Reading Comics 163 "More Comics from 5/27/15"

Divinity #4 (Valiant)

The conclusion to the first Divinity mini-series (this issue announces the next one) is a worthy ending to an outstanding story that not only explores the potential of a character with infinite abilities in ways that you normally don't see, but explores Valiant's superheroes in general (grouped together as Unity) to a remarkable degree, all of which previous issues suggested, and so it's nice to see everything come together so nicely.  And we see Divinity himself, in a move that if it's ever happened I'm not particularly aware of it, actually inspire a religion.  (Seriously, I have no idea why DC's New Gods have never been presented this way.)  Another feather in the cap of Matt Kindt.

Mister X: Razed #4 (Dark Horse)

Dean Motter's latest Mister X concludes a little more intimately than usual, as usual referencing the setup of the whole concept, but also presenting Mister X himself as a character with more than just an obsessive quest (for redemption, among other things) going for him.  I haven't read all of Motter's Mister X, although at some point I'd certainly like to.  I like its cerebral approach, how it evokes a previous era while at the same time presenting something new.  What I've always wanted is for the narrative to move forward a bit.  I think this issues represents exactly that, so I'm glad to have read my first-ever Mister X in original serialized form.  Anyone curious about Motter's work might actually start with this issue, because it sums up the whole thing nicely.

The Sandman: Overture #5 (Vertigo)

The first issue published this year???  Indeed.  And the mini-series launched at the end of 2013, so...five issues across three calendar years.  Obviously not a very fast pace...I've had my issues enjoying this effort from Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III, but at this point I think I've put them behind me.  This was never supposed to be the Sandman of the original series, but rather an expansive view of the whole thing, Dream himself.  The next issue (whenever that happens) is actually the conclusion, so I'll wait until then to come up with a more comprehensive reaction to Overture.  But as with Mister X, I'm just glad to have an opportunity to correct something I hadn't done previously, which is read the serialized version of something I previously knew from collected editions...

Mister X: Razed #3 (Dark Horse)

writer/artist: Dean Motter

Motter's eponymous and most famous creation continues the same story he's always ensconced in to lead this issue, trying once again to disentangle his beloved city from the strange architectural conspiracies that have been plaguing it.

As back-up, Menlo Park, the robotic P.I. from one of Motter's other playgrounds, introduced in Electropolis, concludes his latest mystery, and it's clever, a zombie-themed story that turns out to be more clever than that (any good zombie story isn't really about zombies at all, and the best ones don't even feature real zombies at all).

What Motter adds, almost as an afterthought, is a link between Park and Mister X's adventures.  At first they seem somewhat incompatible, however similar in structure, given that Menlo Park is distinctly an element of Dean Motter's prescious retrofuturism whereas Mister X is in many ways merely retro.  How the twain shall meet?  Motter doesn't really sweat it.  It's the girl observing Park's adventure that makes the link.  She even thinks she discovers Mister X's secret identity.

Would that be a first?  I've been trying to catch up with Motter's work for a decade.  I've still got more to read (and therefore I'm happy when I can catch new material first-run), so maybe it isn't a new wrinkle at all.  But it certainly helps keep things interesting.  Besides (without spoiling things in case you want to read Razed for yourself) Motter's idea about how to make your own zombies...

Mister X: Razed #2 (Dark Horse)

writer/artist: Dean Motter

Thanks in large part to Dark Horse's extraordinary commitment in recent years, Mister X is finally starting to get some recognition.  Yeah, it only took three decades...

But Dean Motter is approaching the character exactly the same as he always has: that same mysterious insomniac obsessed with navigating a city he helped create, one corrupt to the very core, having apparently been designed to wreak havoc on the psyche.

Motter's vision has turned out to be a criticism of the modern urban landscape.  At times he's focused on what we used to think the future would look like (what he calls retrofuturism), but in truth Motter has a distinctly pulp perspective, one he's shared with Frank Miller all along.

Where Miller has tended toward a more primal approach, Motter prefers an oblique one.  Where they distinctly merge is in storytelling like the page I included, which you can also find in Miller's Dark Knight Returns.  This is a portrait of the whole city.  Mister X is most often a bogeyman, how Tim Burton envisioned the Dark Knight in Batman, which was much more like Miller's vision than anything that had been seen in comics or television to that date.  Miller's creative vision is best-known from his Sin City comics and the resulting films co-directed by Robert Rodriguez, who's good friends with Quentin Tarantino, who of course made Pulp Fiction.  Motter's storytelling is kind of like what happens in a Tarantino film when there isn't blood involved.  Everyone's very self-absorbed, and they don't notice what's happening around them.  Which is exactly what Motter's villains are always counting on.  When they aren't pulling off a sensational act like making a building disappear.

But more on that next issue!

Quick Hits 3

 The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #2 and 5 (Valiant)

I headed to my local comics shop with the hope to pick up the complete series, but ended up with just two issues, which is fine in a certain sense, given that one of them directly followed the first issue, which was what hooked me, and the other was the final issue of the mini-series.

