I got my second Forbidden Geek mystery box, including a Supergirl statue, a copy of Justice League Vol. 2: The Villain's Journey (which was a very pleasant surprise; eventually I'll have the complete Johns collection), and the following comics:
All Star Batman #3 (DC)
Snyder once again in his nutshell, blowing everything up into possibly misguided epic proportions. This time it's how Batman and Two-Face were actually childhood friends. But, also features the KGBeast! Alas, without his '90s Russian accent.
Captain Atom #7 (DC)
This is what I love about Forbidden Geek's mystery boxes, getting stuff I've always wanted to read but for whatever reason haven't gotten around to yet. Captain Atom was one of those short-lived New 52 titles at launch. I never had a clue what the series was like. Now I finally do! J.T. Krul, one of the dependable writers of that era who kind of disappeared without good reason, depicts his version of the character as Captain Atom has ever since DC gave in and acknowledged that Doctor Manhattan was based on him. I first became acquainted with the character (whose main claim to fame is being but not really being the secret origin of Monarch in Armageddon 2001) in the pages of Justice League America and Extreme Justice, where he was depicted as more a Superman type, but a more aggressive version (just not to the degree that the original version of Supreme was, before Alan Moore made him a Silver Age Superman pastiche). The art is from Freddie Williams II, who in recent years has come to be defined by the improbable Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. I've got plenty of experience with his work, which I often find too cartoonish but not cartoonish enough to be accepted as such. Here he's got better line work, though he apparently has no idea what riding a bike looks like (the legs, particularly). I would absolutely love to read a collected edition of this material.
Constantine #5 (DC)
The New 52 attempt to mainstream John Constantine (a concept begun in Brightest Day) may have been somewhat misguided (at any rate, DC has yet to figure it out) works pretty well in this issue, with John temporarily stealing Shazam's powers (for his own good!), thereby setting a template other tales would do well to follow. You can't really have the guy (even if he pops up in other books and/or teams) attempting to replicate his Vertigo experiences without recontextualizing him properly. Ideally, he needs a central story, the way Zatanna is forever associated with her father's career, which increasingly is itself irrelevant but nonetheless provides a springboard to ground her. The writer, of course, is Ray Fawkes, another great writer in that era who somehow failed to garner due respect.
Deathstroke #20 (DC)
A late New 52 series still running in the early Rebirth era (one of several, including Earth 2: Society and Doctor Fate, given a chance to wind down naturally), Slade (the youthful Slade, sans white hair!) blows up a partnership with Ra's al Ghul to reclaim his children.
Hinterkind #10 (Vertigo)
A vampire series. That is all.
Justice League #18 (DC)
A trademark of League comics is the membership drive (something Snyder ignored in pushing a huge lineup with multiple titles right from the start, so that everyone and their mother is instantly included). That's what happens this issue. Some new characters (Goldrush is sort of a revision of Bulleteer; sadly neither character has had much of a shelf life to date) and even a tease for the Crime Syndicate saga called Forever Evil makes this a fine character piece in a series with far more character work than you'd think.
Justice League #32 (DC)
Element Woman (a riff on Metamorpho), also featured in the membership drive, and the Doom Patrol(with a vicious Chief whose rival is Lex Luthor), try to tackle Jessica Cruz in the aftermath of her obtaining the power ring of, ah, Power Ring, the Crime Syndicate's Green Lantern. Cruz later flattened into a character who sort of hid away in her room for...reasons, but it seems Johns originally had a deeper portrait in mind.
Legion of Super-Heroes #283 (DC)
The token Older Issue in the box, this is an early '80s Legion comic featuring the secret origin of Wildfire. I actually became more interested in the potential of at least one of the recruits he was testing. Did anything ever end up happening with Lamprey? Some quick research says no. If I ever do get to write comics, I will include her in my Legion!
The New 52: Futures End #39 (DC)
This and Batman Eternal seem destined to show up in mystery selections. At least I don't seem to get duplicate copies of this one.
Richard Dragon #12 (DC)
The Chuck Dixon/Scott McDaniel series that reprised their Nightwing act. Somewhat handily, the final issue. God, I still want to know why McDaniel ended up blackballed from any significant work following Static Shock. The dude was a staple at DC for a decade in high profile projects, and then criminally overlooked material like The Great Ten. He's a treasure. I doubt he was that awful to handle creatively when given a chance to write as well as draw. He still shows up randomly here and there. But, someone, anyone, give him a significant new project.
Superman #5 (DC)
The Tomasi/Gleason Rebirth series (seriously; McDaniel is like Gleason before Gleason was finally recognized), featuring the Eradicator targeting Jon Kent as a human/Kryptonian "abomination." I don't think Tomasi/Gleason quite nailed Superman the way they did Batman and Robin. I just saw Gleason popped up in Marvel Comics #1000 (which I'll be reading this week and have thoughts on next weekend). Give these two a new project together before either considers really jumping ship.
Showing posts with label Ray Fawkes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ray Fawkes. Show all posts
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Quarter Bin 117 "More DC 3-Pack Comics"
I love these DC 3-packs. I love that I can find any comics in retail stores, even if they're grab bags, but the consistency of these 3-packs has been a continuous joy for the past few years. So here's what I got in the last two:
Batman and Robin: Futures End (DC)
from November 2014
I love reading these Futures End issues. I love that so many writers ignored, and possibly at editorial suggestion, the Futures End event itself and just had a look at whatever was most probably five years down the line in whatever was happening in the titles at the time. Ray Fawkes was riffing, here, on Damian's death, and Batman's penchant for going gunshy on his new partners because of things like that. This time he's pulling it on Duke Thomas, who in this Futures End timeline actually did become Robin, as so many fans long anticipated (Snyder has instead opted to give him his own identity: the Signal). The art is by Dustin Nguyen, with inks by frequent collaborator Derek Fridolfs. It's funny to see Nguyen presented as a traditional artist again, after getting so used to his Descender water colors look.
What's funny is that it makes his work look like Jorge Corona's.
Here's what Nguyen looks like in Descender, by the way:
The story, by the way, involves Batman's showdown with a revived Heretic, most likely a clone, the villain who killed Damian in the pages of Morrison's Batman Incorporated. I'm sure I've read it before, but it's another of the excellent Futures End specials.
Green Arrow #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is a reprint of the Rebirth debut issue from the ongoing series, and does an excellent job of spotlighting Benjamin Percy's vision for the series, integrating a lot of different elements of Green Arrow's publishing history, including his social views, relationship with Black Canary, and penchant for having a sidekick, except this one...It becomes a wonderful development for the character, having Ollie take on a half-sister, whose mother turns out to be his enemy Shado. Makes me think I really should've made this series a priority read at some point. Will have to check back in...
Justice League #36 (DC)
from January 2015
This is the first chapter in the "Amazo Virus," where Geoff Johns started amping the series back up to its "monthly event book" (my designation) status as it geared toward "Darkseid War." The art of Jason Fabok was an immediate sensation, and certainly helped drive eyeballs back to the title.
Justice League United #2, 5 (DC)
from August, December 2014
I never did get around to sampling this series at the time, but I'm glad I finally have. Jeff Lemire (writer of Descender, by the way!) launched it, and these issues make it clear that United helped launch the New 52 version of Adam Strange, which was fun to read, especially for someone who's just finished rereading 52.
Batman and the Justice League: Outbreak #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is what's really fascinating about these 3-packs, that the comic in front is always the newest, and often features a custom Wal-Mart cover and even, with some of them, custom titles. Batman and the Justice League is actually the Rebirth Justice League from Bryan Hitch, and this is actually #10 from the series. It's kind of funny, too, or maybe calculated, that the issue is related to the above Justice League, as it also features Amazo.
