Blasphemy Reviews

quick takes 8/25/06 and 9/4/06

Well, I've had my monthly comics shipment, so let's break into it.

I've decided to call my little reviews "quick takes," so that I can have my own special title for them.

Ultimes Annual #2...Weird, but somehow boring, too. Nice art, though. Ultimate Arnim Zola shows up, which may be the indication that Marvel is running out of characters to Ultimatize. In fact, let's just say that no one except Mike Mignola is allowed to use Nazi scientists as supervillains for a while. On the other hand, Ultimate Cap and Ultimate Falcon continue to be interesting, complicated characters, and look like they could have an interesting partnership. Too bad Christopher Priest probably doesn't want to write it. Eh.

Shadowpact #4...This is more like it. The first three issues had one interesting idea that unfortunately devolved into stock plot #456. Here, we have a spotlight on the Blue Devil, who is supposed to meet up with his teammates but never quite makes it; despite his best intentions, he can't win. It's a bloody formula, but it works. The second fill-in artist in four issues is a little less promising. Still, for now it's Good.

Deadman #1...My only experience with the character is his brief appearance in Kingdom Come, which was hilarious. This is not, nor is it particularly comprehensible. The detailed dialogue on how you fly an airplane, or try to keep from crashing an airplane, feels forced. It does have some nice visuals at the end, with the title character walking out of the morgue, but it's still Terrible.

Powers #19...Another storyline, another superhero group torn apart by infidelity, murder, and Bendis knows what else. If you think about it, this is probably what would happen to the X-Men if they existed in real life. Good.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man #11...Say what you will about all the weird changes in the character lately (and we still don't get why Spider-man has extra tentacles now), but it does leave you wondering exactly where the character will be going next, which is not a bad thing. Here, having revealed his secret identity, our hero finds himself quite sensibly forced out of his teaching job by the school board. But he stays for one last day, allowing one of the weaker members of his rogues' gallery to seek revenge. Considering it's Mysterio, there is a surprisingly interesting cliffhanger ending. Good.

Daredevil #87...Perhaps a bit of a letdown after such a great start to the Brubaker/Lark run, with one surprise revelation that is a surprise without being terribly interesting, and another one that is probably a good story idea, but that still should not be done in a comic book situation, where the apparent death of any character sits on a precarious border between Extremely Shocking and Ho-hum. When you reveal that the death was faked, incidentally...THAT'S when it goes over into ho-hum. Eh.

Legion of Super-Heroes #20...After being sort of blase about this title for a while, I'm really beginning to enjoy it again, without really knowing why. The plot seems to be developing slowly toward something interesting...we'll see, I guess. Good.

Runaways #19...Mike Norton steps in on art and it looks just as great as always. Meanwhile, the death of Gert has resulted in unpredictable actions by several members of the team. The villain they're called to fight this time, though, is less than compelling. We'll see about it. Good.

Fables #52...Willingham is setting up a big invasion storyline. We did already have one of those, however. Hope it's going to be a bit different this time. Nevertheless, the art remains terrific, with a great Rapunzel backup strip by Gene Ha. OK.

Ultimate Spider-Man #98...If only Bendis had been around to write the first clone saga. This is more like it, with all the mystery and emotion that much-maligned story lacked. And Mark Bagley has somehow managed to get even better on art. Excellent.

New Avengers #22...Luke Cage chooses his side in the Civil War. His wife and daughter flee to Canada. Plenty of real emotion here, considering it's just a superhero story. Excellent.

Checkmate #5...Greg Rucka is so good at international espionage comics; I almost wish they could leave the superheroes out of this. But that's a non-starter in the DC Universe, and this remains about as serious an examination of the intersections of political, personal, and military power as you're going to get in a comic that features a caped character called Count Werner Vertigo. The cutthroat competition to replace the Black King's knight, which involves human agents engaging in realistic physical challenges, is certainly the best part of the story. Good.

100 Bullets #75...Unexpectedly, it's an issue about someone getting a briefcase with an untraceable gun and 100 rounds. We haven't had one of those in a while. The ending seems incomplete at first; then you go back and think about it and you realize you know exactly what's going to happen. Vintage Azzarello, in other words. Excellent.

Y: The Last Man #48...This series often does single issues that spotlight the personal histories of important characters at exactly the moment when those characters' histories become important to understanding their motivation. It doesn't always work, but it really works here, with Alter's tangled history revealing just how much she means it when she says she's going to make you regret not telling her what she wants to know. It feels like Vaughn really did his homework on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, too. Excellent.

Loveless #9...I'm really beginning to wonder if maybe Azzarello just isn't comfortable enough with Postbellum American history to come up with a compelling story. We seem to have some interesting characters running around here, but so far they all appear to be hiding in the woods, except for the nominal protagonist, whose motivations are as opaque as, well, black water. Still, you have to figure Azzarello's headed somewhere. Frusin remains the ideal artist for this material; I'm less sure about Azzarello. Eh.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #32...Millar and Land go out on a high note; of course you use maggots to fight zombies. Why hasn't it been tried before? Dr. Doom comes out looking appropriately badass, there are gorgeous pictures, probably the most consistently beautiful images around, really; but like almost all comics with Millar dialogue, it's just a little too snarky in places. Good.

Punisher #36...The Punisher vs. Enron. Guess who wins? Whee.

X-Men #189...I couldn't help but titter at villains named "Perro" and "Fuego," but this is still the best X-Men I've read in years. Northstar shows up very much alive, but it's not as happy an occasion as you might expcet. And I love me some Chris Bachalo artwork, impenetrable though he maybe occasionally be. Excellent.

