| #32 | 12/15/04 and 12/22/04 | #3 |
Hey folks, Ambush Bug here, with yet another edition of AICN Comics. I hope all of you got what you asked Santy Claus for this year. I tricked ol’ Saint Nick and asked for a lump of coal this time around. Hah! In your fat rosy face, Jolly Man! Let’s see what we have in this week’s pull while I enjoy my gift. Mmmm, coal…
(Click title to go directly to the review)
HUNTER KILLER #0
SUPERMAN:BIRTHRIGHT HC
MADROX #4
THE GIFT #9
HUMAN TARGET:LIVING IN AMERIKA TPB
WESTERN TALES OF TERROR #2
TRIGGER #1
CHEAP SHOTS!
YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD ARTIST DOWN
HUNTER KILLER #0
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Marc Silvestri
Published by Image / Top Cow
Reviewed by Marck Maverik
What do you mean you don't have THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS or THE RETURN OF SHADOWHAWK?...Yer manager didn't even order 'em? All right! All right! I won't fire this time... guess I'll find somethin' else....Hmmm. This costs a quarter and it's written by Mark Waid. Alright....
Mark Waid always seemed smart. Not Warren Ellis-y smart where he reads the same SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN and MEN'S HEALTH articles that you do, but sticks 'em in a comic book. But genuinely smart in the long haul. That actually counts for a lot in a comic book writer. Waid is smart because he is the link between the talented geek-writers and the talented-flashy (okay, usually British) writers. We all know who's who.
Or to put it in comic book terms, Waid is about the only writer I can think of who could write both, say, THE AVENGERS and THE ULTIMATES. He'd write them differently and do an equally excellent job on the both of them.
With HUNTER KILLER, he's teamed up with artist Marc Silvestri to co-create one of those X-MEN comics that most of the Image founders did when they first told Marvel to stick it. The difference here is that unlike WILDC.A.T.s, YOUNGBLOOD or Silvestri's own CYBER-FORCE, a good writer is aboard from the outset.
The premise: whenever an ultra-sapien *COUGH* mutant *COUGH* goes rogue, a secret super police force called Hunter Killers take them down. Okay. There's a mission. We witness a Hunter Killer operation interrupted by a white haired guy called Wolf *COUGH* Wolverine *COUGH*. Wolf takes on a donut shop waitress who turns into a member of the Brood. Later, in Montana, we meet an ultra sapien named Ellis who seems to be able to get whatever he needs whenever he needs it. In a nice scene, Ellis interacts with his Mom and Dad. His powers are revealed in a subtle, unique and intelligent way.
I like Silvestri's art because it's dynamic and carries a real charge. I don't like it because he can only draw one face per gender. With the men, we get tough/handsome face, young handsome face and old handsome face. With the women, we get freckled-beauty, cool beauty and Mom beauty.
This is a good X-MEN book and it's not bogged down with the history, the continuity, and past expectations.
I have joked about the Image founders and there is truth in my jokes. But a lot of you who complain about the original Image books never actually saw them. They were much better than you think. Sure, some of the artists couldn't write but it was worth the risk because when you get an artist who writes well, you get a seamless, cohesive vision in a comic.
SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT HC
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
You can tell pretty much any story you want with a character. An icon basically has one story... their origin story. An icon allows for a myth. The best myths have beginnings, middles and endings. The only story that Superman really works in is his origin story: Alien baby sent to Earth. Raised by pure-hearted farmers. Discovers his true heritage. Moves to the big city. Becomes Superman (in other words, embraces his true heritage and puts that knowledge into action). As far as I'm concerned, once he puts on the cape and the tights, we've got our happy ending and the story is over.
-Provocative “Marvel vs. DC” observation from comic writer Joe Casey, courtesy his “Basement Tapes” column with Matt Fraction over at Comic Book Resources.
The cynic in me says Casey’s just grousing because his run on Superman was leaden, but as I reflect on the power of Superman’s origin, the frequency of its retelling (SMALLVILLE being the latest), and my own fondness for reading interpretations of it…hmm…I’ve gotta believe there’s at least a germ of truth to Casey’s take.