Batman and Robin: Futures End (DC)
from November 2014
I love reading these Futures End issues. I love that so many writers ignored, and possibly at editorial suggestion, the Futures End event itself and just had a look at whatever was most probably five years down the line in whatever was happening in the titles at the time. Ray Fawkes was riffing, here, on Damian's death, and Batman's penchant for going gunshy on his new partners because of things like that. This time he's pulling it on Duke Thomas, who in this Futures End timeline actually did become Robin, as so many fans long anticipated (Snyder has instead opted to give him his own identity: the Signal). The art is by Dustin Nguyen, with inks by frequent collaborator Derek Fridolfs. It's funny to see Nguyen presented as a traditional artist again, after getting so used to his Descender water colors look.
What's funny is that it makes his work look like Jorge Corona's.
Yeah, Corono drew Duke, too, as a kind of Robin, in the pages of We Are Robin. Seems appropriate, anyway.Here's what Nguyen looks like in Descender, by the way:
The story, by the way, involves Batman's showdown with a revived Heretic, most likely a clone, the villain who killed Damian in the pages of Morrison's Batman Incorporated. I'm sure I've read it before, but it's another of the excellent Futures End specials.
Green Arrow #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is a reprint of the Rebirth debut issue from the ongoing series, and does an excellent job of spotlighting Benjamin Percy's vision for the series, integrating a lot of different elements of Green Arrow's publishing history, including his social views, relationship with Black Canary, and penchant for having a sidekick, except this one...It becomes a wonderful development for the character, having Ollie take on a half-sister, whose mother turns out to be his enemy Shado. Makes me think I really should've made this series a priority read at some point. Will have to check back in...
Justice League #36 (DC)
from January 2015
This is the first chapter in the "Amazo Virus," where Geoff Johns started amping the series back up to its "monthly event book" (my designation) status as it geared toward "Darkseid War." The art of Jason Fabok was an immediate sensation, and certainly helped drive eyeballs back to the title.
Justice League United #2, 5 (DC)
from August, December 2014
I never did get around to sampling this series at the time, but I'm glad I finally have. Jeff Lemire (writer of Descender, by the way!) launched it, and these issues make it clear that United helped launch the New 52 version of Adam Strange, which was fun to read, especially for someone who's just finished rereading 52.
Batman and the Justice League: Outbreak #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is what's really fascinating about these 3-packs, that the comic in front is always the newest, and often features a custom Wal-Mart cover and even, with some of them, custom titles. Batman and the Justice League is actually the Rebirth Justice League from Bryan Hitch, and this is actually #10 from the series. It's kind of funny, too, or maybe calculated, that the issue is related to the above Justice League, as it also features Amazo.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Reading Comics 191 "DC Rebirth Week Four, Divinity II, Totally Awesome Hulk, Justice League, Robin"
Covered this edition: Divinity II #3, The Flash #1, The Totally Awesome Hulk #7, Justice League #52, Robin: Son of Batman #13, Action Comics #958, and Wonder Woman #1.
Divinity II #3 (Valiant)
Matt Kindt continues the second volume of his visionary superhero saga, in which Russian cosmonauts Abram Adams and Myshka engage in the ultimate duel, across time and reality, as they attempt to determine whose will triumphs in this high-stakes game of god-like beings. For the second straight issue, it seems the villainous Myshka has once again come out on top, but there's a telling moment when Abram visits the young Myshka, years before the mission that was to change their lives and the whole world, and whispers something into her ear. Abram has taken great pains in explaining to the adult Myshka that you can't change the past. The suggestion is that whatever he said to the girl is more crucial than the adult currently realizes. I assume something of that sort will be involved in the conclusion next issue...
The Flash #1 (DC)
My name is Tony Laplume, and I am the happiest Flash fan alive. Well, maybe one of them, because this debut issue of the series proper lives up to the promise of the Rebirth preview, as Josh Williamson sets up a bold new arc in which the gift of the Speed Force starts spreading around. Williamson's best bit of storytelling is actually the whole issue, which starts out explaining Barry Allen's origin again, while inserting a key new player, who by the end of the issue is the first (there will be others) to experience the expansion of speedsters. This series is in excellent hands.
The Totally Awesome Hulk #7 (Marvel)
Easiest some of the best Marvel comics I ever read were Incredible Hercules and its several continuations, which featured Amadeus Cho as the Hulk's (and yes, Herc's) biggest fan. This shouldn't have worked, right? In the modern era, the "kid sidekick" idea is passe, but Cho's enthusiasm, not to mention his smarts, puts him in a league all his own. And in this era where every Marvel superhero is being replaced by their biggest cheerleader (of various extractions), this is the best variation possible. But the issue actually puts the focus on Bruce Banner, who is totally free of the Hulk for the first time ever, and he's struggling to deal with it. You'd think it would be a good thing, but when you're Bruce Banner, it's much more complicated than that. If you like your Hulk to be good for something other than smashing (although that's good, too), then this is a good time to be a fan. Spearheading this new era is Greg Pak, who knows a thing or two about the big green guy.
Justice League #52 (DC)
The final issue of the series strangely harkens back to the very beginning, as a new hero is introduced to the world. This time it's Lex Luthor, presenting his version of Superman. The writer is Dan Jurgens, providing a bridge between where Geoff Johns left off with Luthor and where Jurgens picks up again in the pages of Action Comics. Lex Luthor was one of the characters who benefited greatly from the New 52, and Justice League. It's only appropriate to give him the nod like this. What I love perhaps even more is that the artist is Tom Grummett, making this a mini '90s Superman reunion.
Robin: Son of Batman #13 (DC)
The final issue of the series, which I decided to read so I could say I was fair to the creators not named Patrick Gleason who worked on it. (Okay, so technically it would have been more fair to read more than one issue, but still...) As it turns out, Ray Fawkes is once again better than I seem to have given him credit for, as his version of Damian and friends fits in wonderfully with Gleason's, and even serves as a truly fitting finale. Nice one, Fawkes. I'll try to remember next time.
Action Comics #958 (DC)
Jurgens, Lex Luthor, and Superman, and Doomsday, and Clark Kent, oh my! Clearly there are things going on that aren't quite what they seem, but I love, love, love that Jurgens is getting the chance to further expand on his Superman legacy, which admittedly he's had many chances to do over the years. I think he's really nailed it this time.
Wonder Woman #1 (DC)
I thought Greg Rucka would be fixating somewhat exclusively on Wonder Woman's origins, despite the alternating storylines ahead, but this issue presents a wrinkle in that idea, as the end of the issue reveals that she's been locked out of Themyscira, and she's had to turn to Cheetah, of all people, for help. I also like Rucka's characterization of Wonder Woman's reluctance to fight, and Steve Trevor's reclassification back into a military guy. All around good stuff here.
Divinity II #3 (Valiant)
Matt Kindt continues the second volume of his visionary superhero saga, in which Russian cosmonauts Abram Adams and Myshka engage in the ultimate duel, across time and reality, as they attempt to determine whose will triumphs in this high-stakes game of god-like beings. For the second straight issue, it seems the villainous Myshka has once again come out on top, but there's a telling moment when Abram visits the young Myshka, years before the mission that was to change their lives and the whole world, and whispers something into her ear. Abram has taken great pains in explaining to the adult Myshka that you can't change the past. The suggestion is that whatever he said to the girl is more crucial than the adult currently realizes. I assume something of that sort will be involved in the conclusion next issue...
