Scalped #34 — Writer: Jason Aaron; Art: R. M. Guerra
Ghost Rider: Heaven’s On Fire #6 (of 6) — Writer: Jason Aaron; Art: Roland Boschi
Wolverine: Weapon X #10 — Writer: Jason Aaron; Art: C. P. Smith
Three books by Jason Aaron, who’s very close to being mainstream comics’ Next Big Writer, and while I didn’t actually buy any of them, I wouldn’t make fun of you if you did — they were all entertaining. Scalped was his breakthrough book, a high-concept noir mashup — 100 Bullets on the rez, all hardscrabble lives and casino-fueled menace — and now, three years later, is one of Vertigo’s longer-running titles. Ghost Rider, in its regular series form and in the current mini-series, has been a gonzo drive-in romp, with gun-toting nuns, cannibals, and assorted rogue angels and demons all revolving around the titular flame-headed… well, “hero” is pushing it, so let’s say “protagonist.” Finally, Wolverine: Weapon X is Aaron’s newest project, a high-profile superhero title; I wasn’t that thrilled with the previous arc, featuring an amnesiac Logan in a murderous insane asylum (too many B-movie cliches, and it went on about two issues too many), but this newest episode, featuring a reporter who’s become his lover, has both a more solid story and more heart (although I take that all back if she dies horribly within the next few issues).
Ultimate X #1 — Writer: Jeph Loeb; Pencils: Art Adams; Digital Inks: Mark Rosian
After Ultimatum, this book benefits from reduced expectations: it feels like a victory that it doesn’t suck completely. Much of this is because of the Adams art, as clean, careful and handsomely-rendered as always (his Kitty Pryde is especially good). The story? At least no one dies or gets eaten, but it revolves around now-dead Wolverine’s teenage son (raised by the Hudsons) discovering his true heritage, via a Princess Leia-style hologram crystal delivered by Pryde, whose response to the kid’s query “What was he like?” is “He was dangerous. And sweet. And horny. And mean. And unpredictable and…” is icky, but, again, less so than that whole Pietro/Wanda thing. Thanks to Adams, it’s pretty to look at, but it doesn’t go anywhere in this first issue, and it isn’t like we can trust Loeb to guide it to a good destination later.
The Indomitable Iron Man #1 — Writers: Paul Cornell, Howard Chaykin, Duane Swierczynski and Alex Irvine; Art: Will Rosado, Howard Chaykin, Manuel Garcia/Stefano Gaudiano and Nelson DeCastro
This $3.99, 48-page special harks back in design to Marvel’s 1970s black-and-white magazines (although it’s comic-sized); there are three stories and an illustrated text piece. All the artists look good in B&W, especially Chaykin, but the stories are slight, insubstantial as smoke and easy to forget. Aspiring artists (and those of you who favor art over script) might find it worthwhile, though.
Wolverine: Savage #1 (of 1) — Writer: Ryan Dunlavey; Art: Richard Elson
One of those weird Wolverine one-shots Marvel keeps pumping out — the title and cover seem to indicate it’ll be a gorefest, but the actual story is more Marvel Adventures than Max: Logan helps out a woman running a restaurant, and ends up slicing and dicing sushi instead of bad guys. On top of that, it’s $3.99, but only offers the standard 22 pages of story, with no extras, and it’s by creators you’ve never heard of. The story isn’t terrible, but it’s just… there; there’s no real reason to buy this book.
Justice Society of America Annual #2 — Writers: Keith Giffen and Matthew Sturges; Pencils: Tom Derenick; Inks: Rodney Ramos
A 46-page story (for $4.99) involving both teams in an extended fight, with bad guys and each other, as mistaken motivations abound and almost everyone acts like buttheads. It culminates in the main butthead, Magog, leaving (if you love the character and that’s a big spoiler for you… well, never mind: you don’t; nobody likes that guy). This is a perfectly average mainstream superhero comic, in both story and art; if you like the characters, and follow their regular titles, you should get it, but there’s nothing in it to convince new readers to jump on board.
Deadpool Team-Up #896 — Writer: Stuart Moore; Art: Shawn Crystal
Worth noting because the guest “star” is U. S. Ace, who was originally U. S. 1, the trucker created during the CB craze who’s probably the most obscure Marvel title character in history (what’s next? Team America?). This leads to a number of lines from Wade like “We got us a convoy,” which will be mildly funny to fans over 45 years old and no one else. Like Wolverine: Savage, it’s not incompetent, but it has no reason to exist, either, except to be another Deadpool book to crank out while the character is going through his latest hot phase. I’m now resisting the urge to end this with a “10-4, good buddies”….
Phil Mateer
