**** (four of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "So, you and the ex...what happened there, huh?" "Long story." "Just saying, you guys were good together." "Drop it." "She was hot. Had a real girl-next-door thing goin' on." "You're from Yancy Street. Girls next door are missing prominent teeth." "Y'know if she's seeing anybody. 'Cause maybe I could --" "I do not know you." -- Thing and Spidey banter
Summary
Spidey, directed to the crime scenes by his police scanner, disrupts a robbery and saves the Young Allies from Hydro-Man. Returning to Horizon Labs, Pete reveals that he's wearing a new unstable-molecule suit. He also exhibits to Max Modell and his colleagues his new "Cryo Cube 2000," which he developed partly from the tech he created to freeze Hydro-Man. Carlie, on the scene of the robbery, calls Pete to tell him they need to talk about something "weird" that's happening to her. To underline the point, she cold-clocks one of the muggers who uses his new Spider-Powers to break free of Spidey's webbing and try to escape. Distracted by his fear that Carlie wants to talk to him because something's wrong in their relationship, a Spider-Sense-less Peter almost gets hit by a bus, but is saved by Phil Urich, who's hanging on the street with Norah. Pete makes his way to the Baxter Building, and then he and Ben go to New Avengers HQ for some poker (despite Sue Richards warning Ben not to do so). Meanwhile, Aunt May and JJJ, Sr. are having their apartment cleaned of "bed bugs," the Jackal tells one of the folks exhibiting Spider-Powers to meet his at a set location, and a hospitalized Betty Brant observes the Emergency Room suddenly flooded with folks exhibiting powers. Spidey trains with Shang-Chi only to learn that he and Madame Web set up the training so Spidey's prepared for the coming problems. The Jackal is revealed to be experimenting on [an unnamed figure], at the instructions of a mysterious benefactor. The experiment results in a powered-up [creature] now under the control of the benefactor, who appears to be able to control all the people exhibiting Spider-Powers.
The Review
"Spider-Island" is here! Woot! I have to say, I'm pretty happy with the way it started. The last few issues have been kind of hit or miss for me. I liked the Anti-Venom arc, but the Avengers Academy arc and the Betty Brant issue sucked. This issue, to me, was a real return to form, evoking Slott's excellent work on "Big Time." Slott covered a lot -- A LOT -- of ground here. I mean, it was almost worth $3.99! It was a fast-paced issue that incorporated all aspects of Spidey's and Peter's life (lives?) in a way that didn't feel rushed. It dropped some hints about where we're going and I found those hints to be intriguing and not annoying! All in all, a great start to what I hope is a fun story.
The Excellent
Spidey comments on how engaged he is as Spider-Man now, essentially confirming the sense I've had that Slott's goal is to turn Spidey into a grown-up character. I occasionally get annoyed (Bendis is often guilty of this sin) when authors portray Peter as a rank amateur, despite the fact that he's still one of the more seasoned heroes out there. By putting him on two Avengers teams and the FF, Marvel has decided to let him become one of the big boys in-universe. Slott seems to really have a grip on that, which I think is why we're seeing things like the evolution of his Spider-Tech, his use of the police scanner, his training with Shang-Chi: it's all part of him becoming a serious superhero. More so than the events of "Brand New Day," Slott is really bring Spider-Man into the 21st century and setting the ground work for years of stories...assuming Marvel doesn't completely undo it in a future ill-advised reboot.
The Really Good
1) I continue to love Peter's constant innovation of his Spider-Tech. I mean, it's been 50 years and he's finally (FINALLY!) got an unstable-molecule suit! Hurrah! I can't believe costume near-miss stories are finally going to be a thing of the past! Also, the mid-air cartridge swap and Anti-Hydro Man Tracer were equally excellent!
2) I loved everything about the FF and New Avengers' appearances here. I loved how Sue Richards nagged Ben and Peter about the Avengers poker game, I loved Ben basically telling Spidey he was Team MJ (!), and, most especially, I loved, loved, loved the poker game itself. Words fail me to describe how much I loved that scene. They didn't previously invite Peter because of his Spider-Sense and because his ongoing brokeness? Excellent. Awesome. Way to build relationships, Dan!
3) Moreso than, possibly, like, anyone ever, Slott is a master of not dropping loose ends. From mentioning the "no one dies" pledge to keeping Phil Urich as a presence in the book, he makes sure that storylines end because they've run their natural course, not because they've been forgotten. It's a rarity in comics and it deserves to be applauded. It's an offshoot of his uncanny ability to synthesize Spider-Man's various supporting characters, making sure they all stay present. He's done that since "Big Time" and it continues to be impressive.
The Good
1) The opening was fun. I don't have much more to say about it than the fact that it was just good ol' wholesome American Spidey fun.
2) Carlie with powers! Carlie with powers! I enjoyed how Slott gave us a really great depiction of a perfectly normal relationship in the Carlie/Peter scenes. The miscommunication between them felt really organic. I didn't worry that they were going to have unncessary drama over it (like the Carlie-getting-a-tattoo debacle of "Amazing Spider-Man" #659-#660). They were just an exhausted guy and a worried girl who had to put off having a discussion because they weren't sure how to have it. Well done, Slott.
3) I thought the premise that Spidey may have to kill someone to end the upcoming events of Spider-Island was interesting.
4) Stefano Caselli keeps getting better and better. The first-page scene of Spidey floating above New York was just really well done. In his first few issues, I had some problems with the way he drew his faces, but he's really seemed to have improved in that department. It's a really great issue, art-wise.
5) I wasn't really sure what the plot of "Spider-Island" was going to be, other than just a bunch of people with Spider-Powers. But, the revelation that some mysterious benefactor of the Jackal's will be able to control and direct an army of Spider-Men works for me as a significantly scary event. I just hope it's not the Kravens...
The Bad
Slott was downright brilliant in his use of practically the entire bench of Spidey supporting characters. (Only the Phil/Norah scene felt a little forced.) However, we yet again see MJ as nothing but a nag here. Can this stop, please?
* NOTE: The redacted brackets used to say "Kaine" in them. Originally, when I read this issue, I thought it was Kaine in the tube, not, as we later learn, Captain America. I explain my initial confusion -- and subsequent epiphany -- in this post:
http://untimelycomics.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-comics-spider-island-edition-1.html
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #1
OK, I'm going to approach "Amazing Spider-Man: Extra!" in a different format than most reviews here. We've got eight different stories spread across the three issues over nine months (September 2008-May 2009), so I'm just going to give a quick review of each, skipping the full "Amazing Spider-Man" treatment I usually give. A general note is that these issues, for the most part, serve the point of this sort of book. Other than "Black & White" in issue #2 and "With Great Responsibility Comes Great Power" in issue #3, none of these stories really serves as essential reading for any of the ongoing (at the time) plots in "Amazing Spider-Man." Instead, they flesh out some characters and some background in a mostly enjoyable way. I'm still a little annoyed by them, though, since, given that ASM is publishing three times a month, the fact that two of the eight stories DO actually have a direct impact on ongoing plots seems a little sneaky to me.
