Crossed #4 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Jacen Burrows
Battlefields: Dear Billy #3 (of 3) — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Peter Snejbjerg
Ennis always delivers something worth reading, no matter what book it is. Crossed, for example, has been a standard small-group-against-the-apocalypse story so far, with its combination of present-day events (wherein a member or two of the dwindling crew get picked off each issue) and flashbacks to the early days of the it-didn’t-turn-them-into-zombies-so-much-as-werewolves disaster. It’s the first book I read every week that it ships; like Stephen King with similar material, there’s just something about Ennis’s easy combination of the human/heroic and the shockingly grotesque that’s compelling.
Battlefields is Ennis’s Frontline Combat: well-researched, reality-based tales of war, much more somber than the gleeful carnage of Crossed. He’s been working in this genre since at least his War Stories for Vertigo, and they’re universally well done; you get the feeling artists line up to render them, and Snejbjerg is no exception: his clean, human lines can deliver quiet chats and heartbreaking slaughter with equal facility. This conclusion to the latest narrative is both sad and inevitable, as its damaged main character finds love, but also finds that, having learned to deal with war, she can’t bear to handle the peace and reconciliation that follows it.
The New Avengers #51 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: Billy Tan, Matt Banning and Justin Ponsor & Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend and Antonio Fabela
Look at that artist lineup: what a mess. Can’t we get one clear, above-average team on this book, especially considering that it’s currently the spine of the Marvel Universe (at least the Dark Reign division)? Fanboys like me are going to buy it regardless, because finding out what Dr. Strange has been up to, why he’s looking desperately for a new Sorcerer Supreme, and what’s going to happen now that the Hood is large, in charge and owned by Dormammu is information we just have to have, but it would be nice to be wowed by the art instead of whiplashed by it (and, dudes: that one payoff reveal is maybe the worst drawing of Peter Parker’s face I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been reading Spider-Man since 1965).
Captain America #48 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Butch Guice with Luke Ross and Steve Epting
Daredevil #117 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Artists: Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano
More super-competent superhero books by Brubaker, just like always: I suspect that he, Bendis and maybe Matt Fraction are responsible for keeping a lot of discerning older readers from wandering away from Marvel’s core books altogether, because they’re all so good at delivering dead-on character, relatively sophisticated themes and enough plot twists to keep the pot boiling nicely. Look at Cap’s combination of Bucky, Namor, the original Human Torch and the Black Widow, and the interlocking relationships that are hinted at with just a line of dialogue or a raised Atlantean eyebrow; then look at Daredevil’s Murdock/Kingpin conversation (especially after last issue’s setup), and the way it evokes the complicated connection between two old fighters who’ve moved beyond simple enmity into some new, uncharted level of wary, grudging cooperation. You have to work awfully hard to make it look this effortless; be grateful while it’s here.
Fantastic Four #565 — Writer: Mark Millar; Pencils: Bryan Hitch; Inks: Cam Smith, Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch
Conclusion to the two-part Scottish C’thulhu Christmas story: nicely done, and a reminder that this team has a lot of talent when they work on a smaller scale (only with the FF could “small” involve monstrous elder gods getting entire towns dropped on them, but there you go). Next issue, we’re back to the Doom-and-his-mentors story, and too bad: this relaxed little diversion had the sustained charm and sense of wonder that the much more ramped-up main events have been lacking.
Justice League of America #31 — Writer: Dwayne McDuffie; Pencils: Shane Davis; Inks: Sandra Hope
Speaking of good Dr. Doom/FF stories: here’s the last guy to do one, continuing with his JLA run. With Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman out of commission due to events in their own titles, Chairwoman Canary is dealing with power shortages in the roster, and mutiny in the ranks. Will this be the end of the JLA? We all know the answer, so this is a catch-your-breath issue between better days.
Amazing Spider-Man #589 — Writer: Fred Van Lente; Pencils: Paulo Siqueira; Inks: Amilton Santos
At least with Amazing, if a storyline’s straight-arrow average like this one (this one reminds me of a Web of Spider-Man issue from somewhere in the #70s on: perfectly competent variations on a theme, with no surprises or sense of permanence, but, hey, the permutations of the bad guy’s powers are kind of cool, so it has its moments…), you know there’s another Bachalo or Romita, Jr./Janson or some other interesting team on the horizon less than a month away. (Swallows hard): You know, this revamp is actually kind of functional… for now….
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:
Usagi Yojimbo #119 — Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
The Zombies That Ate the World #2 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Jerry Frissen; Art: Guy Davis
The Umbrella Academy #5 (of 6) — Writer: Gerard Way; Art: Gabriel Ba
Jack of Fables #32 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Pencils: Tony Akins; Inks: Jose Marzan Jr. and Dan Green
Phil Mateer
