X-Force #2 — Writers: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost; Artist: Clayton Crain
Even worse than the first issue — it’s like a parody of the worst ’90s comic you can think of, with pointless fighting and killing (and pointless discussion about the fighting and killing), murky art that tries to be kewl but just seems krappy, the kind of plot that involves one of the “good” guys somehow wiring an entire building with explosions with no one knowing it, and then blowing it up and failing to take out any of the main bad guys (who all miraculously survive the massive blast without a scratch), and then, after the reintroduction of Nimrod/Bastion last issue, the reintroduction of yet another obscure-but-obscenely powerful X-antagonist (well, New Mutant antagonist, but whatever): it’s a medley of all the worst storytelling tendencies in modern comics, all in one convenient package. Avoid it like the plague that it is.
Cable #1 — Duane Swierczynski; Artist: Ariel Olivetti
Cable’s in the post-apocalyptic future, with the little kid from “Messiah Complex,” trying to protect her in a world gone mad, blah blah blah. Olivetti’s art, heavy on the atmosphere and the weaponry, is OK (I like the contrast between the massively-biceped Cable and the cute-little-baby kid), but honestly, why should any of us care about yet another possible bad future/mutant messiah gig? Where that many readers clamoring for another Askani’son book? Um, no: it wasn’t compelling 12 years ago, and it isn’t now.
The End League #2 — Writer: Rick Remender; Pencils: Matt Broome; Inks: Sean Parsons
I generally like Remender’s writing, but the Thor who talks like the Hulk (“Thor kill puny men!!“) on the first page put me off the rest of the book — too derivative, too many characters, too hard to care.
Atom #21 — Writer: Rick Remender; Pencils: Pat Oliffe; Inks: John Stanisci
Now, this is closer — the take on Ryan meshes with the Gail Simone one, the science is well-researched and makes sense, the special effects are sufficiently atomy, and the menace is sufficiently menacing. Not that much actually happens, though — it’s mostly setup for a big fight next issue — and there’s a distinct whiff of cancellation around this book, which keeps me from wanting to invest much effort into it.
Penance: Relentless #5 (of 5) — Writer: Paul Jenkins; Artist: Paul Gulacy
Ending better than it began, with Robby out of the stupid suit (but still with the bald head and the eyebrow rings). The Gulacy art is still worth a look — but the whole torture-porn thing, whether self-inflicted or played out on a super-villain, still leaves a bad taste, and I’d prefer to tiptoe away and forget about this phase of this character, thank you.
Teen Titans: Year One #3 (of 6) — Writer: Amy Wolfram; Art: Karl Kerschl, Serge Lapointe and Steph Peru
Still good, but it’s definitely pitched for younger readers — the main plot gets resolved quickly, presumably for the benefit of shorter attention spans, and the “grown-up” dialogue, especially, feels kind of… basic, I guess, like the way kids think adults talk instead of the way they really do. Still not bad as an entry-level comic for watchers of the cartoon, though.
Supergirl #27 — Writer: Kelly Puckett; Artists: Rick Leonardi and Dan Green, with Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder
Well, OK… the whole teen-exploitation element is gone, and the take on the character feels better, but I don’t know that beginning yet another long, drawn-out story (this one with time-traveling future-history elements, no less) is the way to go with this book. Can’t anyone write compelling, action-packed, one-issue stand-alone stories any more?
Phil Mateer
