New comics 5/25/05

Big week this week, so I'll try to be brief.

(By the way, if you haven't taken a gander at my trivia question, please do so now. Thanks!)

JLA #114 (written by Kurt Busiek, art by Ron Garney and Dan Green) finishes the Kryyme Syndicate story pretty neatly. My only problem was a quibble with logistics over a bit of deception the JLA pulls. Otherwise, it feels like the last 30 minutes of a well-constructed action movie -- few surprises, but that's because the foundation has already been laid. Next month begins the inevitable Identity Crisis fallout storyline, but I remember last summer when Busiek was announced as the book's regular writer, and I'd really like that to still happen.

Batman #640 (written by Judd Winick, with art by Paul Lee and Cam Smith) is basically an interlude issue, but not a bad one. The Red Hood banters with Onyx while Batman goes to Metropolis seeking advice from Superman. Winick continues his good work with Batman, and Lee and Smith (not announced as guest artists -- hmmm...) provide art which is softer and more flowing than the regular Mahnke/Nguyen team. Lee and Smith do an especially good Superman. I'm still not sure exactly how Batman found out the Hood's identity, because that flash-forward from 5 months ago still hasn't been placed in context, but perhaps that will be answered next issue.

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 (written by Phil Jiminez, with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and George Perez) was a pretty good read. It was eminently predictable, even if you didn't appreciate the echoes of the original pre-Crisis story (or notice the book's title, f'r goshsakes), but I thought it stood well on its own. That's no small achievement, given the continuity wrangles through which Donna has been put. This may all change next issue, once the superheroes get involved, but for now I say well done. Of course, the art was spectacular, as you might expect from these veterans, but that goes without saying.

The OMAC Project #2 (written by Greg Rucka, with art by Jesus Saiz) shows OMAC in action, as both the Black King and Batman start to figure out what's going on from their respective perspectives. Saiz' art looks a little muddier this issue, and there are too many dark-haired women going around betraying each other. On Rucka's end, I wasn't sure about what Batman did in the last few pages of this issue, and we'll see next month how it affects the plot. I'm also not sure how effective this month's cliffhanger is. If the bad guy had to face anyone else, I get the feeling it'd be a fairer fight.

I bought Day of Vengeance #2 (written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano, Walden Wong, and Livesay) still not having read #1, and was only a little confused. Basically the Spectre is going around visiting horrific ironic punishments on the smallest transgressors as well as some big-time super-folk, and being seduced by Eclipso to boot -- but it looks like Eclipso is being controlled by the Enchantress, who's a good guy. Maybe the Enchantress is just secretly monitoring Eclipso's thoughts. I don't know. There's also another magic-using woman with a mask with whom I am unfamiliar, and much as I hate unnecessary exposition, it would have been nice for somebody to call her by name at least once. At least I recognized the guy in blue chain mail from an old Who's Who, although nobody calls him by a codename either. Anyway, the art is fairly decent, despite some weird anatomical things here and there, and the script is entertaining. Just remind us folks who came in late what's going on, and we'll be happy.

Flash #222 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Howard Porter and Livesay) continues the big fight involving the two Rogue groups and the Flash. It's actually a lot like last issue -- fight fight fight, then a last-page surprise appearance by a forgotten Rogue. Last issue the Top arrived in the middle of the action, and this issue he's undoing the mental blocks that turned the old-time Rogues good. Not much to say about the script, except it's the same kind of terse tough-guy dialogue which has characterized Johns' Rogue work. There are a couple of good moments between Flash and his former friend Pied Piper, although Flash does something questionable with Piper that may come back to hurt him later. The highlight of this issue was Porter's art. It reminded me of his JLA work, having to handle a dozen characters all running around beating each other up. However, he goes with more conventional panel layouts, occasionally having characters break the panel boundaries; and he choreographs the fights well. Porter is staying for a bit after Johns leaves, and I'm happy about that.

Green Lantern #1 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino and a bit by Ethan van Sciver) was not what I expected. I had neutral expectations for the title after Rebirth, and this issue was neither as bombastic as the worst of Rebirth nor as clever as its best. Instead, it centered around Hal Jordan returning to familiar environs and trying to re-establish himself, and for that I'll give Johns a lot of credit. Although a lot is familiar, none of it seems pat or settled. Pacheco and Merino's art is fantastic -- Hal looks appropriately old, and even has his original Gil Kane receding hairline from 1959. I still get an unsettling "this guy's supposed to be dead" vibe from Hal, even though I always wanted him to come back. I hope Johns deals with the used-to-be-dead issues soon, but for now the new GL is pretty good.

I guessed the mystery villain of Adventures of Superman #640 (written by Greg Rucka, with art by Karl Kerschl) a couple of pages before Superman did, but I'm not sure if Rucka wanted me to be ahead of the hero. This was still a good issue, and it makes me want to re-read the rest of Rucka's run. Kerschl's art may have made the difference here, since it's very similar to Drew Johnson's over on Rucka's Wonder Woman. Having Lois narrate the issue, and featuring Superman on TV as a "newsmaker," were also good touches which drew me more into the story (and reminded me further of WW).

Legion of Super-Heroes #6 (written by Mark Waid, with art by Barry Kitson and Art Thibert and a backup story drawn by Scott Iwahashi) follows up on the group of supervillains encountered last issue, and otherwise features day-in-the-life vignettes with small groups of Legionnaires. That doesn't stop it from having a devastating ending -- in fact, the vignettes probably lulled me into a false sense of security. There's also an honest-to-goodness letters page, done Doonesbury style with Cosmic Boy and Chameleon reading fan mail, which was very funny and much appreciated.

Captain America #6 (written by Ed Brubaker, with art by Steve Epting) concludes "Out of Time," the first story arc; but it sets up "The Winter Soldier," beginning next month. Basically, Cap races to save Philadelphia while trying to exorcise his fake (?) memories of the day Bucky was killed. There were a couple of surprises along the way, and speaking of letters pages Marvel needs to watch where it puts theirs, because this one's came in the middle of the big finish and I thought the book was over. In any event, this team has certainly done well with Cap, and I'm glad I'm getting this title again.

Incredible Hulk #81 (written by Peter David, with art by Lee Weeks and Tom Palmer Jr.) also concludes "Tempest Fugit" in an unexpected way, but I'm not sure what to make of it. Basically, the ending allows for any number of crazy scenarios, such that we're not sure what to believe; and for this type of story that's a dangerous line to walk. Not that it wasn't entertaining and even scary in parts, mind you; and David and Weeks did a good job creating and sustaining the appropriate mood. I'm interested to see what they do with a more conventional adventure.

Having gotten severely tired of Supreme Power, I approached Fantastic Four #527 (written by J. Michael Straczynski, with art by Mike McKone) with much trepidation, and was pleasantly surprised. This was quite good, with JMS continuing Mark Waid's strong characterizations and enthusiastic (sometimes wacky) humor. The plot and subplots were simple but effective, and the art was McKone's usual fine work. I still think Supreme Power was boring and pretentious, but this was everything that was not.

Finally, City of Tomorrow #2 (by Howard Chaykin) improved on its first issue, mainly by focusing clearly on our hero, the son of the man who built the eponymous city. More than anything this reminded me of Chaykin's TimeSquared (I know that's not how it's spelled, but I can't do superscripts), which also featured a futuristic city with a robotic underclass. The hero's interactions with the robotic cops also reminded me of Reuben and Luther from American Flagg!, and the government strike team seemed lifted from last year's Challengers of the Unknown. None of these are bad things, but it does seem like Chaykin's been playing with different elements, trying to find a good mix. With this title he may have succeeded.

Full Post

"-- For I Am -- Stumped"

Here's a trivia question which has bothered me for about a month, so I'm throwing it open to the masses.

As we all know, Steve Englehart often referred to very early Batman comics in his classic Detective run. One which I haven't been able to place is Dr. Phosphorus' note to the police from Detective #469:

Phosphorus burns when exposed to the air! The good citizens of Gotham City have earned my righteous wrath, and they will burn for it -- for I am -- Dr. Phosphorus

I don't think the note's content is really a reference, but the "-- for I am --" signature (with the dashes) really feels like one. I have skimmed all my reprint books (the first two Batman Archives, the first Dark Knight Archives, and the first Batman Chronicles), which cover Detective #s 27-75 and Batman #1-4, and come up empty.

Anybody out there know the answer?

Thanks!

Full Post

Two Years And Counting

Today the Best Wife Ever and I celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary!

I never thought I would meet someone as sweet, smart, or pretty, let alone get married to her. Now I can't imagine a life without her. Only she can inspire me to such schmoopy thoughts.

Thanks, sweetheart! Every day with you is special.

