So ... last Wednesday I got home from work with just enough time to change clothes and head out the door with the Best Wife Ever to meet our neighbors for a quick dose of fast food, and then we were off to the 7:15 Superman Returns. I liked it, and I want to see it again, but the best feeling was afterwards, coming out of that movie to a big stack of superhero comics. I have never seen a comic-book movie that made me gladder to be a comic-book fan, and I mean that in the best way possible for both media.
Of course, getting home at 10:30 meant I was up for a couple of hours reading comics, and while that was fun at the time, it put me in a foul mood the next day. It also didn't help that one of the smoke alarms started its low-battery chirp while I was trying to sleep.
Naturally, first off the stack was Action Comics #840 (written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek, drawn by Pete Woods), the conclusion of "Up, Up and Away!" I really liked this issue, and not just from the residual movie high. It was a conclusion that actually felt like a conclusion, wrapping up loose ends like the reconstruction of Metropolis and the "reintegration" of Clark's life with Superman's. With this issue, the new/retro status quo is established concretely, while still managing to be self-contained. Take a bow, guys; you did "One Year Later" right.
In a nice bit of timing, Batman #654 (written by James Robinson, pencilled by Don Kramer, inked by Wayne Faucher) also wrapped up its "OYL" storyline, "Face The Face." This was a bit more scattered, with the misdirection involving Two-Face going off in (yes) two different directions. That's appropriate enough, I suppose, and I believe this was a play-fair mystery, unlike "Hush," but there's a fine line between clever use of obscure villains and pulling something out of one's hinder. Still, the closing scenes with Bruce, Tim, and Alfred were worth it. Next up, Morrison and Dini!
52 #8 (written by Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Eddy Barrows, inked by Rob Stull) was a pretty solid issue. With most of the focus on Steel's metallification, there was still room for a good Ralph Dibny/Ollie Queen scene, teasing Supernova, and checking in with Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire. Oh, yeah, and "History of the DCU" covered about 1996-2004, for those who came in late. Overall I still like this series, but I don't know if that has more to do with its immediacy or its underlying quality. Ironically, it's hard for me to read it in real time, and when a character refers to "weeks ago," it almost throws me out of the story.
Brave New World #1 (written and drawn by a whole lot of people) didn't really have much of an effect on me. I still have little interest in any of these series beyond the Atom, and if I didn't already like Gail Simone, I wouldn't be too excited about that one.
I liked Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #19 (written by Mark Waid, drawn by Barry Kitson) pretty well, although the reveal of the murderer wasn't entirely unexpected. It did showcase Chameleon's detective skills effectively, and the image of a murderous Robotman was a surreal homage to "our era."
Then there's Hawkgirl #53 (written by Walter Simonson, drawn by Howard Chaykin). Yes, I'm going to talk about the bra, so Mom, if you're reading, maybe you should skip this one. Seriously, though, I know it's just Chaykin's fondness (and talent) for drawing well-built women, but come on! Why not a sports bra, as opposed to the lacy number revealed in the course of this fight? And since she is wearing a bra under the costume, in Louisiana, howcome she's still all nipply on the outside? (Actually, Mom is fond of criticizing any movie where the heroine finds herself in trouble while in eveningwear, so this would be another strike against Hawkgirl for her.) As for the merits of the issue otherwise, at least I was able to follow it for a few more pages than usual. I really hate to say this, and it doesn't reflect on my love for Chaykin otherwise, but I'm giving this book a reprieve to see how the new artist works out.
Meanwhile, over with the other company, I bought New Avengers #21 (written by Brian Michael Bendis) solely for Howard Chaykin drawing Captain America. For that, it was good. It didn't give me any more insight into "Civil War," but I wasn't looking. One question, though: on the page with Spider-Man, what's the big tower with the spider-thing on top? It looks like Aku from "Samurai Jack" has taken over NYC.
Sticking with "Civil War," Fantastic Four #538 (written by J. Michael Straczynski, drawn by Mike McKone) spends a few pages on Reed and Sue fighting beside Johnny's hospital bed, a few more with Ben establishing solidarity on Yancey Street, and a few more on getting "DB" to make Thor's hammer go nuts. So there you go. Six more months of this, at least.
