Blasphemy Reviews

quick takes 2/5

2007-02-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Annihilation #6...It's not original to say it, but man oh MAN this "event" has been so much better than Civil War! It's not even close, really. I hope this develops into at least one long-running Marvel outer space saga, because that's an aspect of the Universe that hasn't gotten much play lately. As these minis have shown, there are many great stories to tell out there. Giffen's uneven reputation gave me pause, but I'm glad to have read these. The trials of Nova, Drax, Ronan, Cammi, and Moondragon have been compelling like few other stories in memory. Excellent.

Daredevil #93...hits the reset button. Would it really have been so hard to write stories about Daredevil on the run all over the world, hunted, not able to practice law? I guess it does take the character out of his element, but still. A ho-hum plot, competently executed, still makes you go ho-hum. I guess we'll see what Brubaker really wants to do with this character now, though. Eh.

Black Panther #24...I so enjoyed the Christopher Priest take on this character, so it's taken a while for Hudlin to win me over. But he really has, with subtle, political storylines that establish the Panther as a unique presence in the Marvel Universe. I have high hopes about the art, too, which shows signs of developing into something special. Good.

Invincible #38...I'm forever on the fence about this series. On the one hand, I love the art, which manages great detail and great clarity at the same time. I also find the overall plotting to be imaginative and compelling, with a real direction to the series as the title character slowly realizes what it means to be his father's son. But the dialogue always turns me off, and, as so often happens in Kirkman-scripted books, this leads to scenes that should be quite emotional falling flat. I've never bought this series regularly for that reason, but I did pick up this issue to note that everything interesting about it is still interesting, with a war and a break-up looming on the horizon. Unfortunately, the dialogue is still bad. OK, I guess.

Moon Knight #7...Reviews have been quite mixed on this series, but I really like it. They're giving us a hero who is insanely driven to fight crime, but also not that great at it. It's an interesting variation on Batman that hasn't really been tried before, making this series an oddity that probably won't survive the departure of its high-profile artist. But it's been Excellent.

American Virgin #11...Seagle and Cloonan's unconventional portrait of a Christian continues, as Adam makes some more seriously dangerous choices, all in the pursuit of true love. Excellent.

Teen Titans #43...It's been announced that this is Geoff Johns' final arc; he's going out having our Titans attacked by some evil Titans. A run-of-the-mill story, told exceedingly well. Vintage Johns, in other words. Good.

Silent War #1...In which the Inhumans declare war on humanity. Have they ever done this before? I can't remember, but it seems a natural story for them, and makes them more pro-active, instead of just being victimized by our pollution. I've always thought that Black Bolt was a dubious choice for a ruler, as he's literally one word away from killing people at all times, and perhaps overly reliant on his wife as a result. This story appears to be dealing with this problem head-on, which bodes well. Excellent.

Deathblow #3...I meant to drop this, but decided to give it another try in the hope that Azzarello would show me something. But he doesn't. Bad.

DMZ #15...A well-reviewed series that I hadn't looked at yet. Apparently it's New York City under UN occupation after some sort of war or other calamity, with obvious parallels to Baghdad, complete with thinly-veiled versions of Halliburton and Blackwater. The insurgency-eye-view of the storyline does hold some interest, but it's too cute for me; Vertigo would be much edgier to write a comic that's actually about Baghdad today. Eh.

Blue Beetle #11...This one, on the other hand, is a gem. I'd been reading good things about it, so I picked it up and was delighted by the new guy in the beetle armor. I had no particular attachment to Ted Kord, though, so your mileage may vary. I think this Jaime kid makes a great superhero, and the new artist is great, too. Excellent.

Eternals #6...This has been talky and it remains talky, but I've slowly been coming around. I remember The Dreaming Celestial from the Handbook, and Gaiman nails here what is cool about the concept: an immensely powerful alien being imprisoned for a crime that is literally beyond human understanding. And of course, the Romita, Jr., art blows you away. Excellent.

Helmet of Fate: Ibis #1...A fun take on a character I've never heard of. The story alters the (presumed) formula of this series of one-shots by not having the new Ibis actually use the helmet at all. It's all the more interesting for it. Excellent.

Hellblazer #228...Denise Mina's run on this title has not been its greatest, but her final chapter here turns on an element totally unexpected hilarity, which gives a heart to what otherwise could have been a pretty dreary enterprise. Good.

Fables #57 and Jack of Fables #7...Two excellent stories, with the Fables family of Snow White, Bigby Wolf, and their brood running into serious trouble at Grandpa's house, and Jack losing track of his plot but improvising brilliantly in Vegas. A great one-two punch from Willingham, who seems to be finding his groove again after some middling issues of Shadowpact and Fables. Both Excellent.

Noble Causes #26...This is not a regular title, but I remembered enjoying the early issues and thought I'd check it out. It has lost some of its buoyancy, perhaps because the art is a little more serious than it used to be. This series should really be drawn by someone like J. Scott Campbell or Todd Nauck, but perhaps it is not high enough profile for them. OK.

Checkmate #10...Another great issue of superhero espionage; you get the feeling that this is exactly how the government would deal with mystically powered cult leaders if they existed, and thank goodness they do not. Excellent.

Wolverine #50...Just a big fight scene, really. Certainly good for what it is, but it's not much. OK.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #7...Just not that good a series, though the art is beautiful. Too many tough assassins and not enough characterization; it's like something from Image circa 1993. Bad.

Civil War: The Return...Sort of ill-advised resurrection, not that you can really expect anything less from a comic book. I highly doubt this book would exist if the main Civil War series weren't running so late. And, while it's not offensively bad, I'd certainly rather just have the "event" over with and get on to some real stories again. Eh.

Ex Machina #26...An Excellent issue of this series, setting up a story in which the superhero mayor will have to show if he can do his job without being a superhero.

Criminal #4...Things get worse. Sex, drugs, and death are all around. It's somehow still human, hopeful, and compelling. Excellent.

100 Bullets #80...It relies on a revelation that is not really a revelation, and it feels like the Minutemen have been hanging out in the desert for an awfully long time. Still OK, thanks to great art.

Dr. Strange: The Oath #4...Not the best issue of the miniseries, as we get the villain's lengthy explanation for why he has to destroy our hero in this one. Still pretty Good, thanks to great art.

Supergirl and the Legion #26...This series has really worked its way back into my good graces with a classic family confrontation and a really, really impressive-looking villain. Good.

Fallen Angel #12...One of the stronger issues of this series, as the drug dealer Asia Minor reveals his fatalism and Jude begins to realize just how lonely things can get at the top. Excellent.

quick takes 1/21/07

2007-01-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm jittery because the Bears are playing (can't help it; it never leaves you, like malaria), so we'll see how I do here...

Ultimate Spider-Man #104...The Ultimatized version of the Clone Saga concludes; it has been no masterpiece, but it has been Good, and the usual suspects are the reason: expressive, fun art from Mark Bagley that puts you right in the heart of all the fisticuffs; and funny, humanizing dialogue from Brian Michael Bendis. And it also employs melodrama while avoiding the pitfalls of melodrama, the way the original story could not. Good.

Gen 13 #4...As expected, this series begins to hit its stride. The art remains fine, though this time it's Sunny Lee instead of Talent Caldwell; to tell the truth, I wouldn't have noticed, which is not an insult to either artist. But the story develops a heart this issue, and, perhaps surprisingly, it's Grunge, who gets first look at how the team has been manipulated by its masters. I have no clue where this whole thing fits into past Gen 13 continuity, or if the reset button has been hit, but for the first time I'm curious about where this is headed. Good.

Godland #15...A new series for me; I'd heard interesting things and decided to pick it up. Basically, it's the Fantastic Four with harder science fiction and some cussing. The art is unapologetically cribbed from Jack Kirby, and possesses many of his charms, though not all of his storytelling magic at its best (who could match that?). The story, by the uneven Joe Casey, manages to be both more mature than the original Fantastic Four stories and remarkably free of cynicism. Good, and I'm looking forward to learning more about this one.

Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp...Nabu's helmet needs a new host, and it's going to try out several members of DC's back catalogue. In this issue the DC Universe's simian sleuth gives it a try. Detective Chimp, revived from what I must assume to have been deep obscurity by Bill Willingham in the recent Day of Vengeance miniseries, is a surprisingly compelling protagonist, and Willingham writes him here as his usual unsentimental self. Because is pretty obvious that DC is not going to put a monkey in the costume of one of its traditional powerhouses permanently, this story rises or falls on whether the monkey does anything interesting while he does have the helmet on. And he does. Good.

The Spirit #2...Terrific storytelling from Darwyn Cooke, whose cartoony art really ought to be given a try by more artists on mainstream titles, considering how welcoming and coherent it seems. As someone who has never read The Spirit, the bar to enjoyment for me would be that he would be just another boring square-jawed guy in a domino mask, but as written and drawn by Cooke he's actually quite human and pleasantly fallible. If it's the same thing every issue it might get old, but so far, so Good.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Space Between #1...On the other hand, this is terrible. The art is actually the best I've ever seen on a Star Trek comic, except for the graphic novel Adam Hughes drew, but the story...ugh. Really, really dry, with one compelling sci-fi idea but absolutely no heart. Bad.