Full Post

New comics 5/18/05

Superman #217 marks the beginning of new writer Mark Verheiden and artist Ed Benes by picking up where "For Tomorrow" left off. Superman has vanished into the Amazon jungle to tend his new Fortress of Solitude (and, one presumes, to make it eco-friendly, although I have a concern about that judging from the top of page 2). Lois and Jimmy Olsen follow him, but are ambushed by drug runners. Superman saves the reporters, who learn he's befriended a local village, and we go from there. This was a decent issue, mixing traditional Superman elements with more up-to-date sensibilities. However, some scenes were over-the-top even for a Superman book -- the physics of his first appearance, for example -- and the art was serviceable but nothing special. It was good to see Verheiden picking up some of the threads Azzarello left behind, though.

Seven Soldiers: Guardian #2 (written by Grant Morrison, with art by Cameron Stewart) concludes the Subway Pirates story in unremarkable fashion. Guardian comes to grips with his heroic responsibilities, and the idea of modern-day folk adopting arr! matey! pirate styles in forgotten subway tunnels has a certain charm. Stewart's art is also quite good, with his figures Kirbyesque in a few places. I say "unremarkable" because beneath all the quirks, this is a fairly standard story.

Batman: Gotham Knights #65 (written by A.J. Lieberman, with art by Al Barrionuevo and Bit) did surprise me at the end, but getting there was dicey. I should want to like Lieberman's approach to Batman, since he seems to be approaching Gotham as a place populated by weird figures who all know each other -- kind of like the old Flash's Central City or Englehart's Gotham. However, this Poison Ivy story feels about two issues too long, and its characters don't quite act right. There's Bruce Wayne, dropping cryptic hints about his secret identity to Ivy; there's Ivy herself, struggling with her humanity; and there's Hush, who's never been compelling. The art also seems rather static. GK is the Forrest Gump of Batman titles -- its IQ isn't quite high enough to rank with its peers, but somehow it keeps getting by. This arc wasn't so bad, comparatively; and like I say the ending was a surprise.

JLA Classified #7 (written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubenstein) brings us Part 4 of "I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League," which also benefited from a good ending. Guy and Power Girl fight their way through Hell to get to Beetle, Booster, Mary Marvel, and Fire. Once everybody's rescued (thanks to Guy, who really shines here), they discover one of Hell's shocking secrets. This was a good issue, showing the more serious side of these characters without really letting up on the witty banter. I still want to know how Guy got his yellow ring back, though.

That's not explained in Green Lantern Secret Files & Origins 2005, written and drawn by a passel of people. GLSF&O2K5 does contain two short stories, both written by Geoff Johns, which bookend (in reverse order) GL Rebirth. The first, drawn by Darwyn Cooke, is a fluffy feel-good piece highlighting the bond between reckless, show-offy pilots and their passengers. The second, by the Rebirth art team of Ethan van Sciver and Prentiss Rollins, is a prelude to Rebirth which will probably be collected into that paperback. I will say that the Johns/Cooke story gives me more hope for the series than Rebirth #6 did, but neither story is really essential, and the rest of the book is "Who's Who"-style profile pages. However, those are nice, including Howard Chaykin returning to Guy Gardner, Simone Bianchi on Sinestro, and Dave Gibbons returning to Mongul.

Batman: Dark Detective #2 (written by Steve Englehart, drawn by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin) finds Bruce and Silver adjusting to their newfound Jerry/Elaine status, with Bruce escorting Silver into the Batcave, with a couple of unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Two-Face threatens the Joker, the Joker makes good on a threat himself, and Commissioner Akins makes a rare appearance. Except for the Akins bit, which almost seemed out of character but for Akins' lack of characterization thus far, I thought this was a good second issue. It built on the themes of #1 and expanded the series' scope. The creators also seemed a little less self-conscious about their own "iconic" status this time, which was good.

Although I think Howard Chaykin's City of Tomorrow #1 came out a couple of weeks ago, I just now picked up a copy. At first I was confused, because the story flashes back and forth and the main character isn't made clear until the end. I don't mind reading Chaykin multiple times, since his storytelling is so dense (in a good way), but this was the first time I really felt lost. The story itself is a near-future tale involving terrorism, government paranoia, and the eponymous city gone bad. Not sure if I'll be getting #2 or waiting for the trade. I have the feeling it will read better all in one sitting.

I was also a little confused with Star Wars Empire #31(written by Scott Allie, with art by Joe Corroney). It looks like a standalone tale featuring Darth Vader (appropriately enough), but there seem to be a couple of references to the Luke/Leia adventure it interrupts. Otherwise, it's a tale of political intrigue on a reptilian planet, with everyone trying to stay on Vader's good side. Emblematic of the issue is a state dinner where Vader (of course) doesn't eat, so tensions run high from the beginning. Not a bad issue, but I wonder if it will loop back into the other arc.

Finally, I bought Spider-Man/Human Torch #4 (written by Dan Slott, pencilled by Ty Templeton, and inked by Tom Palmer Jr. and Drew Geraci). This particular flashback takes place during the black-costume eras of both Spidey and the Torch, with Johnny sporting a Guy Gardner hairdo I think John Byrne foisted on him (to go with the femullet he visited unto Sue, so Johnny actually got off easy). This was a decent enough issue, but not as funny as the previous three. Spidey and the Black Cat have a fight, so she enlists the Torch to help her break into a museum. The best parts come when Johnny gets jealous of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man's attraction to the Black Cat. Slott does have a way with these characters, the art is good, and the story has a nice twist -- just not as much buffoonery as in the previous installments, I guess.

Full Post

Foul Play! Is More Than Fair

Foul Play!, subtitled The Art And Artists Of The Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!, is clearly author Grant Geissman's labor of love. It's the kind of book an enthusiastic fan would write, and the enthusiasm fairly oozes out of the pages. Foul Play! reminded me of the Les Daniels/Chip Kidd Complete History volumes devoted to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and its coverage is no less comprehensive. There's enough here to keep a reader entertained for quite a while, from biographies of the artists to reproductions of representative stories. At times there's almost too much information on a page, but for the most part the effect is endearing, not off-putting.

E.C. was the black sheep of the comics industry in the 1950s, taking a fair amount of heat from watchdog groups for its horror and science fiction stories which tended toward the grisly. Its titles definitely stood out next to comics' more kid-oriented fare. However, its live-fast, die-young notoriety has served it well over the years, inspiring tributes in modern comics and a long-running HBO series, Tales from the Crypt. I think of E.C.' s stable as the dinosaurs of comic books -- important steps in comics' evolution, of which only a vestigal trace (Mad magazine) is left today.

The book is divided into thirteen solo biographies, each accompanied by a story. Other sections include short "best of the rest" bios, a brief history of the company, and an unpublished E.C. story. The focus is therefore on the artists, with E.C.'s place in overall comics history summarized at the beginning. Accordingly, related books like Mad and Cracked, as well as certain artists' superhero work, aren't given as much detail as the artists' work on the main E.C. titles. Still, this book is detailed enough, and the artists' post-E.C. work is given enough attention that the reader can relate each biography to something more familiar.

After the gold-rush days of the 1940s, E.C. Comics and its artists represented a desire to push comics past its pulp roots and into the realm of stories told for adults. However, by the end of the 1950s E.C. as it had been was gone, and the superheroes were back to stay. Although many of today's comics feature topics as mature, and stories more profane, than the "worst" of E.C.'s output, American comic books still struggle with their juvenile-literature image. Foul Play! is a vivid, entertaining tour of comics' first rebellion.

Full Post

Farewell, Bride of the Dark Side: Star Wars Anti-Spoilers

In the heady days of the mid-1990s, not even the lack of an Internet connection could keep me from writing essays on superheroes, Star Trek, and Star Wars. In fact, still on my hard drive from July 1996 is a bit of business called "Speculations on Star Wars Chapters 1-3 or, What did Obi-Wan Know and When Did He Know It?"

In it (and its various successors) I tried to work out various scenarios for the prequels, most of which were entirely wrong. Because I am not too proud to admit defeat, here are some of the highlights of my misguided musings.

[Before we get down to business, though, fans of the Marvel Star Wars comics should check out "Jaxxon's 11," a webcomic sponsored by TheForce.net. While it has nothing to do with the rest of the essay, it's still pretty funny stuff. Anyway....]

1. Beru was Anakin's sister. Ah, a golden oldie from 1996! I figured this would be the case if Anakin's family wasn't completely Force-sensitive. This would also have explained Owen not being a Skywalker. The theory was later amended, first to "Beru is Padme's sister," and then to "Beru is one of Padme's bodyguards." The latter made sense and would have helped give Luke an extra level of protection on Tatooine. I still get a kick out of picturing Aunt Beru holding off that squad of stormtroopers with her hypothetical old Naboo arsenal.