The Flash #1 (DC)
My name is Tony Laplume, and I am the happiest Flash fan alive. Well, maybe one of them, because this debut issue of the series proper lives up to the promise of the Rebirth preview, as Josh Williamson sets up a bold new arc in which the gift of the Speed Force starts spreading around. Williamson's best bit of storytelling is actually the whole issue, which starts out explaining Barry Allen's origin again, while inserting a key new player, who by the end of the issue is the first (there will be others) to experience the expansion of speedsters. This series is in excellent hands.
The Totally Awesome Hulk #7 (Marvel)
Easiest some of the best Marvel comics I ever read were Incredible Hercules and its several continuations, which featured Amadeus Cho as the Hulk's (and yes, Herc's) biggest fan. This shouldn't have worked, right? In the modern era, the "kid sidekick" idea is passe, but Cho's enthusiasm, not to mention his smarts, puts him in a league all his own. And in this era where every Marvel superhero is being replaced by their biggest cheerleader (of various extractions), this is the best variation possible. But the issue actually puts the focus on Bruce Banner, who is totally free of the Hulk for the first time ever, and he's struggling to deal with it. You'd think it would be a good thing, but when you're Bruce Banner, it's much more complicated than that. If you like your Hulk to be good for something other than smashing (although that's good, too), then this is a good time to be a fan. Spearheading this new era is Greg Pak, who knows a thing or two about the big green guy.
Justice League #52 (DC)
The final issue of the series strangely harkens back to the very beginning, as a new hero is introduced to the world. This time it's Lex Luthor, presenting his version of Superman. The writer is Dan Jurgens, providing a bridge between where Geoff Johns left off with Luthor and where Jurgens picks up again in the pages of Action Comics. Lex Luthor was one of the characters who benefited greatly from the New 52, and Justice League. It's only appropriate to give him the nod like this. What I love perhaps even more is that the artist is Tom Grummett, making this a mini '90s Superman reunion.
Robin: Son of Batman #13 (DC)
The final issue of the series, which I decided to read so I could say I was fair to the creators not named Patrick Gleason who worked on it. (Okay, so technically it would have been more fair to read more than one issue, but still...) As it turns out, Ray Fawkes is once again better than I seem to have given him credit for, as his version of Damian and friends fits in wonderfully with Gleason's, and even serves as a truly fitting finale. Nice one, Fawkes. I'll try to remember next time.
Action Comics #958 (DC)
Jurgens, Lex Luthor, and Superman, and Doomsday, and Clark Kent, oh my! Clearly there are things going on that aren't quite what they seem, but I love, love, love that Jurgens is getting the chance to further expand on his Superman legacy, which admittedly he's had many chances to do over the years. I think he's really nailed it this time.
Wonder Woman #1 (DC)
I thought Greg Rucka would be fixating somewhat exclusively on Wonder Woman's origins, despite the alternating storylines ahead, but this issue presents a wrinkle in that idea, as the end of the issue reveals that she's been locked out of Themyscira, and she's had to turn to Cheetah, of all people, for help. I also like Rucka's characterization of Wonder Woman's reluctance to fight, and Steve Trevor's reclassification back into a military guy. All around good stuff here.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Quarter Bin 82 "Return of the Duck Knight, Dixon & McDaniel's Nightwing, Pandora's Futures End, Rucka's Queen & Country, Dixon's Robin"
Not always, but this time the title of this column may be taken literally. Thank you for reading this.
The Midnite Skulker #2 (Target)
From August 1986.
This issue, as you can tell, is dubbed "Return of the Duck Knight," which makes this a vintage parody of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns. I just had to read it. We live in an age where anything that's parodied isn't taken seriously (it's funny because literally anything can be made to sound ridiculous, right?), but there was a time where it was taken for granted that anything was fair game, including something that was just beginning to become a touchstone. E. Larry Dobias delivers a pretty spot-on parody, down to panel structure and emphasis on TV reportage. The whole Duck Knight thing was later absconded by Darkwing Duck, but...Dobias get there first! Midnight skulkers, meanwhile, also exist in the comic strip B.C., which means you have to be pretty specific to find this on Google. I know people who aren't fans of superheroes find it very hard to take them seriously, so it's not surprising that someone instantly showed up to make fun of Dark Knight Returns, but it's pretty funny, observing how much pain Bruise Wane, I mean Bruce Wayne would be in if he really did try and resume a young man's career when he was anything, anything but. I mean, if you were to make a movie about Old Man Bruce, I wonder if anyone would take him seriously. I remember critics pointing out how Jack Bauer probably couldn't absorb relatively easy jumps at his age when the last 24 revival happened. And Jack would still be young compared to the Bruce Wayne of Dark Knight Returns! Clint Eastwood had some hits as an old man adventure star (Unforgiven, Gran Torino), but again, no real comparison to Miller's vision. Apparently, only ducks can pull it off otherwise...
Nightwing #26 (DC)
From December 1998.
When I quit reading comics before heading off to college, I quit cold turkey, unlike what I've managed to do in this Comics Readr era (although I'm hoping to make a better go of it in a few months). The transition was during my senior year of high school, and I guess it was more staggered than I now remember, because I don't remember reading this issue back in the day, in which Huntress enters the series proper (there had been a mini-series team-up previously) under the auspices of Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel, who somehow managed to turn Dick Grayson's first ongoing series into their own little creative showcase, especially McDaniel, who parlayed this work into higher profile stuff with Batman and Superman, before gradually be used less and less, to the point where you'd hardly know the poor guy's still working in comics...Anyway, I loved this era, and it's always worth revisiting. Clancy's still there, Soames is still there, Tad is still there, and even Cisco! It's easy to forget Cisco, because he wasn't as well defined as some other characters, but this was such a rich vision of Dick's further crime-fighting career, I wish it got more respect later. There are always reprints, and back issues...
Trinity of Sin: Pandora - Futures End (DC)
From November 2014.
I continue to pick away at the Futures End and Villains Month comics DC put out, since there's such a wealth of material to be found. The latest is Pandora, who was seemingly intended to be the major new character of the New 52, and who was killed off in DC Universe Rebirth, and apparently in this story, too. It seems that was always her fate. As part of the "trinity of sin" (along with the Question and Phantom Stranger), she ended up inhabiting one of the more obscure corners of the DC landscape. These are characters who recur in the comics with some regularity, but they're rarely around for much more than a visit. Pandora was inhabiting, at first, the role of Harbinger from Crisis on Infinite Earths, and so it can actually be said she had remarkable staying power. It's time to put aside the notion that she was a creative failure. The surprisingly dependable Ray Fawkes, still looking for a true breakout project, was responsible for this.
Queen & Country FCBD (Oni)
From May 2002.
This was one of the releases from the very first Free Comic Book Day. (Read a little about that here.) With the recent return of Greg Rucka to the pages of Wonder Woman (and DC in general), it's worth remembering that he's got a pretty long history in comics at this point. His first creator-owned success was Whiteout (adapted into a 2009 film), but Queen & Country is what, besides his Batman work, put Rucka on the map (for me, he'll always be best remembered as part of the writing dream team of 52). Until now, I'd never read any of it. Turns out it's pretty good. It's also worth noting, with some amusement, that Bryan Lee O'Malley, who would later launch the innovative Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels at Oni, appears listed as artist for someone else's project. You just kind of expect someone like that to have emerged fully formed, but apparently that wasn't the case.
Robin #75 (DC)
From April 2000.
