Phil's Reviews — Stuff I Bought #31

New Avengers #33 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Artist: Leimil Yu
No actual Skrulls (well, ones that we know of, anyway), but lots of Skrull-induced paranoia, some of which looks to be throwing a wrench into the Luke-Jessica relationship. Oh, and a subplot in which Marvel attempts to make the Hood into a villain that you might, you know, actually care about. Yu’s art seems to be delivering more good moments and fewer annoying ones (maybe because it’s familiar now), so that helps, and there’s more than enough soap-opera compulsion (What will happen to these characters next?) to keep me buying the book.

Daredevil #99 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Artists: Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano
Part five of a five-part story, except that it doesn’t so much conclude as end, with the big reveal of the Villain Behind it All (a semi-classic DD villain who’s a logical choice, given what’s been happening). Next issue, #100, should offer the actual conclusion. Brubaker and the artists contunue to make this an effective, fast-moving street-level superhero book.

Batman #667 — Writer: Grant Morrison; Artist: J. H. Williams III
Morrison must have really liked that Silver Age “International Batmen” story as a kid, because this is the second time he’s referenced it (he had the updated versions of the Knight and Squire in his JLA Classified arc a few years ago, too). Here, it becomes the occasion for one of those Agatha Christie And Then There Were None plots where everyone’s gathered on a deserted island, and then they start getting bumped off, one by one. Nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s constructed and delivered well — and the Williams art, with its lush design and elaborate effects, is an unexpected bonus.

Powers #25 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Artist: Mike Avon Oeming
Bendis spends part of the letter page defending himself against charges that he’s been neglecting this, the title that really put him on the map, in favor of all his higher-profile mainstream books. OK, but it has felt padded lately, as the current storyline keeps going on and on, with new developments (Deena has powers, and has, apparently, become a psycho vigilante) piled upon each other (Walker is now the Earth’s cosmic defender, a la Green Lantern), and new issues of the book appearing less and less frequently. When it’s on its game (as with the last few pages here), it can still get the reader caught up in the action, and eager to see what happens next — but can we please end this storyline soon, cut away some of the complexity, and get back to a simpler status quo?

The Boys #9 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Darick Robertson
Now we begin to see what might have made DC decide to jettison this title: the issue ends with a three-way sex scene between the characters meant to remind the reader of Batman, Catwoman, and Robin. Snarky and darkly comic as ever, although this current murder-mystery arc seems more a diversion — a way of marking time, so that the main storyline doesn’t advance too quickly — than anything else.

Blade #12 — Writer: Mark Guggenheim; Artist: Howard Chaykin
Final issue, as the cover makes clear. This title somehow never found its legs, despite its more-than-competent art (Howard Chaykin on a vampire book, drawing Blade, Hannibal King and Dracula — how, exactly, does that sell fewer than 16,000 copies per month? Was the plot too hard to get into? Was the book just not commercial or accessible enough for newer readers?). At least it ties all the loose threads as it sets up a new, grimmer vampire environment for the Marvel Universe — and ends with two pages of Gene Colan art, and a shout-out to the character’s Wolfman/Colan Tomb of Dracula origin.

Hulk # 109 — Writer: Greg Pak; Penciler: Carlo Pagulayan; Inker: Jeffrey Huet
All the Hulk’s allies meet, mix it up with the military, and watch as the Hulk starts to construct a giant arena (like the one on the Convenient Barbarian Planet) where he’s apparently going to have his enemies fight one another, as the World War Hulk arc starts to move towards its endgame. Franks’ art is missed, but the plotting is a good example of how you can use individual titles in a crossover effectively — both this and the main WWH work as stand-alone episodes, but each is also able to move the overall plot forward without needless duplication or backpedeling. That’s harder to do than you might think.

Phil Mateer