2. Anakin's slavery had a bigger impact. In 1999, after seeing Episode I, I wrote this:

It is likely that Anakin will return to Tatooine in Episode II, possibly after having learned that his mother is dead. Palpatine will hint that Qui-Gon took Anakin away from his mother to further the selfish ends of the Jedi, and will thus turn Anakin against the Jedi.

This evolved into a prediction that Episode II would begin with Anakin disobeying Jedi Council orders by racing to Tatooine to free his mother from Gardulla the Hutt. (Watto sold her back to Gardulla after his losses in Anakin's podrace.) Deliberately echoing Return of the Jedi, Anakin hacks and slashes his way through the Hutt compound. Obi-Wan shows up for a last-minute save, having tracked him down to bring him back to Coruscant. Their destruction of the master slave control would have fulfilled Anakin's Phantom Menace dream of returning to free the slaves.

Obi-Wan then runs afoul of Owen Lars, who wants Anakin to stay on Tatooine and protect the freed slaves from reprisals. Obi-Wan says Anakin's needed in the Clone Wars, which Owen considers a "damn fool idealistic crusade." Anakin ends the argument by agreeing to return with Obi-Wan. So far in the prequels, Obi-Wan and Owen haven't met, so I hope Revenge of the Sith addresses that.

3. Between Episodes I and II, the Trade Federation sold out. At the end of Episode I, the TF's "franchise" looks to be revoked, so it seems logical that they would have gone bankrupt and their technology would have ended up in the hands of another galactic power. I imagined Episode II beginning with a mysterious army of clones, using Federation-derived technology, striking without warning on the outskirts of the Republic and working their way into the core worlds. Naturally the Jedi would have been hard pressed to contain these invaders, so Palpatine would have concentrated more power in the Republic and built up the Republic's military (which at this point I thought already existed). At the end of my Episode II, a Jedi army would have destroyed the "enemy's" cloning facilities and thereby ended what came to be known as the Clone Wars.

4. Bail Organa was the prequels' dashing rogue, in the Han/Lando mode. Before Jimmy Smits was cast as Senator Bail Organa, I imagined him being a bit younger -- more a contemporary of Obi-Wan and thus a little older than Padme. Anakin and Obi-Wan protected the Senator in my speculative Episode II, but I had Bail romantically involved with Padme by the time the Jedi got involved. Anakin and Padme then would have gotten separated from the others, giving them time to realize their true feelings for one another. Naturally, this would also have set up Padme's future with Bail in the post-Episode III timeline, since she would have gone back to Bail after Anakin was thought dead.

5. Naboo's devastation was a big part of Episode III. This still makes sense to me on a number of levels.

First, in Episode I, Senator Palpatine is determined to have the Trade Federation conquer Naboo. This suggested to me that Naboo held some kind of mystic Sith significance, probably having to do with those energy weapons and constructs the Gungans made. (The ruins where the Naboo find the Gungans also suggested a third, possibly much older civilization.) I figured Episode III -- which I wanted to call "Bride of the Dark Side" -- would center around Palpatine returning to Naboo to claim the final piece of the Sith's puzzle. The Jedi would stop him, of course, but at the cost of being branded traitors and exterminated wholesale.

The cost to Naboo would be greater, because the Gungans' power source was central to Naboo's delicate ecosystem. Phantom Menace established Naboo's core as a system of underwater caves, not a ball of molten rock. Therefore, the Gungans' power source must have been something else; and in fact the entire planet could have been affected by an ancient Jedi/Sith conflict. However it happened, I reasoned that Palpatine's plot to stripmine Naboo of its unique power (possibly enough for a small-moon-sized battlestation?) would reduce it to a smoking sphere of volcanoes and magma. I theorized further that Anakin and Obi-Wan's climactic duel would have taken place on the volcanic ruins of the Queen's palace.

Although Naboo wouldn't have been destroyed per se, Palpatine's plans would have rendered it completely lifeless. Naboo's fate would have left Padme without a constituency, allowing Bail to give her amnesty on Alderaan. (I thought it would be cool for Alderaan to have a fearsome military, which the Emperor demanded Bail dismantle in exchange for Padme's safety.) Letting Padme live for a little while after the prequels would also have preserved Leia's line about her mother dying when Leia was very young -- with the implication being that Padme was poisoned from the devastation of Naboo.

Alas, it is not to be. The latest alterations to Return of the Jedi have included a celebration scene on a Naboo that looks identical to the pristine world of Episodes I and II. That's perfectly fine with me. The advance word on Sith so far is frighteningly positive compared to the other prequels. Besides, if I could predict every nuance of a Star Wars movie, there'd be no fun in going -- and if these clunker predictions had turned out to be true, the movies probably wouldn't have been much fun anyway.

Full Post

Special Guest Movie Reviews

As regular readers know, my wife and I are living apart temporarily while we go through this laborious move to Virginia. To pass the time, she has seen a couple of movies and wanted to share her thoughts with you. They're not comic-book movies, but remember, she commented on Sin City a few weeks back. Without further ado....

Best Wife Ever here has used the unfortunate time away from Tom to preview movies to make up for her loneliness. In the last week I went to see Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven and Sidney Pollack's The Interpreter.

Sydney Pollack is one of my favorite directors and B-list actors. (Tootsie, of course, is Exhibit A for his acting.) He has done an impressive job with a story that makes the UN setting a character in itself while also showing us how seemingly isolated problems like genocide and dictatorship abroad can quickly become US problems when ignored or dealt with in only simple terms. Sean Penn plays a foreign dignitary's security officer assigned to investigate Nicole Kidman’s charge that she overheard a plot to kill a visiting African dictator accused of genocide. Both deliver impressive performances. The movie takes the audience through the intricacies of a fictitious African country that fought colonialism only to find its freedom fighter turn against his own people. That story is told as the current mystery unfolds at the UN. Unfortunately I felt suckered into a trite and unlikely climax followed by a supposedly happy ending that didn't deliver. The audience would have been better served had the movie presented more profound questions about the world today. However, there is enough thought and entertainment to make an enjoyable movie. Not a must see, but well worth the popcorn.

Kingdom of Heaven invites us to picture Orlando Bloom in medieval costume standing on the edge of a fortress making inspiring speeches to new recruits about to receive on the job training; shouting military orders; and flinging swords and bows and arrows while fighting for the good of man against all odds. Sound familiar? I think I liked this scene better when it was called the Battle of Helms Deep. Don’t worry -- if you get tired of watching LOTR, you can watch another Ridley Scott movie, Gladiator, instead of this one. Bloom’s character is offered the opportunity to be the heir of a royal line, fights a few gruesome battles in stop frame fashion and overcomes an assassination attempt from the bloodline heir. And finally, we are told all of this is not for just the fighting, it’s for “the people.” Scott deserves some credit for portraying a complex view of the Middle East and Europe in the 1100s, and linking those politics to a few modern themes. But I missed the realism and historical motivation of Gladiator and the personal relationships of LOTR. I got lost in side stories seemingly designed to link the story together but which in hindsight didn’t relate to anything. (One sword fighting lesson from Jedi Master Liam Neeson transforms Orlando from simple blacksmith to a wise and skillful knight; and a chance encounter with a future enemy is the result of a shipwreck that seems out of place with the larger story.) However, if you like historical adventure, a few good battle scenes and Orlando Bloom, you got yourself a movie that beats TV any day.

Hmmm ... historical adventure, a few good battles, and Orlando Bloom? Sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean too!

I'll second that TV comment. I know from experience that hotel TV gets mighty dull after a while. (I watched more "Lilo & Stitch: The Series" in Virginia than I ever have in my life.)

Thanks, sweetie! Unfortunately, I think this might commit you to reviewing Revenge of the Sith, Batman Begins, and Fantastic Four....

Full Post

New comics 5/11/05

Late-arriving comics first:

Green Lantern Rebirth #6 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Ethan van Sciver) gives us lots of pyrotechnics and attitude. There are dueling 'tudes, in fact, between the skeptical Batman and the so-full-of-himself-it-hurts Hal Jordan. Those sequences bookend a big Green Lantern Corps vs. Parallax fight which looks better than it is. It's not very exciting, because it has neither choreography nor much in the way of danger. This issue may work better in the context of the overall story -- which has been a surprisingly efficient and effective revival of Hal -- but on its own it's so far in the tank for Hal and the Green Lantern Corps it's laughable.

Also late (and also a concluding issue) was Adam Strange #8 (written by Andy Diggle, with art by Pascal Ferry). While it sets up The Rann-Thanagar War, it also works on its own to wrap up the Omega Device plotline. In fact, if you didn't know (or don't care) about RTW, the ending is very much in the tradition of movie serials pointing the way to their own sequels. I have no doubt that DC will market this as the prelude to RTW, but it was a good miniseries on its own and a nice look at a classic DC character.