Death of a Wise Guy: As I've mentioned before, I love Chris Bachalo, even though he occasionally makes it hard to follow the storyline sometimes. For example, it took me a while to figure out why Hammerhead killed the couple in the theater. The plot also had some quirks. Kelly on the whole did a great job of humanizing Hammerhead, but I didn't buy the coincidence of Hammerhead having to kill his father or his decision to get his adamantium skeleton grafted to him without anesthesia. But, overall, it's a pretty good story.
Death of a Wise Guy: As I've mentioned before, I love Chris Bachalo, even though he occasionally makes it hard to follow the storyline sometimes. For example, it took me a while to figure out why Hammerhead killed the couple in the theater. The plot also had some quirks. Kelly on the whole did a great job of humanizing Hammerhead, but I didn't buy the coincidence of Hammerhead having to kill his father or his decision to get his adamantium skeleton grafted to him without anesthesia. But, overall, it's a pretty good story.
Birthday Boy: Meh. This story didn't work for me because Peter's pretty much totally out of character here. I don't really see him as a "get into a fist fight with a bunch of drunk jackholes" kind of guy. I mean, we're talking about the guy who doesn't drink (or, at least, didn't until issue #600) just so he doesn't accidentally hurt anyone with his enhanced strength. As such, I just don't see him just pounding on a bunch of guys, even if it's to protect Harry's honor. It pretty much ruined the story for me, including the key moment, where Harry ditches his snooty friends to hang with his old friend, Peter.
The Spartacus Gambit: OK, I have to say, if I read this story in the order in which the Spider-books were published, I think I'd be totally and completely lost. This issue was published in September 2008, whereas the storyline in which this story falls -- the "Character Assassination" arc -- took place in March 2009. The story itself was fine, though it doesn't add too much to the storyline of which it's a part. But, if I were reading these issues in order of release, I think I'd be, at the very least, confused.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)
Batman: Arkham City #4: Didn't we already know that Hugo Strange was the villain? I want to say we did. Or, at least, we saw enough of his face in the last issue to guess? At any rate, this issue moves along pretty well. Dini is literally putting all the pieces in place (Poison Ivy in the Cenral Gardens, for example) for the game, and I'm getting increasingly excited for it. He also throws in some nice touches, like mentioning the awesome exploding foam from the last game. By the by, Mark Hamill's voicing of the Joker is so iconic that I can't help but hear his voice reading the Joker's lines in this issue. Similar to the "inFAMOUS" comic, I'm not sure I would recommend this series to anyone who's not going to play the video game. But, if you are (or you played the first one), it's a fun read.
Superboy #10: This issue actually isn't terrible. (Hurrah!) We get the history of Tannarak, the immortal wizard who's been manipulating all the Hollow Man events over the last few issues (and, apparently, millenia). Lemire does actually really tie up some loose ends via this tour of Tannarak's history, so at least I'm not as confused as I was. However, I'm still not entirely sure why he picked Smallville as his next pied-à-terre, unless he predicted the arrival of Superboy. I mean, if he didn't predict it, what were he and the Tooks doing for the last 125 years? Were they just lucky that Conner appeared and gave them a decent vessel? (Boy, that sounds dirty.) I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this issue so much is that, for the first time, we actually got some decent art. It made me realize how much I really, really dislike Pier Gallo's pencils. At any rate, I'll be glad when we move into the reboot.
X-Factor #223: After we spent some time last issue spinning our wheels, this issue essentially sends us onto the street burning rubber. Cerberus is the latest supernatural canine entity on Rahne's trail, and Werewolf by Night leaves her to try to stop him. X-Factor arrives to help, after Siryn (or, Banshee, I'm not sure what we're calling her now) used her powers to "convince" Pip to locate her. Rahne, meanwhile, goes into labor and is "helped" into a cabin by a mysterious young man. David does a good job of injecting some excitement back into this story. He's managed keep track of a lot of different characters, adding new ones into the story without losing focus on the existing ones. It's always been one of his strongest skills, and he displays it to great effect here. Morever, we get Madrox and Siryn realizing that Layla probably resurrected Guido, given his uncharacteristically aggressive behavior. I'm guessing the post-Rahne arc is goign to be the search for Guido's soul and, really, how cool will that be?
Batman: Gates of Gotham #4: Meh. I can't say I'm overly intrigued at this point to find out the true identity of the Architect. I mean, I guess in theory it might not be either one of the Gates brothers, but it seems pretty likely that it's somehow one of them. I liked this series better when it was basically a vehicle for Dick Grayson to play older brother to Tim, Cassandra, and Damian. I mean, you still see that in this issue, with Dick comforting Tim after his defeat, something I'm not quite sure you'd see Bruce doing in the same way. But, unlike the first few issues of this series, the "mystery" has more or less taken over the focus, and I can't say it's all that interesting. Although it's tangentially related to the Wayne family, it's not enough to deliver on the series' initial promise, that somehow the heirs of the Wayne family -- Dick, Tim, Cassandra, and Damian -- were going to right some historic wrong that involved the family. I'll reserve judgment until we see how Higgins ends it, but I have the sense that I'm going to wind up disappointed or, at least, bored.
Batman Beyond #8: Of all the titles I collect, this one is the one most affected by the reboot. Beechen was doing an excellent job creating the world inhabited by Terry and his supporting cast. Despite the fact that I'm happy to see news that the title will return in some form at some point, DC definitely disrupted what Beechen was doing here by suspending it for the time being. This sort of title -- one built on seeing familiar characters in a new light -- needs time to blossom, to build the layers of the story. DC shut down the title just as Beechen was finding his rhythm. This issue is particularly an odd one to complete the series, given that Terry hardly appears in it and it centers around a villain I don't recognize. Although we might see some winners from the reboot, the disappearance of this series is definitely one of the losers.
Dungeons & Dragons #9: If I had one small complaint about this series over the past few issues, it was that the background of the characters wasn't entirely clear. What was Juliana doing at Al'Bihel? Why was Varic guarding her, particularly if he's an Earth-born elf and not eladrin? Rogers resolves almost all these issues here. First, I have to say, before I get into the issue, that Rogers does an amazing job pulling together all the stories he's told over the last few issues. Fell's Five getting lost through the portal because of the extra World Key gave us the Al'Bihel flashback, which sets the stage for the quest that Juliana's father, Toveliss, sends Fell's Five to complete in this arc. It's really masterful and just gives you a sense that Rogers is in total control over the overarching story he's telling here. Looking at the story itself, it's clear that Juliana was at Al'Bihel to collect the Guide of Gates, which Toveliss wants to use to crush his enemies. Rogers doesn't explain how Fell's Five just happened upon Toveliss -- given that previously we learned that they could've landed anywhere at any time -- but, as Toveliss says, "there are no coincidences in the Feywild." Along those lines, we learn that the giant who was trying to build the portal in the first arc has likely returned on his own quest for the Guide of Gates. Again, it was a pleasure to watch this intricately woven plot -- for the whole series -- continue to develop. Technically, the banter was as good as ever. (More Bree!) The only drawback to this issue was the art, which was shared by three different artists, often willy-nilly. It occasionally disrupted the reverie that this book normally inspires. But, it doesn't mean I'm not waiting impatiently for the next issue!
