Fables #83 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Pencils: Mark Buckingham; Inks: Andrew Pepoy
This is the first of a nine-episode crossover with Jack of Fables and the new The Literals mini-series, and it’s a good introduction to the pleasures of these comics: the matter-of-factness of elements like blue-eyed evangelical badgers, the larger-than-life violence leavened by courage, the ancient evils and sly humor spread out among its huge case of characters, and, always, the sense that the reader is part of a vast, well-constructed world, and in very good hands.
Amazing Spider-Man #591 — Writer: Dan Slott; Art: Barry Kitson and Jesse Delpergang
Well, this is interesting: Slott puts Spidey on an other-dimension mission with the FF, which leads to two big developments. First, because of a time differential a couple of months pass in the “real” world, leading to a number of changes amongst the supporting cast, and one huge last-page denouement. Second, a discussion about his secret identity, especially with Johnny, indicates (a) that Peter remembers everything “before” the big Mephisto change, something that I don’t think has been clear up to now, and (b) that maybe, just maybe, there might be an eventual resolution, or at least a less stupid status quo, to the whole tottering house of cards that’s current Spidey continuity (not soon mind you — although the 600th issue is coming up…). Anyway, with a Mark Waid arc starting next issue, and that last-page surprise, this continues to be a good time to be reading Spider-Man comics.
DMZ #41 — Writer: Brian Wood; Nikki Cook
A one-off story between arcs, focusing on Zee, the supporting-character doctor. OK — it’s like Wood is trying to recreate a “newcomer-in-the-DMZ” feel for an issue, now that his main character is an experienced player. There’s also a one-page “journal entry” from Matty, one that focuses on the feel of NYC as a DMZ and indicates just how much thought has gone into this series, and why it’s still a good read almost three and a half years into its run, long after most other books would have exhausted their premise.
Captain America #49 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Pencils: Luke Ross; Inks: Rick Magyar
Incognito #3 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Sean Phillips
This week’s Brubaker fix: Cap focuses just on Sharon Carter (plus Sam Wilson), and drops a few hints about upcoming developments: smooth, smart and entertaining as always. Note that the next issue, #50, represents 25 since Steve Rogers dropped out of the book — and the issue after that, #51, will mean that this Volume Five of the series will have lasted longer than any of the other four attempts to keep Cap going since the original Silver-Age run ended in 1996; that’s a tribute to the quality of the storytelling here. Incognito is Brubaker’s creator-owned super-character noir series, a genre he’s shown a love for since at least Sleeper, and offers a number of entertainingly-bad people doing entertainingly-bad things, with just enough possibility of redemption in the main character to break our hearts when he inevitably falls.
Uncanny X-Men #508 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Pencils: Greg Land; Inks: Jay Leisten
Mostly setup; so many players are moving around that it’s very hard to keep track, and this title is starting to sink into continuity soup, even with a one-page plot summary at the beginning and Fraction’s little pop-up blurbs for each character. Land’s art continues to be pretty, but suffers when he has to draw something that he can’t trace out of a fashion or porn magazine. This isn’t bad, but I’m buying it on inertia right now, hoping that there will be a satisfying payoff down the road. Soon, please.
X-Man: Legacy #223 — Writer: Mike Carey; Pencils: Scott Eaton; Inks: Andrew Hennessy
Also going on inertia, but it’s got Rogue, Gambit, Danger and Professor X all in the Australian Outback, and it’s easier to follow and things actually happen; it looks like the resolution (and a switch back to “regular” X-stories and away from this “Legacy” stuff) will happen next issue. Carey, like Fraction, is a way-better-than-average writer (insert obligatory praise of Lucifer here), but finds it too easy to sink into routine, so the potential payoff is a welcome development.
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:
Nothing this week — so few books worth buying came out that I covered them all in the main reviews….
Phil Mateer