Actually, the "sequel" Adam Strange sets up isn't The Rann-Thanagar War (#1) (written by Dave Gibbons, with art by Ivan Reis and Marc Campos). The immediate aftermath of Adam Strange is told by Adam in flashback to Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the opening pages of this miniseries. Reading the two back-to-back, I didn't notice any missed beats, and the flashback was a good way to bridge the two miniseries. Most of the action takes place on Rann, and Reis and Campos do a fine job portraying global war, but there are a couple of problems. First, everyone in the Rann military wears a uniform similar to Adam Strange's; and every Thanagarian wears hawk-gear, so it's kind of hard to tell in the crowd scenes who's who. Second, there's the whole Hawkman continuity boondoggle, complicated here by Shayera Thal a/k/a Hawkwoman. Gibbons needs a paragraph or two listing all the players before we get too much further. Green Lanterns Kilowog and Kyle Rayner also show up to say that no way will the Guardians let them get involved in the conflict. Anyway, this was a nice continuation of the politics touched on in Adam Strange, and it may be the most enjoyable of the pre-Infinite Crisis minis.

Action Comics #827 wasn't late, but judging by a footnote Superman #217 should have come out first. This issue introduces the new creative team of writer Gail Simone, penciller John Byrne, and inker Nelson. While Byrne's cover makes Superman look rather stocky, inside is a different story. Nelson takes the scratchy edges off Byrne's work, and combined with colorist Guy Major the book looks very good. Simone also gives us a happy, well-adjusted Lois and Clark, which is a very pleasant change from Chuck Austen's simmering Lois/Lana catfights. There's a bit at the beginning featuring Superman in an African village, which I suppose might be in Superman #217. Anyway, the main story is nice and suspenseful, featuring a villain who can really sock it to Superman. So far, so good.

Judging by last month's cliffhanger I thought Gotham Central #31 (written by Greg Rucka, with art by Stefano Gaudiano and Kano) would have picked up with a big Bat-fight, and while Batman is around for the first few pages, in the end it's the GCPD detectives who wrap things up. Most of the issue involves Montoya dealing with Dr. Alchemy, her father, her colleagues, and her girlfriend. Rucka obviously likes Montoya and does well with her, so the issue flows together effectively. My one problem with the art is that Montoya's father looks too much like ex-Commissioner Gordon, and I have to keep reminding myself otherwise.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #191 (written by J. Torres, with art by David Lopez and Fernando Blanco), the conclusion of a Mr. Freeze story, is hard to pin down. It has the trappings of a conventional Batman-vs.-Freeze fight, but it's told in flashback by Bruce and it takes a different look at Freeze's relationship with his wife. On the whole I liked it, although it doesn't amount to much in the larger scheme of things. Still, importance to continuity isn't everything.

Wonder Woman #216 (written by Greg Rucka, with art by Rags Morales and Mark Propst) continues Diana's journey through Hades. Along the way she, Wonder Girl, and Ferdinand encounter Ares, Medousa, a lamia (which I vaguely remembered from my old D&D days), and other assorted nightmares. It all intersects with Athena's takeover of Olympus, in which Ares was not on Diana's side. Rucka has done about as much with the gods as George Perez did, but Rucka has taken things a step further, almost giving the book a Sandman feel -- and that ain't bad.

Fantastic Four #526 (written by Karl Kesel, with art by Tom Grummett and Lary Stucker) concludes the Diablo two-parter. This was an entertaining little story which at the end turned out to have more to do with the team's subconscious desires than it did with Diablo. A bit with Johnny and Sue at the end of the issue was especially good. Anyway, onward and upward, as J. Michael Straczynski and Mike McKone take over next issue.

Finally, Astonishing X-Men #10 (written by Joss Whedon, with art by John Cassaday) continues the "sentient Danger Room" scenario. Most of it revolves around the Danger Room's dialogue with Professor X, but since I don't know what happened to him and the book never really tells us, it left me flat. I will say that the Danger Room's fight with the X-Men was fairly clever, and the story has gained a bit more stature in my mind than the fill-in "Buffy" episode it felt like originally.

Full Post

New comics 5/4/05

Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, except here in horse country, where the first Saturday in May is Derby Day. The Kentucky Derby (the subject of an hilarious essay by the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson) is like a statewide Super Bowl -- everything stops, there are parties with lots of booze (cultured booze like mint juleps, mind you, not just the beer you get at Super Bowl parties), and although the race itself takes about two minutes, you pretty much end up spending the entire afternoon watching coverage from Churchill Downs. It doesn't matter if you can't tell one end of the horse from another, just like knowledge of football doesn't matter for a Super Bowl party.

The point is, it's practically a state holiday that would be a state holiday if it weren't on Saturday. Several years ago I was in court in Trimble County (about a half-hour outside Louisville) on Oaks Day -- the day before Derby, when the all-filly Kentucky Oaks is run -- and the judge didn't show. To us, the implication was clear.

Therefore, kids, I don't need to tell you that if your local comics shop is in our fair commonwealth, you'll probably have your pick of free comics on Saturday, because you'll be one of the few people in the store.

As for today, there were no free comics, believe me.

Batman: Dark Detective #1 brings us the reunion of writer Steve Englehart, penciller Marshall Rogers, and inker Terry Austin on a Batman story. (Letterer John Workman did a few of those earlier issues too.) I liked this issue, and freely admit I was predisposed to like it. The story is simple: Bruce Wayne attends a fundraiser for a gubernatorial candidate who happens to be married to old flame Silver St. Cloud. The Joker shows up at the fundraiser, and he and Batman fight. The issue has a nice hand-made feel to it, thanks in large part to Austin's inks (which don't smooth out Rogers' edges as much as they once did) and Workman's lettering, which doesn't look computer-generated. There's a tribute to the team's late editor Julie Schwartz, both in the credits box and as a cameo. A couple of key sequences from the earlier run are also copied exactly, right down to the panel layout, but if it wasn't broke before, why fix it? If I had a quibble with the issue, it's that a character who appears to die horribly shows up later literally without a hair out of place. Otherwise, Engelhart's Bruce/Batman, Joker, and Silver are all portrayed skillfully, with Bruce and Silver's meeting handled especially subtly. This team knows its fame and is aware of its unique "vision," but it doesn't seem to have gone to their heads.

Back in the book that originally published their stories, Detective Comics #806 (written by David Lapham, art by Ramon Bachs and Nathan Massengill) offers a pretty grim installment of "City of Crime." Although I'm not sure Lapham's story still has momentum after six months -- and I wonder if it can sustain what it has for the remaining six -- this was a suspenseful tale which deepens the plot's paranoia. Basically Batman, the missing girl's mother, and the last honest cop in Gotham are all trying to hold off the sinister forces which have taken over the city. Still a good read, and I may see this later on as the bridge issue which helped keep the plot going. There's also a clever Alfred backup story by writer Scott Beatty and artist Jeff Parker which finds him on a cold-war-era espionage mission. (Yes, under DC's current timeline, the Soviet Union probably would have ceased to exist before Bruce Wayne put on the Batsuit.)

(A brief digression: this week I am starting to notice ads in the books for ringtones. These remind me, at least in layout, of those long-ago ads for "record clubs" like Columbia House and BMG which used to appear in the comics of the mid-'70s. Everything old is new again, I suppose.)

In Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #2 (written by Grant Morrison, art by Simone Bianchi) we learn the fates of Justin and his steed after the police car hit them last issue. While Justin endures a somewhat predictable trek through the alleys of Los Angeles -- really, isn't the beating-up-unsuspecting-thugs scene long since spent? -- Vanguard the horse is nursed back to health by a handful of colorful characters. The art is gorgeous, and there is more to Justin's arc this issue than just fighting. The credits page also waits until halfway through the issue to appear, which has to count for something. (I thought it was an ad at first.) At the end I think Justin and Vanguard are close to reuniting, but I'll have to read it a couple more times to make sure.

Still haven't found a copy of Day of Vengeance #1, but as it turns out Superman #216 (written by Judd Winick, art by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund) leads into it. Somewhere a DC production worker is being severely chastised, I am sure. This issue is the big Captain Marvel/Superman fight, depicted pretty well by Churchill and Rapmund. They use a few too many wide shots to show distance, and thereby sacrifice the characters' easy identification, but I guess that's where Winick's captions come in. The whole thing ends kind of abruptly, in order to set up the DoV conflicts. It's getting so I'm starting to wonder if these regular-series tie-ins (like JLA Classified #s 1-3, to be fair) will be collected with the miniseries' paperback, because they sure don't make sense in the context of the Superman books themselves.