She-Hulk #10...Somehow manages to be ridiculous as it lays the groundwork for mounting dread. In case you're wondering, this is a positive review. Excellent.

Thunderbolts #105...I honestly do not comprehend what Zemo is up to; maybe I'm not supposed to. It's definitely keeping my interest, though. Good.

Hellblazer #223...Apparently, an important figure in London's mystical community is replaced in this issue by a real wacko. Does not bode well, but we'll see where this is going. OK.

Justice League of America #1...Apparently the opening arc of the relaunch of the Greatest Superhero Team of All Time is going to revolve around, um, Red Tornado. Well, uh, I guess he was enjoyable in early issues of Young Justice. To be fair, his search for humanity is a well-executed telling of a timeless tale. Meanwhile, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are still batting around ideas for a new lineup. Who says decompressed storytelling has gone away? OK.

Eternals #3...Neil Gaiman paying attention to the continuity of the Marvel Universe? What is the world coming to? Actually, it works out well, with Iron Man providing a grounding in reality for a story that was beginning to seem too, well, dreamlike. Still, considering that the Eternals are supposed to be mythical in stature, it seems like we've got a long way to go to get there in just three more issues. We'll see...for now I'll say Good.

Birds of Prey #97...Well, I should not have worried. It turns out that the scarily powerful Black Alice is not going to be tamed and turned into a member of the team; it turns out that she is going to remain scarily powerful and a loose cannon. Much more interesting. Excellent.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #2...I'm still not sure I see the point of these annuals, but what the hey, it's a good story with Immonen on art, I'll take it. The Mole Man is a wonderfully odd villain, angry at a world that does not understand his need to devolve family members into lungfish. And the ending sets up something that could be quite interesting, considering that Carey is going to be writing the monthly book now, too. Excellent.

Wonder Woman #2...I feel like there may be one Wonder Woman too many running around this book, but the ending comes agreeably out of left field, and while the Dodsons are not the greatest action artists, they do draw some pretty setpieces. Good.

Annihilation #1...I did not read the miniseries that led up to this, but I still followed it pretty well. The art is only serviceable, and the designs of Annihilus' invaders are not exactly groundbreaking, but fear not: it's been ages since Marvel had a good saga in space, and this one just might be it. The characterization of Richard Rider as a soldier growing up under the pressure of nearly insurmountable responsibility is exactly the sort of thing superhero writing needs more of these days. And the multilayered intergalactic conspiracy certainly looks like it's going to be fun to figure out. Excellent.

Heroes for Hire #1...I didn't read the Daughters of the Dragon mini, so many of the characters are cyphers to me. The team apparently works with, but not for, the government in the Civil War mess. Let's hope that's a set-up for future conflict, not a cop out. So far it feels like a cop out. I'll give it another issue, perhaps.

Squadron Supreme #6...I'm beginning to suspect that I should just reread the original, because the original themes are not being expanded upon particularly. On the other hand, Master Menace is an interesting villain who is still pretending to be a hero. OK.

Jack of Fables #2...The main character is just too much fun. A rogue to end all rogues. Good.

Secret Six #3...The insanity of the main characters finally catches up to them. It turns out that collecting dangerous psychotics together is not the best recipe for success. Ragdoll and Hatter are hilarious, too. I sort of wish Gail Simone could ditch Atom and make this a regular series. Excellent.

Batman #656...Well, that's a cliffhanger that ought to start a few tongues wagging. Otherwise, still surprisingly sedate and conventional from our friend the mad Scotsman. OK.

Teen Titans #38...I actually like the fill-in art better than good old Tony Daniel's regular stuff. The story is pretty good, too, with the extent that the team has fallen apart during the past year becoming clearer and clearer. And there's a reveal at the end that's both surprising and perfectly in line with Titans history. I bet longtime fans (which I am not) are smiling. Good.

X-Factor #10...A truly shocking ending. Whoa. I'm gonna need a minute here.

Young Avengers & Runaways: Civil War #2...Art still makes everyone look like zombies. And why must we continue to dust off the cliche of superhero teams getting into a fight upon their first meeting? Still, nice cliffhanger. Eh.

American Virgin #6...Such an odd comic, probably not long for this world. But Adam Chamberlain is a truly unique character, not just in comics but across all media. His struggle to remain a virgin and pure is no less compelling for being pointless. In this issue, he befriends a transvestite. The art is terrific, too. Good.

Battlestar Galactica #1...The art is poorly imitated Ed Benes, but the writing is just like something you would expect to see on the TV show. I like that show, so I'll say Good.

The Boys #1-2...Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson create funny characters and situations, then add mayhem. Ennis says he's trying to out-Preacher Preacher here, but I don't see it yet. Nevertheless, neither man is capable of turning out anything less than expressive dialogue and art. They're the cream of the crop; some day Ennis will write his masterpiece, and he could do worse than have Robertson draw it. Good.

Utimate X-Men Annual #2...Again, no reason why this story couldn't have been part of the regular book, but again it's worth a read, setting up serious conflict centering around the fact that Ultimate Nightcrawler is just not the same nice guy we know and love in our regular Marvel Universe. Demerits for an awful backup strip, though. Good.

Fell #6...Ew. Warren Ellis sure does know how to shock us with the messed-upedness of our human race. But he so often finds sweetness and humor amid the devastation, and in this issue there's some extra sweet because of the extra yuck. Excellent.

posted by Mr. Blasphemy @ 1:48 PM