Fantastic Four #542...On the strength of Dwayne McDuffie's excellent Beyond! miniseries, I'm checking out his run Marvel's flagship title, and it's pretty Good, with some ideas about Reed Richards that are actually quite disturbing. Which I suppose had to be put forward by someone, considering the Events of Civil War. The challenge with this series will be to deal with the fact that the team has been torn in two by Civil War; will McDuffie take the easy way out, and write only half the team? Or will he show what everyone is up to while they work out their differences?

Ultimate X-Men #78...A Shocking Death, but, as so often happens in this series, the lack of human interaction between characters minimizes the drama. Bad, and while I'll keep reading this series, I probably won't review it again for a while.

Thunderbolts #110...Warren Ellis succeeds in making the post-Civil War Marvel Universe look like a dystopian nightmare the likes of which we usually only see in...well, alternate versions of the Marvel Universe imagined by Warren Ellis. One does hope that a little humanity will show through at some point, but the villains snarling at each other this issue are doing so in an interesting way, with interesting motives and foibles behind them. Good.

Agents of Atlas #6...The excellent miniseries concludes, with an unexpected rehabilitation of one of Marvel's most malevolently stereotypical bad guys. The lack of a giant fight at the end is perhaps welcome, but considering that what we get instead is exposition, a little fisticuffs doesn't seem so bad. Still, the ending is among the more moving things I've read in a comic recently, tying the whole series together beautifully in one page, and giving the comic a last minute push to Excellent.

Shadowpact #9...The generic plots and villains of this series always put me on the brink of dropping it, but something always brings me back, and this time it's a good old-fashioned cliffhanger ending. It also helps that the art's settled down into good old-fashioned DC house style. Good.

Y: The Last Man #53...A throwaway character Vaughn used to make a point several years ago pops up again, this time with something important to say. There are many wonderful things about this series, but one of them is the way Vaughn can show us the humanity of his characters even as it's obvious that trauma has radically altered their psyches. Excellent.

Birds of Prey #102...It turns out that Oracle's merry band of non-avian-themed heroines is not quite as cohesive as it might have appeared, raising all sorts of interesting possibilities for intra-team drama. Some terrific art makes this quite Excellent.

Battlestar Galactica #5...I would be quite surprised if Greg Pak is not offered a chance to write for the TV series, as his stories for this comic have been dead on EXACTLY what you'd expect to see on the show. The latest storyline is the best yet, with a fascinating theory of Cylon behavior revealing a new level of sneakiness for the robotic villains. Excellent.

Wonder Man #2...We learn just how the villainess from last issue got so messed up, and it's certainly understandable how she ended up wanting to kill lots of people. The art is a bit sketchy, but does the job. Good.

Cable & Deadpool #36...A slightly inconsequential issue, perhaps because it's a Deadpool solo story, but plenty of laughs and some good moments portraying Deadpool and the Taskmaster's interesting relationship. Good.

She-Hulk #15...After the last few issues have been phenomenal, this one's just OK, with She-Hulk using her smarts and a little help from her friends to beat the Abomination, but less character development than usual, which is what has made this series so good overall. Burchett's better at drawing stories than fights, anyway.

Tranquility #2...Not quite as good as the first issue, with some of the historical sidebars distracting from the story, and a little too much sentimentality surrounding a character we didn't know that well; after all, it's only the second issue. OK.

Justice Society of America #2...I really get tired of Nazi villains, but a truly surprising ending and some really special artwork from Eaglesham push this one into the Excellent category.

quick takes 01/14/07

2007-01-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

Trickling in late, a few more of last month's reads, and a few of this weeks...

Punisher #43...This time, the Punisher is going to have to kill some girls, not that he hasn't done it before. They're the wives of criminals he has killed. They are pretty unsympathetic, being an interesting combination of racist, crazy, and manipulative. Plus they're going to hire a complete psychopath, ably and shockingly introduced picking up a victim at a nightclub. So far it's sort of talky, even with the violence, the way Ennis can occasionally get. Still, having adversaries for the Punisher who at least have some kind of emotional need to get back at him, rather than a need for revenge or a simple business need, is potentially interesting. Good, for now, but will likely get better.

Astonishing X-Men #19...A new storyline, except not really, but it is a change of setting, I suppose, to outer space, where the X-Men have always had pretty good stories. It's been so long since I read the early issues of this series that I'm blanking on what the Breakworld is, but it's not boring in the slightest trying to figure it out. The characterization is still strong; I really, really like what Whedon has done with Kitty Pryde. The art is beautiful; seems like Cassaday had a bit more time this time. Good.

All-Star Superman #6...Another terrific issue of the best comic out there. At first I was worried when the Supermen from other centuries showed up, as having a bunch of ultra-powerful characters about can give a story problems on the human level, but Quitely makes them such memorably odd (and, at first, threatening) characters, and Morrison as per usual knows exactly where his story's heart is. Excellent.

Ultimate X-Men #77...This title has always left me a little cold, except for parts of Vaughn's run, and Robert Kirkman's run is doing nothing to change my overall opinion. It made sense to Ultimatize Spider-Man because his current continuity has a much different, older character, and it made sense to do the Ultimates and Fantastic Four because the idea was obviously to take both of those properties in a different direction. But the X-Men is basically the same, with only minor changes and a streamlined universe that just seems much smaller than the regular one. I love the characters, so I've kept reading it, and it was certainly a welcome alternative to the period of time when Chuck Austen had his hands on mainstream continuity, but I've never looked forward to it the way I do most of the series I read. In this issue, Professor X, acting like he's a teenager, too, declares his love for Jean Grey, which is certainly an interesting take; we'll see if it actually shakes up the status quo. OK.

100 Bullets #79...It's been a while since this issue had a shocking, meaningful death of a long-running character, but here it is. The final confrontation has been building up for an awfully long time, but the art is still gorgeous, the dialogue still both revealing (in the sense of just a few words encapsulating a character) and cryptic (in the sense of sometimes you just have no idea what people are talking about), and the violence still very real. Good.

New Avengers #26...I suppose it was inevitable that Hawkeye return to life, seeing as how he's popular (I really like him, too), his death was meaningless, and his killer was a person who can reshape reality. I'd still rather he'd stayed dead. But this issue does have its strong points, including beautifully misty artwork from Alex Maleev, and subtle hints about what's next for Scarlet Witch. Good.

Powers #22...Our heroes have to stand by helplessly by as an invisible, all-powerful supervillain kills person after person. Good.

Desolation Jones #8...This is one of the better series Ellis has ever done, and it's been sneaking up on me. The damaged protagonist is actually quite different than the usual Ellis protagonist; usually, they're cynical, but this guy's just exhausted. And, even with the art change, the book feels like it's in Los Angeles more than most stories, even ones written by Ellis, feel like they're anywhere. In this issue, Jones takes a taxi ride. Excellent.

Squadron Supreme #7...A truly destructive, nasty fight between Hyperion and Redstone; so nasty, in fact, that you forget this series has left the MAX line. Sometimes I wish Gary Frank's artwork were a little more expressive, and that Zarda could look a little less like a model and a little more like an Amazon, but overall I'm quite satisfied and enjoying this the best of any of Straczynski's work so far. Excellent.

She-Hulk #14...Awesome Andy's issue, as we delve deep into the soul of an android with a box for a head. No lie: I was deeply moved. And Rich Burchett has really become a terrific artist for this series. Excellent.

Runaways #23...I'm cautiously optimistic that Whedon will do well with these characters, but even if he doesn't I have high hopes that they will thrive well in the Marvel Universe, because Vaughn has stamped their personalities so well. (Especially the hilarious Bruiser.) It's worrisome to me that Alphona is leaving, too, though, because not every artist captures these characters as well as he does. This issue is Excellent, by the way.

quick takes 1/08/07

2007-01-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Many comics to review...holiday buildup...thank you Marvel for decreasing the number of ads...please don't do it again.

Civil War #6...I'm sort of done reviewing this as a comic. It's an event. I don't think it's been great, and I don't think it's been awful. I certainly like it when the status quo gets shaken up, as that's the only way to create actual interest in characters that have been around for so long, and this event has done that. On the other hand, Mark Millar writes a terrible Captain America, somehow not able to find a shred of nobility in a character that should embody it. I don't mind if heroes make bad choices, but they should still talk like themselves. Very few Millar characters talk like anyone but Millar characters. Art is still pretty good, though it would have been better to have Salvador LaRocca do it and get it out on time. In the end it's just OK.

Civil War Front Line #10...As story, this has been a sight better than the main series, except for those awful backup stories comparing the Civil War to actual historical wars. In this issue, they turn Speedball into a new character. Lots of people are troubled by this, but to me they're just saying he lost his mind, and I buy it. Certainly his character will be in good hands in his new series, which I hope Warren Ellis writes for at least twenty issues or so. I'm less interested in Tony Stark's alleged machinations. OK.

Annihilation #5...By far the superior crossover to Civil War. Not even a close comparison. Drax and Ronan, like Tony Stark, are powerful men making dubious use of their power against great evil. But there's no straining for plausibility here, just big fights for the fate of the universe that feel like they really matter. I hope a good regular series comes out of this, but I have no idea what it would be. Excellent.

Incredible Hulk #102...Speaking of new directions for characters that some people do not like, the Incredible Hulk has now been in another dimension or outer space or something for almost a year. Personally, I really like the story. The Hulk, who was sort of gloomy the last time I read him regularly, has become a sort of Cranky the Barbarian, righting intergalactic wrongs by beating up bad guys. His supporting cast, always key in making him interesting, has been pretty good considering that it's all new with this storyline. This issue, the Hulk literally puts his body where the danger is to save his friends. Giving your personal flesh as food as a way of cementing an alliance is pretty cool. Excellent.