Certainly it was origin-love that had me trying out DC’s latest attempt to en-hippen the Man of Steel, SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT. Had me plodding through twelve issues of stories seemingly cobbled together by a political correctness committee and the producers of SMALLVILLE. Had me coming to the conclusion that, powerful as Superman’s origin is, good lord is it possible to over-think it!
Our resident over-thinker is Mark Waid, previously responsible for over-thinking the entire DC Universe in KINGDOM COME and doing a somewhat better job with the Justice League in JLA: YEAR ONE. Not a favorite writer of mine, but he talks an interesting game in his proposal for BIRTHRIGHT, reprinted in this collection. Among other things, Waid makes interesting observations on Supes’ marginalization for kids in a world of school metal detectors, throws out an at-least-novel suggestion of Superman’s “S”-shield as a tribal identifier, and determines to play up Clark’s struggle for acceptance ala the more tragic Superman stories that predated CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.
Interesting proposal. In execution? A mess.
Waid begins traditionally enough, with Krypton’s destruction. And the planet does look pretty snazzy as rendered by the talented Leinil Francis Yu. He’s got a baroque style that’s retro-meets-Euro – Krypton by way of HEAVY METAL - but there’s no punch to this should-be mythic moment. Waid’s writing feels overly self-aware when Jor-El pronounces, “For ten thousand orbits, a clump of dirt careened around a red dwarf star. And it accomplished miracles no one will ever remember.” It’s too self-conscious, and so lacks the poignancy John Byrne gave it in the previous Superman revamp, MAN OF STEEL. Waid does offer up one truly inspired “lost moment” from Krypton’s destruction in the final issue, but it’s a little late for the series’ one truly emotional scene when you’re 250 pages into the story.
On Earth, shades of SMALLVILLE as we see too many aspect of Superman’s mythology…explained. The costume? Inspired by Kryptonian style and Clark’s appreciation for tribal identifiers as he travels the world as an activist journalist. His respect for life? Now Clark’s vision powers show him a New Agey “aura” around living beings that’s painful for him to see fade when they get croaked. Byrne did his share of explaining, too, but always in short bursts. Waid’s emphasis on it struck me as apologia.
Beyond that, there’s some painful updating to be done. Lots of e-mailing and instant messaging and every Daily Planet story shown is an online version and…we get it, Mark! VERY CONTEMPORARY! And there are cutesy little in-jokes like Clark’s instant messaging tag being “MildMannered” while his mother’s is “Area52.” Did I mention that Ma Kent’s now a dopey UFO-enthusiast? It’s another bit of unnecessary “realism.” It’s based on Waid’s observation that parents of autistic kids become experts on developmental learning, parents of Olympic athletes become experts on coaching, etc. - so therefore the parent of an extraterrestrial would become an expert on…
See what I mean about the over-thinking? Waid has clever thoughts – that I admire – but they’re just so out of place on a story that should be much, much larger-than-life.
What it all comes down to is a fairly joyless experience. Outside of some early shots of Clark enjoying flying, for instance, there’s little sense of exuberance when he uses his powers. Superman eventually gets around to catching a helicopter, fighting the ol’ giant robots, etc., but the tone of the book is that he’s constantly on the ropes - lonely as Clark Kent or totally put-upon as a superhero initially mistrusted by everyone as a result of Lex Luthor’s scheming. I’m actually a fan of returning a tragic element to Superman’s world (the classic “All my powers and I couldn’t even save them” response to his parents’ death, for starters), but when the suit goes on, dammit, it’s time for a bit of fun! Time for a release!
Waid’s Superman is mostly angry.
BIRTHRIGHT isn’t an awful book – it’s just not worth overturning Byrne’s MAN OF STEEL for. Most of the additions are ultimately trivial, the re-introduction of Lex Luthor into Clark’s Smallville past being the notable exception. And even that one’s a bit of a flop. Oh I get the connection to the SMALLVILLE TV show and I’m sure scads of teen girls will be buying Superman comics tomorrow as a result, but Waid’s snarky, youthful characterization of Luthor is a big step down from Byrne’s vision of a more mature power-monger. Same for all the characters, now retrofit to incorporate Joss Whedonesque dialogue. Lois’s introduction is downright painful.