Flashpoint #4: Honestly, although I enjoyed this issue, I have no idea how Geoff Johns is going to wrap up this story in just one issue. At this point, it seems clear that the fact that he doesn't have time to wrap up the story is more or less the story. As Flash says in this issue, it's probably impossible for him to be able to undo everything Thawyne has done, since it requires knowing the exact details of so many different variables. After all, some things have to stay different given the upcoming reboot. At this point, then, it's just a matter of what exactly Flash and his alternate-universe Justice League are going to be able to change and how exactly they're going to achieve that. Even that, though, seems like a tall order in one issue, given that Thwayne just makes his first appearance on the last page of this issue. Johns is a pretty amazing writer, so I have faith in him, particularly since all the issues so far have been pretty exciting. So, we shall see. In terms of the book itself, it appears that the Enchantress, and not Element Woman, was the traitor, though I can't say I really care all that much. Also, the big emotional moment -- the death of one of the Captain Thunder kids -- was lost on me given that I'm still not really familiar enough with minor DC characters to know who they are. I'm not sure why Johns has decided to focus on these fairly minor characters, since I feel like that time could've been better spent focusing on why exactly Aquaman and Wonder Woman hate each other. At any rate, it's time to just get the reboot started.
Dungeons & Dragons #9: If I had one small complaint about this series over the past few issues, it was that the background of the characters wasn't entirely clear. What was Juliana doing at Al'Bihel? Why was Varic guarding her, particularly if he's an Earth-born elf and not eladrin? Rogers resolves almost all these issues here. First, I have to say, before I get into the issue, that Rogers does an amazing job pulling together all the stories he's told over the last few issues. Fell's Five getting lost through the portal because of the extra World Key gave us the Al'Bihel flashback, which sets the stage for the quest that Juliana's father, Toveliss, sends Fell's Five to complete in this arc. It's really masterful and just gives you a sense that Rogers is in total control over the overarching story he's telling here. Looking at the story itself, it's clear that Juliana was at Al'Bihel to collect the Guide of Gates, which Toveliss wants to use to crush his enemies. Rogers doesn't explain how Fell's Five just happened upon Toveliss -- given that previously we learned that they could've landed anywhere at any time -- but, as Toveliss says, "there are no coincidences in the Feywild." Along those lines, we learn that the giant who was trying to build the portal in the first arc has likely returned on his own quest for the Guide of Gates. Again, it was a pleasure to watch this intricately woven plot -- for the whole series -- continue to develop. Technically, the banter was as good as ever. (More Bree!) The only drawback to this issue was the art, which was shared by three different artists, often willy-nilly. It occasionally disrupted the reverie that this book normally inspires. But, it doesn't mean I'm not waiting impatiently for the next issue!
Flashpoint #4: Honestly, although I enjoyed this issue, I have no idea how Geoff Johns is going to wrap up this story in just one issue. At this point, it seems clear that the fact that he doesn't have time to wrap up the story is more or less the story. As Flash says in this issue, it's probably impossible for him to be able to undo everything Thawyne has done, since it requires knowing the exact details of so many different variables. After all, some things have to stay different given the upcoming reboot. At this point, then, it's just a matter of what exactly Flash and his alternate-universe Justice League are going to be able to change and how exactly they're going to achieve that. Even that, though, seems like a tall order in one issue, given that Thwayne just makes his first appearance on the last page of this issue. Johns is a pretty amazing writer, so I have faith in him, particularly since all the issues so far have been pretty exciting. So, we shall see. In terms of the book itself, it appears that the Enchantress, and not Element Woman, was the traitor, though I can't say I really care all that much. Also, the big emotional moment -- the death of one of the Captain Thunder kids -- was lost on me given that I'm still not really familiar enough with minor DC characters to know who they are. I'm not sure why Johns has decided to focus on these fairly minor characters, since I feel like that time could've been better spent focusing on why exactly Aquaman and Wonder Woman hate each other. At any rate, it's time to just get the reboot started.
Superboy #10: This issue actually isn't terrible. (Hurrah!) We get the history of Tannarak, the immortal wizard who's been manipulating all the Hollow Man events over the last few issues (and, apparently, millenia). Lemire does actually really tie up some loose ends via this tour of Tannarak's history, so at least I'm not as confused as I was. However, I'm still not entirely sure why he picked Smallville as his next pied-à-terre, unless he predicted the arrival of Superboy. I mean, if he didn't predict it, what were he and the Tooks doing for the last 125 years? Were they just lucky that Conner appeared and gave them a decent vessel? (Boy, that sounds dirty.) I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this issue so much is that, for the first time, we actually got some decent art. It made me realize how much I really, really dislike Pier Gallo's pencils. At any rate, I'll be glad when we move into the reboot.
X-Factor #223: After we spent some time last issue spinning our wheels, this issue essentially sends us onto the street burning rubber. Cerberus is the latest supernatural canine entity on Rahne's trail, and Werewolf by Night leaves her to try to stop him. X-Factor arrives to help, after Siryn (or, Banshee, I'm not sure what we're calling her now) used her powers to "convince" Pip to locate her. Rahne, meanwhile, goes into labor and is "helped" into a cabin by a mysterious young man. David does a good job of injecting some excitement back into this story. He's managed keep track of a lot of different characters, adding new ones into the story without losing focus on the existing ones. It's always been one of his strongest skills, and he displays it to great effect here. Morever, we get Madrox and Siryn realizing that Layla probably resurrected Guido, given his uncharacteristically aggressive behavior. I'm guessing the post-Rahne arc is goign to be the search for Guido's soul and, really, how cool will that be?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Amazing Spider-Man #665: "Women in Refriger...," um, I mean, "Crossroads"
* (one of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "What about Boomerang? Or the Owl? I can get you leads on them --" -- scared bad guy to Spidey
Summary
Betty wants to see a limited-engagement foreign film as part of her and Peter's Friday-night movie nights, but Peter is too distracted by his FFing, Avenger-ing, and Spider-Man-ing, not to mention working, to go. Betty asks Flash, but he's on his way to a "V.A. conference" and the movie will close before he's back. Betty decides to go by herself, despite Flash warning her that it's showing in a bad neighborhood ("Little Chechnya"), and she's mugged. Glory calls Peter and the gang and, while everyone else gathers at her hospital room, Spidey hunts down the perp. However, Aunt May calls and demands that Peter comes to the hospital, telling him that she hasn't been this disappointed in him since the night he abandoned her when Uncle Ben died. Peter is next to Betty's bedside when she awakens, and returns to her a locket her mother gave her before she died, which he found (during his Spidey time) on a fence who had bought the stolen goods from Betty's mugger. Later, Spidey catches the perp.
