The Incredible Hulk #600 — (Main story): Writer: Jeph Loeb; Pencils: Ed McGuinness; Inks: Mark Farmer; (2nd story/Hulk/10 pages): Writer: Stan Lee; Art: Rodney Buchemi; (3rd story/Savage She-Hulk/15 pages): Writer: Fred Van Lente; Artists: Michael Ryan and Salva Espin
…Plus, there’s a reprint of the Loeb/Tim Sale Hulk: Grey #1, and one of those all-600-covers in a row things: whatever else, this is a lot of stuff for your $4.99. Unfortunately, it’s a typical Loeb production: lots of big panels, sound and fury, lines like “Bruce Banner can never turn into the Hulk again” — and no real payoff, since we still don’t know who the Red Hulk is (although, as a sharp-eyed customer pointed out, there’s a guy with a pencil-thin mustache in General Ross’s car, half in shadow, who’s probably a good candidate — but, at this point, who cares? Loeb could change it into Santa Claus if he wanted; it’s not like there seems to be any actual long-range plan in effect here). If you’re 12, this will probably be a lot of fun, and good for that, but older readers are going to be less than impressed. Oh, and the Lee story is one of those tongue-in-cheek, dashed-off scripts that offers little evidence of his enormous talents. This is a big package, but it’s full of empty calories.
Immortal Weapons: Fat Cobra #1 (of 5) — Writer: Jason Aaron; Artists: Mico Suayan (11 pgs.) with Stefano Gaudiano (4 pgs.), Roberto de la Torre (5 pgs.), Khari Evans and Victor Olazaba (4 pgs.), Michael Lark (3 pgs.), and Arturo Lozzi (3 pgs.).
…Plus, this one has a seven-page start to an Iron Fist serial by Duane Swierczynski, Travel Foreman and Stefano Gaudiano (their charging $3.99 for the comic makes the Hulk offering appear even more generous). Followers of the recently-suspended I.F. title should get this; Aaron’s script offers a clever-enough (if ultimately depressing) biography of the weight-challenged title warrior, and the backup episode gets Danny Rand and one of his students involved with inner-city gangs and revenge. If you haven’t been following the characters, this won’t convince you to do it, but if you already like them you’ll be happy enough with it.
Fantastic Four: Dark Reign #5 (of 5) — Writer: Jonathan Hickman; Pencils: Sean Chan; Inks: Lorenzo Ruggiero
Now, this one also has a seven-page preview of F.F. #570 (the one that’s appeared in a few other Marvel books), by Hickman and Dale Eaglesham: a total of 30 story pages for $2.99, compared to Fat Cobra’s 37 pages for $3.99 or Hulk’s 76 pages for $4.99 — Marvel appears to be throwing a number of pamphlet formats out there to see what works. This suffers the same fate as all big event mini-series, in that it can’t actually change the status quo, and so nothing is actually resolved. However, since Hickman is about to become the main writer of the regular title, it does let him set up some plotlines that can be continued there, and it shows that he’s got the characters’ voices and personalities down OK.
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #2 (of 3) — (Red Lantern story/11 pgs.): Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: Eddy Barrows; Inks: Ruy Jose; (Star Sapphires story/9 pgs): Writer: Geoff Johns; Art: Gene Ha; (Agent Orange story/7 pgs.): Writer: Peter J. Tomasi; Artist: Tom Mandrake
Sigh… plus a Black Lantern splash and a two-page text piece listing all eight corps symbols and how Ethan Van Sciver came up with them: 30 pages for $3.99, yet another variation of format. As with last week’s issue, this offers three tales of the various-colored Corps, ending with splash pages highlighting the major players of each; it’s not a bad guide to Blackest Night, especially for readers who haven’t been following the regular GL titles and need to get caught up, and it has the advantage of the Ha and Mandrake art; they’re both interesting-enough creators to be worth a look.
Captain Britain and M13 #15 — Writer: Paul Cornell; Penciler: Leonard Kirk; Inker: Jay Leisten
Now, this was the standard comic as recently as a year ago: 21 pages of story (counting the one-page “Previously” intro) for $2.99. This wraps up both the Dracula-invades-Europe story and the boook itself; it’s been one of those critically-well-received titles that never quite got enough sales oomph to succeed. Too bad; this last episode offers some clever reversals and battle tactics, ends things on a more-than-satisfactory note, and spotlights Cornell as a writer to watch on future projects.
Invincible #64 — Writer: Robert Kirkman; Penciller: Ryan Ottley; Inker: Cliff Rathburn
… also 21 pages of art — 20 of the story, plus a pinup — for your $2.99, but there’s also a two-page letter column, and Kirkman’s lettercols are almost as much free-ranging fun as Brian Michael Bendis’s and Erik Larsen’s. This is an all-out battle issue, as the title hero fights an even-more-super foe, and there’s enough blood splashed around to power a road production of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It all works well enough in context, though; as with Walking Dead, Kirkman’s other long-running (but very different) title, I enjoy reading this to keep up on the plot twists and the characters, and appreciate it as clever comics entertainment even if I’ve never quite worked up enough interest in it to actually buy it.
Spirit #31 — Writer/Artist: Mike Ploog
Just to finish the theme: 20 pages of art, plus a five-page preview of Adventure Comics #1, for a total of 25 story pages for $2.99. All that Ploog art would have excited me 30 years ago, and his slightly-caricatured style works well with the Spirit, but he’s the writer, too, and it’s a sprawling story — the first of two parts, even. I prefer my Denny Colt episodes in tightly-plotted little 8-page packages, thank you, the way God and Will Eisner intended; this ends up, oddly, being both too much story to follow, and not enough to care about.
Phil Mateer
