Phil's Reviews — Stuff I Bought #22

I’m going to be in Las Vegas from tomorrow morning through next Monday (my daughter’s playing in a chess tournament — the US Open at the Riviera, if you care), so I’m hustling to get these done early this week. Don’t get used to it….

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4 — Writer: Joss Whedon; Pencils: Georges Jeanty; Inks: Andy Owens.
The rhythm with this title so far seems to be that four issues equal one TV episode, with each comic corresponding to a 15-minute act (well, 12 minutes, not counting commercials). That means that this concludes the first show of the “season,” and it does as good a job as you’d expect, closing off the smaller story while setting up the bigger, ongoing plotlines — especially with the last page. Quality work as always, and the best book of the week.

Black Summer #0 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Artwork: Juan Jose Ryp
An eight-page preview of this new ongoing series, which sets up the high-concept premise: the lead superhero of the US has just assassinated the President, for getting the country into a war with Iraq through lies and corruption. Ellis includes a two-page essay about the origins of the comic, and its central question: is the assassin a hero, or a villain? Intriguing (and well thought out) enough to get me to buy the first few issues, anyway, although there’s a sense that it’s straining a little too much to be outrageous. Still, buy this — it’s 99 cents, and if someone at Fox News gets ahold of it and has an aneurysm, you’ll be able to sell it for a tidy profit on eBay.

Midnighter #8 — Writer: Christos Gage; Art: John Paul Leon
A stand-alone story that’s interesting for what it doesn’t do — the character’s sexuality is never mentioned or referenced. That’s a refreshing change, since so many writers feel compelled to, you know, bring in Apollo for a big kiss on the first page, or have a bad guy throw a sexual slur at our hero, whether it’s in character or not — just to make sure that readers get that he’s gay, in the same way that we used to have to be told that Green Lantern’s ring didn’t work on yellow in every freaking story. Well, yeah, but sexuality isn’t important in every story, and Gage gets points for focusing on other aspects of Midnighter’s personality for a change instead; it makes him a more rounded, and more interesting, character.

Detective #833 — Writer: Paul Dini; Penciller: Don Kramer; Inker: Wayne Faucher
The general rule since One Year Later has been, buy the issues by Dini, and be suspicious of the ones by other writers. This one, which is about a rogue illusionist and guest-stars Zatanna, is a good example; it’s a two-part story with a great unexpected twist at the end, which leaves our heroes in mortal peril until next month. The real mystery is: why is Dini so good at these Batman stories, while his Countdown has, so far, been a disappointment?

Jack of Fables #11 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Artist: Steve Leialoha
Coming back to, and concluding, a tale started a few issues ago and then abandoned, about how Jack also took on the role of Jack Frost. Notable for how much of a self-centered — and even dangerous — jerk Our Hero can be, although somehow his status as a Trickster avatar, and the general story-told-around-a-campfire mood, manage to keep him interesting as a main character, despite — or maybe even because of — his immoral ways. It’s nice to see Leialoha’s work again, too, and it’s especially suited to the European-fairy-tale, Bavarian-peasant style of the proceedings.

Jonah Hex #20 — Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; Art: Phil Noto
This episode ties up some loose ends from last issue, and continues the several-short-scenes narrative style (including one bit borrowed from Robert E. Howard, where Hex recreates a famous Conan scene with a vulture, but finds an even more imaginative use for the bird). The storytelling is sometimes a little too disjointed, and the ending depends on five fairly smart adults being too stupid to disconnect a wire, but this is still an entertaining, unexpectedly-compelling Western, just as it’s been for over 30 years now.

Phil Mateer