In the back-up feature, JJJ, Sr. reveals at a dinner with Carlie, JJJ, Jr., and Peter that, after the events of the previous few weeks (the Spider-Slayers attacking, May working for Mr. Negative, Betty getting mugged), he and May have decided to move to Boston. JJJ, Jr. starts arguing with JJJ, Sr., while Carlie discovers that her fork is webbed to her hand and excuses herself. On moving day, Peter takes MJ (who is helping pack) on a tour of Aunt May's house, revealing how he sees it, recalling all the Spidey-related confrontations that happened there and acknowledging that the two of them will be safer in Boston. However, he notes that he wishes he could keep an eye on Aunt May all the time. May and Peter then share a poignant moment before she leaves.
Review
Grrrr. I like Betty Brant. In fact, one of the best parts about "Brand New Day" was that Betty has returned as a major figure in Peter's life. "Amazing Spider-Man" #583 is one of my favorite issues of all time, not because of President Obama's appearance, but because it's about Betty and Peter's friendship. However, can we please -- please -- stop going "Women in Refrigerators" on her? I mean, we just -- literally, just -- did that in "Venom." It's bad enough that she's dating yet another nascent super-villain, but do we constantly have to have her getting attacked? This issue is fine in and of itself, and I might have ranked it higher if it wasn't coming on the heels of the "Venom" story. But, it does come on the heels of the "Venom" story, and it's just too much. I originally gave it a two, but, looking at my laundry list of bad items, I think I have to be honest and give it a one. Ouch.
On a side note, I'm very excited about the "Avenging Spider-Man" announcement. I've enjoyed the team-up mini-arcs (except for the Power Man one) that the editors have sprinkled through the post-"Brand New Day" run. Now, I get a whole series devoted to them! It's even more exciting because I love Zeb Wells; his work on "Brand New Day" was some of the best. Exciting!
The Good
1) Ryan Stegman is a welcome addition to the roster of pencilers. His lines are really sharp and dramatic and he has a great sense of motion. Plus, all his female characters don't look alike, which seems to be the most difficult thing for a penciler to accomplish these days. Thumbs up!
2) Despite my misgivings (see below), Slott does wrap up the story nicely, with Peter's absence being explained by him going vigilante on Betty's mugger to retrieve her locket. The faux ending was a nice touch.
3) "Little Chechnya." OK, it's kind of dumb, but I did actually really laughed at that.
The Bad
1) I don't know if I buy that Peter would go immediately onto the streets to find Betty's attacker rather than go see her. It does seem kind of cold, or, at least, mis-prioritized. But, Slott has written him that way before, like when he wore a Fantastic Four uniform on his first mission with the FF, despite the fact that the FFers had all agreed wearing the old uniforms would disrespect Johnny's memory. I don't know if Slott is trying to stress that Peter isn't always the most socially adept guy or what, but, instead, he's just kind of making him look like a jerk.
2) Slott is really heavy-handed here with Aunt May's reaction despite the fact that, quite honestly, Aunt May is totally, totally right. As I said above, it did seem cold and un-Peter-like, even if you knew he was Spider-Man, that Peter wasn't at the hospital. I'm glad she talked some sense into him, but I felt like having to bring it back to him leaving her the night Uncle Ben was murdered was a little over the top. I think "Your best friend has been brutally attacked, where the hell are you?" would have sufficed.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)
I finally made it through the comic pile from vacation! Woot!
Captain America #1: OK, so, I'm trying not to let my fury over Marvel's decision to kill Bucky-Cap get in the way of my enjoyment of Steve Rogers taking up the shield again. This issue is pretty solid. Brubaker wisely decides to start the series with a story involving a strong supporting cast (Sharon Carter and Nick Fury), a mystery villain from Cap's Second World War days, and good ol' reliable Baron Zemo. It serves as a good way of introducing new readers to Cap (the whole point of this renumbered series) but also gives existing fans some familiar faces to be excited about seeing. The problem is that, for existing fans, Brubaker's treatment of the familiar faces is somewhat...clunky. For example, Cap's conversation with Sharon -- about how he thought she was Peggy, about how they had thankfully gotten past that, about how Peggy inspired Sharon to become who she was -- was almost difficult to read. I get that Marvel is essentially treating this series as a way for fans of the movie to get into the comic, so I guess we're going to have to suffer through that for a while. Similarly, although I can't say it was surprising, it was pretty cold how Bucky wasn't mentioned AT ALL. I haven't read "Captain America and Bucky" #620 yet, but, at some point, it would be nice to see Steve mention the fact that Bucky is dead, which, so far, he hasn't. Hopefully, the editors won't make Brubaker spoon-feed us plots for too long. Meanwhile, we've got the pretty art of Steve McNiven to distract us.
Captain America and Bucky #620: Similar to "Captain America" #1, Brubaker spends most of this issue giving us an introduction to Bucky Barnes, going over the sad story of his troubled youth, first as a kid with a hot temper, then as an orphan living on a military base. However, Brubaker has a freer hand here than he does in "Captain America," enabling him to avoid the awkward situations imposed on him by the editorial mandate in that title to introduce a well established character to a brand-new audience. Bucky isn't as well established as Steve, so Brubaker gets to take some liberties. Despite having read Bucky's origin numerous times, I found that Brubaker's take on it was somewhat different than we've previously seen, giving us a more emotionally realistic depiction of what it must've been like to have been a 14-year-old orphan living on a military base. Brubaker doesn't have much time for anything else here, but the story, to be honest, isn't really what matters about this issue. What matters is the hope that, by making the decision to keep Bucky "alive," at least in his past incarnation, we may actually see Bucky eventually return in his present incarnation. It's a long shot, but I think it's going to be hard for Marvel to keep this title going, month after month, and not face some sort of inevitable pressure to have one of its main characters -- who was killed in a totally gratuitous way -- return from the dead. At least, I hope it will be. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, I really wonder how long we're going to have two Captain America titles.
Venom #5: I have complicated feelings about this issue. On one hand, it's very well done. Remender does some really excellent character work on Flash, fleshing out how his motivation for success comes from a need to please his father, who never told him he was proud of him. It sounds a little cheesy, but Remender does a really great job making sure it's not. Flash, to me, has always been one dimensional: he started as Peter's bully, then almost overnight became Peter's friend, and we never really got all that much more. Remender is really bringing a character who's existed for 50 years or so to new places, and I applaud that. The conversations between Flash and Peter were great, particularly where Flash snaps at Peter and then quickly admits he sounds like his father. You can feel Flash fighting with all his might NOT to be his father here. All that said, the problem is that this series is just getting really, really dark. I mean, of course, on some level, a "Venom" series is going to be dark. I mean, Flash is playing host to a murderous alien symbiote after all. But, one of the intriguing parts of Flash taking on the symbiote is that Flash himself isn't all that dark. I mean, yes, he has his demons, but he's also kind of goofy and loveable. Remender needs to remember that in the midst of all the killing and darkness, or this series is going to get really difficult to read.