Firestorm #13 (written by Dan Jolley, art by Jamal Igle, Rob Stull, and Lary Stucker) also ends the battle with the Thinker abruptly, but this time it's to wrap up outgoing writer Dan Jolley's tenure and lay the groundwork for new writer Stuart Moore. Along the way Ronnie Raymond gets some closure, and his parental situation is contrasted with Jason's. Like I say, the fight ends early, but on the other hand Jolley was more concerned with its aftermath. We'll see if Moore can do as well as Jolley has.

Villains United #1 (written by Gail Simone, art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade von Grawbadger) pits two classic DC names against each other -- the Secret Society of Super-Villains vs. the Secret Six. This book deals in so many villains I honestly couldn't identify them all. I think Scandal (of the S6) was in the "Ravens" with Cheshire, but why is there a new Rag Doll and what's this Parademon doing here? Dear DC, I have been reading many of your books continuously for the past 20 years, and I have the DC Encyclopedia and every issue of Who's Who -- including the 3-ring binder version -- so when I don't know who somebody is, I won't be hurt if you have to tell me. Other than that, it was a good setup, and it left me interested in what happens next.

Also in the obscure-character department, we have GLA #2 (written by Dan Slott, with art by Paul Pelletier and Rick Magyar) doing a membership drive to replace Dinah Soar, killed last issue. This provides a framework for Slott to riff on a few comics cliches, including a funny take on the "I work alone" speech and a pointed Batman reference which I heartily endorse. Unlike Villains United, which threw me into the deep end immediately, GLA made sure I knew who everyone was and why they were important, so good on it for that.

Finally, I bought Shanna The She-Devil #4 (written and drawn by Frank Cho) and was turned off not by the implausibility of Shanna fighting dinosaurs without losing her bikini, but by the gratuitous dino killings. Since buying #3, I have also signed up for an e-mail comics service which delivers Cho's Liberty Meadows to my inbox every day, and I can't see that guy writing this book. It's a well-crafted book (although you could base a drinking game on the "Holy buckets" epithet) but there's not much else to it. As for the dino-gore, wouldn't it have worked just as well in silhouette?

Full Post

New comics 4/27/05

First, an anniversary -- today marks 10 years of practicing law, all of it in Kentucky. I hope that when the results of this July's Virginia bar exam come out, I'll be licensed to practice law there too.

Less talk, more comics! Batman #639 (written by Judd Winick, with art by Doug Mahnke and Dustin Nguyen) ostensibly begins a new storyline, but really it just continues the mystery of the Red Hood. See, Winick's first issue started with Batman unmasking the Red Hood, and everything else proceeding in flashback. I liked that device, because it meant we'd work up to the unmasking. However, this issue Bats behaves as if he knows who the Hood is, but to the best of my knowledge we've never put the unmasking in any kind of timeline. Anyway, everybody's still around except Nightwing, who's been replaced by Onyx in the story structure. Batman also has some post-Identity Crisis moments with Zatanna and Green Arrow, in which Winick manages to make Batman arrogant, antagonistic, and sympathetic. While I like what Winick is doing with the book, I hope he wraps up this "new" arc fairly soon.

Winick also writes this month's Adventures of Superman (also #639), continuing the Captain Marvel/Eclipso story (art by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund). Superman fights an Eclipso-possessed scientist who's stolen a Kryptonian battlesuit. She wants him to get mad enough for Eclipso to possess him, but he knows that -- probably because this plot was used 13 years ago in the summer crossover series Eclipso: The Darkness Within. Based on that alone, this story still hasn't convinced me it needs to be told. Anyhoo, because this is Part 2 of 3 and Captain Marvel still has to beat the tar out of Supes, I'm sure you can guess how the issue ends. My only question is, does Lois usually type in her underwear?

Speaking of underwear, here's the new/old Supergirl, using Superman/Batman #19 (words by Jeph Loeb, pitchers by the same Ian Churchill) for what TV people would call a "backdoor pilot." I call it "Jeph Loeb's argument that this Supergirl deserves her own comic," and as with the other bit of Ian Churchill business this week, it hasn't convinced me. Basically it picks up where the previous Supergirl arc left off. Batman and Superman track Supergirl as she re-enacts key saves from the first two Christopher Reeve movies (eee! shout-outs!) and fights Bat-villains, all the while being tracked by a mysterious "Mr. X" whose identity is pretty much telegraphed from page 2. I know this incarnation of Supergirl is only a handful of issues old, but so far everything about her feels tacked-on. (Insert obligatory underwear joke here.)

Flash #221 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Howard Porter and Livesay) gives us part 2 of "Rogue War." I liked this issue more than I have recent Johns issues, mostly because it has a fair amount of Flash in it. While Johns shows the dueling Rogues' power, he also conveys the extent to which their individual battles are devastating Keystone City. There's terse first-person narration and armchair psychology, but it all seems to work together. I don't remember if I noted a Reservoir Dogs influence in Johns' approach, but he comes closest to that in this issue.

Wonder Woman #215 (written by Greg Rucka, art by Rags Morales and Michael Bair) starts a new arc with Diana, Wonder Girl, and Ferdinand headed to Hades on a mission for Athena. Rucka's script is efficient and entertaining as always. The Morales/Bair art is more three-dimensional than the book's usual team, and I was reminded (surprisingly) of Kelley Jones. Given the issue's subject matter, that's not inappropriate; and overall, the book hasn't skipped a beat.

Legion of Super-Heroes #5 (written by Mark Waid, art by Barry Kitson and Art Thibert) delivers a full-length tale of the Legion struggling against its evil -- or possibly just more pragmatic -- counterpart. I wasn't sure exactly who they were or where Waid is going, but I liked the spotlights on Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Timber Wolf; and so far the book seems headed in a good direction.

Captain America #5 (written by Ed Brubaker, with most art by Michael Lark and a few pages by Steve Epting) focuses on Cap's World War II days to give us some background on today's menace. Along the way we discover the startling secret of Bucky Barnes. David Welsh (and I'm sure many others) have written about the Buckster, and I agree with them that while it is startling, it also makes a certain degree of sense and even gives Bucky a bit more depth. You can't say that about a lot of retcons, so hats off to Brubaker. Lark does a fine job with the issue, and he and Epting complement each other well.

Finally, Star Wars Empire #30 (written by Kaare Andrews, with art by Adriana Melo) continues the compare-and-contrast Luke/Anakin arc. Although this issue went a long way towards explaining why the people of this planet hate heroic Jedi Anakin Skywalker, and by extension Luke, I was still confused by the artwork. Leia especially looks like someone grafted Carrie Fisher's face onto a taller, more zaftig body. I may drop this book after the arc is over, but it comes out so irregularly I can't say when that would be.

Full Post

Bless This Mess

Quick update on a couple of fronts:

First, the Best Wife Ever and I are now the proud owners of a lovely house in a quiet suburb of Williamsburg, Virginia. We still have to move all of our cra-- er, accumulated valuables (including 25 longboxes) across three states, but we hope that won't take long. This is why I haven't posted in a while, and why I won't have new comics probably until the weekend (when I get back to Lexington), so please accept my apologies.

Second, for those of you going through withdrawal, I have managed to cobble together a couple of pieces for The Great Curve -- a Captain Marvel essay which is up now, and an Englehart/Rogers Detective which I put up Friday but didn't update here because I had to bug out for VA.

Finally, thanks as always to the York County Public Library, Tabb branch, for being so friendly and so close to the hotel.

Full Post

New comics 4/20/05

We begin with Superman #215, the conclusion of Brian Azzarello's and Jim Lee's "For Tomorrow" storyline. There's nothing in this conclusion which necessarily negates the good things I talked about in my "FT" essay, but it doesn't quite live up to what's gone before. Azzarello has Superman narrate the issue, so at the end it seems like he's talking directly to the reader. The ending suggests strongly that Superman will always be alone; and drives home the point by having Supes build a new Fortress of Solitude in the middle of a rainforest. (About which the various rainforest native species probably thought, "Oh, great.") As much as the plot was driven by Superman's quest to return the Vanished people, and specifically Lois, to their normal lives, Azzarello denies the reader the opportunity to see Clark Kent's reunion with Lois. It's an uncharacteristically downbeat epilogue for a Superman story, and while that might be innovative, it's not very satisfying.

There are other aspects of this ending involving the fate of Fr. Leone which I won't get into, except to say they feel tacked on at best, and at worst fail adequately to conclude his character's arc. Also, this issue Lee is inked by a platoon (as opposed to his regular inker Scott Williams) but this doesn't produce any noticeable changes in style. Overall, while "FT" definitely wasn't a waste of twelve issues, it didn't live up to its potential either.

