Usagi Yojimbo #126 — Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Every so often, it’s good to remind people what a treasure this book is, and here’s a good issue for that — a self-contained tale involving a talkative old woman and an innkeeper who isn’t what he seems, by turns funny, creepy and action-packed, with a precisely-constructed, satisfying plot and gorgeous art, all showing off Sakai’s 25 years of experience chronicling the adventures of his lupine samurai. It’s also one of those rare books that non-comics readers can immediately enjoy; buy one, enjoy it, and then use it to show a child or spouse the pleasures of this hobby we all share.
Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #1 (of 4) — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Raulo Caceres
This is Ellis in 1830s London Victorian steampunk mode; Jack the Ripper is on the loose, and there’s a mysterious figure who uses a flying boat, goggles and leg extensions that let him leap tall buildings, all using the then-practcally-unknown force of electricity. What sets this apart from similar period pieces is Ellis’s extensive knowledge of the time period, and his willingness to talk about it (the art, all shadows and gritty London landscapes and bobbies and dirt, is appropriately moody, and the text pages utilize old mechanical drawings from the period that are, in their own way, beautiful). The tone and title character seem very Doktor Sleepless-y, but that’s just an observation, not a criticism: this is an interesting and entertaining (and, sometimes, even educational) comic.
Blackest Night #7 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Ivan Reis; Inkers: Oclair Albert and Joe Prado
Flash: Rebirth #6 (of 6) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Ethan Van Sciver; Inks: Van Sciver and Scott Hanna
Two high-profile books by Johns; BN hits a penultimate-issue climax (remember back when issue #1 came out, and I predicted that Jordan would end up with all the multi-colored rings and become White Lantern? Not quite, but I was in the right neighborhood…). This issue’s retro-continuity implant strains credibility quite a bit, but it’s in the middle of so much cool action (as the entire universe pretty much shows up — Ivan Reis’s drawing hand’s probably still sore) that it’s easy enough to ignore any objections, shut off your brain, and just enjoy the spills and chills. Flash is more standard, getting the character and his cast to exactly where we all thought he’d go, and even setting up handfuls of plot threads for his new series, but, again, Johns is so good a hitting the right beats, and building to the fancentric moments, that it’s equally easy to relax and enjoy the ride.
Batman and Robin #9 — Writer: Grant Morrison; Art: Cameron Stewart
The conclusion of the three-part Batwoman/Batman/Batcorpse/Lazarus Pit story, and it offers a satisfying-enough ending to makes the previous two issues seem better (Stewart turns in his most effective art here, although it still doesn’t, somehow, work as well in practice as it ought to have in theory). The faux-Batman’s faux-stupid dialogue gets annoying (“U r heer 2 replace me. They sent u 2 taint the bloodline, fur oll time.” Umm… how are “u” and “you,” or “2” and “to,” pronounced differently, exactly?), but Morrison’s Damian continues to be a lot of fun, Alfred has a moment or two, and Dick’s realization about the fate of Bruce Wayne is a logical result to the arc. Next up: artist Andy Clarke, who’s worked on 2000 A.D., R.E.B.E.L.S., and Batman Confidential.
Amazing Spider-Man # 622 — (First Story) — Writer: Fred van Lente; Art: Joe Quinones; (Second Story) — Writer: Greg Weisman; Art: Luke Ross
The cover-featured Morbius story is only 12 pages, and self-contained, so it has little time to go anywhere; it’s OK, but seems to exist mostly as a chance for the letter column to plug van Lente’s upcoming Marvel Zombies 5. The second story (at 20 pages, I guess it’s actually the main story) is about Flash Thompson dealing with no legs, and does about as good a job as possible in delivering exactly what you’d think it would; if that’s faint praise, well… it’s a story about Flash dealing with no legs: being readable is a victory.
Chronicles of Wormwood: The Last Battle #3 (of 6) — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Oscar Jimenez
Wormwood’s fiancee finds out the rabbit can talk. That’s pretty much it, this third issue of six being the end of the beginning, so to speak, and more about setting up future events and getting all the players into place for the story’s second half. It’s a necessary bridge issue, one that will read better in the trade than in this individual installment — but, fortunately, Ennis is good at the kind of small-scale moments and dialogue needed to pull it off, and Jimmy the rabbit, between his sex-taping proclivities and his stand-up conscience, is an appealing-enough character to help carry the show.
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:
New Avengers #62 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Pencils: Stuart Immonen, Daniel Acuna; Inks: Wade von Grawbadger
Justice Society of America #36 — Writer: Bill Willingham; Pencils: Jesus Merino; Inks: Jesse Delperdang
The Marvels Project #6 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Steve Epting
Ultimate Enemy #2 (of 4) — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Pencils: Rafa Sandoval; Inks: Roger Bonet
Gold Digger #115 — Writer/Artist: Fred Perry
Phil Mateer
