Ambush Bug: Year None #1 — Writer: Robert Loren Fleming; Art: Keith Giffen
So sue me: I’ve always liked this series, and Giffen and Fleming pick it up like they’ve never left it, with the Bug trying to find Jonni DC’s murderer and encountering, among others, ‘Mazing Man, Space Cabby, Yankee Poodle, Ace the Bathound, and Sugar (of “…and Spike”). If you know who most of those characters are, and know why go-go checks are funny, and would understand a joke about why all major appliances sold in the DC Universe come with dead bodies in them, then this is the series for you. Sure, the “Cheeks” thing gets old, and some of the jokes fall flat, but most of the meta-humor is dead on target, and it’s still worth it just to see Giffen’s ultra-clean, stylish art. If that Bug-as-Dan-Didio house ad in all the DC books last month made you laugh, you should definitely buy this book.
Uncanny X-Men #500 — Writers: Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction; Pencilers: Greg Land and Terry Dodson; Inkers: Jay Leisten and Rachel Dodson
Worth getting, just to see the new San Francisco setup for the group, but even though I like this X-writing team it all seems a little… off, somehow. The villains don’t help (OK, for a big anniversary issue, those are the two obvious ones, but geez), and while the plot developments sound good in theory, in practice they don’t quite gel. A lot of this is because of Land’s art; I’m not a fan, especially of the way all his women are traced from photos in porn mags — it’s mildly sexy at first, but then a closer look shows the vacant smiles and empty eyes, and it all becomes boring and distracting, sacrificing storytelling for cheap thrills. Bleh, and thank God Dodson is there to pick up some of the slack.
Dan Dare #7 (of 7) — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Gary Erskine
Americans didn’t grow up with Dare like the British did (think of him as their equivalent to, say, Flash Gordon, but with more military background), so some of the story beats of this series — the death of a character, and the appearance of the villain — don’t have the resonance for us that they do for them. Still, it’s Ennis doing a war story, set in space but with the same focus on honor and duty and courage (and their relative rarity) as his others. Befitting the source, he’s in optimistic mode here, not cynical, so the ending is duly inspirational and heroic, and makes for an entertaining and satisfying tale.
War Heroes #1 — Writer: Mark Millar; Art: Tony Harris
Speaking of cynical war stories… OK, so the US military, beset by terrorism and mired in the Middle East, develops a pill that will give soldiers super-powers for 24 hours, and uses it as an incentive to enlist. What happens next? Well, we don’t know yet, because this is just the first issue, and it mostly sets up the concept and offers snapshots of the new, standard-multicultural group of recruits. As with all things Millar, this could end up pretty good or really bad, but I’m enough of a sucker to take a shot, especially because Harris’s realistic, very human style seems like a good fit for the story. Check back in a few months, though, to see whether I’m regretting that choice.
Glamourpuss #2 — Writer/Artist: Dave Sim
This isn’t a story; it’s a parady of fashion/Cosmo-style mags, intertwined with Sim’s musings on the history of comics illustration. Why combine them? Good question; the obvious connection is Sim’s photorealistic style in the fashion stuff, and the way that style figures so strongly in his comics history. The parody part is hit or miss (“Top 5 Ways to Drive Men Wild in Bed,” Number One: “Tell him your period is three weeks late!”), but the illustration stuff is cool — a two-page spread looking at the various “schools,” from Foster/Raymond/Caniff through Kirby and Neal Adams and all the way to Bruce Timm, is worth the $3 by itself, and so is watching Sim work out his theories through his reproductions of various panels from other artists, and in his own pages. Weird, but fascinating.
The Spirit #19 — Writers: Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier; Artists: Jason Armstrong; Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin; Paul Rivoche
Getting back to the character’s Sunday-comics section roots, with three short stories rather than one long one; the last offering, about the murder of a comic-book writer, is the best, with its sly commentaries about the field from two writers who, between them, have over 80 years of experience in it.
Stuff I liked enough to buy, but don’t have anything new to say about, so read past reviews in the archives if you really want to know:
Legion of Super-Heroes #44 — Writer: Jim Shooter; Penciller: Sanford Greene; Inker: Nathan Massengill
Justice League of America #23 — Writer: Dwayne McDuffie; Artist: Ed Benes
Daredevil #109 — Writers: Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka; Artists: Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano
Usagi Yojimbo #113 — Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Phil Mateer