Captain America #1: OK, so, I'm trying not to let my fury over Marvel's decision to kill Bucky-Cap get in the way of my enjoyment of Steve Rogers taking up the shield again. This issue is pretty solid. Brubaker wisely decides to start the series with a story involving a strong supporting cast (Sharon Carter and Nick Fury), a mystery villain from Cap's Second World War days, and good ol' reliable Baron Zemo. It serves as a good way of introducing new readers to Cap (the whole point of this renumbered series) but also gives existing fans some familiar faces to be excited about seeing. The problem is that, for existing fans, Brubaker's treatment of the familiar faces is somewhat...clunky. For example, Cap's conversation with Sharon -- about how he thought she was Peggy, about how they had thankfully gotten past that, about how Peggy inspired Sharon to become who she was -- was almost difficult to read. I get that Marvel is essentially treating this series as a way for fans of the movie to get into the comic, so I guess we're going to have to suffer through that for a while. Similarly, although I can't say it was surprising, it was pretty cold how Bucky wasn't mentioned AT ALL. I haven't read "Captain America and Bucky" #620 yet, but, at some point, it would be nice to see Steve mention the fact that Bucky is dead, which, so far, he hasn't. Hopefully, the editors won't make Brubaker spoon-feed us plots for too long. Meanwhile, we've got the pretty art of Steve McNiven to distract us.
Captain America and Bucky #620: Similar to "Captain America" #1, Brubaker spends most of this issue giving us an introduction to Bucky Barnes, going over the sad story of his troubled youth, first as a kid with a hot temper, then as an orphan living on a military base. However, Brubaker has a freer hand here than he does in "Captain America," enabling him to avoid the awkward situations imposed on him by the editorial mandate in that title to introduce a well established character to a brand-new audience. Bucky isn't as well established as Steve, so Brubaker gets to take some liberties. Despite having read Bucky's origin numerous times, I found that Brubaker's take on it was somewhat different than we've previously seen, giving us a more emotionally realistic depiction of what it must've been like to have been a 14-year-old orphan living on a military base. Brubaker doesn't have much time for anything else here, but the story, to be honest, isn't really what matters about this issue. What matters is the hope that, by making the decision to keep Bucky "alive," at least in his past incarnation, we may actually see Bucky eventually return in his present incarnation. It's a long shot, but I think it's going to be hard for Marvel to keep this title going, month after month, and not face some sort of inevitable pressure to have one of its main characters -- who was killed in a totally gratuitous way -- return from the dead. At least, I hope it will be. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, I really wonder how long we're going to have two Captain America titles.
Venom #5: I have complicated feelings about this issue. On one hand, it's very well done. Remender does some really excellent character work on Flash, fleshing out how his motivation for success comes from a need to please his father, who never told him he was proud of him. It sounds a little cheesy, but Remender does a really great job making sure it's not. Flash, to me, has always been one dimensional: he started as Peter's bully, then almost overnight became Peter's friend, and we never really got all that much more. Remender is really bringing a character who's existed for 50 years or so to new places, and I applaud that. The conversations between Flash and Peter were great, particularly where Flash snaps at Peter and then quickly admits he sounds like his father. You can feel Flash fighting with all his might NOT to be his father here. All that said, the problem is that this series is just getting really, really dark. I mean, of course, on some level, a "Venom" series is going to be dark. I mean, Flash is playing host to a murderous alien symbiote after all. But, one of the intriguing parts of Flash taking on the symbiote is that Flash himself isn't all that dark. I mean, yes, he has his demons, but he's also kind of goofy and loveable. Remender needs to remember that in the midst of all the killing and darkness, or this series is going to get really difficult to read.
X-Men: Schism #2: I initially wasn't sure I liked this issue, but, in retrospect, I think it was actually really well done. We begin to see the first signs of the split between Cyclops and Wolverine, and it doesn't go down the way you think it would. I enjoyed that Wolverine was actually suggesting the X-Men take what, depending on your point of view, was the more "right" path, in advocating that they turn over Quentin Quire to Steve Rogers. It shows that Aaron isn't playing the differences within the mutant community as black-and-white (Wolverine: irrational, Cyclops: rational). Cyclops seems to be undermining the good he's done in bringing the X-Men more in line with the superhero community by harboring Quire, but it makes sense, given his fears, as a leader, that the situation could deteriorate significantly and threaten all mutants everywhere. I'm still not entirely sure what to make of the kiddie Hellfire Club. Aaron I'm sure will elaborate on who Kilgore's other friends are, but, at the very least, I do like the re-imagining of the Hellfire Club becoming a pro-humanity organization that found itself corrupted by the mutant reign. I'm not sure what the intergalactic connection was, but I'm sure we'll get an answer soon. All in all, I keep wanting more, which is a good sign (and a different feeling from say, I don't know, "Fear Itself").
Monday, August 8, 2011
Amazing Spider-Man #564: "Brand New Day" ("Threeway Collision!")
*** (three of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "Dad, I am 9-1-1!" -- Vin to his dad
Summary
This issue is told from three different perspectives: Spidey's, Vin's, and Overdrive's. Spidey, on his way to a job interview, encounters Overdrive driving like a maniac. He captures Overdrive's car, but Overdrive subsequently hijacks a school bus. Spidey frees the kids, but loses Overdrive. Previously, Vin berated Peter for lying to him about being unemployed. While on his way to a Yankees game with his dad, Vin observes Spidey chasing Overdrive and engages in pursuit. He tries to arrest Spidey after Overdrive flees, but fails. His sergeant encourages Vin to be less gung ho, noting that he can't be a cop all the time (slash to Vin's dad sitting next to an empty seat as the Yankees win). Overdrive is revealed to be working for Mr. Negative, having stolen a sonic-pulse generator from two guys running a research lab from a garage. Spidey recovered the sonic-pulse generator, and Overdrive escapes before Mr. Negative can whack him. In the end, it's revealed that Peter's job interview was with the garage guys, who now can't hire him since they have to spend the money on repairs.
The Review
This issue is solid: good action, nice character development, and a slow reveal. Well done to all!
The Good
1) The three different perspectives in this issue was really well handled and made for an interesting plot (rather than just a sales gimmick).
2) I'm glad we got to see a little Vin character development here. He's been one-dimensional in his other presentations and, if he's going to be a major supporting character, we definitely need to get to know him (beyond him having a crush on Carlie and being excessively "by the book"). Also, I want his closet.
The Bad
1) I swear to God, "Spider-Man: Swing Shift" has been mentioned at least five times since "Brand New Day" began. (It's around five at least. I could go look through the last, what, 20, issues to see, but I do have a day job and this blog isn't meant to be a doctoral dissertation with extensive footnotes. So, I feel safe saying it's around five times.) I've now, of course, ordered "Swing Shift" from eBay, but it seems weird to have a one-shot play such an integral part of the ongoing plot.
2) I'm surprised that none of the authors have focused on Peter living with a guy who keeps trying to arrest Spidey. It's almost like Peter doesn't recognize Vin when he's Spider-Man. I mean, I know they just became roommates, so I'm sure we'll see it in subsequent issues. But, it's been weird to me that we've never seen an internal Spider-Man monologue along the lines of "I've got to try to get Vin to stop arresting me."