But hope springs eternal, and it looks like Superman’s due yet another retrofit courtesy DC’s pending All-Stars line and the magically-baked mind of Grant Morrison. Says Morrison: “…we deal with the entire origin sequence using four panels on page one of our first issue…”
Four panels.
I like it over BIRTHRIGHT already.
The hell with Joe Casey’s origin theories!
MADROX #4
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Pablo Raimondi
Inks: Andrew Hennessy
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Some things are just worth fighting for.
At last year’s WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO, Marvel Editor In Chief, Joe Quesada responded to a question regarding the large amount of new number one books on the shelves from his company. He said that Marvel’s new strategy is to produce a large amount of miniseries instead of ongoing series (which usually don’t see past issue twelve anyway). The miniseries that were hits may be considered for ongoing series, while the duds would finish out the mini and fall into obscurity. I have to admit, this “throw a bunch of shit against the wall and see what sticks” philosophy is not a bad one. It’s a good way to weed out the duds and take chances on comics that, in the past, may not have had a shot in hell of being published at Marvel. I razz Marvel quite a bit for a lot of things they do, but when they get something right, I’ll be the first to speak up about it.
To stay with the above quote, MADROX is one of those books that sticks firmly to the wall. It is an extremely original take on a fresh and untapped character. In every issue there are clever twists and turns. It’s written by one of the most talented writers in comics. And in my opinion, it is the best X-book out there next to ASTONISHING X-MEN.
For those not in the know, Madrox is Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. Jamie’s a mutant with the power to release exact replicas of himself when his body impacts something with great force. It’s a kooky power. Madrox is basically a one man army. In the hands of any other writer, this would be enough for a story or two. But writer Peter David adds a twist. Madrox has sent his dupes around the globe to gather information that would help him become Marvel’s first mutant detective. For example: A dupe is sent to Tibet to learn Buddhism. He comes back, re-assimilates with Madrox, and whammo! Jamie knows all he needs to know about Buddhism. This facet of Madrox’s power has endless possibilities and writer David knows how to utilize these possibilities to their fullest potential.
Another interesting facet of Madrox’s power that David has added to the mix is the fact that these dupes are not exact replicas of Madrox. Some dupes don’t listen to Jamie when he produces them. They represent various aspects of his personality. In issue #4, when Madrox is trapped under a burning log in a blazing building, he produces a dupe. But the dupe represents Jamie’s self-preservation and chooses to save himself instead of help the host. This is yet another aspect of Madrox’s power that David exploits cleverly.
Peter David is best known for his work on THE INCREDIBLE HULK. In that series, David delved deep into psychology to pick apart the very core of comicdom’s most popular multiple personality. David continues to expand on this subject in MADROX. He explores the various layers of personality; the sections of self that guide us in the decision making process. Jamie is a deeply flawed individual and with greater frequency, he is baring these flaws to the world when he creates one of his dupes. When Jamie creates a dupe filled with self-loathing, he is forced to confront this aspect of himself. With each dupe, Jamie is gaining focus on what it means to be Jamie Madrox and what makes him tick.
And that is the thing that I love most about this book. At the very core of this series, Jamie Madrox is a young man in search of himself. He’s looking for a place in the world around him and doing his best to make a life for himself. Jamie has chosen a path to become the world’s greatest mutant detective, but he’s not there yet. He’s basically a guy bumbling around and doing his best. There is a panel in issue #4 where Madrox realizes that he’s really doing this detective thing. He’s actually being a detective and it hits him like a ton of bricks. There is a point in everyone’s life where they quit saying “This is what I want to be when I grow up.” and start saying “This is what I am.” Jamie Madrox is somewhere in between those two statements. He’s somewhere in between the child he was and the adult he can be. This is a scary and exciting time and a theme that is ripe with potential. This is a conflict that many young adults face. I find myself in a similar situation at this point in my life and if you, the reader, can’t relate to it, I’ll bet you will someday soon. Peter David has done a marvelous job of fleshing out an obscure and offbeat character and turning him into one of my favorite in the Marvel Universe. He’s done this by making him relatable to me, and this is a testament to David’s writing prowess.