American Virgin #10...Adam Chamberlain's origin issue, and the best issue so far of this series. It turns out our hero has not always been such a goody two-shoes, and it turns out he's had a lot more pain in his life than I had assumed. He's all the more interesting for it, and so is this series. Plus, a deadly plane crash. Excellent.

Teen Titans #42...Kid Devil's origin issue. Geoff Johns specializes in revitalizing obscure characters; here he is again, giving Blue Devil's erstwhile sidekick several rich veins of angst and three years to live. Surprisingly effective guest art from Peter Snejbjerg, who did some okay work on Starman and a Preacher special but who seems much more at home in hell. I would have thought I'd have tired of this series by now, but I really haven't. Good.

Criminal #3...After everything went to pot last issue, Brubaker spends this issue setting up just how everything is going to go to pot next issue. One of the reasons Brubaker is good is that he can really get your hopes up that things are going to go well for his characters, and then dash your hopes. His protagonist is also a smart man with limited options making bad decisions. Always good for a laugh. Excellent art from Sean Phillips, who aparently is equally good at zombies and the real world. Excellent.

Midnighter #3...It's official: Garth Ennis is a great superhero writer. Too bad he hates superheroes. Excellent.

Secret Six #6...A terrifc ending to a terrific miniseries. Somehow the protagonists lose none of their sympathy, even though they're mostly pathetic psychopaths, sociopaths, and wannabes. How on earth did the Mad Hatter become believable as the emotional heart of a team? Excellent, though the art was a little patchy throughout.

New Avengers: Illuminati...Pretty uninspiring, as I guess I should have expected. If you're going to create a retroactively powerful and important superteam, they should do something retroactively powerful and important, not go after those poor Skrulls, who, let's face it, have had their empire eradicated too many times to seem a major threat at any point in history. This story could have been taken care of with Skrull Kill Krew: Illuminati, frankly. Eh.

Birds of Prey #101...The new direction is working great so far, with an interesting and believably dangerous new adversary, great artwork (especially Barda's aerial dogfight), and a cliffhanger that is both hilarious and terrifying. Excellent.

Bullet Points #2...Haven't gotten to #3 yet, and I'm not that eager, frankly. Remember when Straczynski was the biggest thing ever to hit comics? Well, aside from Supreme Power and parts of Rising Stars, he's turned out to be pretty run-of-the-mill. Still, he's proved a competent guardian of most characters, if not exactly the mind-blowing font of story we all used to think he was. His big idea here is "what if Peter Parker got hit by the gamma bomb and what if Steve Rogers wore high-tech armor?" The answer is, well, then Peter Parker would be the Hulk and Steve Rogers would be Iron Man. Nothing remarkable here, but definitely acceptable fun. OK.

Gen 13 #3...These Wildstorm Universe relaunches, with the surprising exception of Midnighter, seem so far to be critical and commercial flops. Too bad; most of these characters have been written pretty well at times in the past, but so far just about all of these top flight writers seems horribly miscast. (OK, Wetworks is written just fine, too, but the art is offensively bad.) Gail Simone, so successful with a bunch of grownups on Birds of Prey and a bunch of crazies on Secret Six, and absolutely inspired on her sublime Tranquility, seems lost here in the world of teen angst. The art is pretty good, but something's just not clicking. I remain hopeful. OK.

Ex Machina #25...A pretty good character piece for Mayor Hundred's bodyguard, with the usual sublime art. I am, however, beginning to worry that a closing plotline is just not going to develop. We'll see. Good.

Wonder Man #1...A textbook example of why Peter David is such a good writer; he easily transforms the undistinguished and bland Wonder Man into a compelling protagonist who knows just how undistinguished he is, and accepts it. And also, we have an interesting conflict. Excellent.

Punisher War Journal #2...It has a nice way of contrasting the Punisher with Captain America, but I've discovered how many Punisher books per month I'm interested in reading, and the answer is less than two. OK.

The Spirit #1...Pretty good relaunch of Will Eisner's classic. No, I've never read any Eisner, either, though I guess I probably should. This issue mostly makes me remember how much I enjoyed Brubaker and Cooke's Catwoman, but it does have some pretty funny dialogue and an originally grotesque villain. Good.

Fallen Angel #11...More tales of cold, cold revenge, with terrific art. Lee's son Jubal is the most interesting character right now. Still Good, though apparently no one is buying it any more. Too bad.

Ultimate Power #3…Now we go back and learn the story from the Squadron’s point of view, and this mini is all the better for it, with more motivation in place. Greg Land, who did some terrific zombie disaster art in Ultimate Fantastic Four, is right at home portraying the attack of an interdimensional muck monster. Good.

Crossing Midnight #1…An intriguing new Vertigo series from Mike Carey, with lovely understated art from Jim Fern, who I believe drew an issue of X-Factor once. The narration is a bit heavy and expositional, and I’m not sure that the atomic bomb as pseudomystical event is a story that needs to be told again, but it’s unique enough that I’ll try another few issues. Good.

Battlestar Galactica #4…The artwork continues to improve, but is still cartoony enough that I only feel 90% like I’m watching the TV show when I read this. Which sure says a lot for Greg Pak’s writing. He’s got the same kinds of ideas as the writers of the show, which I don’t get to watch on account of not having a TV. Good.

Newuniversal #2…More crazy fun from Warren Ellis. I can only imagine what the fans of the original New Universe think of this, but not having read anything of the original myself, I’m enjoying it as a sort of successor to Planetary, with world-spanning weirdness among previously normal people. Ellis usually chooses one focus character, but here he’s got at least six, and the story feels big. I hope it can deliver on the promised bigness. Good.

Winter Soldier: Winter Kills…A terrific one-shot that finally brings me around to the idea of Bucky still being alive. The whole enterprise is worth it for the conversation with Namor at the end, which shows proper respect for Marvel history and gives us great characterization of the cranky old Avenging Son, who’s probably due for another try at a regular series. Ed Brubaker is a workhorse and I hope he’s the one guiding Cap’s continuity for a while. Reliably good art from Lee Weeks. Excellent.

Jack of Fables #6…Jack may be a schemer, but there’s got to be something more to him than schemes, or the device will get tired. It’s mostly just scheming here, but to the extent that this title exists to bring us information on the fables that haven’t made it into the regular book, it works. A lot of the fun of both series is spotting all the characters you can, and for all that this has been billed a solo title, it’s actually got quite a lot more than just Jack in it. Still, he’s in control. Let’s see if he’s going to evolve at all, because Jack being Jack isn’t going to be fun for more than fifteen issues or so. Good.

Ultimate Vision #2…Brandon Peterson’s art, which seemed perhaps a little flat in the Ultimate Extinction series, is really marvelous here, showing brilliantly the scary bigness of Galactus or whatever they’re calling him in the Ultimate Universe. Storywise, just as it looks like AIM is becoming just a pack of boring mad scientists, the REAL bad guy shows up. Tarleton, incidentally, was the original name of Modok in Marvel continuity. Something tells me he’s going to end up a little more powerful here. The Vision herself spends most of the issue disassembled, but she’s managed to locate a friend who’s just as compelling a protagonist. Excellent.

Ultimate Spider-Man #103...A seemingly ill-advised plot point is quickly swept away, and this continues to be Good and much better than the original clone saga, which, I must admit, I did not read all of but did not think was that bad. We have only six more issues to enjoy Mark Bagley's brilliance, but not to worry because he's being replaced by...

Nextwave #11...Stuart Immonen, who draws his penultimate issue of this soon-to-be canceled treasure of a series. There are promises of miniseries somewhere down the line, but given the full plates of both creators, I really only hold out a fool's hope. Still, we'll always have the mad brilliance of these twelve issues, which read like Ellis and Immonen put them together in the same room with The Best of Monty Python playing in the background. Excellent.

52 #34...The best series DC has ever produced, in my opinion. One of the only comics out there today that gives one the delight of a truly enormous story, the way reading X-Men used to, but better. And yet it's still completely comprehensible. This issue, the Question dies in bed, in a genuinely moving scene. (Incidentally, last week's Christmas issue was a gem, too.) Excellent.

X-Men #194...Speaking of X-Men, it's doing just fine these days. Humberot Ramos is not an artist I would automatically pick for the relentlessly serious X-titles, but the cast of oddballs Rogue has assembled for her strike force look just write as drawn by the guy who gave us Impulse. Mike Carey sure does throw a lot of new characters at you, but so far it's not too confusing. Good.

Y: The Last Man #52...Plenty of soap opera shenanigans afoot here, including an alleged crush that I'm not sure I buy, but I can't complain when the central mystery remains so tantalyzingly close to being solved, and yet so far out of my imaginative grasp. Always Good at least.

Checkmate #9...Just as much fun as the old Suicide Squad series was, but the added layer of realistic espionage jargon and conflict that Greg Rucka is able to provide, thanks to his chronicling of the adventures of Tara Chace, makes it all the better. The melding of superheroes and grunt feds is seamless. Excellent.