This was from later in Chuck Dixon's long run on the title he helped launch (he had nearly twenty-five issues left to go after it, reaching the hundredth issue, and then a few more later). By this time, Tim Drake is about ready to take his break from being the Boy Wonder, and Stephanie Brown will assume her ill-fated turn, in what is still a shockingly downplayed part of the Robin lineage. But that's about fifty issues and two writers later. It's not surprising that Dixon would be the writer to shepherd Tim away from the Dynamic Duo partnership, as the beginning of the series had Tim breaking away from "AzBats" and thus a Robin striking out on his own for the first time. Tim kind of remains in that mode, actually. The artist is Pete Woods relatively early in his career. I can't believe I'm just making a label for the guy.
From August 1986.
This issue, as you can tell, is dubbed "Return of the Duck Knight," which makes this a vintage parody of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns. I just had to read it. We live in an age where anything that's parodied isn't taken seriously (it's funny because literally anything can be made to sound ridiculous, right?), but there was a time where it was taken for granted that anything was fair game, including something that was just beginning to become a touchstone. E. Larry Dobias delivers a pretty spot-on parody, down to panel structure and emphasis on TV reportage. The whole Duck Knight thing was later absconded by Darkwing Duck, but...Dobias get there first! Midnight skulkers, meanwhile, also exist in the comic strip B.C., which means you have to be pretty specific to find this on Google. I know people who aren't fans of superheroes find it very hard to take them seriously, so it's not surprising that someone instantly showed up to make fun of Dark Knight Returns, but it's pretty funny, observing how much pain Bruise Wane, I mean Bruce Wayne would be in if he really did try and resume a young man's career when he was anything, anything but. I mean, if you were to make a movie about Old Man Bruce, I wonder if anyone would take him seriously. I remember critics pointing out how Jack Bauer probably couldn't absorb relatively easy jumps at his age when the last 24 revival happened. And Jack would still be young compared to the Bruce Wayne of Dark Knight Returns! Clint Eastwood had some hits as an old man adventure star (Unforgiven, Gran Torino), but again, no real comparison to Miller's vision. Apparently, only ducks can pull it off otherwise...
Nightwing #26 (DC)
From December 1998.
When I quit reading comics before heading off to college, I quit cold turkey, unlike what I've managed to do in this Comics Readr era (although I'm hoping to make a better go of it in a few months). The transition was during my senior year of high school, and I guess it was more staggered than I now remember, because I don't remember reading this issue back in the day, in which Huntress enters the series proper (there had been a mini-series team-up previously) under the auspices of Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel, who somehow managed to turn Dick Grayson's first ongoing series into their own little creative showcase, especially McDaniel, who parlayed this work into higher profile stuff with Batman and Superman, before gradually be used less and less, to the point where you'd hardly know the poor guy's still working in comics...Anyway, I loved this era, and it's always worth revisiting. Clancy's still there, Soames is still there, Tad is still there, and even Cisco! It's easy to forget Cisco, because he wasn't as well defined as some other characters, but this was such a rich vision of Dick's further crime-fighting career, I wish it got more respect later. There are always reprints, and back issues...
Trinity of Sin: Pandora - Futures End (DC)
From November 2014.
I continue to pick away at the Futures End and Villains Month comics DC put out, since there's such a wealth of material to be found. The latest is Pandora, who was seemingly intended to be the major new character of the New 52, and who was killed off in DC Universe Rebirth, and apparently in this story, too. It seems that was always her fate. As part of the "trinity of sin" (along with the Question and Phantom Stranger), she ended up inhabiting one of the more obscure corners of the DC landscape. These are characters who recur in the comics with some regularity, but they're rarely around for much more than a visit. Pandora was inhabiting, at first, the role of Harbinger from Crisis on Infinite Earths, and so it can actually be said she had remarkable staying power. It's time to put aside the notion that she was a creative failure. The surprisingly dependable Ray Fawkes, still looking for a true breakout project, was responsible for this.
Queen & Country FCBD (Oni)
From May 2002.
This was one of the releases from the very first Free Comic Book Day. (Read a little about that here.) With the recent return of Greg Rucka to the pages of Wonder Woman (and DC in general), it's worth remembering that he's got a pretty long history in comics at this point. His first creator-owned success was Whiteout (adapted into a 2009 film), but Queen & Country is what, besides his Batman work, put Rucka on the map (for me, he'll always be best remembered as part of the writing dream team of 52). Until now, I'd never read any of it. Turns out it's pretty good. It's also worth noting, with some amusement, that Bryan Lee O'Malley, who would later launch the innovative Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels at Oni, appears listed as artist for someone else's project. You just kind of expect someone like that to have emerged fully formed, but apparently that wasn't the case.
Robin #75 (DC)
From April 2000.
This was from later in Chuck Dixon's long run on the title he helped launch (he had nearly twenty-five issues left to go after it, reaching the hundredth issue, and then a few more later). By this time, Tim Drake is about ready to take his break from being the Boy Wonder, and Stephanie Brown will assume her ill-fated turn, in what is still a shockingly downplayed part of the Robin lineage. But that's about fifty issues and two writers later. It's not surprising that Dixon would be the writer to shepherd Tim away from the Dynamic Duo partnership, as the beginning of the series had Tim breaking away from "AzBats" and thus a Robin striking out on his own for the first time. Tim kind of remains in that mode, actually. The artist is Pete Woods relatively early in his career. I can't believe I'm just making a label for the guy.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Reading Comics #137 "Bull Moose Bargains III"
Bull Moose probably won't be receiving any more shipments of comics to sell at steep discount, so this may be the final entry of this series. So I made sure it was a good one.
Daredevil #33 (Marvel)
I've taken for granted for years that everyone loved Mark Waid's Flash as much as I did. I've learned recently that maybe this isn't the case. I know, however, that his Daredevil has been receiving a pretty good following. It's something I've commented on elsewhere, but for the most part I really hadn't read much of his Marvel work, at any point in his career, until recently. So I figured I'd finally give it a shot. This is as random an issue to choose as any. It seems to feature a bunch of characters Waid cobbled together from the old Universal monster days, a somewhat clever juxtaposition of Matt Murdock's superhero identity and something of what he's always evoked. You know, actual ghosts and goblins, as it were. Has anyone ever done that? He also makes clever work of Murdock's blindness. It's not a brilliant issue, and there's plenty of material (including the hapless Foggy Nelson's current predicament) that I simply won't be able to completely follow, but it's a decent read with some of that trademark concept work from Waid that others probably hadn't thought of before. Probably good enough to reconsider my opinions. Just a little.
Thunderbolts #18 (Marvel)
Here's Charles Soule doing work at Marvel, as opposed to DC. I figured I'm going to have to get used to the idea, because he's signed an exclusive contract there that'll take effect next year (the one exception is Letter 44, a creator-owned title he does over at Oni that I probably should also have a look at). Thunderbolts is a series that has somewhat dramatically changed course since it debuted under Kurt Busiek in the '90s. At that time it was a new superhero team that was secretly the villainous Masters of Evil. It's since become a sort of Marvel version of DC's Suicide Squad, a collection of hodgepodge characters who aren't necessarily bad guys but also not necessarily good guys. Soule's team includes Red Hulk (the "Thunderbolt" Ross revision introduced by Jeph Loeb), Elektra, Punisher, Deadpool, Venom (the "Flash" Thompson version), someone named Red Leader, and Mercy, who could be the most interesting one of the bunch. In this issue she presents the team a considerable problem, because she's a classic rogue element. She's also the closest tie to Soule's Red Lanterns work I can find. The tone is more flippant (which you would expect from a title featuring Deadpool) but otherwise it's not completely different from the Soule I've come to expect (his Deadpool is not as random; actually he seems to be somewhat holistic). It's not a bad issue. Enough to make me read more of the series? Maybe not. But maybe enough for me to not bitterly lament that Marvel contract he signed...
Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 (DC)
Ray Fawkes won me over recently, and now it appears to be easier to admire his work overall. This is the second issue of Pandora I've read (the series recently ended, and I've just read the first issue of Trinity of Sin, the catch-all title that now carries Pandora and Phantom Stranger together, along with The Question), and now I'm wondering if I've been as unfair to the series as I once was to Fawkes. It's not that bad. This issue even features some of that character work I thought was absent from the series. It helps to juxtapose Pandora against someone like The Outsider, a character last seen in the alternate reality of Flashpoint (and originally conceived as an alias for Alfred Pennyworth!). Good stuff. Glad I stopped by!
The Wake #5 (Vertigo)
Another creator I've been unfair to is Scott Snyder, who is otherwise known as one of the current darlings of comic book fans in general thanks to his Batman and probably also American Vampire. I long wanted to have a look at Wake, though, because of artist Sean Murphy, who wowed me in his two previous projects Joe the Barbarian (with Grant Morrison) and Punk Rock Jesus (which he also wrote). But as it turns out, Snyder's storytelling is pretty compelling, too. It's not that this is a great revelation or anything, but it's a matter of degrees with this guy. On this project, he seems really keyed in. That's good to know. So now I probably want to read the rest of it.
Daredevil #33 (Marvel)
I've taken for granted for years that everyone loved Mark Waid's Flash as much as I did. I've learned recently that maybe this isn't the case. I know, however, that his Daredevil has been receiving a pretty good following. It's something I've commented on elsewhere, but for the most part I really hadn't read much of his Marvel work, at any point in his career, until recently. So I figured I'd finally give it a shot. This is as random an issue to choose as any. It seems to feature a bunch of characters Waid cobbled together from the old Universal monster days, a somewhat clever juxtaposition of Matt Murdock's superhero identity and something of what he's always evoked. You know, actual ghosts and goblins, as it were. Has anyone ever done that? He also makes clever work of Murdock's blindness. It's not a brilliant issue, and there's plenty of material (including the hapless Foggy Nelson's current predicament) that I simply won't be able to completely follow, but it's a decent read with some of that trademark concept work from Waid that others probably hadn't thought of before. Probably good enough to reconsider my opinions. Just a little.
Thunderbolts #18 (Marvel)
Here's Charles Soule doing work at Marvel, as opposed to DC. I figured I'm going to have to get used to the idea, because he's signed an exclusive contract there that'll take effect next year (the one exception is Letter 44, a creator-owned title he does over at Oni that I probably should also have a look at). Thunderbolts is a series that has somewhat dramatically changed course since it debuted under Kurt Busiek in the '90s. At that time it was a new superhero team that was secretly the villainous Masters of Evil. It's since become a sort of Marvel version of DC's Suicide Squad, a collection of hodgepodge characters who aren't necessarily bad guys but also not necessarily good guys. Soule's team includes Red Hulk (the "Thunderbolt" Ross revision introduced by Jeph Loeb), Elektra, Punisher, Deadpool, Venom (the "Flash" Thompson version), someone named Red Leader, and Mercy, who could be the most interesting one of the bunch. In this issue she presents the team a considerable problem, because she's a classic rogue element. She's also the closest tie to Soule's Red Lanterns work I can find. The tone is more flippant (which you would expect from a title featuring Deadpool) but otherwise it's not completely different from the Soule I've come to expect (his Deadpool is not as random; actually he seems to be somewhat holistic). It's not a bad issue. Enough to make me read more of the series? Maybe not. But maybe enough for me to not bitterly lament that Marvel contract he signed...
Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 (DC)
Ray Fawkes won me over recently, and now it appears to be easier to admire his work overall. This is the second issue of Pandora I've read (the series recently ended, and I've just read the first issue of Trinity of Sin, the catch-all title that now carries Pandora and Phantom Stranger together, along with The Question), and now I'm wondering if I've been as unfair to the series as I once was to Fawkes. It's not that bad. This issue even features some of that character work I thought was absent from the series. It helps to juxtapose Pandora against someone like The Outsider, a character last seen in the alternate reality of Flashpoint (and originally conceived as an alias for Alfred Pennyworth!). Good stuff. Glad I stopped by!
The Wake #5 (Vertigo)
Another creator I've been unfair to is Scott Snyder, who is otherwise known as one of the current darlings of comic book fans in general thanks to his Batman and probably also American Vampire. I long wanted to have a look at Wake, though, because of artist Sean Murphy, who wowed me in his two previous projects Joe the Barbarian (with Grant Morrison) and Punk Rock Jesus (which he also wrote). But as it turns out, Snyder's storytelling is pretty compelling, too. It's not that this is a great revelation or anything, but it's a matter of degrees with this guy. On this project, he seems really keyed in. That's good to know. So now I probably want to read the rest of it.
 |
| via comiXology |
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Reading Comics #135 "Batman and Family"
I've been meaning to say this, but I love Batman and Robin. What's that? I've said it before? Can't hurt to say it again.
I love Batman and Robin!
In #34, "Robin Rises" Part 2, Pete Tomasi and Patrick Gleason sort of swiftly undo whatever it is "Death of the Family" was supposed to accomplish, with Batman closing circle with Batgirl, Red Robin, and Red Hood and then later with Dick Grayson, who mentions this:
 |
| via DC Comics. That guy in the middle, by the way, is Batman |
"You know how much Damian meant to me, Bruce..."It's a subtle reminder that in the pages of a different Batman and Robin, Dick wore the cowl to Damian's Boy Wonder, an era that is more important to both characters than subsequent stories tended to acknowledge. It's the sort of deft storytelling this series has constantly featured.
And then stuff like this, too, a quote from Shazam this time:
"See, Wonder Woman, I told ya I'd beat you here."Tomasi has become near-impeachable in his grasp of the DC landscape, transforming the series into a phantasmagoria where the constant remains the Dark Knight, but everything around him can shift (hence the period where even the title wasn't constant) but always steeped deeply in old and current lore (which itself seems impossible for most other writers). This is not a nostalgia ride. This isn't just a series that provides commentary for things that happen elsewhere. It's become a touchstone.
And, of course, with "Robin Rises," where things are most definitely happening. I keep saying that Batman and Robin is arguably the essential Batman series of the moment, even as it becomes increasingly timeless, a synthesis of everything it is and should be.
In the Futures End one-shot, we receive an unexpected glimpse at a new Robin, a character introduced in Scott Snyder's "Zero Year" arc (everyone always assumed that it would be Harper Row, who instead has transformed, in the pages of Batman Eternal, into Bluebird), Duke Thomas, who like all Robins starts out as a boy impressed with Batman but who apparently was given a considerable gestation. If Futures End at all leads to actual continuity, I hope Duke makes it. Tons of story potential in an instant, unlike every other Robin with a built-in extended training period like Bruce Wayne himself.
The writer for the issue isn't Tomasi but rather Ray Fawkes. I've previously wondered if Fawkes was ever going to impress me, so it was great to see that he did, and under the banner of Batman and Robin, which has come to represent true excellence for me, whether the writer is Tomasi or originator Grant Morrison. Fawkes handles the storytelling deftly and seamlessly. It certainly doesn't hurt that he has artists Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs (who've partnered before on material like Streets of Gotham and Li'l Gotham and have been begging to be given a shot at some major league material). On the whole this trio accomplishes the impossible, matching Tomasi and Gleason as a perfect creative team for this series.