JLA #113 (written by Kurt Busiek, with art by Ron Garney and Dan Green) presents the penultimate chapter of "Syndicate Rules." I liked it well enough, although in this age of various Crises and advertisements for the Justice League falling apart I have to wonder whether every intramural argument -- for example, the exchange between Batman and Wonder Woman towards the end of the issue -- is merely dramatic or part of some much larger purpose. On its own, this has been an exciting and fun adventure, and this issue leavens the action with a couple bits of dark humor. I re-read this story's setup in JLA/Avengers on Saturday, and while Busiek's adulatory voice isn't as prominent here, it's still evident. He's not trying to do anything more with JLA than produce good, solid superheroics, and so far he's succeeding.

As for that aforementioned macro-arc, The OMAC Project #1 (written by Greg Rucka, art by Jesus Saiz) is itself a decent setup for what could be a compelling spy thrilla. I am having a hard time getting over the story's central conceit -- namely, that in addition to

• appearing in four regular books,
• supervising various proteges, and
• taking leadership roles in various incarnations of the Justice League and the Outsiders, all while
• presenting a convincing facade as the figurehead of a multinational corporation and
• most likely doing his own taxes,

Bats still managed to cobble together a spy satellite capable of looking at anyone anywhere doing anything. Last I heard, that level of intel was reserved for Santa Claus and God.

But I digress. Rucka and Saiz paint a convincingly paranoid picture. Saiz' art aims for realism in the Brent Anderson/Rags Morales tradition, meaning that the people don't look too special but the costumes don't look too stupid. Rucka is obviously comfortable with this genre and these characters, and he works in Beetle's former colleagues in a much less condescending way than the Countdown special did. I do wish the cover had taken the original OMAC's tagline about "the world that's coming," though. It seems more appropriate.

Speaking of covers, Teen Titans #23 (written by Geoff Johns, art by Mike McKone and Mario Alquiza) looks like it's topped by the rejected logo of a crossover yet unknown. "Twilight of the Teen Titans," eh? Might just be a pun, but in The World That's Coming you never know. The story wraps up the Dr. Light fight as every living Titan, past and present, dogpiles on the villain. All the while he's hooting about how "he won" no matter what, and yadda yadda yadda, he's been saying that the past couple of issues.

The conclusion sets up a conflict between the Titans and JLA, and leads into the Villains United miniseries, and thematically it follows/prefigures the "Titans Tomorrow" arc from a few months ago. When the entire issue is devoted to a couple dozen super-types pounding the crap out of a villain, powerful as he may have become, you have to think Light has a point. Although in that respect this was a solid issue, I'm still burned out on Geoff Johns' passive/aggressive tendencies and am sticking to my decision to drop the book.

Happier times abound in JLA Classified #6, Part 3 of "I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League!" (written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubenstein). Half the team goes to Hell to work in fast food, while the other half goes looking for them. Guy Gardner and Power Girl provide some "serious" superheroics, and the mystery surrounding Guy gets a little deeper. What does it say about me that I was able to read both this and OMAC Project in the same sitting without my head exploding from the different takes on Max Lord? On purely sentimental grounds, I did like this better.

Batman: Gotham Knights #64 (written by A.J. Lieberman, art by Al Barrionuevo and Bit) continues the Poison Ivy storyline, as P.I. hooks up with Bruce Wayne in hopes of curing her condition. Bruce obliges, helping Ivy personally because, you know, he's not busy otherwise. Maybe he e-filed. Heaven forbid the cautious, calculating part of Bruce would emerge and subject Ivy to the indignity (and security) of more qualified professionals at Waynetech or STAR Labs, right? Bruce also puts some tentative moves on Ivy while trying not to mention that he's Batman. Rest assured, there are other secret-identity hijinx elsewhere in the issue which make me wonder why you'd need anything more than a pair of binoculars, let alone a Brother Eye satellite, to figure out Bruce's secret. Barrionuevo's work is getting better, though.

I had to run back to the comics shop to pick up Seven Soldiers: Klarion #1 (written by Grant Morrison, with art by Frazer Irving). It's an unsettling story about a lost colony of witches where (at least for me) the art overshadowed the script. Imagine Charles Addams crossed with The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari and you'll have a good idea. This was the least "superheroic" of the 7S miniseries so far, but that's hardly a knock against it. I'm waiting to see how Morrison ties it all in with the others, and in the meantime I can enjoy it on its own merits.

Finally, Fantastic Four #525 presents the diverting first part of a two-parter by the interim team of Karl Kesel (writer) and Tom Grummett and Lary Stucker (artists). Everybody's having bad dreams and Diablo's involved somehow -- or is he? Grummett and Stucker's style is actually a happy medium between outgoing artists Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel and the incoming Mike McKone, and Kesel always seems to come up with decent, entertaining FF stories. While this doesn't approach the heights of Waid & Wieringo's excellent tenure, it's good on its own terms.

Full Post

Only Moments After Countdown

[Updated Monday morning]

Newsarama has a preview of The OMAC Project #1, Greg Rucka's miniseries spinning out of Countdown, and I have to say it looks good so far. The protagonists include Batman and his former bodyguard/love interest Sasha Bordeaux, so you have to think at some point she'll end up on his side. As predictable as that sounds, I continue to have faith in Rucka's ability to turn out a good spy thriller featuring superheroes. Since OMAC will also feature Wonder Woman, another character with whom Rucka has had success, my expectations are higher accordingly.

Nevertheless, at the risk of some creeping negativity -- and really, where would my cred as a comics blogger be without negativity? -- I feel compelled to note that Brother Eye and the OMAC trappings have been taken from a 1970s Jack Kirby creation and turned into sinister agents of a Shadowy Government Organization. The cynic in me wants to note that this is yet another grim subversion of something once meant as good and pure, but honestly I don't have quite so much emotional investment in OMAC.

Anyway, check out the preview, and if you like it be sure to tell your local comics merchant, because apparently it's already due for a second printing.

P.S. Also, be sure to watch The Great Curve for a couple of new essays -- that Seagle/Superman one I talked about last week, and a follow-up to my Hal Jordan/Donna Troy/Jason Todd rant.

P.P.S. Comic Book Resources has a couple more preview pages and a nice interview with Rucka which also speaks to the health of Gotham Central.

Full Post

New comics 4/13/05

The most pleasant surprise of the week came in Adam Strange #7 (written by Andy Diggle, drawn by Pascal Ferry). Check out the flashback on page 6, panel 2, and tell me those aren't two of the schmucks treated so shabbily by Countdown! Sure, they're second-rate in DC's eyes, but they took out a cosmic menace! Maybe that was the point of Countdown -- remove the obstacles to Mr. Cosmic Menace's conquest of the galaxy -- but I digress. This was yet another fine installment for the miniseries, effectively balancing what seems like an opening dream-sequence with the reality of preparing for the aforementioned menace. It's too much to hope that the rest of DC's big event miniseries will be as good as this one.

I had thought the cover of JSA #72 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Don Kramer and Keith Champagne) referenced the cover of America Vs. The Justice Society #4 (April 1985), but silly me -- that was itself a reference to All Star Comics #35 (June-July 1947), Degaton's first appearance. As for this issue, most of it's a big fight on the White House lawn as Degaton tries to use the Justice Society's powers to destroy Washington, D.C. Accordingly, it's most concerned with fight mechanics and the effective use of powers. There's also a kind of deus ex machina at the end which makes little sense now. I say "now" because it's the kind of thing I expect Johns to work into a storyline a couple of years down the road. More overtly, Johns works into the ending a setup for the Power Girl storyline in July's JSA Classified, and possibly even a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Not that I'll be reading either in July. This was my last monthly issue of JSA for the foreseeable future. It's been coming since "Black Reign," and the first part of this storyline (with Courtney's family murdered) kind of sealed the deal. The book just doesn't do anything for me anymore, and I don't find myself caring about characters like Atom-Smasher or Hourman II. "JSA/JSA" in particular was oddly free of suspense, mostly because we never saw the consequences of Degaton's alterations to the timestream. Sure, he says America will never trust mystery-men again, but does that mean Kal-El's rocket won't land, or Abin Sur's spaceship won't crash, or Diana won't get sent to Patriarch's World? Surely some super-people will be around to overthrow Degaton; and if he'll eliminate them in their cribs to get them out of the picture, why not just do that and avoid this elaborate frame-job?

Speaking of elaborate plans, Mr. Freeze has apparently concocted one for a two-parter beginning in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #190 (written by J. Torres, with art by David Lopez and Fernando Blanco). By the way, does Mr. Freeze get Subway stamps for every Bat-title he's in this month? He's 3-for-4 so far. Anyway, the story's narrated by Bruce Wayne, so that drains some of the suspense, but it's not like we couldn't have figured that Batman survives. It's interesting so far, using the old "why is the villain stealing these unrelated items?" plot, and if we can maybe guess their connection, it's still a diverting issue. The art is by Fallen Angel's team, so you know it's good; and it's nice to see those guys getting work.

