Stumptown #1 — Writer: Greg Rucka; Art: Matthew Southworth
Comics sure have taken to crime fiction lately, and Rucka, along with Ed Brubaker, is at the head of the creative pack. This new book has the typical well-told, gritty plot that fans of the genre would expect, with a feisty, down-on-her-luck woman private investigator taking the Philip Marlowe role. Good stuff, and if you like the Brubaker/Phillips Criminal books, this should appeal to you; Southworth has Phillips’s knack for realistic-but-fascinating faces, bad-side-of-town settings and general noir atmosphere, and this first issue hits all the right notes to make the reader come back for maore.
Strange Tales #3 (of 3) — Creators: Peter Bagge, Nick Bertozzi, Jeffrey Brown, Max Cannon, Chris Chua, Becky Cloonan, Paul Hornschemeier, Michael Kupperman, Jonathan Jay Lee, Corey Lewis, Stan Sakai and Jay Stephens
The final issue of this mini, and I remain amazed that Marvel let all of these guys play with their toys. Sakai’s probably the best in show this time, but Bagge and Brown are the funniest, Hornschemeier is the most quietly affecting, and Chua is, by far, the most avant-garde. All are worth a look, and, as with the first two issues, the creator biographies are a valuable primer of who these people are, and why you should care about them.
Astonishing X-Men #32 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Penciler: Phil Jimenez; Inker: Andy Lanning
Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #2 (of 4) — Writer: Warren Ellis; Pencller: Steve Kurth; Inks: Jeff Hunt with Allen Martinez
Two corporate superhero books by Ellis this week; Astonishing is the most out-there, although developments like dead mutants cloaked in organic Sentinel suits that shoot out alien Brood monsters come off as a tad too consciously gonzo. The Armor Wars is quieter (for an Ellis book, which means that there are only a couple of panels of people getting blown to bloody bits), although he and Kurth seem to be having a lot more fun playing with their super-powered mechanical toys than could be found in the last two Transformers movies combined.
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1 (of 4) — Writer: Chris Roberson; Artist: Shawn McManus
The latest Fables mini, and McManus is a good choice for the art; he’s one of the few out there who can combine talking-cats fantasy and James-Bond spy stuff effectively. Because it’s not by Fables guru Willingham, and I don’t know the author, it’s on probation; this first issue was mostly set-up, but it had just enough to bring me back for another episode.
Secret Six #15 — Writer: John Ostrander; Art: Joey Calafiore
Grimjack: The Manx Cat #4 (of 5) — Writer: John Ostrander; Art: Timothy Truman
Two by Ostrander — the Secret Six is a full-issue Deadshot solo story, and since he’s more associated with the character than anyone (via all those Suicide Squad stories, plus a Deadshot mini or two back in the day), this shouldn’t put off the Gail Simone fans too much; it fits easily into the book’s general funny-serious/realistic-cynical take on characters of the villain persuasion. Grimjack is Ostrander and Tim Truman’s co-creator-owned labor of love, and is always fun, especially since this issue takes the character away (at least temporarily) from some of the repeats of older-story patterns that it’s been coasting on lately.
The Boys #36 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Darick Robertson
Herogasm #6 (of 6) — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: John McRea and Keith Burns
Finally, two by Ennis — The Boys features the end of the “origin” of Mother’s Milk, and is a relatively quiet and introspective tale (next issue, similarly, is about the French guy). These little side stories remind me quite a bit of Ennis’s similar tangents in Preacher, where he’d stop the ongoing action to spotlight supporting characters, and fill in their backgrounds so we’d care more about them; they’re nice, slightly-off-center little breathers between the general craziness and over-the-top mayhem. Herogasm was, truthfully, disappointing, with a conclusion that trailed off and left most of its threads unresolved; it felt like six issues of “nothing happened, but check back with the main book later,” where a more self-contained story would have been more satisfying.
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:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #30 — Writer: Jane Espenson; Pencils: Georges Jeanty; Inks: Andy Owens
Batman: The Widening Gyre #3 (of 6) — Writer: Kevin Smith; Pencils: Walter Flanagan; Inks: Art Thibert
Batman: Unseen #3 (of 5) — Writer: Doug Moench; Art: Kelley Jones
Ultimate Spider-Man #4 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: David Lafuente
Captain America: Reborn #4 (of 5) — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Pencils: Bryan Hitch; Inks: Butch Guice
Knights of the Dinner Table #155 — Creators: Jolly Blackburn, Steve Johansson, David Kenzer and Brian Jelke
Phil Mateer