The story itself is also interesting, since it's Batman in hot pursuit of Heretic, the brute Morrison introduced as a henchman in "Batman R.I.P." but who gained far greater significance when he was revealed to be an altered clone of Damian in Batman Incorporated. His appearance here hopefully certifies him as a standout villain in his own right, a sort of less sophisticated Bane (anyone who's actually tried that with Bane himself has only managed to neuter the character).
 |
| via IGN |
The writer for the issue isn't Tomasi but rather Ray Fawkes. I've previously wondered if Fawkes was ever going to impress me, so it was great to see that he did, and under the banner of Batman and Robin, which has come to represent true excellence for me, whether the writer is Tomasi or originator Grant Morrison. Fawkes handles the storytelling deftly and seamlessly. It certainly doesn't hurt that he has artists Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs (who've partnered before on material like Streets of Gotham and Li'l Gotham and have been begging to be given a shot at some major league material). On the whole this trio accomplishes the impossible, matching Tomasi and Gleason as a perfect creative team for this series.
The story itself is also interesting, since it's Batman in hot pursuit of Heretic, the brute Morrison introduced as a henchman in "Batman R.I.P." but who gained far greater significance when he was revealed to be an altered clone of Damian in Batman Incorporated. His appearance here hopefully certifies him as a standout villain in his own right, a sort of less sophisticated Bane (anyone who's actually tried that with Bane himself has only managed to neuter the character).
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Reading Comics #133 "Bull Moose Bargains"
As you may recall, I was enjoying bargain grab bags from local entertainment franchise Bull Moose, until I learned they weren't doing them anymore. But they didn't stop carrying comics outright (but I haven't gotten a chance to check in a few weeks, so I don't know what the prospects look like now). Instead they started sticking their discounted comics in one of those old-fashioned spinning racks, so I now had the opportunity to select exactly what I wanted (from the available titles, of course). Some of them were the same 2013 leftovers I'd find in some of the grab bags, and some of them were new releases (did they know???), all of them marked at fifty cents. For the first of two trips in this new configuration to date, I scooped up nine titles. And those were:
Astro City #10 (Vertigo)
When this series was relaunched last year, I was part of the I-don't-know-how-large contingent of fans who was happy to see it return. The last time the title was in print it was the extended Dark Age arc, which apparently bothered long-term readers, but was at least a version of something creator Kurt Busiek had been intending to do ever since Marvels (twenty years ago). I've never read Marvels, a giant love letter to (as you may have guess) Marvel history which quickly became known as painter Alex Ross's breakout project (some argue best work, but I hold that for Kingdom Come, which is the one he clearly drew on for the later Earth X comics). Ross has done every Astro City cover since it launched in 1995 (so! Busiek wasted little time!), and Brent Anderson has been the interior artist. This is a hardcore nostalgia comic in the Alan Moore tradition, with Busiek versions of pretty much every major superhero. Did it really take this long for him to get around to a Winged Victory spotlight? Winged Victory, you understand, is his Wonder Woman. The story takes off of the Infinite Crisis era of controversy surrounding DC's Amazon taking the life of Maxwell Lord. In fairness to Busiek, he does craft his pastiches into fairly distinctive variations, so that you don't necessarily have to be thinking WonderWomanWonderWomanWonderWoman while reading this issue (if you so choose). It's a Winged Victory story, even if you know how Busiek reached this point. All that being said, I cooled on the whole thing pretty quickly. I keep wanting him to grab the brass ring, go for the gusto, but Busiek is determined to take a relaxed pace. These are comics for Silver Age fans (early Silver Age, the lens of what would follow refracted through the 1950s). Originally Astro City was one of the most acclaimed comics around, but even other readers don't seem as excited about it these days. Good to have it around again, though.
Kick-Ass 3 #8 (Icon)
The big surprise was this conclusion to the Kick-Ass saga, begun in 2008. I read the early issues, but lost track of it along the way, after it became a movie phenomenon I inexplicably still haven't seen (despite active interests in the careers of both Jim Carrey, featured in the second one, and Chloe Grace Moretz, whose whole career happened thanks to Hit-Girl). It might have to do with the fact that the writer is Mark Millar, and for a time I kind of soured on him, not so much because of anything he'd done, but because of things Grant Morrison said. Morrison and Millar used to be bosom buddies, but they had a creative falling-out, and Morrison subsequently expressed the kind of opinions about his former friend that, well, Alan Moore routinely spouts about Morrison himself. (Guys! Guys! Can't we all just get along?) Comics Reader readers know I've recently turned the corner on Millar thanks to Starlight, so I was more than ready to read how he ended Kick-Ass. It seems to be exactly the way it should have, and that's fine. The art of John Romita, Jr. remains integral to the whole experience. Romita moved on to Superman with Geoff Johns immediately after concluding this saga, and of course I'm definitely there for that experience. In this sudden Millar- and Romita-heavy season for my comics experience, it was fitting to catch their mutual landmark as it happened.
The New 52: Futures End #10 (DC)
Contrary to my own expectations, Futures End still hasn't become a new version of my beloved 52 experience. I'm still keeping tabs on it (the Masked Superman was recently revealed to be Shazam, if you wanted to know), and of course September this year is a whole month dedicated to the event otherwise chronicled in the weekly series, with DC's line decked out in special issues looking at the futures of their stars. Masked Superman Before He Was Unmasked has encounter with Lois Lane this issue, which is otherwise highlighted by (Big) Barda being asked to suit up again. Undeniably awesome moment. Barda is the Wonder Woman of the New Gods. Come to think of it, I have no idea why there haven't been more Barda/Wonder Woman stories. Somebody fix that, please?
Saga #21 (Image)
On the opposite side of my recent Astro City experience is Saga. I lost track of both series over the course of the last year, but returning to Saga was to remember how much I love it. In the current comics, Brian K. Vaughan is finally putting the spotlight on the Robot Kingdom. Prince Robot IV (such a deceptively simple, awesome name; I'm a man of uncomplicated pleasures sometimes) has had a baby, and that baby has been kidnapped by a disgruntled Robot Kingdom janitor. Alana and Marko are still in the thick of their soap opera (call it what it is) otherwise. I'm once again addicted.
Superman/Wonder Woman #6 (DC)
I don't know if you remember, but I was wild about this series when it launched. I thought it was a brilliant idea, long-in-coming for Wonder Woman to get a second ongoing series of any form (and now she has a third, thanks to the digital-first Sensation Comics), and it also happened to have part of the early comic crush I've developed over Charles Soule (who unfortunately has recently signed an exclusive contract with...Marvel). This issue is one of the periodic General Zod stories DC loves to do, these inspired by the Man of Steel version Michael Shannon embodied more than Terrence Stamp in Superman II (but there have been lots of versions over the years). Zod is presented as a formidable foe. In fact, Superman/Wonder Woman in general seems to love thrusting its love birds in epic battles they can only hope to survive (although of course they will), valuing their link as warriors, a bond only they can truly experience together (which is the whole point of the relationship). The art is from Tony Daniel, whom I've greatly admired since his "Batman R.I.P." days, and whose work continues to evolve. He may epitomize what some fans have called the "New 52 house style," which basically folds around Jim Lee's work. For a brief moment it seemed as if Daniel had in fact begun to pattern himself pretty directly on Lee, but as I said, this issue is proof that he's still in flux. This is a good thing. I still have great hope for his career. Given the right project, his budding interests as a writer-artist could cement a real legacy. Next project in that regard is the forthcoming Deathstroke relaunch (which I will be rooting for, obviously).