If you scan through this review, you’ll see that the key word I have been focusing on is “potential.” MADROX is one of those series with loads of it. In theme, in character, in concept; this series has more potential than most other Marvel comics combined. I WANT to see Madrox grow. I WANT to see him fail and learn and evolve into Marvel’s first mutant detective. This is a character that deserves his own series or at least a follow up miniseries. As this book draws to a close in the next issue, I encourage you to scrounge through the back issue bins and pick up the first few issues of this series. I encourage you to snatch up the collected trade that is sure to come out after the final issue is released. I encourage you to correspond with Marvel to keep an original series like this afloat and present in a market oversaturated with the same old-same old. Check out MADROX. It doesn’t have Spidey or Wolverine in it. It doesn’t need it. Like its main character, MADROX is simply a series with heart, soul, imagination, creativity, and potential that is trying to find a place for itself in this big, big world of comics.
THE GIFT #9
Raven Gregory: Writer
Tyler Kirkham: Artist
Image Comics: Publisher
Vroom Socko: Giving and Receiving
Raven Gregory is one interesting cat. Not only does every issue of THE GIFT feature one massive twist per issue, but it also manages to twist in between the issues. The previous installment was a heartfelt rumination on loss and love, while the latest feels like a Bendis-penned episode of “The Shield.”
A small group of teenagers are doing what teens do best (smoking pot and fooling around,) when their party is rudely interrupted by the police. Oh, not because of any noise. No. These cops are of the Alonzo Harris variety, out to bust a crack house and keep the cash for themselves. Unfortunately, they’ve busted the wrong house. Unfortunate for those teens, that is.
Within seconds there’s only one kid left, and she’s running for her life. Rounding a corner, she finds herself face to face with The Ancient One. This time around, his gift is manifested in the form of a joint. And here’s where one of the twists shows up.
She turns him down.
Really, who can blame her? This girl is being chased by the Strike Team, and this lunatic in a trench coat is asking her to step outside and smoke herself a jay? The hell with that! But The Ancient One is nothing if not persistent, and he usually gets what he wants. That’s one of the great things about this series, trying to figure out just what is driving the application and bequeathing of these gifts. There is a major clue at the end of this issue, but I wouldn’t dare spoil it for you here.
Raven Gregory isn’t even ten issues into this series, and I’m already hooked for the duration. His work is so varied, and in such a short span of issues, that you can’t help but be impressed. Each issue so far has been perfectly self-contained, yet there’s an unmistakable sense that Gregory’s building to something rather compelling. Apparently, the next issue is where everything that has happened so far starts to come together into a whole. Suffice to say, I await it with baited breath.
But really, why take my word for it? The first two/thirds of this issue are available for free over at Comic Book Resources. You’re not actually going to pass up a free comic, are you? Of course, to read the best part you’re going to have to actually buy the comic. But really, it’ll be well worth it.
HUMAN TARGET: LIVING IN AMERIKA TPB
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
For the past few weeks I’ve been reviewing all the HUMAN TARGET trades from Vertigo and having a fine time doing it. Trade one was reviewed here, trade two here, and trade three here. Collect and save ‘em!
We’ve got three stories in HUMAN TARGET: LIVING IN AMERIKA, the most recent collection starring disguise-master Christopher Chance. There’s a three-parter, two one-shots, and no common theme save the series’ preoccupation with and sympathy for identity issues and self-delusion. Relative newcomer Cliff Chiang makes the scene as the new artist, continuing the HUMAN TARGET tradition of hosting the best in Alex Toth-inspired visuals. Take a sec to look at a few pages of Chiang’s art (pre-coloring):
Even the mundane moments look great!
Storywise, the opener’s a bit on the predictable side with Chance impersonating a liberal-minded priest whose advocacy of AIDS victims, prostitutes, and gay marriages has seemingly made him a marked man. There’s a surprisingly conventional twist to this one, but the ride’s still interesting as Chance – clearly a non-churchy guy – has to spend several days playing the holy role. “After all the scumbags, cheats and crooks,” Chance notes of his previous impersonations, “It’s good to be someone who’s good.”