Thunderbolts #109...Considering how "cosmic" the final storyline has been, this final issue of Fabian Nicieza's run is surprisingly down-to-earth and not a little moving, with a deep look at how these characters, many of whom started out and existed for years as nothing more than bombastic, clownish villains, have evolved into real people. Nicieza, a giving writer, works hard to tie up his own plot threads and pave the way easily for the new team to take over. The departure of Donny Gill, which nearly happen off-panel it's so understated, is especially well-done. I have not read even half of Nicieza's work on these characters, and it's going to be a pleasure to track them down in back issues. Excellent.

Daredevil #92...full up of ads, and all the worse for it, as Michael Lark's subdued style has trouble peeking out from behind them. It's probably worth the patience and expense to wait for the trade when it comes to end-of-the-year Marvel stories, as apparently they're going to lard us up with ads in November and December from now on. Anyway, this issue is the evil villain explaining her plan, and Brubaker pushes it hard but it still comes off cliche. OK.

Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #25...The bad guys show up, but they're actually good guys warning about REALLY bad guys, who are about to show up. Pretty fun and Good.

Cable & Deadpool #35...Cable lets Wade spend some time with his bad memories, with predictably mixed results considering Wade is mostly a conscienceless killer. Mostly. Excellent.

Justice #9...Alex Ross clearly possesses some kind of complicated personal ethics concerning who the DC characters are, and these ethics have been offended enough by recent DC continuity for him to write this exceedingly odd tale in response. There's always a potshot in here at a better story; in this issue it's Villains United. Nevertheless, this remains a fun romp with beautiful art; a weirdly inspiring spread of the Justice League "wearing" the Metal Men into battle closes this issue. Good.

Fables #56...A Christmas issue, with Santa Claus, who is, of course, a Fable himself, charged with making sure the Adversary doesn't try to invade via the North Pole; I suppose someone has to. There are sappy elements here, but Santa also gives Flycatcher an important quest, which is pretty promising. Good.

Loveless #14...Not quite comprehensible, and extremely nasty. I guess now I'm just waiting for some kind of resolution. Eh.

Hellblazer #227...This story has been going on for way, way too long, and continues to galumph through until the final pages, which bring unexpected hilarity to this glum Glaswegian enterprise and actually have me anticipating eagerly the next issue for the first time in quite a while. OK.

Shadowpact #8...The Ragman's family history saves the day. Despite the inability of Willingham to come up with interesting adversaries for his quite likable, unique heroes, this series continues to be just odd enough to keep my interest. Shawn McManus' art, which has a comic touch, helps tremendously. OK.

quick takes 12/8/06

2006-12-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

Until Marvel stops running so many ads with their comics, they get marked down a grade.

Ultimate Vision #1...Can't say I was waiting around for Ultimate AIM to show up, but kudos to Mike Carey, who seems to be writing everything at the moment, for ratcheting up the creepiness to make these guys a credible science villain, not unlike something Warren Ellis would have come up with. And the Ultimate Vision, despite being quite different from the traditional character, is instantly sympathetic and interesting; "she" is a total goody two-shoes, but has a take-no-guff kind of attitude that handily prevents her from becoming boring. Sort of like the Silver Surfer in his best stories; could the Vision be taking his role as the major cosmic do-gooder of the Ultimate Universe? Oh, and typically professional art from Brandon Peterson. Good.

Deathblow #2...Brian Azzarello continues to be the sort of writer who will allow his protagonists to do all kinds of nasty things most writers would only consider for the bad guys. I can't really say I'm rooting for Cray yet, but I'm definitely scared for his soul. Unfortunately, the art is not always particularly expressive or clear. OK, but I have hopes.

Doctor Strange: The Oath #3...Magnificent art from Marcos Martin, who will probably be drawing for Vertigo before too much longer. The story remains compelling, in there between the ads, with an arch-nemesis for Strange so obvious I can't believe no one's thought to come up with such a character before. OK.

Welcome to Tranquility #1...The best first issue of anything I remember reading in quite some time. The premise could have been a one-off joke, but Simone cares deeply about her characters and they come to vivid life with Neil Googe's excellent art, which is clear, sunny, and witty, setting exactly the right tone. And it is funny, too. Excellent.

Agents of Atlas #5...The team falls apart, then comes back together. It happens perhaps a bit too easily, and the reveal at the end of the issue seems to set up the same cliffhanger as last issue. We'll see. Still, for breathing life into these z-list characters, and making it seem obvious that such wonderful weirdos should get their own series, Jeff Parker deserves some kind of award. Incidentally, has the best covers of any comics I've seen in a while. OK.

Midnighter #2...For someone who doesn't like superheroes much, Garth Ennis sure is writing a good superhero story here. I'm really glad he decided not to phone it in, because this has some terrific moments and some key development on a hero who was getting perhaps a bit stale. Good.

American Virgin #9...Well, that's an unexpected cliffhanger, isn't it? This appears to be Seagle looking to explore Adam's feelings, as a Christian, about death, which is good development, as we can't be talking about sex all the time, and we've probably plummed the depths of revenge. Becky Cloonan remains one of the best-cast artists on any comic out there, as the "fleshiness" of the villain tells more about him than any of his dialogue. In fact, this comic would become excellent if Seagle could let her show instead of telling us, sometimes. Good.

Justice Society of America #1...I eventually tired of the first run on this series, but darn if Geoff Johns hasn't hooked me back in. Actually follows a similar structure to the recent JLA revival, but does it much, much better, with clear ideas about who the characters are and why they need the Society. An insane Starman, an eager-to-please Red Tornado protege...these are good places to start. Excellent.

White Tiger #2...Admirably lighthearted and well-placed in the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, the generic art makes it extremely hard to weed the story out from between the ads. Eh.

Wetworks #3...This one, on the other hand, could use some ads to cover up the atrocious artwork. I like to give any artist the benefit of the doubt, because the stories are really my thing, but come on, these character designs are horrible. It does have Mike Carey writing it, and it's sort of a horror/cop hybrid, which has potential...there are good ideas here, but not much nice to look at, with the bad art making the graphic violence somehow even more sordid. Terrible.

Ultimate Power #2...Greg Land on art is very pretty, true, and the fact that every single hero in the Ultimate Universe is showing up does have some kind of appealing everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-ness, but, as often happens when Bendis writes big events, we've really still only sketched the edges of any compelling plot. Bendis is as alwasy much more interested in how the characters talk to each other. This is fine, and he can make almost any character work for a little while because he can get them to open up and talk to us. But get someone else to write the big fights, please. Eh.

Teen Titans #41...Sort of confusing how Jericho comes back to life, isn't it? I think the fill-in artist is mostly to blame, though; he also makes a hash of the last page, where Deathstroke should be menacing but looks like he weighs about 150 pounds. Still, this has been a successful, wide-ranging storyline with many great character moments. Good.

Newuniversal #1...Really, really great, subtle art from Salvador Larocca to go with a quietly huge story from Warren Ellis, but holy hell there are too many ads in here to appreciate it. OK.

Uncanny X-Men #481...Ed Brubaker has these characters nailed; I can't remember the last writer to do Lorna Dane so well...OK, I can, it was J.M. DeMatteis. Considering how much happens, the plot does seem to be developing slowly, with the major villain quite far off-page, but the capture of the Professor feels like it's going to develop into something important, and the soap opera elements with Rachel are fun, too. OK.

Incredible Hulk #101...Somehow, this one escaped having as many ads, and damn if it doesn't read much better because of it. I've adored this storyline, and think it is the best one Marvel has ever done with the character, hands down. Give Greg Pak whatever he wants, Marvel. Excellent.

quick takes 10/13/06

2006-10-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Boys #3...Still deeply cynical, but Hughie gives the whole enterprise its human heart. I have a horrible feeling that the young superhero we meet at the beginning is headed for more troubles, though. Good.

Annihilation #3...Much, much better art means a much better comic. The nameless villains who showed up at the end of last issue turn out to be less than crucial to the story; the crucial element, thankfully, is the desperation and courage of Nova, Drax, and others as they fight and lose a war. Excellent.

Civil War Frontline #7...Please, Marvel, stop comparing a law enforcement problem in a comic book universe to WWII! It's not too late! Give a few more pages to the rest of the stories for the next few weeks, because most of them are pretty good. But gee whiz, do those final four pages drag it down. OK.

Uncanny X-Men #479...The X-Men are attacked by a man wielding, well, not the most convincing weapon of all time. So far, the early issues' promise of exposure of the underside of the Shi'ar Empire have yet to materialize, but we'll see. Otherwise, the story is solid, with good characterization all around and an effective cliffhanger. Another winner from Brubaker, who's a real workhorse. Good.

Battlestar Galactica #3...The art is actually getting better, and the story crackles with great dialogue and paranoia. Really every bit as good as the TV show, which is good for those who don't have cable. Excellent.

quick takes 10/02/06

2006-10-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

This month's big comics shipment has just arrived, plus last week was a huge week for new comics from the regular store. Let's dip in, shall we?

Loveless #10...The cover shows Wes Cutter holding a sword, standing next to a severed head on a pike. Thankfully, the implied atrocity does not take place in these pages. Unthankfully, the only thing Cutter does with a sword in this issue is stick it into a table for emphasis during another speech. Really, what is going on here? It's not like Reconstruction America lacks for heroes and villains. The KKK was forming. There were black men elected to offices and appointed to the bench in counties where they would soon be lynched. There were bands of rebels acting like the war wasn't over. Ex-generals were making millions from the government promoting railroads, including some former confederate generals. There was a lot going on. Why can't we see some of that in this book? Why do we get nothing but flashbacks, speeches, and more hiding in the woods? Sigh...Marcelo Frusin's art continues to be gorgeous and perfect for the book. They need Mat Johnson to write it, though, not that Azzarello will be giving it up. Bad.

