Batman #680 — Writer: Grant Morrison; Penciller: Tony Daniel; Inker: Sandu Florea
Heating up — now that all the moodsetting and hints of disaster are out of the way, we’re in the middle of the actual confrontation (with the Joker thrown in as a bonus), and it’s all reasonably smooth and exciting, with a cliffhanger leading into the next issue (although the plot “twist” at the end is one that most readers probably saw coming about six months ago — assuming that it really means what it seems to). As with many Morrison stories, it’ll be hard to tell what to think of this until it’s over, and the whole plot structure is revealed — but right now there’s reason to be optimistic.
No Hero #1 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Juan Jose Ryp
A young crimefighter gets recruited into the Front Line, a group of super-powered vigilantes who get their abilities from drugs (but at a physical price). Pretty standard Ellis/Ryp, which is to say lots of obsessively-detailed rubble and violence, with handfuls of musing on politics, the breakdown of society, and the role of the individual in fighting it, sprinkled with as much near-future technology and caustic humor as needed. Works for me….
Doktor Sleepless #9 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Ivan Rodriguez
This is the beginning of Book Two (Book One having ended with the Doktor’s revelation as a true old-school mad scientist last issue), and in this first chapter we don’t see the title character at all. Instead, it’s two months later, and the focus shifts to a new arrival: a woman reporter who comes to Heavenside to write about its transformation, and starts running into various supporting members of the cast. See the above description of No Hero for the recipe, although Rodriguez offers less rubble, and more accessible human figures, than Ryp. Still works for me….
Justice League of America #25 — Writer: Dwayne McDuffie; Pencils: Ed Benes, Doug Mahnke, Darick Robertson, Shane Davis, Ian Churchill and Ivan Reis; Inks: A whole bunch of people
An anniversary issue, so there are 38 pages of story for an extra buck, and tag-team art. Some previous subplots get cleaned up (or, at least, moved forward), especially via the main scenes, which deal with both Vixen’s and Animal Man’s tangled origins and power sources — and show what happens when you tangle with the god of storytelling (answer: like any good author, when he gets into trouble he backspaces and edits until the tale’s more to his liking). As always with McDuffie, the characterization of everyone in the huge cast is dead-on; it’s refreshing to see the JLA act like a group of professionals who both like and respect each other, and all bring valuable skill-sets to the party. It seems a bit unfair to tout a double-sized special, and then continue the thing into the next issue, but I’m hooked enough to come back, so that’s only a minor complaint.
Punisher War Journal # 24 — Writers: Matt Fraction and Rick Remender; Art: Howard Chaykin
Marvel’s marketing people miss a bet here: this is a Secret Invasion tie-in (in a reasonably big way, too), but there’s no indication of that on the cover. Otherwise, it’s the same rattling thrill ride as the last five or six issues, with Chaykin’s ultra-professional art complementing Remender and Fraction’s big effects and sly humor perfectly.
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:
Joe Kubert’s Tor #6 (of 6) — Writer/Artist: Joe Kubert
The Boys #23 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Darick Robertson
Phil Mateer
