The Spirit #4 — Writer/Penciller: Darwyn Cooke; Inks: J. Bone
Four issues, four solid hits: and this might be the best so far. I would not have bet that anyone could make The Spirit work in a modern setting, but Cooke makes it look easy. Reimagining Silk Satin as a CIA agent attached to homeland security works fine, and there are a lot of delights here — the double-page title splash; the coloring in the desert scenes (all washed-out yellow during the day, and dark blues and black at night); the use of Ebony; the twist in the introductory narrative; that final-panel smile. Other than Jeff Smith’s Shazam, is anybody else in regular periodical comics doing work this good right now?
Justice Society of America #4 — Writer: Geoff Johns; Penciller: Dale Eaglesham; Inker: Ruy Jose
End of the introductory, get-the-team-together arc. Just OK; there’s a ton of characters bouncing off one another, and the plotting seems a little too much by-the-numbers, as though Johns had dashed it off in the fifteen minutes a day he had left after all those 52 plotting sessions (A were-cat ?). The general competence, and the Ross covers, argue for sticking around, at least to see what happens now that the introductions are out of the way, but things better get interesting quickly if this book’s going to stay in the “bought” column.
Amazing Spider-Man #539 — Writer: J. Michael Straczynski; Penciler: Ron Garney; Inker: Bill Reinhold
OK, and not half as bad as it could have been. Grim Spidey wouldn’t work over the long haul, but for an issue or two (and considering the circumstances) Straczynski pulls it off. Some of the logic has to get stretched to fit the meta-plot constraints ( c’mon, my inner fanboy says, if you’re as practical as Mary Jane you call Avengers Tower; everybody up there from Tony Stark to Jarvis loved Aunt May, and they’re not going to let anti-registration crap get in the way of getting her the best care available ), but the story has impact, and the characterization rings true. If they resolve this plot fairly soon, and don’t string it out over years, it might actually be a decent story. Might.
Brave and the Bold #2 — Writer: Mark Waid; Penciller: George Perez; Inks: Bob Wiacek
Smooth, professional, high-quality superhero storytelling. I still wish these were stand-alone stories — multi-part epics get unwieldly, especially in trying to keep everything straight from issue to issue, and this one shows no signs of being over soon. However, the art’s great (it’s a pleasure to see Perez’s obsessively-detailed panels and layouts on a regular title again), the characters act the way they should, the story’s intriguing, and the level of craft is undeniable. If you’re a fan of the regular DC Universe, you probably want this book.
Criminal Macabre #20 — Writer: Steve Niles; Art: Kyle Hotz
The bad news is that this is apparently the last issue with art by Hotz — especially because he’s really seemed to be hitting his stride lately, even as the story’s turned more grim. Extra credit for the Surprise Reveal, and for Most Creative Use of Holy Water (and one I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in a vampire comic). This book would never rank high on anyone’s list of great books, but somehow it keeps you coming back, issue after issue, to check in on the lowlife characters and see what they’re up to now.
52 # 46 — Writers: Johns, Morrison, Rucka, Waid; Pencils: Steve Olliffe; Inks: Geraci, Ramos, Olliffe
Black Adam runs into Revenge of the Nerds, an interesting way of making us pull for the mad scientists, even thought they’re clearly the bad guys. The Luthor and JSA plots get lip service, but nothing much actually happens there; it looks like next issue gets back to Animal Man and Montoya, though. Six issues to go, and we found out last week that the last one won’t be double-sized, so whether this will all get resolved successfully is still an open (you should pardon the expression) Question.
Hellblazer #230 — Writer: Andy Diggle; Artist: Leonardo Manko
First of a two-part story, after last month’s single-issue tale; these shorter stories seem to work better with the character than the five- and six-part marathons, unless you have Garth Ennis or Richard Corben onboard. Nicely balanced plotting, and a last-page splash (heh — you’d have to read the book to know why that’s funny) guaranteed to bring readers back for the conclusion.
The Punisher Presents: Barracuda Max #2 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Goran Parlov
Like the first issue, this is a fun read, in a nasty, rated-R-because-it’s-a-Max-comic way (nipple count: 10, not counting the title character’s). The whole Reagan thing is just… weird, and none of the characters is even close to normal, but as loopy satire it works, and everyone involved seems to be having such a good time that it’s infectious.
