The Incredible Hercules #126 — Story: Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak; Pencils: Rodney Buchemi; Inks: Greg Adams; (Second story): Story: Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente; Art: Takeshi Miyazawa
A double-size issue for $3.99 (get ’em before Marvel starts charging that much for a regular-sized issue in a month or two), with the first story an origin of sorts (taking place in 1291 B.C.) and the bonus story a bittersweet tale involving Amadeus Cho, Bruce Banner, and that coyote pup. Buchemi shows some talent drawing Greeks, especially the women (some of his panels are reminiscent of Adam Hughes; he oughta be over on Wonder Woman), although his action/war stuff is less polished, and the story itself is smooth but easily forgotten.
Hulk #10 — Writer: Jeph Loeb; Penciler: Ed McGuinness; Inker: Dexter Vines
This is a sort of tribute to Giant-Size Defenders #2, as the Grandmaster enlists the Hulk to choose a team of heroes to fight in a game for him, and his picks, plucked from points in their lives where they’ve just lost lovers (and are thus ripe for the Grandmaster’s offer to fix things if they win), are the Defenders: Namor, Dr. Strange (in the full-body, full-mask suit), and the Silver Surfer. Not only that, but their opponents are… well, you’ll have to read it. Loeb continues to offer a mix of rough humor and energetic high-concept plots that must be like candy to younger readers, and rival Stan Lee’s in their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, he also offers dialogue and plot twists that make grown-up readers wince, with a slapdash construction and inability to close the deal and create a satisfying story that make him closer to, say, Rob Liefeld than The Man. It’s definitely not boring, though….
X-Force #12 — Writers: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost; Art: Clayton Crain
I continue to find this book unreadable, and deeply depressing in its nihilistic, unheroic worldview and cynical manipulation of its characters; however, although the art is often so darkly lit and murky that it causes eyestrain, I have to note Crain’s last few pages: the double-page conclusion panel is stunning, both in the art and the coloring, and is the first time since a few panels in Ghost Rider that he’s shown his true potential. If the rest of the comic delivered pictures that awesome, this would be a top-ten book, in spite of the downer writing.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 — Writer: Matt Wayne; Artist: Phil Moy
This book, based on the cartoon, is as relentlessly sunny and simplistic as X-Force is dark and dreary — and, oddly, it’s just as depressing; it has its moments, especially with guest-star Blue Beetle, but eventually its faux-Silver-Age innocence becomes more childish than child-like, especially when its creepily-grinning Batman tries to shoehorn a message into the last page, and it comes off as the ending to every bad sitcom you’ve ever sat through because you were too lazy to change the channel.
She-Hulk #38 — Writer: Peter David; Penciler: Steve Scott; Inker: Vicente Cifuentes
Double-size last issue, as David tries to shoehorn his next six months of plot developments into one story, and largely succeeds. Technically accomplished as always, with OK art, but this always felt like just what it was: the exploits of a B-level character, without enough quirkiness or electricity to jumpstart reader interest and make it an essential comic (see Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and New Warriors for comics with similar problems, and the Matt Fraction/Ed Brubaker Iron Fist as one of the few recent series that did make the jump into must-read status).
Marvels: Eyes of the Camera #4 (of 6) — Writers: Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern; Artist: Jay Anecleto
This is typical Busiek (Stern is credited, I’m guessing, because much of the action takes place during the Bullseye/Daredevil/Death of Elektra story, as well as the end of the second Avengers/Beyonder encounter, and he had a hand in both of those): well-versed in Marvel history, carefully plotted, very human in its focus on the effects of superhero events on “normal” people. Maybe it’s because this kind of thing no longer seems fresh, the way it did during Marvels; maybe it’s that reading about regular people in the shadows cast by superfolk just isn’t that interesting: somehow, though, much like David’s She-Hulk, while I can admire the skill involved in this series, it just doesn’t quite generate enough interest to make it compelling reading.
Phil Mateer
