The Boys #22 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Darick Robertson
A quiet issue (if they were all plane crashes and heads exploding, it wouldn’t be as much fun), and while most of it’s on the history of Vought-American and The Boys, and their first encounter, the real focus is on Hughie and Annie’s slow-but-steady romance. How Ennis handles these two is going to make or break the whole book — they’re the emotional center, and the viewpoint characters, and their story can be either tragic-but-dramatic or predictable-but-satisfying. The latter is what happened in Preacher (Ennis has a reputation for being nasty, but he’s a romantic at heart), and I hope it will here, too.
Fables #75 — Writer: Bill Willingham; Penciller: mark Buckingham; Inkers: Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy
Double-sized, and the end of the war with the Adversary. The series could conclude here, and it would be a perennial best-seller — not quite up to Preacher or Transmetropolitan (with Sandman as the gold standard), but as good as Lucifer, say, or Y, the Last Man. The great news is that it’s continuing, so we’re not through with Willingham’s clever, Heinleinesque musings on war, politics and society, or Buckingham, Leialoha and Pepoy’s clear, charming characters and composition.
Secret Six #1 — Writer: Gail Simone; Penciller: Nicola Scott; Inker: Doug Hazelwood
Simone’s been following these characters since Villains United, and she knows just what makes them interesting (the scene with Catman and Deadshot in a convenience mart is a good example of her strengths: it’s not anything we haven’t seen before, but it’s done in so pitch-perfect and confident a way that we can’t help but enjoy it). Scott’s able to keep the action easy to follow (a surprisingly uncommon talent) and the characters distinct, and nail the occasional Big Moment, and the result’s a good above-average superhero book, steeped in DC continuity but accessible, a modern-day Suicide Squad.
Jonah Hex #35 — Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; Art: J. R. Williams III
In the ’70s and ’80s, this book defined the cynical Western, wherein every character was working in their own best interests and against everyone else’s, and Jonah always won because he saw this more clearly, and pursued it more stubbornly, than anyone else. These stories follow that mold — Jonah’s signature move is still that, when some pitiful Western stereotype pleads for his help, he turns and walks away (if they’re lucky) or becomes furious at their mistaking him for some kind of hero. It would all get old, but it helps that so many great artists want to draw it, and that Gray and Palmiotti’s playing around with the narratives, and telescoping of the plots, keeps their similarity from being quite so obvious.
The Twelve #1/2 — (Fiery Mask/2 stories): Joe Simon; (Mr. E): Joe Calgano/Al Carreno; (Rockman): Basil Wolverton (1st story); Stan Lee/ Charles Nicholas (2nd story)
For $3.99, you get 45 pages of Golden-Age reprints by creators like Simon, Wolverton, and Stan Lee (from 1942 — 66 years ago!). Fair enough, and the reproduction is excellent, with considerably better paper and coloring than the originals. Dumb as these can be, they have the narrative fizz of pioneers and trail-blazers; it’s what give them their folk-tale, mythic undercurrent, and it’s why any fan of superhero comics should keep at least a few of them around.
Punisher War Journal #23 — Writers: Matt Fraction and Rick Remender, Artist: Howard Chaykin
The end of the Jigsaw story, and while I think it stuck around a few issues too long (insert standard writing-for-the-trade whine here), the villain’s unpredictable, psychotic monologues, and Chaykin’s slick ultra-professionalism, make it work.
Stuff I read and liked enough to buy, but don’t have much to say about, so read previous reviews in the archives if you’re interested:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #18 — Writer: Joss Whedon; Pencils: Karl Moline; Inks: Andy Owens
Knights of the Dinner Table #142 — Creators: Jolly Blackburn, Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson and David S. Kenzer
Tor #5 (of 6) — Writer/Artist: Joe Kubert
Amazing Spider-Man #570 — Writer: Dan Slott; Pencils: John Romita Jr.; Inks: Klaus Janson
Phil Mateer
