Final Crisis #2 (of 7) — Writer: Grant Morrison; Art: J. G. Jones
It feels better than the first one, partly because of lowered expectations and partly because Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern has already introduced the Alpha Lantern characters used here, so Morrison’s script doesn’t feel so disconnected. As for the story, it doesn’t have the simple who-can-you-trust flash and bang of, say, Secret Invasion, but a more subtle psychological intensity — the gradual realization that the enemy has taken out the JLA’s two tactical experts first, and so easily, creates an air of dread, a certainty that this first act can’t possibly end well, that becomes the book’s dominant impression.
Runaways #30 — Writer: Joss Whedon; Pencils: Michael Ryan; Inks: Ketcham, Olazaba, Paris and Yeung
Everything circles back (tragically, in two cases), and the team (especially Molly) picks up a partner. It’s a perfectly good, if long-delayed, end to Whedon’s arc, with his trademark smart, plugged-in characters trading snappy dialogue and experiencing the occasional heartbreak. Points for “The Show Must Go On” as a creepily imaginative spell.
Thunderbolts #121 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Mike Deodato, Jr.
Another long-delayed conclusion that’s perfectly OK; Ellis’s casually psychotic Norman Osborn has been a hoot, as have his put-upon security personnel at Thunderbolts headquarters, and he’s managed to rehabilitate Robbie Baldwin, too. Stories like this and Whedon’s Runaways are worth any delay to Marvel, too, since they’re stylish and substantial enough to become perpetual sellers as graphic novels.
No Hero #0 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Preview issue to set up the concept: a group of late-’60s hippies in Height-Ashbury took drugs that engineered them into superheroes, and now, 40 years later, the original generation is dealing with the physical after-effects, while the current-generation team is getting picked off, one by one…. if you like the Ellis-Ryp team in, say, Black Summer, here it is again.
Batman: Gotham After Midnight #2 (of 12) — Writer: Steve Niles; Art: Kelley Jones
This is worth it for the Kelley Jones art — and, after their collaborations on the Cal McDonald private detective/horror books, Niles knows how to work to his shadowy, cartoony over-the-top but fun strengths.
Madame Xanadu #1 — Writer: Matt Wagner; Art: Amy Reeder Hadley
She’s the sister to Morgana La Fay of the Authorian cycle, and this first issue only gets us to the fall of Camelot, so she isn’t recognizable yet — but Hadley’s art is a revelation, expressive and rich, and Wagner’s script is smart, assured and readable. It’s a good beginning, and a fitting companion to previous Vertigo fantasy titles like Books of Fairie, Lucifer and Books of Magic.
Mighty Avengers #15 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Breakdowns: John Romita, Jr.; Finishes: Klaus Janson and Tom Palmer
New Avengers #42 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Pencils: Jim Cheung; Inks: John Dell
Mighty is better, because of the Romita, Jr./Janson/Palmer art, and because the Pym story (which we’ve barely seen at all) is more interesting than the Spider-Woman story (which we’ve already seen quite a bit). Both continue to fill us in on what’s actually been going on behind the Skrully scenes over the last few months, a time-traveling fill-in technique that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before — and a clever use of comics as a medium made up of weekly serial pamphlets, too.
Phil Mateer
