Batman #40: King really uses the premise of this story to full effect. Bruce and Diana don’t kiss (as it seemed they were going to do last issue), but King uses that tension to tease out their relationship. Bruce admits he loves and misses Selena, and Diana tells him that, as his friend, she’d kick his ass if he fucked up that relationship by kissing her. :) Perhaps the most delightful part is Bruce talking about missing Ace and Diana saying she misses her kangaroo, Jumpa. No, really. Also, Selena is amazing as always, forcing the Gentle Man back into the breach even when most people would’ve felt bad for forcing him to end his precious time with his wife. It’s a reminder of how strong she is as a character. Generally, I hate these stories that pretend decades pass and the character isn’t really any worse for wear. At least Rick Remender had Steve Rogers age during his 12 years in Dimension Z. I mean, he raised a child even! But, here, Bruce is basically just like, “Wow, that was a long 34 years! Can we get a burger? I’m famished.” (If you do, Jokerize the fries, Bruce. It’s worth it.) But, King throws in enough great moments to make me look past that original sin. All that said, it's probably time for some detective-ing.
Iceman #10: Grace does the best with the cards he’s dealt here, as he has to abort his plan to move Bobby to Los Angeles as a result of the imminent cancellation of this series. That said, Judah not unreasonably decides Bobby’s life is too insane for him, recalling Colossus has punched him and Daken has stabbed him in just 24 hours. Moreover, Kitty says she's failed as a boss, acknowledging Bobby has been underutilized; as such, she offers him leadership of a team. All that works. The problem is the fight between Daken and Iceman still makes not a lick of sense to me. I just don’t understand why Daken had such a mad-on for Bobby, unless I’m missing some significant shared past beyond his appearance in this series. Based on his comments in the letters page, Grace seems to be using this conflict to work out his own personal demons, with Bobby refusing to embrace nihilism like Daken does. I'm all for that, but it would've been nice if the conflict itself made sense. Is Daken just mad Bobby is happy? But, this optimism, if you will, also has Bobby weirdly assert that he refuses to be mad at Daken over killing his boyfriend (as far as he was aware at that time) lest he stoop to his level. Um, no. Being sunshine and light doesn’t mean that you just let the murder of your significant other roll off your back. I get Grace is essentially writing this issue under duress, but the whole problem this series has been trying to address is Bobby’s inability to live his own authentic life. (Has Grace read the "Velvet Rage?" I feel like he has.) Artificially repressing his emotions to make sure Daken doesn’t “win” is the same as him staying in the closet lest he upset everyone else: it’s still letting someone else dictate his feelings. In other words, the resolution to their fight undermines the narrative Grace has been pushing, and I don't see how he resolves it in the last remaining issue. (Also, in a case of pet peeve #1, Bobby doesn’t save Anole from a fire, not only remotely, in this issue, which is a shame, because I'm pretty sure Anole would've enjoyed that.)
Nightwing #38: Sam Humphries, whatever you do with this series, thank you for giving us Dick Grayson as a stripper. You really understand us. (That said, I was devastated Guppy actually killed his father. Humphries is really playing for keeps here.)
Rogue and Gambit #2: I don’t have a lot to say about this issue, because it’s so great it really speaks for itself. Thompson does a thoroughly amazing job of making you feel like you’re eavesdropping on a conversation between two real people. Rogue’s confession to Remy that she doesn’t acknowledge the first time they met — under the sway of the Shadow King — is electric; she’s standing close to Remy in a dark room telling him she wants their first moment to be something only they own. Remy is so overwhelmed even he’s speechless. Also, the art is some of the best I’ve ever seen, honestly. You can tell how much care Pérez put into each panel, and it augments the sense of reality Thompson’s dialogue conveys. This series is one of the best ones of the shelves, and, if Marvel knows what it’s doing, they’d hand the keys to Thompson full time.
X-Men: Red #1: This issue is fine, as Taylor does a good job establishing Jean's team's modus operandi. A young child is left in a car as it's carjacked, and his sonic scream manifests itself given the threat to his life. It blows out the windows for a city block before Jean's able to use her powers to calm him, and she's later appalled when she sees a man on TV using the incident to suggest genetic testing in utero so mutant children can be aborted. She decides the United Nations need to recognize mutants as a nation, since it goes badly when they try to become a state, so she gets Namor and T'Challa to recognize them. However, during a conversation with the British Ambassador (in full view of video cameras), she comes face-to-face with a disturbing presence who lets Jean know she doesn't approve. Brilliantly, it's Cassandra Nova, and she explodes the British Ambassador's head, making it look like it was Jean's fault. It's an intriguing premise and a helluva start. My only real (though significant) complaint is we're barely given any time with Jean. I'd be thrilled if Guggenheim was using this premise, as we don't really need to get to know Kitty anymore than we already do. Guggenheim could focus entirely on this intriguing plot at hand and Kitty's response to the threat. But, we haven't seen Jean for years. Kurt makes a comment about being thrilled Jean is back, and I felt the same way. In fact, Taylor does a great job of conveying the sense only Jean would think up this plan to turn the mutants into a nation, making you realize what the X-Men have been missing in her absence. But, given how big of a deal it is that we do have her back, you would've thought we would've spent a little more time focused on her resurrection, particularly in terms of what it means for her personally and for her friends. Like, are we not going to get a girl's night with Ororo? Instead, we're thrown immediately into a team dynamic and global plot, and it feel premature. I assume Taylor is going to address these issues as we move forward, but it felt like a mistake not to do so right from the start.
Also Read: Batman: White Knight #5; X-Men: Gold #21
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