Shadopact #5...There's no doubt that Bill Willingham has a broad and fertile imagination, but sometimes I wonder about his focus. The Day of Judgment miniseries was good because it presented a serious problem and allowed the oddball, ragtag Shadowpact try to deal with it. Now, with the regular series, the characterization remains strong, and certain plot elements, like Nightmaster's troubles at the bar, are engagingly odd. But Willingham has not been successful in articulating the goals of this team, establishing any real conflict, internal or external, beyond having to beat up bad guys, or even in making us laugh at the absurdity of hard-bitten Detective Chimp as we did in the mini. And the parade of fill-in artists has not helped. I'm afraid I have to rate this one a misfire. Eh.

Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways...Speaking of misfires, Zeb Wells wrote the funniest Spider-Man story I've ever read, the MTV beach house parody. And he wrote the recent terrific, and also quite funny, New Warriors miniseries. The man has talent. Like the equally hilarious Gail Simone, he's trying to move into more serious writing. Unlike her, he seems to think that "more serious writing" means leaving his sense of humor behind entirely. Thus we have this miniseries. Now, he has not been helped by the dreadful art of Stefano Caselli. But Caselli has improved with this issue, and it's still not great. Instead of a riff on the high concept premise of Civil War, all we get is a bunch of young heroes taken prisoner by a sadist. Now, I didn't necessarily expect great times and hijinks from a Serious Crossover Event that speaks about Important Issues, but I did hope there would be something more than reheated villainy. No luck. I admit that it is interesting to bring back Grant Morrison's Marvel Boy, but so far he's just another weapon the aforementioned sadist uses to punish the kids. And us. Bad.

Justice League of America #2...Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have been sitting around a table talking for three issues now. Nevertheless, the conversation is enjoyable, because the reader certainly cares about what they're discussing (who does or does not get to be in the new JLA). It's interesting to hear superheroes evaluating each other's strengths and weaknesses. Brad Meltzer does not appear to be shooting for Art here, which is a good thing. He's writing a story that feels like sort of a classical take on the JLA. (I wouldn't know, because I've never read those stories.) It's got a lot of simmering subplots, which offer an action counterpoint to the bigtime heroes sitting around a table. The decision to make Red Tornado the focus of the story still strikes me odd, but at least Meltzer is comfortable writing a large cast, which is critical on a book like this. Ed Benes on art is very conventional, but certain pages, like the spread of Red Tornado's damaged cranial unit, are quite effective, if not actually beautiful. Good.

American Virgin #7...I've realized for the first time how critical the art is to telling this story. Beck Cloonan makes all these characters so fleshy and tactile, emphasizing freckles, sweat, errant tresses of hair, and piercings. It emphasizes the sexuality, and in some cases sexual conflict, that drives the book's action. Cloonan deserves some kind of award, really, because Steve Seagle needs help to keep the focus on the sex, as he's much too oddball a writer to forge ahead in a straightforward way; if the story involves a repressed American evangelical virginity advocate, you can bet he's going to find a way to involve an international leather club sex cult serial killer, which is what we get in this issue. But Cloonan keeps our minds on the sex. Good.

Civil War: Frontline #6...Speaking of oddity, what's with the backup strips in this series comparing a comic book storyline to World War II? I mean, come on. The main storyline, however, is still serviceable, with Ben Urich revealing that he may, in fact, be the real hero of this crossover. The Speedball subplot is barely believable, because this Negative Zone prison is so awful that it's hard to square its creation with the Reed Richards we know. But you can sort of see how Reed would get caught up in the scientific challenge of creating it. And Speedball is going to end up a villain after this, or something, which would be kind of cool. The Atlantean story, on the other hand, has yet to connect to the overall narrative in any way, but we will see. OK.

Jack of Fables #3...The closing panel is probably the funniest thing I read this week. The exact goals of Mr. Revise, the villain, remain amorphous, but the storytelling is rock solid, with strung out fairies, a hilariously self-centered protagonist, and an always-compelling jail break storyline. Good.

Ultimates 2 #12...Big, big, fight. Really, I am amazed by the bigness of this fight. Every time you think it can't get any bigger, it gets bigger. That's how big it is. Only one more issue of bigness left. Should be out by next August. OK.

Eternals #4...Four issues in, we're finally moving beyond a series of character pieces and into a cliffhanger that should inspire dread in anyone who knows their Third Host from their Fourth Host. Not that the character pieces were bad. And of course the whole thing has beautiful John Romita Junior art. He can do know wrong, except Uncanny X-Men #306. Good.

Teen Titans #39...The parade of difficult personalities and downright jerks continues, as the Titans continue interviewing the people who decided not to stay on the team during its lost year. As far as I can tell, every hero in the DC universe must have a sidekick, but, as is often the case, Geoff Johns manages to be somehow respectful of this hoary cliche in the same moment that he draws our attention to it. Tony Daniel is off his game a little this month on art, but it's still Good.

Batman #657...Now this is more like it! Grant Morrison writing Batman sounded like a chance for some first-rate playful weirdness, and three issues in, playful weirdness has finally arrived. Batman's son by a supervillainess turns out to be a holy terror; who would have imagined? Hilarious and scary at the same time. All drawn by Andy Kubert, whose work I adore. Excellent.

Hellblazer #224...Huh? I thought this was a new storyline. Nope, it's the same old one, despite a breather last issue to kill off an interesting character Warren Ellis created. Can you tell I'm getting a little impatient with this storyline? Seven issues of "Empathy", and now we get...more empathy. But some old friends arrive at the end to provide some needed humor, and the art is still fantastic, though it might behoove Vertigo's flagship character to get an artist who can turn on the lights a little, once Manco is done. Contrast is good. This issue is OK.

Justice #7...I get the feeling that Alex Ross' complicated values and feelings about the DC Universe have been deeply offended by the direction its characters have taken in recent years, and this maxiseries is the result. I confess it's all the same to me; put Dale Eaglesham on this, and it's another chapter of Infinite Crisis, as near as I can tell, but then I'm not a habitual scholar of DC's canon. Nevertheless, the art maintains Ross' usual grandiosity; he seems to make a small story bigger by sheer force of will. Good.

Fables #53...There's no doubt about it; Gepetto is a psychopath. What a weird thing to write, but Pinnochio's daddy is planning to exterminate the world, and that's all there is to it. I guess creating life from lifeless wood does weird things to your head. Excellent.

Cable & Deadpool #31...A George W. Bush cameo. Duct-taped Deadpool. Hercules in a skirt. Nicieza is the most underrated writer of the past fifteen years. Good.

Astonishing X-Men #17...Huh? I really need to reread the beginning of this storyline, or maybe go back to the beginning of this series. (1995, wasn't it?) I really don't remember how we got to the point of Ktty Pryde mistakenly believing a slimy moth chrysalis is her baby. Nevertheless, Whedon continues to make this (for me) incomprehensible story compelling, with betrayals, doppelgangers, mind control, and impersonators turning this into a romp through our poor damaged X-Men's lives. Still looks like John Cassaday is rushing on art, though. Good.

Ultimate Spider-Man #99...Speaking of impersonators...whoa, that's a lot of clones in this version of the Clone Saga. Is Aunt May a clone too? I really can't tell, and that's what I dig about this comic book. Excellent.

Secret Six #4...They fight the Doom Patrol, in a sort of more-freakish-than-thou contest. Winner: Mad Hatter. Excellent.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #21...I suppose it should not be surprising that a character called Brainiac appears to have lost his mind. Scary, plus: politics. I've always loved the Legion, even when it was being written by its colorist, but I have to say that this might be the best Legion in a long, long time. Excellent.

Daredevil #88..."I'm not a coward. But I'm not very brave." By giving those words to the protagonist of this standalone issue, Ed Brubaker captures Foggy Nelson's character perfectly, and holds up a mirror to the audience as well. Brilliant. Contains some not-too-shabby fill-in art from David Aja. Excellent.

Thunderbolts #106...Is Baron Zemo still evil? Or has he really changed? No clue. Really, no clue. Excellent.

Runaways #20...Art is still excellent, Molly is still hilarious, and someone is still scheming, though this time it's the heartbroken lunkhead. Excellent.

She-Hulk #11...How good is Don Slott? He makes us care about the broken heart of a character called "Awesome Andy." I'm less infatuated with the main John Jameson plot, and I sort of wish we could have Juan Bobillo back on art, but so long as the laughs keep coming, I'll be here. Good.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #34…I was uneasy with this storyline at first, as Mike Carey introduced so many new characters that were so strange all at once that the whole thing threatened to become incomprehensible. But he’s got me back now, with a surprisingly straightforward explanation of who they are that does not detract from their weirdness. Which is what the Fantastic Four is all about, anyway. I liked the zombies okay, I guess, but this is a step up. Marvel should keep this guy around and buy him however many protein bars he needs to keep writing like this. Excellent.

Checkmate #6…Amanda Waller is one of the more unlikely long-lived characters of the DC Universe: a portly black single mother from Chicago who also happens to be the most dangerous practitioner of espionage on the face of the earth. In this issue, everyone spends a lot of time talking about how she has been sidelined, shut down, etc. Somehow this all seems to make her stronger. Excellent.