Trinity of Sin: Pandora #2 (DC)
Ever since it became clear that the New 52 was launching with the secret lynchpin of a new character (who looks like part of the WildStorm legacy that officially became a part of DC canon at that time), I began rooting for Pandora to become an important, lasting creation. This is a work in progress. When she got her own book last year, I was rooting for that, too, but kept looking for a way in after I missed the launch. Well, now I've finally read an issue, just in time for a forthcoming relaunch where the character and her Trinity of Sin cohorts (Phantom Stranger, Question) fold in together under the single, unspecified banner (it could certainly be worse!). I think this is a good thing. A character like Pandora kind of needs context. She was built for context. Unless someone literally spends a year or more exploring her own story, sending Pandora on random adventures will do her no favors at all. This issue is a tie-in with "Trinity War," a Justice League crossover event that was supposed to be a big deal but kind of wasn't, a culmination of everything the New 52 was meant to accomplish to that point. (Failure? There are fans who've wanted the New 52 to be a failure from the start. Is this how fans were after Crisis On Infinite Earths? I hope not!) The strongest element of the issue is its use of Vandal Savage. Someone other than Ray Fawkes might have really played that up. Fawkes is one of the writers who've benefited from the revised creative landscape DC has sought to establishment, and he's one I really haven't formed an impression of, so I hope this isn't completely indicative of his work. I'd like to see better.
Wolverine #4 (Marvel)
Ah, Paul Cornell. He's one of those writers who became an instant favor a few years back, and I became a loyal reader for a good long while. But I wonder if he hasn't lost the thread of what interested him in writing comics along the way. He's also known for his work with Doctor Who, and as an author. And also for not really sticking around any one comic book project for long. Maybe that's why I stopped trying to keep track, or found I didn't care when he started on Wolverine. I kept almost checking out the run, but never quite doing it. He's the writer who set up the Death of Wolverine event that...Charles Soule is finishing. So I finally checked it out. And...I really don't think I've missed anything. Sorry, Paul. Doesn't seem to be among your best. When Cornell is at his best he's among the best. So that's why I've been disappointed.
Wonder Woman #23 (DC)
If I hadn't gotten so horribly behind, I'd've been a loyal fan of the whole Brian Azzarello/Cliff Chiang run on this series, which is about to end. It's brilliant, easily one of the best things that's ever happened to Wonder Woman, and for one of the biggest characters in comics. This issue is part of the First Born arc. First Born is a new villain to the mythos, part of the September 2013 Villains Month one-shot line-up and everything. The one thing that can be held against the Azzarello Wonder Woman is that it feels completely disconnected from the rest of the DC landscape (which, I'm convinced, is half the reason Superman/Wonder Woman happened), and why First Born didn't at all become a household name. I mean, H'El over in the Scott Lobdell Superman comics from around the same time had a better shot. Wonder Woman from this era will become known for its particular context. To read one issue is to read any issue, in some respects. It's all one continuous story. (Although I will be contradicting this gross simplification next time I talk about it, which is another tie-in to how Superman/Wonder Woman happened.) This is a good thing. I'm already hoping for a Azzarello/Chiang reprise somewhere down the line, an epic mini-series or even crossover event. Hey, I can dream!
All-New X-Men #24 (Marvel)
This is another series I was once completely hot on but cooled over as time wore on. This is the Brian Michael Bendis/Stuart Immonen series that spun out of AvX and famously sports the gimmick of having the original, youthful X-Men time-displaced to the present. I'm about as all over the place with Bendis as I am with a handful of other creators. He's kind of the Marvel equivalent, for me, of Scott Snyder in some respects. When I love his work, I think he's brilliant. But he's not always engaged in ways I think benefit what he's doing. This issue is all about how he's reached that point again. I thought the time-displaced heroes would be gone by now. I really have no idea why they're still around. In the early issues, All-New X-Men seemed primed to introduce a whole new generation of mutant heroes. I don't know if I've simply missed that whole development, or if it's been abandoned, delayed, whatever. That's what I think the series ought to be doing. And as always, I want Immonen to be doing work that's far less busy. He's the pen-and-ink version of Alex Ross at his best. At Marvel he's simply never been given a chance to express that side of his work. Maybe he's fine with that. But for me, the same with Bendis, I'm...disappointed. Bendis and Immonen could indeed be a dynamite combination. But not this way. Anyway, "The Trial of Jean Grey Part 5 of 6." Blah blah blah, "Dark Phoenix Saga," I-can't-believe-we-didn't-remain-innocent-forever, forcing an unnecessary Guardians of the Galaxy connection. (I never really got why the X-Men ever had to have anything to do with space. Basically the complete opposite of what makes them relevant.)
Next time, fewer comics. That's all I can promise...
Astro City #10 (Vertigo)
When this series was relaunched last year, I was part of the I-don't-know-how-large contingent of fans who was happy to see it return. The last time the title was in print it was the extended Dark Age arc, which apparently bothered long-term readers, but was at least a version of something creator Kurt Busiek had been intending to do ever since Marvels (twenty years ago). I've never read Marvels, a giant love letter to (as you may have guess) Marvel history which quickly became known as painter Alex Ross's breakout project (some argue best work, but I hold that for Kingdom Come, which is the one he clearly drew on for the later Earth X comics). Ross has done every Astro City cover since it launched in 1995 (so! Busiek wasted little time!), and Brent Anderson has been the interior artist. This is a hardcore nostalgia comic in the Alan Moore tradition, with Busiek versions of pretty much every major superhero. Did it really take this long for him to get around to a Winged Victory spotlight? Winged Victory, you understand, is his Wonder Woman. The story takes off of the Infinite Crisis era of controversy surrounding DC's Amazon taking the life of Maxwell Lord. In fairness to Busiek, he does craft his pastiches into fairly distinctive variations, so that you don't necessarily have to be thinking WonderWomanWonderWomanWonderWoman while reading this issue (if you so choose). It's a Winged Victory story, even if you know how Busiek reached this point. All that being said, I cooled on the whole thing pretty quickly. I keep wanting him to grab the brass ring, go for the gusto, but Busiek is determined to take a relaxed pace. These are comics for Silver Age fans (early Silver Age, the lens of what would follow refracted through the 1950s). Originally Astro City was one of the most acclaimed comics around, but even other readers don't seem as excited about it these days. Good to have it around again, though.
Kick-Ass 3 #8 (Icon)
The big surprise was this conclusion to the Kick-Ass saga, begun in 2008. I read the early issues, but lost track of it along the way, after it became a movie phenomenon I inexplicably still haven't seen (despite active interests in the careers of both Jim Carrey, featured in the second one, and Chloe Grace Moretz, whose whole career happened thanks to Hit-Girl). It might have to do with the fact that the writer is Mark Millar, and for a time I kind of soured on him, not so much because of anything he'd done, but because of things Grant Morrison said. Morrison and Millar used to be bosom buddies, but they had a creative falling-out, and Morrison subsequently expressed the kind of opinions about his former friend that, well, Alan Moore routinely spouts about Morrison himself. (Guys! Guys! Can't we all just get along?) Comics Reader readers know I've recently turned the corner on Millar thanks to Starlight, so I was more than ready to read how he ended Kick-Ass. It seems to be exactly the way it should have, and that's fine. The art of John Romita, Jr. remains integral to the whole experience. Romita moved on to Superman with Geoff Johns immediately after concluding this saga, and of course I'm definitely there for that experience. In this sudden Millar- and Romita-heavy season for my comics experience, it was fitting to catch their mutual landmark as it happened.
