Invincible Iron Man #8 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Artist: Salvador Larroca
Thor God-Size Special #1 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Artists: Dan Brereton, Doug Braithwaite, Mike Allred and Miguel Angel Sepulveda
Uncanny X-Men #505 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Penciler: Terry Dodson; Inker: Rachel Dodson
I’ve become increasingly impressed with Matt Fraction; his Iron Man has been a textbook example of how a creator can blend the best of a popular movie version of a character with the ongoing, continuity-laden comic version, and manage to please both old and new readers. Here, he has the unenviable task of synching Tony Stark and crew with yet another group of creators’ take on the characters — in the aftermath of Secret Invasion, and the beginning of Dark Reign — and he does it gracefully and well, making Tony Stark a sympathetic fugitive, with an engaging mission and supporting cast.
The Thor special shows his versatility, moving from straight superheroics to Nordic myth, and it’s also a valentine to the Walt Simonson ’80s run on the character, a sequel of sorts to the Skurge the Executioner story from Thor #362. Each of the listed artists supplies a chapter (amusingly, Allred’s contribution shows Loki as a guy, instead of the current female version, and I wonder whether that was part of the original plan or a screwup, since the writing seems to be stretching to patch the story around it), culminating in a reprint of the original Simonson version. At 64 pages for $4, and only a handful of ad pages, this offers a bundle of good comics, and is the bargain of the week.
Uncanny X-Men is probably the least of the lot script-wise — it’s standard superhero soap opera, an opening chapter in a longer story, competent but without much dramatic payoff — but even here there’s reason to get the book: the bonus of the Dodson art, especially, and also because Fraction knows enough to play to his collaborator’s strengths, giving him plenty of opportunity to draw gorgeous women, and smoothly integrating the story with Emma Frost’s appearance in the Dark Reign Special’s villains’ meeting last week, too.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #20 — Writer: Jeph Loeb; Pencils: Georges Jeanty; Inks: Andy Owens; Animation: Eric Wright, Ethen Beavers and Adam Van Wyk
I saw the Loeb credit and thought “Uh oh,” but not to worry — this is not an Ultimate Buffy III, nor does it feature a red-hued version of the character (and, while both universes have characters called Watchers, none of them get punched, either). Instead, it’s an “intermission” story, a one-shot dream sequence set between larger arcs, and it’s meant as a way of using the concepts and character designs of the never-completed Buffy animated series that Loeb and Joss Whedon developed a while ago. That makes it both an interesting historical artifact and a lighthearted diversion, one that manages a nostalgiac look back at the high-school-era Buffy while acknowledging that you can’t go home again — except, sometimes, in your sleep.
Fables #79 — Writer: Bill Willingham; Penciller: Mark Buckingham; Inker: Andrew Pepoy
In which we find that winning the climactic battle with the Adversary (against overwhelming odds) might not have been quite the triumph it seemed, because now there’s a new Bad Guy, and things are beginning to, quite literally, fall apart. More polished storytelling from the regular Fables crew, and more reason (especially given the news that this series may become a television pilot) for new readers to jump on and find out what all the fuss is about.
Larry Marder’s Beanworld Holiday Special #1 — Writer/Artist: Larry Marder
The return, after over 15 years, of Marder’s eco-scientific fantasy-world cartoon series, subtitled “a most unique comic book experience” and meaning every word of it. On first glance, it seems too precious by half, but it grows on you; the more you read, the more clear it is just how carefully Marder has set up his Beanworld and its rules, and his subtle themes about the use of the scientific method and the interconnectedness of everything in the environment are all the more impressive for having been formed over 20 tears ago, pre-global warming ultra-publicity, and pre-Bush-era anti-science ignorance.
Stuff I read and liked enough to buy, but don’t have much to say about, so read previous reviews in the archives if you’re interested:
Madman #12 — Writer/Artist: Mike Allred
Punisher War Zone #2 (of 6) — Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Steve Dillon
Conan the Cimmerian #6 — Writer: Timothy Truman; Artists: Tomas Girello and Richard Corben
Doktor Sleepless #10 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Artist: Ivan Rodriguez
Amazing Spider-Man #581 — Writer: Dan Slott; Penciller: Mike McKone; Inker: Andy Lanning
X-Men: Legacy #219 — Writer: Mike Carey; Penciler: Paul Briones; Inker: Cam Smith
Mighty Avengers # 20 — Writer: Brian Micjael Bendis; Pencils: Lee Weeks, Jim Cheung and Carlo Pagulayan; Inks: Lee Weeks, Jim Cheung and Jeffrey Huet
Phil Mateer