It’s the ending that makes the story, though. Chance finds himself having to make a precarious judgment call, no choice being clearly just, and he comes up with a hardboiled resolution that truly marks him as a tarnished hero for our times.
Following that one-shot is the three-parter “Living in Amerika”, the trade’s titular story. This one’s truly labyrinthine, following the scattered remnants of a group of radical socialists whose violent plans in the early ‘70s come back to haunt them. There’s a whopper of a coincidence in that Chance just happens across our players while he’s trying to lose himself in the mid-West. That and a view too-hasty plot twists – Chance’s insta-recruitment by the F.B.I. and the conversion of a pack of thugs into radicals – might be forgiven based on the fact that Milligan obviously writes HUMAN TARGET with fast-moving pop sensibilities - but it’s still a bit of a shame. The unveiling of twists…Chance’s lies to facilitate casual sex…his sense of fulfillment on impersonating the believed-dead brother of a Vietnam vet…these are the strong elements of the story. Taken alongside Cliff Chiang’s art, they make even this lesser HUMAN TARGET outing quite readable.
The last story’s the best, though. I reviewed the individual issue a ways back and it was actually the story that convinced me to delve seriously into HUMAN TARGET. It’s a rare lighthearted HUMAN TARGET outing, the ridiculously fun premise involving Chance impersonating an escaped convict while the guy runs around town to have sex with all his girlfriends before getting caught again! Why the loyalty to a crook? He’s an “old buddy” we learn in typically spare Milligan fashion, and really, that’s all we need to know. Sure, it’s all a little amoral, but when all’s said and done, all twists revealed, you’ll have to be pretty hard-hearted to read the last panel without grinning.
Consider this trade recommended alongside every other trade in the series. Milligan does an admirable job of making every collection, even individual stories, self-contained, but the truth is that you’ll get the most from HUMAN TARGET if you read the series in chronological order. The events of HUMAN TARGET: FINAL CUT, in particular, cast a shadow over the entirety of the series, so as a reminder, this is your ideal trade paperback reading order:
HUMAN TARGET
HUMAN TARGET: FINAL CUT
HUMAN TARGET: STRIKE ZONES
HUMAN TARGET: LIVING IN AMERIKA
Enjoy!
WESTERN TALES OF TERROR #2
Joshua Hale Fialkov: Editor
Hoarse and Buggy: Publisher
Vroom Socko: Keepin’ Them Doggies Movin’.
Mein Gott! When I reviewed the first installment of this book I made comment about the rarity of an anthology without a single bad story. Well, damn if they didn’t do it again.
Oh sure, Benito Cereno’s Skull Creek Reservation isn’t exactly an OLD West tale, what with the motor home and all, but it’s such a cool little story that there’s no real reason to bitch. There’s also very little story to The Stranger Waits For Me, but when you can cram that much suspense and atmosphere into a mere five pages who needs a story. Besides, if its story you want, take a look at Belle Dorado, a little tale about the goddamn creepiest whores in all the west.
The two winners this time out though, are Phil Hester’s The Gallows Builder and Raven THE GIFT Gregory’s Gold Rush. Like THE GIFT, Gold Rush is a horror tale that manages to start as a creepy variation on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, then turns on a dime to become even MORE creepy. Gregory’s just so damn good at this sort of storytelling. “The Gallows Builder” is a different sort of creepy. In many ways, it reminds me of the Doug Widley illustrated The End of the Time of Leinard. from Harlan Ellison’s Dream Corridor, only it’s nothing like that story. To even attempt to explain this story would spoil it. I can tell you that it was the most frightening story told in this issue.
I can say that with a clear conscience, since Phineas’ Gold Part II has yet to be concluded. But that’s some fucked up shit there, man. Zombie Indians, people! They don’t die like regular zombies. Blow them up into a bloody mess with some dynamite, and they turn into a zombie Indian blob. Yech. I wasn’t expecting a third part of this particular tale, but I honestly would love for this bit to be a continuous feature. Every issue, we’d get zombie Indians. That practically sells itself.
