Blackest Night #8 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Ivan Reis; Inks: Oclair Albert and Joe Prado
Well, that was kind of fun, wasn’t it? I’m not sure we want to go through one again for another ten years or so, but this had all the elements that make a Big Event work — cosmic scope, a cool idea (zombies! With rings!), game-changing events, decent artists and a writer who could pull it all together and make it work. My outer grownup wonders about some of the logic (OK, Ralph and Sue have so much untapped potential as a crime-solving pair of ghosts that I can see keeping them dead, even though their resurrection would have been a nice finger-in-the-eye bookend to the grim-and-gritty, misguided tone that Identity Crisis created, but… a White Entity in the center of the Earth? A still-villainous Max? Really? Also, while “From now on, dead is dead” seems like a noble goal, who out there believes that it’s going to last past the first lazy editor looking for shock value?). On the other hand, my inner 14-year-old (the one wearing all those rings) just wants to give everyone an appreciative, non-cynical standing ovation, and thank them for a great ride.
RASL #7 — Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith
More pieces of backstory, as not much happens, but we find out a lot more about what did happen. This and Echo sure have a lot of parallels: creators of longtime, fan-favorite series whose sophomore efforts involve a well-researched, hard-science-fiction framework that supports plenty of action and character work, both masters of panel and page composition who also know just when to bring the exposition, and when to shut up and let the art take over. As readers, all we have to do is appreciate ’em, and wait eagerly for the next chapters in the serials.
Amazing Spider-Man #627 — Writer: Roger Stern; Art: Lee Weeks
Stern offers the first of a three-parter involving the Juggernaut. They namecheck ASM #229-30, his classic first matchup between the two characters, and it’s a reminder of how much he brought to the Spider-table back in the day (after Wein and Wolfman lame-o bad guys like the Rocker Racer and the White Dragon, and the what-am-I-doing-at-Marvel stylings of Denny O’Neil, Stern’s breezily competent and well-choreographed Spidey was a breath of fresh air). It’s nice to have him back, and even nicer to get a break from the angsty Gauntlet build-up for a few weeks.
Usagi Yojimbo #127 — Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Another well-constructed, self-contained tale of everyone’s favorite ronin rabbit, and another good issue for new readers to sample what a confident, comfortable storyteller Sakai can be. There’s enough plot for a mini-series here, yet it all flows smoothly and logically, with deftly-drawn fight scenes and a satisfying conclusion: a near-perfect little comic, as always.
Justice Society of America #37 — Writer: Bill Willingham; Pencils: Jesus Merino; Inks: Jesse Delperdang
In which, 20 years after a gang of super-powered white supremicists defeated the JSA and took over the country, the depowered, imprisoned survivors plot their comeback. Obviously, this will hinge on time travel, and changing the past (unless DC’s really committed to giving us books with all their heroes either dead or chatting in prison while Nazis run the country for the next 20 years), but it’s all in the execution, and Willingham’s clever strategising and characterization are what carry this along, and make it worth reading.
The Sword #23 — Writers/Artists: The Luna Brothers
The penultimate issue; it looks for a few pages like it’s the ultimate issue, but there’s a reversal on the last page that looks like it comes out of nowhere, but has been lying in wait the whole time. We’ve been talking a lot about well-constructed stories this week, and here’s another; everyone talks about the startling violence in this book (not many main characters get their jaw ripped off, or their uterus torn out and stomped on), but what everyone misses is how that stuff works because it’s hung on a rock-solid plot. For all of us who rolled our eyes back around issue three, when one of Dara’s father’s students conveniently showed up to deliver a bundle of nicely-wrapped backstory… well, as old-time Apple owners say, that wasn’t a bug: it was a feature, and as it turns out a very clever one, too.
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 #44 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art: Tony Akins/Andrew Pepoy and Jim Fern/Joe Rubenstein
Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four #3 (of 4) — Writer: Kurt Busiek; Art: Brent Anderson
Phil Mateer