Fallen Angel #9…OK issue, but terrific cliffhanger which I did not see coming at all. Peter David is good at those.

Nextwave #8…The Mindless Ones do Bernstein, Elsa’s bad education, hilarious captions, fantastic Immonen art…pure joy and Excellent.

Punisher #37…Another storyline, and we’ve got…a recurring villain? OK, to be fair, the Punisher was not trying to kill this guy last time. But I think he will this time! It’s interesting how large a percentage of the Punisher’s adversaries have been Slavic in origin since Garth Ennis started writing him. Excellent.

New Avengers #23…Probably the best issue of this series so far, as Jessica Drew crawls her desperate way out of her status as a triple undercover agent. Bendis may not be able to bring the big crossovers together, but man can he write these character pieces. For him, the destruction of the Hydra base is properly relegated to the background; the important thing is the determined look on Jessica’s face as she drives away. Excellent.

100 Bullets #76…The storm that has been gathering for 75 issues is…still gathering. But as usual, it gathers beautifully. Excellent.

X-Men #190…Misleading cover, even though the cover art is reprinted exactly inside. Still rocketing ahead just like it should; I can’t believe the X-Men are Good again.

All-Star Superman #5…Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, probably the best writer and best artist of this young century, are doing their best work so far. All stars, indeed. Excellent.

Captain America #21…Ed Brubaker writes little in the way of memorable dialogue, and his Big Twists and Revelations tend to be letdowns. But I always want to read his books more than just about anyone else’s, and I’m still trying to figure out why. He’s got good plot mechanics, but are they really that much better than, say, Chris Claremont, who I rarely read? He’s definitely good at making characters sympathetic, and this goes all the way back to Scene of the Crime; but again, is this really so remarkable? There must be something else. I guess I’ll just have to keep reading until I figure it out. Good.

Y: The Last Man #49…Brian K. Vaughan’s strengths, on the other hand, are self-evident: no one around creates so many effortless twists and turns in a story. He throws them off like they’re nothing. Good.

Ultimate X-Men #74…Underwhelming conclusion to an underwhelming storyline. I did enjoy the Invincible collection I checked out from the library, but so far Kirkman’s not doing it for me here. (I won’t read The Walking Dead because I am afraid of zombies.) Eh.

quick takes 9/13 and 9/20/06

2006-09-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Uncanny X-Men #478...Billy Tan really is an ideal artist for the X-Men. And I wouldn't have guessed it, but Ed Brubaker is pretty much an ideal writer for the X-Men, too. Tan is drawing perfectly in the modern McNiven/Finch style (I have no idea who invented it), but also providing great retro costumes and character designs; Darwin looks like something straight out of 70s X-Men. The story manages to tip its hat to both current Marvel continuity and past X-Men continuity; this is actually the first time I remember someone referencing Grant Morrison's run, but then I did sort of skim through a lot of issues when Austen was writing it. Right now this feels like Brubaker is going to make a major change to the Shi'ar Empire, which would be good storytelling, as it is an essential part of the X-Men mythos that has been allowed to languish for an awful long time. Good.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #1...This came out a long time ago, but I just managed to get a copy recently. I really like the art, which looks sort of like what Norman Rockwell might have done if he drew superhero comics; that seems completely appropriate considering how ancient most of these characters are. But there's a wild disconnect between the cutesy nature of characters like Doll Man and the Human Bomb and how they're being used here; I've never seen anything quite like it. Palmiotti and Gray are not natural dialogue writers, but the oddness and amorality of the superhero team really makes it an interesting take. Good.

Moon Knight #5...It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to have your hero fly his plane into the side of a building, but it's not like you don't understand why he's doing it, and it's not like we're supposed to be rooting for it, exactly. The visual is certainly striking; you really get a sense of Moon Knight's desperation. This remains a compelling story of a badly damaged man fighting a bunch of losers and pretty much embarrassing himself at every turn. Not exactly your traditional superhero comic. The great art bumps it up to something between good and excellent; I may have to create a new category.

Annihilation #2...Well, I can't say that the horde of supervillains that shows up in this issue does much to distinguish itself from any other generic team of super bad guys, but Drax and Nova are still very compelling protagonists; you get the feeling that Drax, in particular, is going to do something surprising before this story is through. Giffen does a great job of writing Drax as a guy who's operating on some kind of alien, incomprehensible moral code. And Drax's companion is just as weird, the kind of character Gail Simone comes up with all the time. If only the art were better than serviceable. Good.

Blade #1...Definitely not my favorite genre or character, so it says something that I sort of liked this one. For one thing, it's very cool that Spider-Man actually does get turned into a vampire. Chaykin's art is just terrific for horror comics; everything looks extra grimy but also quite clear, sort of like Richard Corben. On the other hand, it's vampires, who are always sort of boring. The ending could potentially set up something interesting or something cliche; we'll see. OK.

X-Factor #11...Aw, the shocking ending from last issue turns out not to be so shocking after all. I guess it's for the best; I always sort of liked Guido. But I feel uneasy about retconning Madrox's origin, and so far one more ancient Machiavellian villain isn't moving me. On the other hand, these are still great characters handled by a writer who knows them well. Good.

Birds of Prey #98...No one writing today is creating more interesting villains than Gail Simone, and here she goes again with a nemesis for Huntress. The "new Batgirl" storyline makes an unexpected turn, too. I like the way Raiz draws Black Canary; he makes her look real. Excellent.

Civil War #4...Many, many unexpected twists and turns. Basically, this whole series is crammed with unexpected twists and turns. They sat down and said, "You know the ending of The Usual Suspects? With that great twist? Can we just do a whole miniseries like that?" And Mark Millar was like, sure, whatever, just show me the money. Of course, I had to go out and buy it the second it was available. Why? Because I wanted to see what twists and turns there would be in this issue. What can you do. Art is beautiful, but please, man, draw as fast as you can...

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

2006-08-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

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.

We Make Our Own

2006-08-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

In the future, comic book fans will make the movies they want to see, the way they want them to be. Robert Rodriguez showed the way. No one can stop it now. The all-powerful internet has spoken.

capsules

2006-08-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

Black Panther #18...Wedding issues are always a little sappy, but this one has some nice jokes, and Reginald Hudlin's take on the title character's political maneuverings is still interesting. Scot Eaton's art is really terrific, especially in the dream sequence. OK.

Uncanny X-Men #476...More interesting politics, as Professor X reveals that the Shi'ar Empire, ruled by his ex-girlfriend, never really stopped being an imperialist warmonger state. I'm definitely curious about where this story is going to end up. Billy Tan's art is sort of like David Finch, which is OK by me. Nice cliffhanger ending, too. Excellent.

Young Avengers & Runaways #1...Neither team is really suited to a big fight issue, which is unfortunately all we really get here. And O'Brien is right, the Flag-smasher is supposed to be dead. The art makes everyone look like a zombie. I'll keep my eye on it, because I know writer Zeb Wells is capable of better. But for now, it's just Bad.

Birds of Prey #96...What, another Batgirl? Gotham City is getting sort of crowded. Actually, a fun issue, though I hope I my confidence is justified that the fight with the Very Powerful guest star doesn't just result in her joining the team, which is also getting sort of crowded. The relationship between Dinah and Sin is really touching, though. Art is pretty good, too. Good.

Jack of Fables #1...Amusingly amoral title character, art just like the series it spun off from, interesting "secret prison" set-up. Much better than Shadowpact, and probably the best book I read this week. Excellent.

Batman #655...Surprisingly conventional outing from writer Grant Morrison; I suspect he may have said everything he has to say about Batman in JLA #1-4 back in the 90s. But I'll be checking out the next issue at least, because I love Andy Kubert's art; no one else draws remotely like him. Eh.

capsule reviews

2006-07-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'll be reviewing individual issues of series I read, as I get my hands on them. Be warned: my reading schedule is erratic, and I often don't get to an individual issue until weeks after it comes out. Anyone looking for Paul O'Brien-style regularity should, well, read Paul O'Brien.

I'll be rating the books as follows, and in descending order of quality: Superb, Excellent, Good, OK, Eh, Bad, and Terrible.

Runaways #18...Yup, one of them dies, just like it says on the cover. Not an earth-shattering confrontation, but perhaps that is the point. Enjoyable, and the art is lovely. Good.

Civil War #3...A very welcome Special Surprise Guest Star at the end of the issue. As with most universe-changing crossovers, you're still constantly wondering what caused the major conflict besides the editors thinking it was a good idea for a story. (Which it is, by the way.) It's not like the late, lamented New Warriors were the first heroes to leave behind some collateral damage. Steve McNiven is undoubtedly talented, but the art still always looks like the camera is just a little bit too close to whatever it's showing, which makes it hard to show motion. OK.

Shadowpact #3...It had a great set-up in the first issue, but the second issue was just paint-by-numbers "each hero fights a neatly matched villain and gets captured, except one, who escapes, and..." (Yes, I know that the evil villain used her evil psychic powers to plant the idea of acting out the stock battle scenes in the heroes' minds...but they're still stock battle scenes.) Then we get to this, and the bad guys are defeated awfully quickly for people who have held an entire town captive in an impenetrable barrier for a year. Fill-in art is just fine. Hopefully the plotting gets better, because Willingham is terrific at characterization. Eh.