Sure, this is from one of the smaller small press companies. Sure, it’ll be one you’ll probably have to hunt down. But I promise, it’s more than worth it.
TRIGGER # 1
Written by Jason Hall
Art by John Watkiss
Published by Vertigo / DC
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
TRIGGER, the new series from Vertigo, is real. Someone is screwing with our minds.
At the end of each month, I leaf through the latest issue of PREVIEWS, usually saying, "Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Cool! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crappitedy-crap-crap! Cool! Crap! Infinity crap!" I make a list of the "cools", and when they hit the shelf at Comic Lobotomy a few months later, I weed through them again and end up taking home less than 50% of my list. I'm not going to pay money for something I'm sure I'm gonna hate (notice you never see me reviewing any DAREDEVIL or NUEVO AVENGERS ?). It's amazing I write any negative reviews at all.
When I found TRIGGER # 1 on my list, I had no memory of putting it there. I'm glad someone screwed with my mind and either programmed me to pick up the book or erased my memory of tagging it for review, though. I'm grateful, because TRIGGER appears to be one of those series created specifically for me.
Jason, John, how'd you guys know?
John Watkiss' amazing visuals drew me in and persuaded me to look at the words. The opening with a gunman chasing and shooting down a character who looks like one of the Ultimates in a landscape that blends film noir and German Expressionism was more than enough to get me involved. To have it all end as a story written on a typewriter by a PR flack named Carter Lennox (or Lennox Carter; I hate it when people or characters have names that sound like two first names or two last names. Somebody oughta do one called Smith Jones or Garcia Marquez or somethin').
Carter (or Lennox) works for one of those future corporations that controls everything, Ethicorp. Ethicorp is a blend of the more oppressive but benign-sounding aspects of the left and the right. Their motto is "We take out the bad.” It is Big Brother, the Empire, the Third Reich, and Soviet Russia. They control their own press, launch satellites, censor everything, and even have a security force that looks like the Ultimate-character who was blown away in Carter Lennox' story written on company time.
The women in Carter's life: his wife Amelia, who seems to want the same things he does (escape from Ethicorp), but whom he neglects.
A girl named Vi who has that silent movie straight black hair that's supposed to be sexy but isn't unless the chick is so hot that it wouldn't matter if she was bald. Carter bumps into Vi on the street and she's surprised to find that he is carrying an actual book -- THE LONG GOODBYE by Raymond Chandler. She tells him a tree died to make the book. He says he likes to turn pages. I'm the same way. I want to hold a book in my hands. I hate buying books online, even though I would have a better chance of getting some of the older, more esoteric things I'm searching for. I want to hunt through the used bookstores, smell the rot, etc. Vi tells Carter she might download the book sometime. Carter later has a sex dream about her.
Reporter Deirdre Myers. She's sort of a ball busting, unattractive futurama Lois Lane who pisses off Ethicorp. Carter thinks she's a crackpot with a conspiracy theory until he witnesses Ethicorp's Clone troopers killing a psycho, which leads to them trying to kill him. He survives in a sort of cliched, impossible way, perhaps the weakest moment of the comic.
The second weakest moment of this otherwise excellent book is what I like to call The Joseph Campbell Moment. For those of you who don't know, Campbell was a philosopher and a student of psychology pioneer Dr. Carl Jung. He wrote a book called THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES about archetypes and commonality in world folklore and fairy tales that influenced some filmmakers and damaged their science fiction franchises. Instead of STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, new Campbellite George Dubya Lucas gave us RETURN OF THE JEDI and WILLOW. Instead of MAD MAX and THE ROAD WARRIOR, George Dubya Miller turned in MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, a movie such a mess that Mel Gibson had to stay drunk while filming. Gibson needed to drink so much while making MAX MAX III that he never needed another drink afterward.
The JOSEPH CAMPBELL MOMENT tm in TRIGGER # 1 is when Carter seeks out Seth, a guy who hustles chess in the park, to help him make a simple choice. Seth is the disenfranchised mentor character that helps our hero along, ala Obi Wan, etc.
