between your lead characters without having them fall into bed — and so far doing a good job of it).
Strangers in Paradise #88 — Writtten and Drawn by: Terry Moore
Speaking of stringing out a relationship…. it happens here, too (it’s been happening for over a hundred issues), which would normally be frustrating. However, that’s tempered by our knowledge that Moore has a deadline — with only two issues to go, we can at least figure that it’ll all work out in the end, and soon these familiar characters can walk off into the sunset for some well-deserved, if bittersweet, happiness.
Justice League of America #6 — Writer: Brad Meltzer; Penciller: Ed Benes; Inker: Sandra Hope
Ending better than it started, with a satisfying resolution. Bloodier than absolutely necessary (although the key Red-Tornado-lends-Solomon-Grundy-a-hand scene had the desired jolt). Now that the preliminary blockbuster is out of the way, could we please just have a few smaller stories, with clever plots and cool character bits? Please?
Fantastic Four #543 — (Lead Story:) Writer: Dwayne McDuffie; Penciler: Mike McKone; Inkers: Andy Lanning & Cam Smith; (Back-up Story #1:) Writer: Stan Lee; Penciller: Nick Dragotta; Inker: Mike Allred; (Back-up Story #2:) Story and Art: Paul Pope
OK on the lead story — McDuffie’s got the characters down well, and the Reed-Sue relationship seems to have been repaired in a nicely quiet adult fashion. If they’re going to leave for a while (to “work on the marriage”), and we’re going to have one of the periodic FF roster shakeups, the replacement duo makes a lot of sense — they’re a married couple, too, and should supply an effective mature balance to the “kids,” Ben and Johnnie.
The Stan Lee backup story mines the same vein as those weird specials from a few months ago; his tongue’s stuck so far in his cheek that it’s a wonder he can get any dialogue out, although here even the cynicism seems a little warmer in tone (the art, inked by Mike Allred and colored by Laura Allred, gives a soothing Silver-Age sheen to the proceedings). The other back-up story is by Paul Pope, and it’s a minor diversion — but, dude, it’s Paul Pope drawing one of those wacky early Spider-Man/Torch fights, with Johnnie in a race car and Crystal and the Thing. What more do you need?
Punisher #45 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Penciler: Ian Medina; Inker: Bill Reinhold
Middle of the current story, as dependably bloody, cynical and entertaining as always. More analysis after the story ends in another issue or two.
Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness #1 (of 5) — Writer: John Layman; Artist: Fabiano Neves
Just what you’d expect — and not bad, with one especially chilling panel (of a zombified Sentry). Since it’s a prequel, there’s some cruel fun in watching a character like Spider-Man, optimistic as always that all they have to do is Solve the Crisis and then everything will be OK again, when we know that this time it’s not gonna happen that way.
Jonah Hex #17 — Writers: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti; Art: Phil Noto
The new female character, a want-to-be bounty hunter like Hex who’s just as damaged and stubborn as he is, makes a nice match for him (although it’s good to see that she won’t be sticking around past this storyline, either). This continues to deliver satisfying, bleak existential action with occasional flashes of redemption — the perfect mix for a western, in other words, at least ever since Sergio Leone.
Iron Man: Hypervelocity #3 (0f 6) — Story & Layouts: Adam Warren; Art: Brian Denham
Warren continues to throw out mecha-concepts like some runaway cyberpunk sparkler, all flashes of light and spectacle, moving almost too fast for the eye to follow. Tony Stark lies in a coma, brain-dead, with his consciousness now uploaded to his armor’s imperfectly-written software. SHIELD thinks the armor’s a rogue artificial intelligence and has brought out all the technological big guns to track it down, and then there’s the mecha-underground and the goth avatar of the intrusionware trying to overwrite his consciousness, and…well, don’t try to grasp it all at once; just have fun with it. This stand-alone mini-series is the perfect antidote to the annoying Iron Man in all those Civil War books.