JLA Classified #23 (written by Steve Englehart, pencilled by Tom Derenick, inked by Mark Farmer) presents part 2 of the Detroit League vs. the Royal Flush Gang. I can't remember my RFG timeline that well, but I think this storyline might be explaining the different Gangs which attacked the League during the '80s. The one introduced this issue went on to fight Max Lord's League early in its history, if my memory's correct. Anyway, it's a nice take on the characters, and since this issue spotlights Vibe, it's good that Englehart's made his accent a little less stereotypical. I daresay those who have a soft spot for the Detroit League will like this, and those who don't, won't.
Picked up Eternals #1 (written by Neil Gaiman, drawn by John Romita, Jr.) based on good word of mouth from last week, and it was a decent introduction, but I'm still on the fence about whether to get #2. However, I am a little more motivated to save up for that big hardcover, so curse you, Marvel! for making me want more expensive Kirby reprints.
Nextwave #6 (written by Warren Ellis, drawn by Stuart Immonen) was another romp through fights with samurai robots and ptero-men. Underlying it, though, was the message that the Nextwavers really are pretty dangerous people, and it's all fun until they decide it's gone too far. I'm sure there's some metacommentary hidden in that sentiment, but it's probably unintentional. This is a comic for folks who like a little wacky with their carnage, and so far it's all good.
Finally, the penultimate issue of Solo, #11, spotlights Sergio Aragones, and it's maybe the most fun issue of this gone-too-soon series since Mike Allred's. Sergio's style is warm and inviting, and reading it felt like a visit from a friend who loves to tell stories. The only thing that could justify cancelling this series would be knowing for sure it would only get worse from here on out.
Of course, getting home at 10:30 meant I was up for a couple of hours reading comics, and while that was fun at the time, it put me in a foul mood the next day. It also didn't help that one of the smoke alarms started its low-battery chirp while I was trying to sleep.
Naturally, first off the stack was Action Comics #840 (written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek, drawn by Pete Woods), the conclusion of "Up, Up and Away!" I really liked this issue, and not just from the residual movie high. It was a conclusion that actually felt like a conclusion, wrapping up loose ends like the reconstruction of Metropolis and the "reintegration" of Clark's life with Superman's. With this issue, the new/retro status quo is established concretely, while still managing to be self-contained. Take a bow, guys; you did "One Year Later" right.
In a nice bit of timing, Batman #654 (written by James Robinson, pencilled by Don Kramer, inked by Wayne Faucher) also wrapped up its "OYL" storyline, "Face The Face." This was a bit more scattered, with the misdirection involving Two-Face going off in (yes) two different directions. That's appropriate enough, I suppose, and I believe this was a play-fair mystery, unlike "Hush," but there's a fine line between clever use of obscure villains and pulling something out of one's hinder. Still, the closing scenes with Bruce, Tim, and Alfred were worth it. Next up, Morrison and Dini!
52 #8 (written by Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Eddy Barrows, inked by Rob Stull) was a pretty solid issue. With most of the focus on Steel's metallification, there was still room for a good Ralph Dibny/Ollie Queen scene, teasing Supernova, and checking in with Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire. Oh, yeah, and "History of the DCU" covered about 1996-2004, for those who came in late. Overall I still like this series, but I don't know if that has more to do with its immediacy or its underlying quality. Ironically, it's hard for me to read it in real time, and when a character refers to "weeks ago," it almost throws me out of the story.
Brave New World #1 (written and drawn by a whole lot of people) didn't really have much of an effect on me. I still have little interest in any of these series beyond the Atom, and if I didn't already like Gail Simone, I wouldn't be too excited about that one.
I liked Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #19 (written by Mark Waid, drawn by Barry Kitson) pretty well, although the reveal of the murderer wasn't entirely unexpected. It did showcase Chameleon's detective skills effectively, and the image of a murderous Robotman was a surreal homage to "our era."