Warren Ellis: Wolfskin #1...Well, I guess this must be written by Warren Ellis. The artist should get equal billing, though; Juan Jose Ryp is his name, and highly detailed carnage. squalor, and natural beauty is his game. (I'm really ready, however, for the era of extended, wordless fight scenes to come to an end. The visual language of comics is similar to movies, true, but these days some comics are turning into storyboards.) Has a few excellent Ellis one liners, including a doozy of a closer; the strangeness of the world in which the story takes place, which is sort of Dark Ages Europe, but not really, is definitely intriguing. Good.

New Avengers #20...Brian Michael Bendis is a man with plenty of great story ideas, but such ideas are better when they're driving the plot, instead of described over and over again, commented upon, and generally pumped up as if they're some kind of unbelievable leap of the imagination. That was the problem with Avengers: Disassembled. Still, the art is great, I like SHIELD being run by someone other than Nick Fury, and Iron Man's heroism is quite compelling, especially considering that he's sort of a bad guy these days. OK.

Loveless #7...A minimalist statement of Ruth Cutter's undying love for her husband, which is perhaps not enough for one whole issue. Zezelj draws everything well except faces. Eh.

Teen Titans #37...I've always enjoyed Tony Daniel's pencils, and they're ideally suited to this teen team book as they were to X-Force. As for the story, it has perhaps one scene too many of a Titan staring wistfully off into space, contemplating the unfairness of it all...but the disturbing aspects of Niles Caulder's schemes are creepily cool, and Monsieur Mallah and The Brain are just creepy, by which I mean, I'll want to read about these villains again. Good.

X-Factor #9...The art is OK but I keep thinking that my copy got smudged a little. The story is excellent; much, much better dramatization of internecine quarrels among superheroes than anything in the Civil War miniseries proper. I'm just delighted that Peter David came back to these characters; for my money, they're his best work. Excellent.

American Virgin #5...Maddened by grief, hip Christian skater boy Adam loses it at his fiancee's funeral and humps her casket right there in the church. Goes a little over the top, you might say. But Adam's emotional arc, as a Christian who can't believe that God would let anything bad happen to him, is completely believable. (Considering how many people go through their lives with his worldview, it's astonishing to me that we don't see Adam's dilemma dramatized more often.) Less believable are the melodramatic international thriller elements of the story, but I'm still willing to give Seagle the benefit of the doubt. Good.

Astonishing X-Men #15...John Cassaday's art has never been as good on this series as it is on Planetary, which makes me suspect he's rushing. Or maybe it's just that the story is so much smaller; for a guy with such a reputation as an imaginative creator of storylines, it sure seems like Joss Whedon it reheating old hash. But there's no doubt he's got a gift for dialogue, and Cassaday's skill at pacing a story is undiminished even if his faces and figures are. And I freely admit that I enjoyed the last page; guess it's some pretty tasty hash Whedon is reheating. OK.

Fables #50...Still engagingly odd, but Bigby's secret mission is not nearly as compelling as Boy Blue's quest from a few issues ago. Come to think of it, Bigby himself is not as compelling as most of the other characters in this book. Reminds me too much of Wolverine, I guess, and Lourdes knows we get enough of him. Art is pretty good, though. Eh.

X-Men #187...Peter Milligan's run as writer comes to an end...it's not his best work, but he definitely made some interesting changes to some characters, which is more than you can say about the last guy to write this book. His last storyline was probably the best, but I've always liked Apocalypse as a villain more than other people, so your mileage may vary. Salvador Larroca has always struck me as better suited to a different book, but he's fine, too. OK.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #30...Wow, Mark Millar really does like those zombies. Still, they're suitably horrifying, especially considering that everyone else Greg Land draws is the most gorgeous person you've ever seen. It's a great set-up, too, but as always with Millar I give it a few demerits for his stiltedly ironic dialogue. OK.

52 #11...Well, nearly three months into this thing, I think we can call it a success. My word, that's a lot of story, but I like everything except maybe the evil henchmen that turn into giant animals. There's no denying the spottiness of the art, but it's probably as good as it's going to get on a weekly schedule. Good.

Daredevil #85...Be warned: he's my favorite character, so your mileage may vary. But I'm loving the Daredevil-in-prison story. The Punisher guest spot is great, and I really, truly do not know how this whole situation is going to end. I loved the Bendis/Maleev run, but this is even better. Excellent.

Squadron Supreme #5...I'm really not sure I want to read Joe Straczynski's take on The State of the World, but I do find many of these characters compelling, and the art is terrific. OK.

Brave New World...excellent value for story; I'll probably be trying out most of these titles, and I probably wouldn't have looked at any of them except the Atom without the cheap preview. Nice trick, DC. Excellent.

The All New Atom #1...But now that I read the whole issue...really do not care for the art; it looks sketchy. I can't believe it's the same guy who drew this. And I couldn't quite get into the story; maybe it's the annoying quotes from famous scientists everywhere. I'll still be trying the next few issues based on the overall excellence of Gail Simone's work, though. Eh.

Y: The Last Man #46...No one does a cliffhanger better, these days. Nearly four years in, I continue to be impressed with the amount of imagination that has gone into this series. More like this, please. Excellent.

The Punisher #34...Still fun. Excellent.

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Volume 3

2005-09-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Did Frank Miller regret killing Elektra and decide to undo his mistake? Or had he intended to resurrect her all along?

It's not clear to me. But the resurrection of Elektra, which would be repeated ad nauseum with other heroes in other comics in the years to come, looms large over this volume. Its culmination, in issue 190, is arguably the best issue of Miller's initial run, and offers the first glimpse into why Miller is so interested in this character in the first place.

The issue begins and ends with Elektra's two attempts at climbing a mountain; the first time, she fails. The second time, she succeeds. In between, Daredevil and his allies battle for her very soul. Do they succeed? It is to Miller's credit that, even as he refuses to answer the question, when we see Elektra atop the mountain at the end, we feel a sense of closure. Having delved into the heads of the character, Miller now steps back and lets her thoughts remain her own. The mystery itself becomes the story he is telling.

And now, resurrected by demons, Elektra is more interesting to Miller than ever before.

The rest of the volume is of high quality, though perhaps not quite as high as Volume 2. The stories, many of which focus on Daredevil's decaying sanity, lack the human element that Ben Urich provides in Volume 2. Daredevil becomes an enigma, treating his fellow characters poorly with dismaying frequency, and falling down rabbit holes from which Miller does not appear to want to extricate him. These stories are compelling, but with no emotional anchor, we are somewhat alienated.

That is, until Daredevil's downward spiral is purged at the very end.

The final panel of issue 191, Miller's final issue, says almost everything Miller has to say about...well, everything. In God's eye view, we see Daredevil and the incapacitated Bullseye, bleached of color and surrounded by shadow, with Daredevil's confession overhead in caption: "Guess we're stuck with each other, Bullseye." This is a more complicated statement than it first appears. The conventional reading of this statement is that Daredevil and Bullseye, the superhero and the supervillain, are "two sides of the same coin," and need each other more than they need the outside world. Or, expressing the idea Mike Myers' Dr. Evil would parody in the first Austin Powers movie: "We're not so different, you and I."

But they are together, the story makes clear, only because Daredevil has chosen not to kill his enemy. Bullseye lives because of Daredevil's mercy. This makes Daredevil either morally weak or strong, depending on your point of view, but it also makes him definitively different from his adversary. They are so different, Dr. Evil, so there.

Astro City: Confession

2005-09-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

The history of superheroes, conventionally told, goes like this: Siegel and Schuster invented them in the 1930s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby humanized them in the 1960s, and Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and Frank Miller deconstructed them in the 1980s.

And so, when the 1990s rolled around, superheroes appeared to have reached the end of their history, having been put together, and then taken apart, so capably. But even though superheroes had been deconstructed, people did not stop reading about them. In the years that followed, comics actually saw pretty good sales. The sales were gimmick-driven, but the gimmicks were still sold through superheroes. And eventually, the new ideas that informed Watchmen became part of the way superhero stories were told.

Or one of them did, at least. This was the idea that the superheroes could be compelling even if morally compromised...they could engage in villainous actions and still be heroes, in other words. In the glutted market of the early 1990s, with quality writing spread thin, this often meant nothing more than superheroes forgetting to shave and killing people. And, as time wore on, many superheroes let their beards get very long indeed.

Out of all that came Kurt Busiek and Astro City. Busiek told comics to get a haircut and stand up straight. First, with the painter Alex Ross, he created Marvels, a work that sought to redeem the sense of wonder embodied by the original Marvel stories of the 1960s.

The work hit a nerve with readers and critics alike, perhaps because its protagonist, an everyman photographer named Phil Sheldon, has the same crisis of faith in 1960s innocence that the industry itself seemed to be experiencing at the time.

Busiek, who had worked steadily in comics for years, mostly in obscurity, suddenly became the kind of writer who could sell a title by putting his name in front of it on the cover. And so Homage comics, a division of Jim Lee's Wildstorm Studios, which was itself a division of Image, published Kurt Busiek's Astro City, about a city of superheroes, mostly narrated by the normal people who live in it.

The best story to come out of this effort was "Confession," which ran from issues four through six of the regular series. (The regular series was preceded by a six-issue miniseries.) Though Astro City would peter out toward the end of its run, beset by publishing delays caused by Busiek's poor health, this storyline popped and crackled on the page like few "old school" superhero stories before or since.