Action Comics #826 (written by Judd Winick, with art by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund) kicks off a 3-part team-up with Captain Marvel that finds them battling Eclipso. This is the setup issue, in which Eclipso apparently tries to take over people by pushing them to the point of anger. It's all designed to get Superman involved so that Eclipso can take him over too. So far not bad, and the art is better than I would have expected -- not as stiff as the cover might suggest.

While Gotham Central #30 (written by Greg Rucka, pencilled by Stefano Gaudiano, inked by Kano) relies a little too much on Hannibal Lecter riffs (even trying to make Dr. Alchemy look like Anthony Hopkins), I still liked it. The plot (spoiled somewhat by this month's Flash, so thanks) involves transporting Alchemy to Gotham from Keystone City. Again, despite the Lecterisms, the interaction between our heroes and Alchemy is pretty effective, and the Keystone detectives come off a lot more natural here than they do in Flash. There are a couple of big plot holes, mostly involving the security around Alchemy, but if they weren't there, we wouldn't have the big dramatic cliffhanger ending. Next issue is set up very well.

Finally, if you have the chance, check out the new hardcover edition of Batman: Year One. Most of the extras are related to the art, but there's also a new four-page David Mazzucchelli strip which talks about his own relationship with Batman and superheroes in general. He concludes by saying "the more realistic superheroes are, the less believable they become." Food for thought.

Full Post

Cue the Patsy Cline ...

... as in "Cra-zy, I'm crazy for fee-lin' so lone-lyyy...."

No, it's not just me, although it's hard being in Lexington while the Best Wife Ever is in Virginia. I've been rereading the Steven T. Seagle/Scott McDaniel Superman issues in preparation for a potential Great Curve story, and at the risk of SPOILING any of you, it ends with a potential future where Supes fails to save Lois Lane.

While this future is scary enough on its own terms, it got me thinking -- has it just been a recent innovation that the loss of Lois would send Supes over the edge? She was gone at the beginning of the current "For Tomorrow" arc; and her death caused Superman to exile himself (or worse) in the alt-future backstories of both Kingdom Come and JLA's "Rock of Ages." Conversely, restoring the Superman/Lois relationship was critical to the endings of both DC One Million and the "Superman Rex" arc from a few years ago. I'm sure I'm missing other examples (that 1991 Annual where a dead Lois leads to Supes leaving Earth and hooking up with Maxima, for example).

Here's what I want to know: did we see these kinds of stories before Clark and Lois got engaged? I'm thinking that the pre-Crisis Superman wasn't as emotionally attached to Lois as the current one is. Has Lois replaced Clark as Superman's main connection to humanity?

Discuss, if you will.

Full Post

Just so you know...

My new rant about death and life among DC characters is now up at The Great Curve.

Full Post

New comics 3/30/05 and 4/6/05: better late than never

Two weeks' worth of comics -- which to read first?

25 years ago, The New Teen Titans #8 was lauded for featuring a "Day in the Life" and focusing on character moments to endear the cast to the readers. Some 10 years later, DC's Annuals included 8-page "Private Lives" stories which sometimes filled gaps in continuity. In the late 1990s, DC began publishing thick, expensive "Secret Files" books whose gap-filling stories were separated by illustrated data sheets on the characters.

Countdown to Infinite Crisis is a high-profile gap-filler which does three things: sets up related miniseries through a survey of the DC Universe; introduces the coming epic's mastermind; and shocks with the on-screen death of a superhero who (despite what the book has said about him) has been a consistently good member of DC's community. The blogosphere spent the better part of the past several days ripping this book apart, and rightly so. Aside from questionable characterization (most obvious with the Martian Manhunter), CTIC also suffers from delayed lead-ins: Hal Jordan and Adam Strange appear despite their respective miniseries being an issue or two away from over. (Similarly, Wonder Woman's eyes have apparently healed by this point.) I also suspect that much of the exposition supplied here will be regurgitated in the opening pages of the minis to follow. However, I did learn 1) the completely unnecessary explanation for why Blue Beetle wears goggles; and 2) Metropolis is in New York state, not Rhode Island (and somebody out there is mad at CTIC just for that!).

There's no real good reason to read CTIC. Either you're a longtime DC fan who doesn't need the exposition; or you're a newcomer and the shocking revelations won't mean much. The ending leaves little doubt that the victim is dead, which is both distasteful and counterproductive -- wouldn't it be more suspenseful to leave some hope of rescue/recovery? I suppose the art, by Rags Morales, Ed Benes, Jesus Saiz, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jiminez, is decent, although Jiminez makes the villain beefier and the hero chunkier than the others do.

I hope that DC will use the 80 pages for $1.00 format for future "Secret Files," though.

On to the regular series. Batman #638 (written by Judd Winick, with art by Doug Mahnke and Dustin Nguyen) reveals the Red Hood's identity, but (disobeying the cover) not to Batman. Bats and Nightwing are busy dealing with the Red Hood, Black Mask, and Mr. Freeze trying to claim a significant amount of Kryptonite. Winick has given each of the villains a very loosey-goosey, self-aware speaking style which is entertaining in and of itself, but I'm not sure if it works for Mr. Freeze. Mahnke and Nguyen's art is also a little looser this issue, with Batman especially looking more fluid and less blocky than they've drawn him to date. Again there's a shocking revelation and a surprising death at the end, but I'm (like Steve) not sure why one would wear a mask under a mask. I'm also not convinced that the dead man is who he looks like. Regardless, this is still a better Bat-book than most others have been recently.

Of course, the Bat-book better than Batman is Detective Comics #805 (written by David Lapham, with art by Ramon Bachs and Nathan Massengill). It begins where the last issue ended, with Batman the happy warrior in the thick of a pack of goons. This issue sees "City of Crime" take a weirder turn, with the revelation that people in Gotham are being replaced with sinister duplicates. I'm not sure that the story really needed such an element, since Lapham was doing so well with the straight-up crime, but he makes it suitably creepy. There is also a backup story involving a baby Clayface and some manure that is either fun or juvenile, probably depending on your mood.

Flash #220 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Howard Porter and Livesay) highlights the two groups of Rogues and pretty much confirms for me that previous periodic interruptions (for example, to tell the sordid story of the Mirror Master) were unnecessary. Conventional wisdom held that the previous Flash's Rogues' Gallery never succeeded because they never quite had the killer instinct one needs for optimum villainy. Now, as Geoff Johns has taught us over what seems like the last 200 years, the Rogues mean business. However, this issue puts them in direct conflict with a group of reformed Rogues working for the FBI. That's about it for the plot, really. (But why does Trickster I have his foot on the Stanley Cup on the last page?) I wonder what Johns will do once "Rogue War" is over, because it seems like the past couple of years have been building to this storyline. For that reason I have mixed feelings about this issue -- on one hand, it packs all those other expository installments into 22 pages; but on the other at least he's picking up the pace.

Legion of Super-Heroes #4 (written by Mark Waid, breakdowns by Barry Kitson, pencils by Leonard Kirk, inks by Mick Gray, second story art by Dave Gibbons) establishes a little more concretely the schism between the 31st Century's teenagers and adults. We get to see some repression and, of course, the violence inherent in the system. The spine of the story is the origin of Invisible Kid, but this issue feels more like a regular story than an origin tale. The backup is a day in the life of Phantom Girl as told by Karate Kid, and although it aspires to be a tender account of how P.G. spends her life perpetually between dimensions, it comes off as extremely strange. It's the kind of thing Waid could work into stories as a running gag, so even an 8-page backup may be giving it too much attention. Anyway, overall another solid issue from Waid & Kitson, with Leonard Kirk either blending seamlessly with Kitson's style, aping it effectively, or both.

While Waid's final issue of Fantastic Four (#524) (art by Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel) didn't really conclude his Galactus arc, it did give him an opportunity to bookend his run on the series with a heartfelt exploration of how the FF feel about their powers. I say "bookend" because the emotional issues surrounding their powers were explored by Waid in his first issue on the title. He and Ringo are a hard act to follow.

That brings me to Peter David's second run on Incredible Hulk (#80) (art by Lee Weeks and Tom Palmer). The current "Tempest Fugit" arc is either a clever simulation run by a still-mysterious mastermind, or a backdoor rewind of the continuity clock to just before David left the title. I doubt seriously it's the latter, and so does Bruce Banner, who thinks he's gotten the hang of the clever simulations. His rebellion against them is the book's high point, and their reaction is just as good. All in all, it's still confusing, but in an entertaining way.

