Beasts of Burden #3 (of 4) — Writer: Evan Dorkin; Art: Jill Thompson
Everyone I’ve recommended this series to has liked it: everyone. It’s especially attractive as an entry drug for non-comics readers, because of its feisty characters and the compelling, gorgeous art by Thompson. This issue has a self-contained tale involving three cats vs. rats in a sewer, and if you know any cat lovers they’ll love it. It’s a crime that this comic only sells maybe 6,000 copies an issue in the superhero-centric direct market, but it’ll win awards in 2010, and the eventual collected trade will be a bookstore classic for years.
Powers #1 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: Mike Avon Oeming
Volume three of this long-running series (Bendis started it before he became a Marvel mainstay), with the original creative team intact. Walker’s partner Deena is gone, but otherwise it’s the same milieu: cops in a superhero world, as a murder victim turns out to be a former player, the leader of a super-powered Rat Pack 40 years ago. The flashback’s a hoot, the interplay between Walker and his new partner is cool, and the letters pages are back in all their glory. Bendis promises in them that at least the first five issues of this will be monthly, too, so it’ll be nice to see this series, which brought police procedurals to comics and paved the way for the Ruckas and the Brubakers, on the racks again.
Superman: Secret Origin #3 (of 6) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Penciller: Gary Frank; Inker: Jon Sibal
Green Lantern #48 — Writer: Geoff Johns; Penciller: Doug Mahnke; Inkers: Christian Alamy, Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
Blackest Night #5 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Penciller: Ivan Reis; Inkers: Oclair Albert and Joe Prado
Your Jones books for the week. Oddly, the Secret Origin is the best, as Clark Kent arrives in Metropolis and meets the Daily Planet gang for the first time. Frank’s art continues to be a perfect blend of the human and the otherworldly, and the situation Kent walks into, which involves the Planet almost bankrupt after daring to criticize the city’s most powerful resident, Lex Luthor, hits all the expected beats (Jimmy, Perry, Lois, even Steve Lombard) very well. It’s an old story, but no less iconic for that. Meanwhile, the zombie stuff continues: Read GL first, as the bearers of all the variously-colored rings get together, and then watch them head off to Earth to find the Black Lantern and Nekron in BN #5. Both Mahnke and Reis deliver solid art, and the cosmic action, huge but well-choreographed casts, and major plot twists (including a big, oh-crap development right at the end), continue to make this a mandatory read for pathetic mainstream superhero comics fans like… well, us.
The Goon #33 — Writer/Artist: Eric Powell
Back after a long absence. Powell blames it on work for a Goon animated movie (interestingly, Bendis mentions in Powers that a TV pilot of that series is in the works, also, so that’s two cult comics returning this week after being sidetracked by multimedia developments). This stand-alone story is a silent issue (there are thought balloons, but they’re all pictures, and there’s no dialog), and it’s a good example of the rough-and-tumble, grimly humorous world of the title character and his friends.
Thor Giant-Size Finale #1 — Writer: J. Michael Straczynski; Penciler: Marco Djurdjevic; Inks: Danny Miki with Allen Martinez and Djurdjevic
Straczynski’s last issue, and while it doesn’t offer a complete, toys-back-in-the-box conclusion, it at least ends the current arc, gets all the players back on the board, and offers a new, solid status quo for Kieron Gillen and Billy Tan, the new team (there’s also a preview of their work on the next issue of the regular title: an odd choice of pages, since it undercuts some of the drama of this issue’s story, but it should do its job of making readers check out the book). There’s also a reprint of Thor’s first appearance from Journey Into Mystery #83, recolored and looking very sharp, which emphasizes how goofy the plots were back then, but also how they were redeemed by Stan’s writing and (especially) Jack’s powerful, expressive pencils. Points off for not bothering to include credits for it, though….
These next few are really really good, but I have nothing new to say about them other than “Buy them”:
Criminal: The Sinners #2 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Sean Phillips
Usagi Yojimbo #124 — Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
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:
Invincible Iron Man #20 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Art: Salvador Larroca
Ultimate Avengers #4 — Writer: Mark Millar; Penciler: Carlos Pacheco; Inks: Dexter Vines with Thomas Palmer and Allen Martinez
Justice Society of America #33 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art: Jesus Merino
New Avengers #59 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Pencils: Stuart Immonen; Inks: Wade von Grawbadger
Detective #859 — Writer: Greg Rucka; Art: J. H. Williams III
Phil Mateer