"Confession," which I am reviewing in trade paperback form, concerned a morally compromised superhero of the kind Alan Moore might have come up with...sort of. The main superhero of the story is the Confessor, who is a vampire.

Busiek's innovation is to have the Confessor be the moral heart and principle actor of the story, and yet distance him from the reader. Brian Kinney, an idealist and would-be sidekick, is the narrator and the character we get to know best. The Confessor has fallen farther than any mainstream superhero ever has; on the last panel of the third page of issue seven, the Confessor's face takes on a twisted, pained visage beyond anything Reed Richards flashes even in his worst moments. And yet, because of the reader's relationship to Brian Kinney, the story never feels as dark as The Dark Knight Returns or Watchmen, even though it is, in many ways.

And it isn't, in other ways. Busiek never explores if the Confessor has drunk blood. He hints at the sexual aspects of the Confessor's fall from grace, but does not dwell on them. In all likelihood, he is just not that interested in the darkness of men's souls. The Confessor has sinned, and become a vampire. He wears a cross on his chest, even though it burns him, to "focus," in the grand tradition of the kung fu master. But the Confessor does not show us his heart, only his twisted, pained face. For Busiek, the story is the thing.

And such wealth of story we have! In six issues, Busiek introduces a whole city of characters, many of them popping up just long enough to snag our interest. Aliens invade, the government cracks down on vigilantes, a serial killer faces off against a cyborg bounty hunter; none of this is new, but somehow the vast mishmash of it becomes totally exhilarating. When you read it, you feel like Busiek is throwing in every idea he's ever had, just to amuse you, and you can't help feeling grateful.

And we are always outside the action, because we are with Brian Kinney, who seems bland at first, but then reveals depths, not because of who he is but because of what happens to him. To be a superhero's sidekick, and then to find out that your boss is a vampire...this is a unique moral quandary. But it has to be set aside, because of the larger story involved.

Brent Anderson's artwork contributes our distance from the larger. He always stands a few steps back; even the closeups of characters' faces feel photographed from a distance. At the end of issue 5, when the Confessor literally nails the alien invader to the wall, his face is being seared away to the bone by sunlight. But there is no closeup, and we barely see what is happening to him; we only see what he does. This is the essence of Kurt Busiek's Astro City.

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Volume 2

2005-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Frank Miller's writer/artist work on Daredevil defined the character, drastically influenced the medium, and established Miller as an industry superstar. His run on the comic, therefore, does not come cheap. So I'll be reading it in trade paperback form, published by Marvel as Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Volumes 2 and 3. (Volume 1 contains stories that Miller drew but did not write. I might read it some day, but it's not a priority.)

I've just finished Volume 2. It's terrific. Miller may have just been starting out, but the themes that make him great are already present: the story is of love doomed by violence. It concerns a hero with contradictory values who walks the edge of sanity, a heroine confronted by the worst of humanity and swallowed whole by it, and, in Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, a villain who is not so much evil as he is exceedingly thoughtful. It's just that he has all the wrong thoughts.

In fifteen issues, Miller remakes Daredevil. He introduces Elektra, a lost love and deadly adversary. He takes away part of Daredevil's superpowers and gives them back, in the process giving them spiritual resonance no other Daredevil creator has been able to match. He establishes the Kingpin as an enemy so intimately entwined with Daredevil's soul that their relationship becomes something beyond hate. And he begins the decades-long process, carried out in due course by many other creators, of driving Daredevil insane.

Like the best writers of superheroes with long histories, Miller honed in on the things that make Daredevil unique, and used them to explore themes that are universal. He emphasized the fact that Matt Murdock is a lawyer, devoted to process and slow justice, who dresses up like the devil and deals in swift street justice. Daredevil is a "street-level" superhero, so Miller gave him an arch-foe who seems to be an ordinary man.

But the Kingpin is not ordinary, and his systematic dismantling, and equally systematic recreation, of New York City's crime infrastructure, is among the more compelling aspects of the story. The way in which Daredevil thwarts the Kingpin, by finding the wife the Kingpin had thought dead, reveals depths of humanity in the villain while keeping him a villain, something few writers in any medium are able to do. The Kingpin's wife, his Vanessa, is not so much the light that redeems his black heart as she is the safety valve that keeps him from exploding.

To me, the jewel of this volume is #179, which focuses on the supporting character of reporter Ben Urich, perhaps the most decent, human character Miller has ever shown us. Urich has long ago discovered Daredevil's secret identity, a story that could make his career, but he knows it would be wrong to publish the thing and has moved on to fighting the Kingpin with his journalism. In the course of the story, Urich will be marked for death by Elektra, who has become the Kingpin's assassin, and will nearly be scared off the story by the Kingpin's goons. In the end, though, Urich's ambition, which here is indistinguishable from his decency, won't let him stop, and Elektra runs him through.

The reason this story is great is that Miller seems to know instinctively that he needs to inject some more humanity into the story, and he does it. Daredevil has become vastly more interesting, but with his European assassin ex-girlfriend, his shaky sanity, and the obsessions that arise therefrom, he's become somewhat less relatable. Enter Urich, who becomes our way into the story even as he is (seemingly) martyred at the end of Elektra's sai.

It's obvious that the Elektra character fascinated Miller, as he resurrected her and then wrote a solo miniseries for her. Of all the deadly female assassins comics has produced, she is the gold standard, and, as she hardly talks, it is Miller's unique drawing of her that makes her what she is: an assassin so beautiful and deadly that her creators, who deal death for a living, call her Perfect Death.

And so to the art: Miller has altered his linework drastically since he drew these stories. The cover of the trade paperback collection, drawn by Miller years after creating the images inside it, serves as a good primer on just how much his style has changed. The cover is a striking, stark, passionate image of Daredevil and Elektra locked in an embrace that is equal parts lust and menace. It's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to see in a Sin City comic. Daredevil's hand, clutching the base of Elektra's skull, is exaggeratedly large. Elektra's face is inscrutably beautiful and terrifying, her chin as lanterned as a linebacker's. As if to drive home the point, her fingers, clutching Daredevil's head just as he clutches hers, have torn tracks in his mask. As an image, it is both over-the-top and perfectly demonstrative of the story. Classic Miller, in other words, and wonderful.

You won't see much like it in the book.

Fortunately, the art Miller used to tell these stories is still gorgeous, and technically brilliant. Miller may still have been finding the style he now considers his own when he drew all this, but his search is a wonder to behold.

The dynamic artwork of Elektra's final battle with Bullseye is justifiably famous, but in my opinion Miller truly excels here at stillness. Consider the page before the fight begins: Foggy Nelson freezes Elektra in her tracks by identifying her as "Matt's girl." Miller shows us Elektra's inner conflict with a simple, beautiful picture of her uncertain expression; it is the last clear view of her face we get before Bullseye kills her. Her body language tells the rest of the story; she spares Foggy's life by telling him to "get out of here," but Miller then focuses on her eyes, filled with anger, and then her hunched form; she is furious at herself for letting her feelings dictate her actions, when she has become an assassin to be free of them.

It is in this still posture that Bullseye finds her, so that he may kill her in a brief, epic battle, but again the stillness tells the story. In three short panels, Bullseye holds his gun in three positions; he seems as taken aback as we are by the seething rage that radiates from Elektra. In the last panel of the page, Elektra's angry eye rolls back, glimpsing Bullseye, and we know: she's better than he is, but she's too angry to beat a professional psychopath.

And has Miller's writing changed over the years, the way his art has? No, not really. He found the themes, and the kind of characters, he wanted to write about back then, and he's been doing it ever since. Miller's dialogue of 1982 reads pretty much like his dialogue of 2005.

The quirks one finds in Sin City are also present here already, and not all of them work. Miller is so good at most things that he's never had to develop good conversational dialogue skills for minor characters, and understandably, no editor is going to tell Frank Miller to tone it down with the one-dimensional deformed bad guys. The science fiction underground city of leprous homeless people, a crucial plot point, seems out-of-place in a more spiritual, realistic story like this one. (Although the city's bulbous ruler is a nice thematic counterpoint to the Kingpin.) Miller's knowledge of the legal process and police procedure is a bit shaky. And it must be noted that Urich's recovery from Elektra's attack, which takes place in its entirety between issues 179 and 180, is dealt with too off-handedly to be true to the emotions piqued by seeing Urich struck down.

Still, this is astonishing work. I can only imagine what readers in the early 1980s made of it; clearly, they liked it. Along with the X-Men of Claremont, Cockrum, Byrne, and Smith, and the Teen Titans of Wolfman and Perez, this was the big hit of that era. Having read some of those X-Men and Teen Titans comics, I here opine that this is the one of the three that holds up the best.

Note: Marvel also published some of stories from Volume 2 as a trade paperback called Daredevil: Gang War. It collects Daredevil #169-172 and 180. It's much cheaper, but be warned: the heavily pixelated coloring is inferior and the seven-issue story gap is just as jarring as you might expect.

Why Review Comics?

2005-09-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

We at the Blasphemy Blog and other Blasphemy-related projects love to read comic books. We want to encourage more discussion and examination of the art form, which we consider to be the best medium around. Therefore, we're going to start reviewing the classics. We've read a lot of them but we haven't read them all. But we'll be reading more as we go along.

This will be a project of Mr. Blasphemy working by himself. So I'll just be referring to myself in the singular here.