Does Carter become the gunman of his dreams and fiction? That is the mystery. For now, it is certainly compelling.
For me, aside from the intriguing point of view, my favorite part of Jason Hall's writing were the small truths. Carter's daughter greets him at the door by telling him what she wants to give a school friend for her birthday. Any of you have kids? Most of the time, people answer yes, but in a comic book column, we're generally dealing with people who have less experience in the act of creating kids so the answer is different. Anyway, kids always wanna give presents to other kids. Usually, expensive presents that their parents wouldn't even buy for them. For some reason, this scene made me think of cars with DVD players in them so the kids won't bug the parents on long rides. It's like, can't we ever fucking unplug? Can we never escape?
Another moment that made me smile: hip girl Vi's mother tells her that in order to sleep better, she needs to cut down on the triple mochas from Apollo's. Ya gotta be a little nerdy, but it's a nice gag.
Mood, mystery, paranoia, the future and the past. TRIGGER has them all.
CATWOMAN #38 - The first post-Brubaker CATWOMAN is fun, but slight. Cartoonist Scott Morse is the guest-writer for a few issues until Will Pfeifer takes over, his first issue being an extended action sequence between Selina Kyle and a villain made of…wood? You heard me. Slam Bradley and Selina stop to get money at an ATM, out pops Wooden Nickel (kind of a wooden Swiss army knife freak show), and…ACTION! Okay, so it’s lightweight, but it’s also a good time. Wooden Nickel’s so bizarre that I liked him instantly – Gotham’s been needing some new gimmick baddies – and Morse is pretty handy with the witty banter throughout, especially between a bickering Selina and Slam. Nice work too from artist Paul Gulacy, maybe even a bit above-average. - Dave
DAREDEVIL #68 - Sure, everyone talks about what Bendis is doing on this title, but look at Alex Maleev's work in this arc! Don't get me wrong, Bendis has reached his peak on DD with the past several issues. You thought Matt had nothing to lose at the end of Hardcore? Alex Bont is dying; he's REALLY got nothing to lose. But Maleev... my god he's good here. Watch for a cameo from a certain Portland area landmark subbing in for New York. I've never seen the place look so good. -- Vroom
JLA: CLASSIFIED #2 - All that build-up to Batman using goofy JLA robots and they get trashed in two or three pages? Bit disappointing, Grant, as was the fact that the Ultramarines again dominate the issue with the JLA relegated to subplot stuff. Solid, but not as endearing as the first issue. Best line: “I’ve renamed it Gorilla-tropolis.” - Dave
FANTASTIC FOUR #521 - Mark Waid is going out in style on this series. With Johnny Storm the new Herald of Galactus, this issue asks the question "Is Johnny ever serious about anything?" The answer, of course, is yes—but only when he has to be. What's brilliant about this issue, though, is that it explores the serious side of the Human Torch (excuse me, he’s the Invisible Man now), but manages to be the funniest issue of FF Waid has written to date. Don't worry about having to follow the half dozen issues that set up this issue, it's perfectly readable on its own. Although you'll probably want to pick up the next one too. -- Vroom
OCEAN #3 (of 6) - It’s disappointing that Warren Ellis’ characters are always in smart-ass or exposition mode, but the plot of OCEAN is keeping it interesting. This latest issue sees our macho weapons inspector boarding the corporate space station that’s discovered the same alien weapons buried beneath the ice on Europa that the nearby science station has. Lots of exposition, good chunks of it being interesting future-theory. Lots of smart-assery, which I found considerably less endearing. Biggest problem of the issue is a confusing action sequence that the simple presence of a big “KLANG!” sound effect would have clarified, but I understand sound effects are considered undignified these days. The sudden action at the end promises a suspenseful next three issues, though, so I’ll be around. - Dave
