Amazing Spider-Man #612 — (Main Story/22 pgs.): Writer: Mark Waid; Art: Paul Azaceta; (Black Cat story/8 pgs): Writer: Joe Kelly; Art: JM Ken Nimura
Dark Reign: The List: Amazing Spider-Man #1 (of 1) — Writer: Dan Slott; Pencils: Adam Kubert; Inks: Mark Morales
Two Spidey books this week: Amazing embarks on “The Gauntlet,” one of those long, drag-the-hero-through-the-mud stories that are structured like a video game, requiring the defeat of a series of amped-up villains before getting to the main boss. Azaceta’s art is interesting, but seems too sketchy and indie-flavored for a mainstream slugfest like this. Yawn — although it is amusing to read the parts of the story, and the letters page, wherein the creators/editors try to walk back the Peter-gets-drunk-and-sleeps-with-his-roommate development of a few months ago. The small Black Cat backup is better, with charming manga-y art that works particularly well with the character.
Dark Reign is, disappointingly, not an actual climax to that storyline, even after eight separate books: there’s some punching, but nothing is resolved, and there’s only a small victory at the end. Peter’s Frank Capraesque speech is mildly inspiring, though, and the Kubert/Morales art is very solid, so there’s that. Almost as good is the book’s back-up: a reprint of the little-seen The Pulse #5, wherein Jessica Jones and Luke Cage (aided by Spider-Man) exposed and brought down Norman Osborn the last time: it’s a reminder of just how good the Bendis/Bagley team was at their peak.
Most of the other books this week are quick, they’re-still-good takes, but rather than just listing credits let’s try a few sentences on each:
Phonogram: The Singles Club #5 (of 7) — Writer: Kieron Gillen; Art: Jamie McKelvie
I continue to love this book’s structure — the same one night at a club, told from a different character’s perspective each issue — and its passion about music, and the way it cares about all its players, even the “bad” ones — like Laura in this issue. Quiet and brilliant storytelling, all at the same time. Oh, and the 6-page Dan Boultwood-drawn back-up, “One Step Beyond,” is a perfect little valentine for ska maniacs, too.
Dominic Fortune #4 (of 4) — Writer/Artist: Howard Chaykin
The hero depends a little too much on coincidence and look to win in this final issue, but I suppose with a name like “Fortune,” that’s allowable; Chaykin’s art continues to be a joy, in its highly-polished, finely-detailed evocation of pre-war American icons and fashions.
Echo #16 — Writer/Artist: Terry Moore
You know, there are only 18 pages of story here, and we’re paying $3.50 for them, but then the business model is to give avid readers the next installment quickly, and let others wait for the bigger chunks offered by the trade collections (which will be in print forever), so it’s forgivable. Not too much happens, and what does is schmaltzy as hell (“P-ghetti!” Jesus….), but it works because Moore’s so good at the little human touches that we do care about these people, and their soap-opera moments.
Flash: Rebirth #5 (of 6) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Art: Ethan Van Sciver
The fan button-pushing still seems a little too obvious, but this is offering just the sort of dramatic reveals, character walk-ons, and crowd-pleasing bits that readers expect, so it’s hard to be too mad at it.
Dark Avengers #11 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: Mike Deodato and Greg Horn
Spider-Woman #3 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: Alex Maleev
Two by Bendis: Dark Avengers has Owen Reese putting the fear of God into everyone (it turns out he’s the only “real” one out of that last-panel group of heavyweights at the end of last issue, but that’s not so much a spoiler as a confirmation of the obvious), while Spider-Woman goes in the opposite direction by offering an extended conversation between Jessica and her former mentor, Madame Hydra — and Maleev is one of the few artists good enough to keep our interest during all the talking.
Batman: Unseen #4 (of 5) — Writer: Doug Moench; Art: Kelley Jones
Moench/Jones continue their Invisible-Man riff: watching Jones draw Batman, the Black Skull and the sometimes-invisible, sometimes-skeletal, and sometimes-miscellaneous-internal-organs antagonist continues to be a lot of fun.
Phil Mateer