Sunday, August 7, 2011
New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)
Flashpoint #1: After a lot of hype, "Flashpoint" finally begins. Johns, as expected, does a great job of establishing the background of this world without getting lost in the details. He manages to convey Barry’s confusion over finding himself in a different reality while at the same time outlining the grim contours of this new reality. At this stage, I would just note two things. First, one of my problems with this sort of story is that I feel like authors go too far at times in drastically altering the personalities of existing characters. Although I don’t know what happened to lead them to their “present” path, I don’t know if I buy that Aquaman and Wonder Woman would slaughter tens of millions of people. It’s a “nature v. nurture” debate, to be sure, but something about making well-known heroes into homicidal super-villains always rings a little false to me in these sorts of stories. Second, I’m not as familiar with the DC back bench as I am Marvel’s. That’s obviously not Johns’ fault, but it means I didn’t catch who all of Cyborg’s potential Justice League members were. It's another consequence of these reality-warping stories, since the authors generally need to promote some heroes off the back bench to show how different everything is. But, since these were the only two things that made feel moderately frustrated when reading this issue, I can live with it, since usually these sorts of stories drive me crazy. (Plus, pretty much anything Johns does here is going to compare favorably to "Fear Itself.")
Flashpoint #2: First, let’s talk about the ending. I was all ready to roll my eyes at the Flash becoming the Flash again by re-doing the experiment that made him the Flash in the first place. Seeing his scarred (and possibly dead) body on the last page was a surprise and made me excited to see what else Johns was going to do with this series. I hadn’t quite realized from the first issue that Aquaman and Wonder Woman were at war with one another, so I assume we’ll be getting more information at some point on how that happened. (I’m also guessing Iris is the mole feeding Wonder Woman information, but I could definitely could be wrong about that, because how would she know Cyborg was organizing a Justice League? Maybe it’s Element Woman and she’s not as crazy as everyone thinks she is?) Finally, Johns really infuses this series with a sense of urgency with the idea that Flash has to right this new timeline before he forgets the prime timeline. I’ve always been confused by the Flash’s original origin (and that phrase right there pretty much sums up my problems with DC), since it seems like Thwayne traveling into the past to kill his mother happened somewhat recently (in the real, non-comics timeline) and wasn’t something intrinsically part of his original origin. Johns at least acknowledges that by having Barry comment on how he doesn’t remember his past before his mother was killed, so he knows it’s possible for him to forget the prime reality. But, as I was in Johns' "Flash" series, I always wind up a little confused when Barry talks about his past. Focusing on the series' plot, at this point, I have two problems. First, why does Reverse Flash let Barry know it’s him behind the change? It seems very 1960s “Batman” TV show. Is he also going to put him in some "foolproof" death trap and tell him how to undo what he's done, since it’s impossible for him to escape, "ba-ha-ha!” [Sigh.] Second, why does Barry remember the events in the first place? Why is he the only one that remembers? Did Thwayne do that on purpose? If so, why? Given that this series only has five issues, I'm hoping Johns moves quickly in answering these questions.
Flashpoint #3: Johns really moves us forward in this issue, but I wonder if it's enough. First, the Flash regains his powers (though, unfortunately, in the eye-rolling manner that I thought Johns avoided in “Flashpoint” #2). We also find Superman, who (brilliantly, on Johns’ part) has no powers because the government denied him exposure to the sun after he was taken from his rocket, which, in this reality, destroyed several city blocks of Metropolis when it crashed into Earth. Element Woman is indeed the traitor and Lois Lane finds the Resistance in England. No information yet on why Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war, but we know it’s happening “tomorrow.” All in all, Johns keeps the pace of the book moving. He also takes some time to add in some grace notes, like Barry’s frustration with Thomas Wayne’s dial-up connection. Heh. However, with only two issues left, I have to wonder at what point Reverse Flash is actually going to appear. I mean, Johns isn't giving himself a lot of room here to resolve the situation without making it feel rushed. We shall see, I guess.
Red Robin #25: Nicieza had me thinking “WTF?” at the end of this issue, in mostly a good way, which is an impressive feat. First, this issue is funny, if you know, you look past the fact that the humor is based on Tim imminently being raped. Nicieza softens that edge a little: part of the reason you can see it as funny is that you know it’s not going to happen, because Tim is too good of a planner for it to happen, a sense that gets proved correct when Black Bat arrives to save him. Moreover, the issue has some real legitimate suspense. I actually did, for a moment, think Black Bat had killed Tim, or, at least, in some way, turned against him. Also, the reveal that someone who’s not Ra’s al Ghul also sees Tim as a possible adversary/successor is interesting, particularly because that’s about all Nicieza reveals about “Know-It-All.” The cliffhanger ending is also fascinating: did Tim really kill his father’s killer? I can’t wait to see! However, despite all the good, the issue has some sloppy moments. First, Tim apparently knows that the woman planning on raping him is a half-sister of Ra’s al Ghul, but, not only did he honestly not appear to know that last issue, he also refers to her as “Mysterious Hooded Lady” at the end of this issue. So, did he know or not? Moreover, it’s unclear how she – and, by extension, Ra’s al Ghul – was connected to Know-It-All. Did she choose the Catacombs where Know-It-All kept his base by accident? It seems unlikely, but, then, if she knew Know-It-All's base was there, is Know-It-All working with Ra’s al Ghul? That also seems unlikely, because I can’t see Ra’s being cool with someone operating to eliminate assassins, not promote them. I’ve really enjoyed the “Red Robin” series so far, but every arc seems plagued by these questions: not questions that the author purposefully leaves for the reader, but questions that the author seems not to realize he’s raising or failing to resolve. At any rate, the best part of this issue was the reveal of Tim’s sweet new pad on Park Row. How cool is that? It seems to really establish Tim as his own hero. However, that raises the issue of what, exactly, is happening to Tim in the reboot, given that “Red Robin” isn’t one of the series being rebooted. Is he going to return to being Robin? Unlikely. Is he going to team with Nightwing? You’d think his name would be in the title if so. Is he just going to be part of the Teen Titans? Disappointing, if true.
Secret Avengers #15: Given how amazing Nick Spencer’s “Fear Itself” tie-in issues have been, I can’t wait to see what he actually does with the title when he gets to call the shots. This issue had moments when I feared we would veer into eye-rolling, but, like Kieron Gillen in “Generation Hope” #9, Spencer really manages to sell his story. Using a tabloid publishing a story about Captain America not being dead as the vehicle for showing the Black Widow’s grief is really a stroke of genius. As I said, it could’ve turned out really, really badly, but it doesn’t. Instead, Spencer gives us one of the best meditations on superhero death that I’ve ever read. On some level, all the characters here are right in their own way, which makes it such an interesting issue. The ability of superheroes to return from the dead is both a blessing – as the “Unexpected Truth” staff posits – and a curse – as Natasha argues. You can see that curse through Natasha’s pain here as she holds out hope that Bucky isn’t really, really dead (or, at least, if he is, could be resurrected). Given that Bucky’s death got short shrift in “Fear Itself” #4, I thank Spencer for allowing us to see, somewhere, someone grieving his loss.
