Thunderbolts #115 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Artist: Mike Deodato, Jr.
End of the first big story, as the T-Bolts fight three minor heroes in Phoenix, Arizona. Lots of action, as alliances shift and agendas are advanced, and the story comes to a satisfyingly non-grim conclusion (well, unless you’re Bullseye). As with last month’s issue, though, I’m obligated as a Phoenix resident to point out that the setting and buildings are East-Coast generic, with water towers and TV antennas on the rooftops, and look nothing like the Phoenix area (there aren’t even any local landmarks or visual references thrown in). Since the script goes out of its way to emphasize the location, you’d think Deodato could have stirred off his lazy ass and actually Googled up some research, but apparently not; that lack of care leaves a bad aftertaste in an otherwise-entertaining story.
Hellboy: Darkness Calls #3 (of 6) — Writer: Mike Mignola; Art: Duncan Fegredo
You have to admire Hellboy: faced with an army of Baba Yaga’s ancient Russian zombie warriors with swords and axes and pikes and spears, he wades right in, bopping heads until the inevitable giant wolves show up to even the odds. How can you not like a scene like that? Epic, moody, expert storytelling by both Fegredo and Mignola make this a great comic.
X-Men #200 — Writer: Mike Carey; Pencilers: Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo; Inkers: Carlos Cuevas and Tim Townsend
You know, in the old days anniversary issues were the end of a story, a big blowout conclusion to something that had been building up for a while. Not so much any more — the current thinking seems to be that, since more readers check out the 100th or 200th issue, it needs to be continued — that way, the cliffhangers will bring the new readers back for more (look at Ultimate Spider-Man #100, which had something like five separate shocks that were left hanging). So it is with X-Men #200: it doesn’t resolve any of the previous problems (like Rogue’s head now holding, oh, eight billion alien minds), and it sets up a bunch of new problems, too. That doesn’t make it a bad comic — Carey/Ramos/Bachalo are a good team — but if you go in hoping to read a full-length story with a beginning, middle and end, you’re going to be disappointed.
The Boys #8 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Darick Robertson
Tek Knight’s kind of a cross between Iron Man and Batman, and has a reputation as a straight-edge, boring superhero. Now, though, something’s happened; at some point, in some adventure, he’s been exposed to a ray or a spell or something, and he gets uncontrollable urges to have sex with practically anything at any time. He’s sent his young sidekick away, for obvious reasons, and his butler has quit, also for obvious reasons, and he has no idea what to do. Meanwhile, The Boys are investigating the murder of a young gay man with shadowy ties to the superhuman community….
Given the set-up, there’s actually less over-the-top social satire from Ennis here than you’d expect; instead, there’s a lot of surprisingly-nuanced musing from various characters about homosexuality and people’s attitudes towards it. Robertson’s art is effective in a mostly-talk-without-much-action episode like this; his ability to draw interesting, individual faces and expressions, and to construct believable props and sets, keeps the narrative flow humming smoothly. By the end, the plot’s been advanced, we’ve learned a few things about the characters, and we’re eager to see what happens next.
Crossing Midnight #8 — Writer: Mike Carey; Penciller: Jim Fern; Inker: Mark Pennington
It’s a hard job, slowly building a world that will attract readers; the trick is to get some buzz going before sales trail off into nothingness. Last month, this book sold fewer than 7,000 copies in the US comic direct market — but the first trade is out, and Carey’s surreal take on Japanese mythology is starting to come together. Will it find its mojo in time (hey, what’s Japanese for “mojo” — “chi”)? Here’s hoping: I wasn’t sure about this title at first, but it’s slowly turned me into a fan.
Blue Beetle #16 — Writer: John Rogers; Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Speaking of books that have slowly turned me into a fan…. this issue, with Traci 13 and Jaime fighting Eclipso, finally did it for me. They click as a team, the dialogue feels funny and natural, and it’s a fun, satisfyingly-told one-issue story. That’s rare, and definitely worth supporting.
Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1 — Writer: Geoff Johns; Artist: Ethan Van Sciver
You can’t accuse Johns of thinking small. In addition to the members of the Sinestro Corps we’ve already seen over the last few months, this issue adds three more — two of them among the most powerful beings in the DC Universe — and then reveals that there’s a mastermind behind Sinestro who’s even more powerful (or, maybe, anti-powerful) still. Whether all this cosmic-level power will make a good story is another matter — the volume’s going to be cranked up to 11 the whole time — but between the full- and double-page splashes, and all the action, it’s going to be a fanboy’s delight.
Criminal #7 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Sean Philliips
Chapter Two of the current arc, wherein Tracy gains the gang’s confidence, partly from a jail visit to Leo from the first story (now recovering a few months after being shot at the end of his arc). Brubaker and Phillips continue to get all their pieces lined up, and find smooth and interesting ways to establish everyone’s character, motivation and eye for the main chance. Very well-constructed and entertaining crime fiction, as always from this title.
Daredevil #98 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Artists: Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano
Another Brubaker story, but this one’s farther along than Criminal — it’s the fourth of five parts, so it’s all roller-coaster action, as the mystery of Gladiator’s insanity deepens, and a shadowy behind-the-scenes mastermind reveals himself. Who is it? What’s going on? Tune in next issue….
Streets of Glory Preview — Writer: Garth Ennis; Artwork: Mike Wolfer
Ennis’s love for Westerns has been obvious ever since the Saint of Killers in Preacher, and there’s a similar sharpshooting, not-quite-as-unstoppable tough guy here, too. If you like classic western memes — the wide-open country, the raw violence, the obsession with revenge — you’re likely to find them well, and lovingly, done here.
Phil Mateer
