The conclusion of Mike Costa's latest continuation of his sprawling Cobra saga features an epic confrontation between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, plus more of Costa's trademark insights, not only into various characters but the general G.I. Joe landscape. I keep heaping praise on the whole thing, but really at this point I'm just glad that IDW keeps letting Costa continue the whole thing, because the fans just aren't showing up, and every time Costa does something else, he doesn't seem to bring the same verve or perspective. But I guess I'm okay with that...
Ms. Marvel #15 (Marvel)
G. Willow Wilson has me as a fan, but I've never quite connected with her again the way I did over Air. I'm glad she's got a big hit in Ms. Marvel, but I've grown increasingly frustrated at the title spinning its wheels. The conclusion to the "Crushed" arc makes it plain as an allegory for Muslims (or any other group) being unfairly represented by their worst representatives (which sadly, for Muslims, are not at all hard to find), a topic of considerable importance to Wilson, since she's a convert to Islam, and as such probably doesn't like her religion looking so bad. That being said, the charm has begun to fade on this series. The heavier the material has gotten, the more it's lost its buoyancy, which is a statement that only sounds obvious when voiced that way, and the buoyancy is exactly what made it so unique to begin with. I will keep reading, but increasingly that's a statement that seems destined to end with "until I don't."
Rebels #2 (Dark Horse)
Be careful, writers. That's a message I say not so much about Rebels itself but what writer Brian Wood writes about himself in the back of this issue. He talks about his political views, and how he's writing Rebels in part to reclaim a part of himself he believes has been denied himself in the post-9/11 climate. And yet in doing so, he seems to totally misinterpret the climate of Rebels itself. The story in the issue seems to corroborate this view, as it takes a somewhat simplistic idea of who the people were who decided to fight...And I don't know how a writer who presents himself the way Wood does could possibly come to such a conclusion. There's absolutely nothing simplistic about the American Revolution, or about the people who decided to take up arms against England for the sake of independence. It's perhaps most frustrating because Wood, at least in this issue, has chosen for his main character a fictional base-level soldier in this war, someone whose motives perhaps could boil down to simplicity...but if you want to explore the complexities of this period, and reclaim a part of yourself, a writer probably should choose a different tack. And that's at least two reasons why I once again will not be able to read a Brian Wood series. This is four missed opportunities for me now. I guess I'm just not a Brian Wood guy...
Saga #28 (Image)
In contrast, I've connected with Brian K. Vaughan with two out of his four major projects, so I'm much more comfortable calling myself a Brian K. Vaughan guy even though I don't always care about what he's doing. Saga is at once a work of genius and also a series that at times seems like it desperately wants to repeat the Walking Dead model. I can hear a million voices saying, What can possibly be wrong with that??? Well, for starters, Saga can easily turn away from looking like a work of genius and become something that spins its wheels for the sake of remaining in-print (which, ah, is basically my impression of Walking Dead, and also the TV series). Which is not to say that a given issue of Saga doesn't feature everything I love about it, but that the story can drag quite a bit. Each issue features as little of the overall story as possible (when people talk about Brian Michael Bendis, they like to use the term "decompression;" they should consider applying it to Vaughan, too), which can be frustrating. And so when Vaughan reiterates at the prompting of a letter that he can easily see the series continue on for years, I scratch my head. Because at this pace, we will have seen the story advanced to a considerable degree years from now. Oh, now I get it...
Strange Sports Stories #3 (Vertigo)
There's only one reason why I bought this one, part of an anthology mini-series, and that's because it features CM Punk's second foray into comics. Punk was a professional wrestler until about a year and a half ago, but his every movement is still followed with breathless anticipation by wrestling fans (who obviously expect him to wrestle again at any moment), so when news of his working in comics began to appear, I was eager to see what he would do with such an opportunity. Recently it was announced that he'd be writing an ongoing Drax the Destroyer comic (appropriate, since Drax was portrayed by another ex-wrestler, Batista, in Guardians of the Galaxy), but before that Punk has been limited to much shorter material. His first effort was in Thor Annual #1 earlier this year, in which he proved a deft hand at comedy. Here he spins a yarn obviously dedicated to the Chicago Cubs, using a caption-heavy approach that contrasts nicely with his earlier work (he has versatility!). Punk has long been heavily associated with his hometown of Chicago, so it's not at all surprising that he demonstrates an affinity for the Cubs (looking really good this season!). He chooses to spotlight the idea of the team being cursed (several times over!). As a member in good standing of Red Sox Nation (season looking horrible!), I can understand the intricacies of curses, and can appreciate the restraint necessary to talk about such things with the kind of relaxed mood Punk demonstrates, especially since he exited wrestling with a lot less patience in mind (is the whole story a code suggesting he isn't done after all???). And yes, the rest of the issue is utter gibberish. It's clobbering time!