Superman/Batman #18 (written by Jeph Loeb, with art by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Marino) finally concludes the "Absolute Power" storyline. Remember, 5 months ago, how I praised Loeb for curtailing the dueling narration? It's back now; and if that's supposed to mean everything is going to be OK, then quite frankly I don't want to be right. Reset buttons are pushed, and there are more invocations of alternate DC futures, before our heroes get back to normal and try to reconcile their horrible alternate deeds with their former victims. This title is on my list of "maybe it reads better in one sitting," but while I think DC needs a successor to World's Finest Comics, Jeph Loeb probably shouldn't write it.

Speaking of oft-delayed books, Green Lantern Rebirth #5 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Ethan van Sciver and Prentis Rollins) finally came out this week. This penultimate issue finds Hal back in ring-slinging action and taking on the revived Sinestro. Two things bothered me about this issue.

First, once again Hal is exulting in the fact that he doesn't face any more soul-searching or have any doubts about his ability. Obviously Johns means this as an empowering, not-gonna-take-it-anymore statement of purpose, but does this mean Hal's emotional development has been rolled back over 30 years, to the beginning of the Denny O'Neil era? If memory serves, Kevin Smith revived Ollie Queen at a point around that same time -- so you have to wonder if DC sees that period as some kind of decline. Anyway, to me that can't be good, because it means that at some point in the future, somebody's going to decide Hal needs yet another crisis of conscience. (When that turns out to be the name of DC's big 2011 crossover, you heard it here first.) Now he's happily whipping up on Sinestro, but wait a few years and he'll be as conflicted as ever. Otherwise, he'll be insufferable.

Second, while the art was fine mostly, a few details bothered me. Hal's redesigned costume still throws off his proportions; Parallax's first appearance this issue reminded me of Ozzy Osbourne; and the big Hal-Kyle handshake on page (numbers would be nice, DC!) 17 seems to have been taken straight from the Kentucky flag. ("United We Stand, Divided We Fall," indeed.)

We'll see how this all shakes out next issue, whenever it decides to appear.

Somewhat like Phantom Girl, Zatanna has been a character either trapped between, or coexisting in both, DC's Vertigo books and its mainstream superhero titles. She started in the latter and eventually joined the Justice League, but for a while she was entrenched in Vertigo's stable of mystical heroes. Thus, it's no surprise that Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1 (written by Grant Morrison, with art by Ryan Sook and Mick Gray) straddled that line between straightforward superheroics and knowing, ironic commentary on same. It covers some of the same territory as the original Seven Soldiers #0, including a dimension-hopping journey gone horribly awry. However, its tone is very matter-of-fact, with Zatanna at the end saying she'll call the JLA if she really thinks things are too serious. The juxtaposition is entertaining, even if all the different dimensional dangers get confusing. Sook and Gray do a great job with the art, which is at times both droll and scary. This could be my favorite 7S miniseries, and not just because it features the most recognizable character or the one with the most cleavage.

Firestorm #12 (written by Dan Jolley, with art by Jamal Igle and Rob Stull) continues the assault on the new Firestorm by the old one's greatest enemies. The dramatic tension comes from the literal struggle for control of Firestorm, with Jason having the power but Ronnie the strategic knowledge. While Ronnie's tactics save the day, they also play into the hands of the villain pulling the strings, so "to be continued." This arc has spotlighted both Jason's power and inexperience, and while I'm not going to suggest "this is what a teenager fighting supervillains would look like," Jolley has made it ring true. The art and color is as good as ever, so I'm glad I keep getting this book.

Based on my good experiences with Dan Slott's She-Hulk and Spider-Man/Human Torch, I picked up G.L.A. #1 (art by Paul Pelletier and Rick Magyar) expecting more fun in that vein. Well, it was funny, especially the Monkey Joe inserts, but in a very dark way. When your hero is Mr. Immortal, whose superpower is that he can't be killed, that's probably to be expected. Still, I only knew these characters from their picosecond cameos in JLA/Avengers, and this issue did a good job of introducing them and making them sympathetic.

Thanks to cable I had just seen the "Buffy" episode where she and Riley are trapped in the fraternity house, with their sexual energy powering these vines that trap others, so I wanted to compare that to the plot of Astonishing X-Men #8 (written by Joss Whedon, with art by John Cassaday), with the runaway Danger Room, but in the end that wasn't happening. For one thing, Wolverine didn't sing "Behind Blue Eyes." I still get a very Willow Rosenberg vibe off Kitty Pryde, though. Having a rogue Danger Room (as opposed to Rogue's Danger Room, I guess) was explained adequately enough, and the art was good as always, but these are the kinds of groundbreaking plots fans anticipated when Whedon was announced? This is the sort of thing folks can expect over at least the next 16 issues? If this were "Buffy," it would be the season-ending show after the big finale to the season-long story arc, which cleanses the palate and gets everybody ready for the next big arc. So far I'm not seeing much innovation out of Whedon, and I've seen "Firefly," so I know he can do better.

I also got Shanna The She-Devil #3 (written and drawn by Frank Cho) this week. Yeah, I know.

Finally I want to plug Batman Chronicles #1, reprinting in order every Batman story ever published. This volume covers the first year (Detective Comics #s 27-38 and Batman #1), and introduces Batman, Robin, the Joker, the Catwoman, Prof. Hugo Strange, the Monk, and Dr. Death. At $14.99, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the Archive books, plus you don't have to go back and forth between books to read the Batman and Detective stories. I do hope DC is committed to this project, because it will provide a good look both at Batman's early "gothic" period and how quickly that evolved into the happier adventurer who became Adam West.

Full Post

"...but I did see Sin City!"

I'm back in Virginia for a few days (thanks again, York County library!) and haven't had a chance to read last week's comics. You can imagine how hard it is for a spoiler-avoidant nerd like myself to navigate the comics blogosphere without running across Blue Beetle this and Red Hood that.

So anyway, the Best Wife Ever and I took in Sin City (presented with a very droll Hitchhiker's Guide preview) Saturday night. I had a well-reasoned, articulate post ready to go yesterday, and Blogger promptly ate it. That being said....

Neither of us had read any Sin City before seeing the movie, and my bourgeoise tastes had only exposed me to Miller's Batman, Daredevil, and Elektra work. We thought Sin City was well-made but not great, and closer to Kill Bill than Pulp Fiction. We liked the production design and the integration of CGI with live-action, but we thought the plot could have been a little tighter. The movie spent enough time on Josh Hartnett and Brittany Murphy's characters that we expected a little more closure to their stories. The acting was good throughout, but bless her heart, Jessica Alba was the weakest link there.

It didn't help that Marv and Hartigan had the same basic story arc -- fighting the corrupt overlords for the honor of the pure women they loved, and ultimately dying to save them. If their stories were meant as bookends, I could understand that; but at the risk of upsetting Rodriguez' vision of translating Miller to the screen, you could have blended them into the same story without losing too much. (The timeline was also screwy, since Hartigan's big sequence comes at the end and is basically a flashback.)

The real test of Sin City's success may well come this summer, when the mainstream media tries to contrast the Batman and Fantastic Four movies with it. Sin City represents a stunning technical achievement, recreating an artist's work in a more direct way than ever before. It makes the lauded set designs for Tim Burton's Batman movies look cheap and obvious by comparison. If Roger Ebert and company are bemoaning the lack of a CG Gotham City in Batman Begins, we will know that Sin City has broadened their minds.

However, Sin City's stylized action and violence may end up reinforcing the cliche that comics are only a higher class of lurid pulp entertainment. Certainly Marv comes across as tougher than normal, if not superhuman, to the extent that I halfway expected the electric chair to have no effect on him. Giving the female enforcers of Old Town distinctive costumes and identities may also place them only one step away from an X-rated X-Men (sorry) in the minds of the general public. Accordingly, Sin City's impact could only be to signal comics' potential for nudity and gore.

In the end, I'm glad I saw Sin City. I hate to be pessimistic about it, but since "comic book movie" has become more of an established genre over the past several years, each new entry tends to get squeezed into the existing definition, rather than expanding it. Sin City is not Batman, Fantastic Four, or even Ghost World. Instead, it is an homage to a series of homages. It was entertaining and groundbreaking, but its ultimate effect remains to be seen.

Full Post

Branching out

Those of you who visit The Great Curve may have noticed a familiar new name in the "Contributors" column. I was both honored and flattered by the invitation. I have a "Nightwing: Year One" essay in their pipeline now, with more on the way. However, I won't be abandoning this blog anytime soon. It's been good to me, and it's let me meet many of you.

If you've never been to The Great Curve, check 'em out -- you'll be glad you did.

UPDATE: My Nightwing essay is there now.

Full Post