Kick-Ass #8 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Mark Millar; Pencils: John Romita Jr.; Inks: Tom Palmer
Yes, it’s over the top, and it has those annoying Millarisms in the dialog and plot (everyone, no matter their background or personality, has the same little hitches in their sentence phrasing, and his sad-sack characters never, ever catch a romantic break), but hey: it’s also been consistently, gorgeously drawn, and you have to admit that this issue’s finale, wherein two kids take on an army of Mafiosi, is a lot of fun; this might not have been the best comic to come out this week, but it was the one I wanted to read first, and I wasn’t sorry I did.
Captain America Reborn #6 (of 6) — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Pencils: Bryan Hitch; Inks: Butch Guice
A better comic than Kick-Ass, based on the overall writing, and another book with very accomplished art. However, timing has cost it a lot of impact — where the former was self-contained, and so not affected by its own lateness, this book’s close connections to the Marvel universe have meant that the meta-story has moved on without it, and so it’s covering events that feel like they occurred months ago (not that we didn’t know what the broad outlines of the story were going to be anyway, but still…). In any event, watching the cast (and assorted guest stars) battle a gigantic Red Skull and crew in and around the Lincoln Memorial has its moments, and the Hitch/Guice team has no problem delivering on the widescreen visuals required to make the story work. Once this is collected into a trade, and the lateness is forgotten, it should stand as the effective comeback vehicle it was meant to be.
Green Lantern #50 — Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Doug Mahnke; Inks: Alamy, Buchman, Nguyen, Irwin and Mahnke
Superman: Secret Origin #4 (of 6) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Gary Frank; Inks: Jon Sibal
This week’s Geoff Johns books: GL is a significant chapter in the Blackest Night event, as the black-ringed Spectre shows up, and Hal Jordan realizes that the only way to fight him is to let out the yellow Parallax monster and be absorbed by it (that’s not a spoiler, given the book’s cover). Readers looking for resolution won’t find it, since this story is still a few months away from conclusion, and the otherwise-good Mahnke art is hurt a little by the tag-team inking (five inkers, DC? Really?), but it’s definitely an entertaining read, and does its job of making us eager for the next installment. Secret Origin continues its retelling of Clark Kent’s first week in Metropolis, and while it’s familiar ground Johns throws in enough new wrinkles (pre-Superman, it’s a dying city, as hopeless in its own way as Gotham), and the Franks art is pretty enough, to make it compelling. One complaint: the cover, with Superman framed by his Kryptonian parents, has nothing to do with any scene anywhere in the book (Krypton never even gets mentioned); considering that the book does feature a battle with the Parasite, and various confrontations with Luthor, it’s an odd, static choice, unlikely to lure any readers.
Justice League of America #41 — Writer: James Robinson; Pencils: Mark Bagley; Inks: Hunter, Alquiza and Wong
Some new JLA members: Mon-el subbing for Superman, plus the Dick Grayson Batman, along with Starfire and Cyborg (so, along with Wonder Girl, most of the original Teen Titans are now in the grown-up League), as everyone struggles to deal with what’s apparently a post-Blackest Night (and post-Cry for Justice) status quo. Robinson seems to be growing into the title, too; he’s, if not head-turningly good, at least much less annoying than in the first few Cry for Justice issues, and he’s helped considerably by Bagley’s deceptively-simple, well-composed pencils (although, as in Green Lantern, having a crowd of inkers on the book does the art no favors). Still, this is the first issue of JLA in a while that I’ve read and decided to keep; if other readers agree, this lineup and creative team may actually stick for awhile.
Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four #1 (of 4) — Writer: Kurt Busiek; Art: Brent Anderson
Another installment of Busiek and Anderson’s smooth, very well-done superhero book, beginning the last arc of a story that began five years, and 12 issues, ago. That means that new readers will be confused; in spite of some attempts to give backstory, there’s just too much to the overall tale of two brothers, and their attempt to get revenge on the villain who killed their parents, to explain easily here. Relax and enjoy the ride, though: Busiek’s writing and plotting have a craftsmanship that ensures that all the scenes, themes and characters fit together just so, and Anderson’s detailed, careful visuals are a perfect match for them; this series hasn’t been coming out that often lately, but it’s no accident that it’s been around, in one form or another, for the last 15 years.
Batman and Robin #7 — Writer: Grant Morrison; Art: Cameron Stewart
Stewart last teamed with Morrison on Seaguy, and while his panels, so clean and bright in that series, seem darker and muddier here, that’s probably appropriate, given the different setting and main character. Batman’s in England, teaming up with the Squire and the Knight (old Morrison character obsessions), and looking to resurrect Bruce Wayne’s corpse in a Lazarus Pit. It’s actually all a little disappointing, without much of the usual Morrison spark (especially considering that there’s no way the resurrection project can end well), but this creative team is accomplished enough that I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now, and see where it all leads next issue (that’s one of the great advantages of serial comics, after all: if this month’s installment seems a little off, there’s always another one coming in just four weeks…).
Ultimate Enemy #1 ( of 4) — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Pencils: Rafa Sandoval; Inks: Roger Bonet
New Avengers #61 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Pencils: Stuart Immonen and Daniel Acuna; Inks: Wade von Grawbadger
Two by Bendis: UE involves a (mostly) unseen new bad guy trying to take out, via huge explosions and tentacled monsters, Roxxon, Reed Richards, Sue Richards and Nick Fury. As a first issue, it’s episodic, largely meant to show us where the various cast members (especially of the now-disbanded Ultimate FF) have been since the events of Ultimatum, but there’s a lot of action, and lots of stuff blows up real good, so hey. New Avengers has a “Seige” tag on the cover, but there’s no Asgard or Loki or Thor in sight; instead, it involves the cast (including, now, Steve Rogers) getting targeted by the Hood’s gang of B- and C-list bad guys (now with Norn-stone fueled power upgrades) and offers even more punching and stuff getting blown up. As usual with Bendis, there are enough character bits and snarky dialog to make it, while still a mindless action comic, at least a fun mindless action comic.
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:
Jack of Fables #42 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Pencils: Tony Akins; Inks: Andrew Pepoy
Echo #19 — Writer/Artist: Terry Moore
Justice Society of America #35 — WQriter: Bill Willingham; Penciller: Travis Moore; Inker: Dan Green
The Sword #21 — Creators: The Luna Brothers
X-Men Legacy #232 — Writer: Mike Carey; Pencils: Clay Mann; Inks: Danny Miki with Allen Martinez
Amazing Spider-Man #619 — Writer: Dan Slott; Art: Marcos Martin
Knights of the Dinner Table #158 — Creators: Jolly Blackburn, Steve Johansson, David Kenzer and Brian Jelke
Phil Mateer