In a lot of ways, this was more of a modern take on Vertigo than DC has been doing in the New 52, pulsing with an intrinsic grasp of arcane magic as a workable reality, sort of what Grant Morrison would be doing if he weren't so confrontational in most of his comics.  The writer, of course, is Jen Van Meter.  The covers are pretty great, too, including the one on the left from Travel Forman, while interior artist Roberto De La Torre is equally impressive.

The best news from the last issue is that the title is returning in Death-Defying Doctor Mirage: Second Life, to be eagerly anticipated whenever it appears on the publishing schedule.

And, this:

Mister X: Razed #1 (Dark Horse)

The best thing Dark Horse has been doing is keeping Dean Motter's Mister X alive, not only in reprints but in new comics as well.  This is the first time I catch first-run.  Apparently Motter always wanted to do holiday-themed comics with his famed insomniac architect.  This Christmas-themed issue is a little late (even though I'm a little late reading it myself, it was still late on original release), but still a lot of fun.

Ms. Marvel #13 (Marvel)

Honestly, my interest in the series had been waning.  But this issue has reminded me all over again what makes it great.  Kamala finds a soulmate, perhaps, in more ways than she could have dreamed.  Will the rest of the arc prove otherwise?  We wait with baited breath...

My All-time Favorite Comic Books, 25-21

Every comic book reader worth their salt has a list of their favorite comics, the ones they treasure the most and most recommend to new and fellow readers.  Here's mine:

#25. Spider-Man Reign

Creators: Kaare Andrews
Publication dates: 2007
Issues: 1-4

This is my personal favorite version of The Dark Knight Returns, one of the most famous Batman stories ever told.  Marvel was a little slow to respond to it, but along with the excellent Wolverine story arc "Old Man Logan," it was easily Spider-Man Reign that finally rose to the challenge.  Where Reign trumps DKR is its ability to capture the essential message of the lead character in a way that goes backward and forward.  In the future, Peter Parker is an old man who once more dons his costume to battle an insidious plot to enslave all of New York City.  It's the quintessential "pathetic loner" Spider-Man story, told evocatively and sparsely, featuring most of the familiar supporting cast although each of them in surprising ways.  When you picture Spider-Man you usually have the wise-cracker in mind, but far more deep to the core is a guy who has never fit in and never quite got over that feeling of exclusion.  That's what this story is all about, how the story ends for one of the greatest heroes ever.

#24. Mister X

Creators: Dean Motter
Publication dates: 1984-present
Issues: 1-14, Brides of Mister X, Condemned, Eviction, Hard Candy

One of the greatest comic book characters I've ever read isn't a superhero, but rather Dean Motter's archetypal retro-futurist creation, the reclusive Mister X, originally published by Vortex Comics but by increasing demand finally staging a comeback at Dark Horse with new graphic novel releases every few years.  Along with Motter has been a number of other creators who have helped shape one of the most breathtaking artistic achievements in comics history, comparable to Will Eisner's more famous Spirit, creating an impact that's still only beginning to be felt.

#23. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's Batman and Robin

Creators: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason
Publication dates: 2011-present
Issues: Batman and Robin Vol. 1 20-22, Vol. 2 0-present

I've been increasingly impressed with this dynamic duo, who first came together for Green Lantern Corps and were later again paired together in the pages of Brightest Day.  Yet it's in Batman and Robin where Tomasi and Gleason have truly peaked (so far), creating a book that's almost a companion to contemporary Batman lore, offering the best commentaries on current storylines while also immersing themselves in the private lives of Bruce Wayne and his son Damian.  Key issues include #0 (Damian's origin) and 23 (a perfect eulogy to Damian's death).  Bucking every expectation, this has the potential to climb much higher.  Or Tomasi and Gleason can somehow top themselves in a different collaboration entirely.

#22. Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung's Young Avengers

Creators: Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung
Publication dates: 2005-2012
Issues: 1-12, Avengers: The Children's Crusade 1-9

To my mind still the most perfect of the monthly depictions of the Marvel universe, even if it lasted for one year and then years later for a reprise about as long.  Heinberg took the Infinity Inc. formula of looking at how the next generation of famous archetypes would perform (a thing Marvel had tried before in things like M2 and 2099) and perfected it, with an entire bumper crop of characters with the same angst as the '60s boom generation and all the room to explore and grow as their story continued.  Children's Crusade remains inexplicably underrated, even though it was the sequel to House of M years in the making and completely unexpected, as well as a natural sequel to Heinberg and Cheung's original run.

#21. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Challengers of the Unknown

Creators: Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale
Publication dates: 1991
Issues: 1-8

Later collected under the title Challengers of the Unknown Must Die!, this is Loeb and Sale's earliest and to my mind best collaboration, a complete deconstruction of the superhero narrative in a way Watchmen could only dream, literary and therefore mostly untouchable to anyone expecting traditional material.  And the fact that it features a group of undiscovered icons makes it all the better.

(All covers via Comic Book Database.)