Superboy #8: Well, at least we’re getting somewhere. Lemire, probably inspired by the upcoming reboot, stops the diversions and misdirections and takes on the “Hollow Men” plot he’s been building since the first arc of the title. The problem is that I still can’t really say I care. He’s trying to make it seem like some planetary (actually, interplanetary) level threat, but it stills all seems kind of…goofy. Having the Phantom Stranger manipulate events – from forcing Superboy to sit through a history lesson to using his crows to steal Simon’s weather machine – makes the events of the issue feel particularly forced. Of all the titles I get, this one is the only one that I’m excited to see being rebooted.
Superboy #9: Yadda yadda yadda, some guy was pretending to be the Phantom Stranger, yadda yadda yadda, danger. I don’t know. I don’t know why this series really, really rubs me the wrong way, but it does. Despite the potential of the characters in this series, Lemire hasn’t really made me care about them. Morever, the Hollow Men story just isn’t all that interesting. Conner will defeat the Faux-tom Stranger, Smallville will be saved, Psion will find a way not to kill Simon, etc. Is it time for the reboot yet?
Flashpoint #2: First, let’s talk about the ending. I was all ready to roll my eyes at the Flash becoming the Flash again by re-doing the experiment that made him the Flash in the first place. Seeing his scarred (and possibly dead) body on the last page was a surprise and made me excited to see what else Johns was going to do with this series. I hadn’t quite realized from the first issue that Aquaman and Wonder Woman were at war with one another, so I assume we’ll be getting more information at some point on how that happened. (I’m also guessing Iris is the mole feeding Wonder Woman information, but I could definitely could be wrong about that, because how would she know Cyborg was organizing a Justice League? Maybe it’s Element Woman and she’s not as crazy as everyone thinks she is?) Finally, Johns really infuses this series with a sense of urgency with the idea that Flash has to right this new timeline before he forgets the prime timeline. I’ve always been confused by the Flash’s original origin (and that phrase right there pretty much sums up my problems with DC), since it seems like Thwayne traveling into the past to kill his mother happened somewhat recently (in the real, non-comics timeline) and wasn’t something intrinsically part of his original origin. Johns at least acknowledges that by having Barry comment on how he doesn’t remember his past before his mother was killed, so he knows it’s possible for him to forget the prime reality. But, as I was in Johns' "Flash" series, I always wind up a little confused when Barry talks about his past. Focusing on the series' plot, at this point, I have two problems. First, why does Reverse Flash let Barry know it’s him behind the change? It seems very 1960s “Batman” TV show. Is he also going to put him in some "foolproof" death trap and tell him how to undo what he's done, since it’s impossible for him to escape, "ba-ha-ha!” [Sigh.] Second, why does Barry remember the events in the first place? Why is he the only one that remembers? Did Thwayne do that on purpose? If so, why? Given that this series only has five issues, I'm hoping Johns moves quickly in answering these questions.
Flashpoint #3: Johns really moves us forward in this issue, but I wonder if it's enough. First, the Flash regains his powers (though, unfortunately, in the eye-rolling manner that I thought Johns avoided in “Flashpoint” #2). We also find Superman, who (brilliantly, on Johns’ part) has no powers because the government denied him exposure to the sun after he was taken from his rocket, which, in this reality, destroyed several city blocks of Metropolis when it crashed into Earth. Element Woman is indeed the traitor and Lois Lane finds the Resistance in England. No information yet on why Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war, but we know it’s happening “tomorrow.” All in all, Johns keeps the pace of the book moving. He also takes some time to add in some grace notes, like Barry’s frustration with Thomas Wayne’s dial-up connection. Heh. However, with only two issues left, I have to wonder at what point Reverse Flash is actually going to appear. I mean, Johns isn't giving himself a lot of room here to resolve the situation without making it feel rushed. We shall see, I guess.
Red Robin #25: Nicieza had me thinking “WTF?” at the end of this issue, in mostly a good way, which is an impressive feat. First, this issue is funny, if you know, you look past the fact that the humor is based on Tim imminently being raped. Nicieza softens that edge a little: part of the reason you can see it as funny is that you know it’s not going to happen, because Tim is too good of a planner for it to happen, a sense that gets proved correct when Black Bat arrives to save him. Moreover, the issue has some real legitimate suspense. I actually did, for a moment, think Black Bat had killed Tim, or, at least, in some way, turned against him. Also, the reveal that someone who’s not Ra’s al Ghul also sees Tim as a possible adversary/successor is interesting, particularly because that’s about all Nicieza reveals about “Know-It-All.” The cliffhanger ending is also fascinating: did Tim really kill his father’s killer? I can’t wait to see! However, despite all the good, the issue has some sloppy moments. First, Tim apparently knows that the woman planning on raping him is a half-sister of Ra’s al Ghul, but, not only did he honestly not appear to know that last issue, he also refers to her as “Mysterious Hooded Lady” at the end of this issue. So, did he know or not? Moreover, it’s unclear how she – and, by extension, Ra’s al Ghul – was connected to Know-It-All. Did she choose the Catacombs where Know-It-All kept his base by accident? It seems unlikely, but, then, if she knew Know-It-All's base was there, is Know-It-All working with Ra’s al Ghul? That also seems unlikely, because I can’t see Ra’s being cool with someone operating to eliminate assassins, not promote them. I’ve really enjoyed the “Red Robin” series so far, but every arc seems plagued by these questions: not questions that the author purposefully leaves for the reader, but questions that the author seems not to realize he’s raising or failing to resolve. At any rate, the best part of this issue was the reveal of Tim’s sweet new pad on Park Row. How cool is that? It seems to really establish Tim as his own hero. However, that raises the issue of what, exactly, is happening to Tim in the reboot, given that “Red Robin” isn’t one of the series being rebooted. Is he going to return to being Robin? Unlikely. Is he going to team with Nightwing? You’d think his name would be in the title if so. Is he just going to be part of the Teen Titans? Disappointing, if true.
Secret Avengers #15: Given how amazing Nick Spencer’s “Fear Itself” tie-in issues have been, I can’t wait to see what he actually does with the title when he gets to call the shots. This issue had moments when I feared we would veer into eye-rolling, but, like Kieron Gillen in “Generation Hope” #9, Spencer really manages to sell his story. Using a tabloid publishing a story about Captain America not being dead as the vehicle for showing the Black Widow’s grief is really a stroke of genius. As I said, it could’ve turned out really, really badly, but it doesn’t. Instead, Spencer gives us one of the best meditations on superhero death that I’ve ever read. On some level, all the characters here are right in their own way, which makes it such an interesting issue. The ability of superheroes to return from the dead is both a blessing – as the “Unexpected Truth” staff posits – and a curse – as Natasha argues. You can see that curse through Natasha’s pain here as she holds out hope that Bucky isn’t really, really dead (or, at least, if he is, could be resurrected). Given that Bucky’s death got short shrift in “Fear Itself” #4, I thank Spencer for allowing us to see, somewhere, someone grieving his loss.