Then there's Hawkgirl #53 (written by Walter Simonson, drawn by Howard Chaykin). Yes, I'm going to talk about the bra, so Mom, if you're reading, maybe you should skip this one. Seriously, though, I know it's just Chaykin's fondness (and talent) for drawing well-built women, but come on! Why not a sports bra, as opposed to the lacy number revealed in the course of this fight? And since she is wearing a bra under the costume, in Louisiana, howcome she's still all nipply on the outside? (Actually, Mom is fond of criticizing any movie where the heroine finds herself in trouble while in eveningwear, so this would be another strike against Hawkgirl for her.) As for the merits of the issue otherwise, at least I was able to follow it for a few more pages than usual. I really hate to say this, and it doesn't reflect on my love for Chaykin otherwise, but I'm giving this book a reprieve to see how the new artist works out.
Meanwhile, over with the other company, I bought New Avengers #21 (written by Brian Michael Bendis) solely for Howard Chaykin drawing Captain America. For that, it was good. It didn't give me any more insight into "Civil War," but I wasn't looking. One question, though: on the page with Spider-Man, what's the big tower with the spider-thing on top? It looks like Aku from "Samurai Jack" has taken over NYC.
Sticking with "Civil War," Fantastic Four #538 (written by J. Michael Straczynski, drawn by Mike McKone) spends a few pages on Reed and Sue fighting beside Johnny's hospital bed, a few more with Ben establishing solidarity on Yancey Street, and a few more on getting "DB" to make Thor's hammer go nuts. So there you go. Six more months of this, at least.
JLA Classified #23 (written by Steve Englehart, pencilled by Tom Derenick, inked by Mark Farmer) presents part 2 of the Detroit League vs. the Royal Flush Gang. I can't remember my RFG timeline that well, but I think this storyline might be explaining the different Gangs which attacked the League during the '80s. The one introduced this issue went on to fight Max Lord's League early in its history, if my memory's correct. Anyway, it's a nice take on the characters, and since this issue spotlights Vibe, it's good that Englehart's made his accent a little less stereotypical. I daresay those who have a soft spot for the Detroit League will like this, and those who don't, won't.
Picked up Eternals #1 (written by Neil Gaiman, drawn by John Romita, Jr.) based on good word of mouth from last week, and it was a decent introduction, but I'm still on the fence about whether to get #2. However, I am a little more motivated to save up for that big hardcover, so curse you, Marvel! for making me want more expensive Kirby reprints.
Nextwave #6 (written by Warren Ellis, drawn by Stuart Immonen) was another romp through fights with samurai robots and ptero-men. Underlying it, though, was the message that the Nextwavers really are pretty dangerous people, and it's all fun until they decide it's gone too far. I'm sure there's some metacommentary hidden in that sentiment, but it's probably unintentional. This is a comic for folks who like a little wacky with their carnage, and so far it's all good.
Finally, the penultimate issue of Solo, #11, spotlights Sergio Aragones, and it's maybe the most fun issue of this gone-too-soon series since Mike Allred's. Sergio's style is warm and inviting, and reading it felt like a visit from a friend who loves to tell stories. The only thing that could justify cancelling this series would be knowing for sure it would only get worse from here on out.
4 comments:
"One question, though: on the page with Spider-Man, what's the big tower with the spider-thing on top? It looks like Aku from "Samurai Jack" has taken over NYC."
That horrible eyesore is the Sentry's Tower, which is now the HQ of the pseudo-Avengers and where Peter Parker, MJ and Aunt May now live. And Wolverine too, since he can exists in millions of places at the same time.
Strongly agree about Solo #11. Wonderful Sergio Aragones goodness.
Okay, that makes sense. Thanks!
(Still looks like a spider or Aku, though.)
P.S. Off the subject, but looking at the opening paragraph, I probably should have said "superhero movie" and "superhero comic reader" instead of the generic "comic-book movie" and "comic-book reader." Didn't mean to slight Ghost World, Road to Perdition, A History Of Violence, etc.
Just to clarify a bit more, it's Sentry's Tower sitting on top of Stark Tower (i.e. Avengers HQ). Just me nitpicking, but, it's kind of important. And, yeah, it does look horrible (why can't the Sentry just go the fuck away already....gah)
Slightly off topic, but Kryptonite flavored Doritos? Please!
(parody consumer report...)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOgSPAqXPLM
Post a Comment