The New 52: Futures End #10 (DC)
Contrary to my own expectations, Futures End still hasn't become a new version of my beloved 52 experience. I'm still keeping tabs on it (the Masked Superman was recently revealed to be Shazam, if you wanted to know), and of course September this year is a whole month dedicated to the event otherwise chronicled in the weekly series, with DC's line decked out in special issues looking at the futures of their stars. Masked Superman Before He Was Unmasked has encounter with Lois Lane this issue, which is otherwise highlighted by (Big) Barda being asked to suit up again. Undeniably awesome moment. Barda is the Wonder Woman of the New Gods. Come to think of it, I have no idea why there haven't been more Barda/Wonder Woman stories. Somebody fix that, please?
Saga #21 (Image)
On the opposite side of my recent Astro City experience is Saga. I lost track of both series over the course of the last year, but returning to Saga was to remember how much I love it. In the current comics, Brian K. Vaughan is finally putting the spotlight on the Robot Kingdom. Prince Robot IV (such a deceptively simple, awesome name; I'm a man of uncomplicated pleasures sometimes) has had a baby, and that baby has been kidnapped by a disgruntled Robot Kingdom janitor. Alana and Marko are still in the thick of their soap opera (call it what it is) otherwise. I'm once again addicted.
Superman/Wonder Woman #6 (DC)
I don't know if you remember, but I was wild about this series when it launched. I thought it was a brilliant idea, long-in-coming for Wonder Woman to get a second ongoing series of any form (and now she has a third, thanks to the digital-first Sensation Comics), and it also happened to have part of the early comic crush I've developed over Charles Soule (who unfortunately has recently signed an exclusive contract with...Marvel). This issue is one of the periodic General Zod stories DC loves to do, these inspired by the Man of Steel version Michael Shannon embodied more than Terrence Stamp in Superman II (but there have been lots of versions over the years). Zod is presented as a formidable foe. In fact, Superman/Wonder Woman in general seems to love thrusting its love birds in epic battles they can only hope to survive (although of course they will), valuing their link as warriors, a bond only they can truly experience together (which is the whole point of the relationship). The art is from Tony Daniel, whom I've greatly admired since his "Batman R.I.P." days, and whose work continues to evolve. He may epitomize what some fans have called the "New 52 house style," which basically folds around Jim Lee's work. For a brief moment it seemed as if Daniel had in fact begun to pattern himself pretty directly on Lee, but as I said, this issue is proof that he's still in flux. This is a good thing. I still have great hope for his career. Given the right project, his budding interests as a writer-artist could cement a real legacy. Next project in that regard is the forthcoming Deathstroke relaunch (which I will be rooting for, obviously).
Trinity of Sin: Pandora #2 (DC)
Ever since it became clear that the New 52 was launching with the secret lynchpin of a new character (who looks like part of the WildStorm legacy that officially became a part of DC canon at that time), I began rooting for Pandora to become an important, lasting creation. This is a work in progress. When she got her own book last year, I was rooting for that, too, but kept looking for a way in after I missed the launch. Well, now I've finally read an issue, just in time for a forthcoming relaunch where the character and her Trinity of Sin cohorts (Phantom Stranger, Question) fold in together under the single, unspecified banner (it could certainly be worse!). I think this is a good thing. A character like Pandora kind of needs context. She was built for context. Unless someone literally spends a year or more exploring her own story, sending Pandora on random adventures will do her no favors at all. This issue is a tie-in with "Trinity War," a Justice League crossover event that was supposed to be a big deal but kind of wasn't, a culmination of everything the New 52 was meant to accomplish to that point. (Failure? There are fans who've wanted the New 52 to be a failure from the start. Is this how fans were after Crisis On Infinite Earths? I hope not!) The strongest element of the issue is its use of Vandal Savage. Someone other than Ray Fawkes might have really played that up. Fawkes is one of the writers who've benefited from the revised creative landscape DC has sought to establishment, and he's one I really haven't formed an impression of, so I hope this isn't completely indicative of his work. I'd like to see better.
Wolverine #4 (Marvel)
Ah, Paul Cornell. He's one of those writers who became an instant favor a few years back, and I became a loyal reader for a good long while. But I wonder if he hasn't lost the thread of what interested him in writing comics along the way. He's also known for his work with Doctor Who, and as an author. And also for not really sticking around any one comic book project for long. Maybe that's why I stopped trying to keep track, or found I didn't care when he started on Wolverine. I kept almost checking out the run, but never quite doing it. He's the writer who set up the Death of Wolverine event that...Charles Soule is finishing. So I finally checked it out. And...I really don't think I've missed anything. Sorry, Paul. Doesn't seem to be among your best. When Cornell is at his best he's among the best. So that's why I've been disappointed.
Wonder Woman #23 (DC)
If I hadn't gotten so horribly behind, I'd've been a loyal fan of the whole Brian Azzarello/Cliff Chiang run on this series, which is about to end. It's brilliant, easily one of the best things that's ever happened to Wonder Woman, and for one of the biggest characters in comics. This issue is part of the First Born arc. First Born is a new villain to the mythos, part of the September 2013 Villains Month one-shot line-up and everything. The one thing that can be held against the Azzarello Wonder Woman is that it feels completely disconnected from the rest of the DC landscape (which, I'm convinced, is half the reason Superman/Wonder Woman happened), and why First Born didn't at all become a household name. I mean, H'El over in the Scott Lobdell Superman comics from around the same time had a better shot. Wonder Woman from this era will become known for its particular context. To read one issue is to read any issue, in some respects. It's all one continuous story. (Although I will be contradicting this gross simplification next time I talk about it, which is another tie-in to how Superman/Wonder Woman happened.) This is a good thing. I'm already hoping for a Azzarello/Chiang reprise somewhere down the line, an epic mini-series or even crossover event. Hey, I can dream!
All-New X-Men #24 (Marvel)
This is another series I was once completely hot on but cooled over as time wore on. This is the Brian Michael Bendis/Stuart Immonen series that spun out of AvX and famously sports the gimmick of having the original, youthful X-Men time-displaced to the present. I'm about as all over the place with Bendis as I am with a handful of other creators. He's kind of the Marvel equivalent, for me, of Scott Snyder in some respects. When I love his work, I think he's brilliant. But he's not always engaged in ways I think benefit what he's doing. This issue is all about how he's reached that point again. I thought the time-displaced heroes would be gone by now. I really have no idea why they're still around. In the early issues, All-New X-Men seemed primed to introduce a whole new generation of mutant heroes. I don't know if I've simply missed that whole development, or if it's been abandoned, delayed, whatever. That's what I think the series ought to be doing. And as always, I want Immonen to be doing work that's far less busy. He's the pen-and-ink version of Alex Ross at his best. At Marvel he's simply never been given a chance to express that side of his work. Maybe he's fine with that. But for me, the same with Bendis, I'm...disappointed. Bendis and Immonen could indeed be a dynamite combination. But not this way. Anyway, "The Trial of Jean Grey Part 5 of 6." Blah blah blah, "Dark Phoenix Saga," I-can't-believe-we-didn't-remain-innocent-forever, forcing an unnecessary Guardians of the Galaxy connection. (I never really got why the X-Men ever had to have anything to do with space. Basically the complete opposite of what makes them relevant.)
Next time, fewer comics. That's all I can promise...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)