Reviews

Batman #668 — Writer: Grant Morrison; Artist: J. H. Williams III The script is serviceable, with the typical Morrison quirks, but the real star here is Williams, from the hypnotically surreal cover to the variety of artistic styles he employs inside. I was going to complain that some of his layouts are confusing, but then I realized that they all occur at chaotic points in the narrative, so Williams probably wanted them to seem fragmented; he’s just, simply, that brainy and careful as an artist, and his work here is a pleasure. Amelia Rules #18 — Story & Art: Jimmy … Continue reading →

Sensational Spider-Man #40 — Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; Art: Clayton Crain Peter meets God (one of those Joan of Arcadia or Saving Grace Everyman manifestations of Him, anyway), and God kind of shrugs and says, “Hey, Quesada’s going to make them screw up your life, and I’m sorry, but what can I do?” Good last page, with a melancholic reverie on the corporate stupidity that’s apparently about to envelope this franchise. Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #1 (of 2) — Story & Art: Sam Kieth If Sam Kieth pinups of various women in ripped clothing who are aiming guns at Batman and Lobo … Continue reading →

Booster Gold #1 — Writers: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz; Layouts: Dan Jurgens; Finishes: Norm Rapmund It’s interesting how the “feel” of this book is a lot like the early issues of the ’80s version — that’s definitely the influence of Jurgens, who was both writer and artist of that first incarnation. The concept itself, though, has been flipped — instead of the flashy newcomer who uses modern marketing techniques to make himself famous, Booster now works in the shadows; he’s a time cop, charged with protecting the multiverse from evil forces trying to manipulate history. It’s a solid concept … Continue reading →

Sub-Mariner #3 (of 6) — Writers: Matt Cherniss & Peter Johnson; Artist: Phil Briones The Wolverine-Subby battle on the cover only lasts four pages (Xavier shows up to tell them to quit screwing around), but there’s also a fight with a villain (an exceedingly overexposed one right now, too), so at least there’s action. However, the “shocking” last-page development has been done at least twice before (and is, oddly, ignored on the preview of the next issue’s cover), and the plot is just kind of sitting there, hoping you’ll ignore it as you admire all the punching. Worse, Namor spends … Continue reading →

New Avengers #33 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Artist: Leimil Yu No actual Skrulls (well, ones that we know of, anyway), but lots of Skrull-induced paranoia, some of which looks to be throwing a wrench into the Luke-Jessica relationship. Oh, and a subplot in which Marvel attempts to make the Hood into a villain that you might, you know, actually care about. Yu’s art seems to be delivering more good moments and fewer annoying ones (maybe because it’s familiar now), so that helps, and there’s more than enough soap-opera compulsion (What will happen to these characters next?) to keep me … Continue reading →