PUNISHER RED X-MAS #1 - Ho ho ho. Now die, bitch. I know I should have known better to think this Punisher Christmas Special would be something to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside as I read it next to the yule log this year, but this was an especially brutal and un-seasonal story even for the Punisher. Jimmy Palmiotti does a damn fine job of writing tense action. Mark Texiera is at his usual top tier talent level. But for God’s sake, do we have to see the Punisher torturing and beating the living shit out of one woman and then intimidating another group of women to leave the country in the end for good measure? I just sensed a bit too much glee in the brutal treatment of women in this book. Maybe if writer Palmiotti showed us just why these women were cold-hearted bitches instead of just telling us this fact in caption, I wouldn’t feel as if I were going to be on the naughty list just for reading this story. Bug
ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 - There’s still something that seems a touch weird about this series, maybe stemming from the fact that Whedon’s taking characters Grant Morrison put an indelible stamp on and re-casting them in more traditional roles. That said: terrific issue. Whedon’s story flies gloriously in the face of common wisdom that the X-Men “aren’t superheroes” anymore as the team vies with the Fantastic Four to bring down a giant monster rampaging through Manhattan. Plus: The Thing drops the mother of all put-down lines on Wolverine! Only downside is that Whedon’s dialogue can actually be too clever for its own good sometimes, but I’ll forgive him. And Cassaday can still draw. - Dave
GREEN ARROW #45 - Well, Winnick’s done it again. Shying away from any kind of creative texturing at all, the master of literality has incorporated HIV into the latest GREEN ARROW arc. I’m not saying this isn’t a subject that should be addressed in comics; themes of AIDS were handled quite well in the “Legacy Virus” storyline in the X-MEN books. It’s in the execution where this book falls apart. Basically, every character has a soap box permanently grafted to their feet. Everyone’s got their lecture on. Mere months after Mia finds out she is infected with HIV, she is on the lecture circuit talking to teens about it all. Connor lectures Ollie about how strong Mia is. Ollie, the only sensible character of the book, is put in a bad light because he thinks this whole thing is a bad idea and the truth is he's freakin' right. Placing an HIV infected person who flings around sharp objects in a position where she could be wounded in battle and infect fellow heroes, villains, and even those she’s trying to save is more than reckless; it’s absurd. In the end, Mia lectures Ollie into letting her "live with HIV" and "not die of HIV." A great concept if it didn’t mean endangering those around her. I just wish there could have been a hint of allegory here. A bit of creativity. There are plenty of ways to tell a story which could both educate AND entertain about those living with HIV and AIDS. AIDSy the Preaching Sidekick ain’t it. Reading this issue was just about as thrilling as reading an AIDS awareness booklet. - Bug
SOLO #2 - You’d think this series, a spotlight on some of today’s most talented artists, would be right up my alley. Tim Sale? Richard Corben? I love those guys! But let’s face it…the vignettes they’re drawing are dumb as dirt. Sale’s stories in issue one were all weightless mood pieces and Corben’s are all dopey TWILIGHT ZONE wannabes. Great art, yeah, but is that enough? - Dave
You Can’t Keep a Good Artist Down
By Dave Farabee
Even if you’ve never read a comic by Will Eisner, you’ve read a comic that was influenced by him. That’s something to consider as Eisner spends the next several weeks recovering from the quadruple bypass surgery he underwent just before Christmas, and we suggest taking some time to research his vital role in the history of comics with a little online Googling. By all accounts Eisner’s surgery went well, but he’s away from the drawing board for the next 6 to 8 weeks and cartoonist/publisher Denis Kitchen has kindly provided an address for get-well cards:
Will Eisner Studios, Inc.
8333 West McNab Road
Suite 131
Tamarac FL
33321
There’s biographical information on Eisner all over the web and dozens of his projects in print, but as a quick reminder, he was the creator of the comic strip, THE SPIRIT, which reached millions in its day as a newspaper supplement; wrote the seminal book on comics as an art form, COMICS AND SEQUENTIAL ART, a huge influence on Scott McCloud’s UNDERSTANDING COMICS; and is widely credited with popularizing the very concept of the graphic novel in the ‘70s with his own outings. They just don’t come any bigger, folks, and those curious to know more might consider looking into Dark Horse’s upcoming EISNER/MILLER trade collecting featuring a serious discussion of the medium between Eisner and Frank Miller.