Superboy #8: Well, at least we’re getting somewhere. Lemire, probably inspired by the upcoming reboot, stops the diversions and misdirections and takes on the “Hollow Men” plot he’s been building since the first arc of the title. The problem is that I still can’t really say I care. He’s trying to make it seem like some planetary (actually, interplanetary) level threat, but it stills all seems kind of…goofy. Having the Phantom Stranger manipulate events – from forcing Superboy to sit through a history lesson to using his crows to steal Simon’s weather machine – makes the events of the issue feel particularly forced. Of all the titles I get, this one is the only one that I’m excited to see being rebooted.
Superboy #9: Yadda yadda yadda, some guy was pretending to be the Phantom Stranger, yadda yadda yadda, danger. I don’t know. I don’t know why this series really, really rubs me the wrong way, but it does. Despite the potential of the characters in this series, Lemire hasn’t really made me care about them. Morever, the Hollow Men story just isn’t all that interesting. Conner will defeat the Faux-tom Stranger, Smallville will be saved, Psion will find a way not to kill Simon, etc. Is it time for the reboot yet?
New Comics!: The X-Edition
Generation Hope #9: The fact that Gillen basically gives us a “It Gets Better” video in comic-book form without wading too deep into the “After-School Special” end of the pool is a testament to his skill as a writer. This issue blends together a number of real-life stories involving teenagers pushed to suicide by their peers in order to deliver us Hope’s first failure. Although Gillen manages to present the story in a fairly grounded way, I think he’s still got to be careful not to go to the “It Gets Better” well too often. For example, I’m on the fence about the Kenji/Logan conversation. On the face of it, it’s extremely well done, with both characters staying totally in character: Logan is exactly the right person to talk to Kenji, who’s always been the darkest member of the team, about the consequences of murder. Logan treats him as a colleague, but also a teenager who's contemplating something that, from his experience, Logan knows he's not ready to handle. However, that said, the whole idea of Logan literally telling Kenji “it gets better” comes really, really close to eye-roll inducing. Again, Gillen manages not entirely to go there, but I think I’d rather us return to Kenji and Laurie’s suspicions that Hope is manipulating them and other stories related to the relationships between the characters than spend too much more time focused on the horrors of being a teenage mutant. That ground has been covered so well by so many others that it’s not going to be enough to sustain this series. However, the relationships will, and, after this detour, I think Gillen should return to focusing on those.
New Mutants #27: Dani goes fist-to-fist with the Sugar Man, capturing him while Bobby and Amara battle Sugar Man's mutates and Doug and Warlock free Nate Grey. It's a pretty satisfying conclusion to the storyline, with a newly de-powered Nate returned to the X-Men and Dani getting to show up Victoria Hand. I will say, however, that we need a little more character development in the non-Dani department in future issues. I love Dani, but this arc read more like a solo series than a team book. Since this series re-started, Amara and Bobby have been little more than pawns on the chess board. With Sam, Illyana, and Xi'an in the background and Doug unlikely to develop a personality any time soon, it's time to give these two some screen time.
New Mutants #28: This issue is great. Dani brings in a therapist who used to work in her community in Colorado to help with the more troubled members of the New Mutants team. DnA's work with Cannonball here was the most interesting to me. Across three writers – Wells, Carey, and DnA – we’ve seen a slow but steady push to bring Cannonball's character to the next level. Wells laid the foundation in the “Fall/Rise of the New Mutants” arc, with Sam losing all control in the face of brutal torture and overwhelming odds. Carey went the other way, showing Sam as the extremely capable field leader of the X-Men during “Age of X.” DnA are now reconciling those two extremes and, hopefully, setting up his return as the leader he’s had the potential to be since the “New Mutants” graphic novel. Meanwhile, DnA’s treatment of Nate Grey is equally fascinating. By essentially de-powering him, they’ve made him even more like Cable, who also had limited telekinesis abilities as a result of constantly fighting off the techno-organic virus. I’m excited to see him become part of the team, because I’ve always liked him (and, incidentally, finally got my hands on “X-Man” #1, the only “Age of Apocalypse” issue I had been missing). Finally, DnA give us some insight into Magik, confirming that she is actually interested in redemption and (allegedly) not plotting something darker. All in all, it was a really stellar issue of characterization and I continue to be excited about where they're taking the series.
X-Factor #222: This issue is...odd. The characterizations were kind of bizarre, almost like someone other than Peter David wrote the issue. Rictor yelling at Rahne seemed completely out of character for him, particularly since, as far as I'm aware, they had resolved the issues between them several issues ago. Rahne slapping Rictor for apologizing for yelling at her was equally weird. She's mad at him...because he apologized to her? What? I liked the first few issues of this arc, and I'm intrigued to see where it's going, but this issue doesn't really advance the plot much. It leaves you mostly just wondering why everyone was in such a bad mood and feeling like you missed an issue.
X-Men #14: A lot is going on here, and I’m not entirely sure I follow it. The back-and-forth between the past and present is starting to remind me (in a bad way) of the recent 1950s Avengers storyline in “New Avengers.” It’s getting hard to keep all the plot details straight. For example, in the past, the Scarlet Witch gave the X-Men Emma Frost’s name and location so they could stop Magneto from getting her. You’d think Magneto would figure out that happened when the X-Men appear at the institute where Emma is being held just in time to battle him, but he doesn’t seem angry at Wanda when they all later rendezvous at the Mansion. So, either Magneto didn’t put two and two together (which seems unlikely, but possible, I guess) or Wanda sent them to the institute on purpose to clear out the Mansion. The problem is that Yost doesn’t really do a great job of giving us enough information to decide which is which. In the present, I’m still not entirely sure who the three mutants attacking the Stepford Cuckoo on Cerebro are and what their motivation is. They want to know more about the Evolutionaries, but why? Who are they? I don’t recognize them from anywhere, so they can’t be major players. I like Yost, and the previous issues in this arc have been pretty good, but I feel like Yost loses some focus here. It’s time to address some of the question marks before the failure to do so starts to get really, really annoying.
X-Men #15: Meh. This arc really started with a lot of potential, but, I have to say, I’m kind of disappointed with the ending. First, Yost actually leaves some dangling threads. For example, who were, exactly, the three mutants who attacked the Stepford Cuckoo? After she blasted Cyclops' memory to everyone on Utopia, we never see her – or the villains – again. Also, if Beast’s machine killed all the Evolutionaries other than the prime Evolutionary in the past, then who are the other ones – the yellow ones – who accompany him in the present? I mean, where did he find more Evolutionaries? Did the Eternal make more? Also (again), how did Jean "remind" Scott of the events of the past? At first it seemed like she was actually the one to hide the memories, but, with the reveal of this issue, it's clear she wasn't. So, how exactly, if she's dead (allegedly) did she know to activate Scott's memory in the present at just the right time? Second, I don’t know if I buy some of the characterizations. For example, it’s revealed that Magneto didn’t realize that Wanda had in fact betrayed him by telling the X-Men the location of Emma Frost, which, frankly, I don’t really know if I believe. Also, the Evolutionary decides to betray his millennia of training and preparation to kill Cyclops? Really? Finally, what happened to the cliffhanger in issue #14? Magneto asks Scott what he did, as if the memory that the Stepford Cuckoo shared showed Scott make some deeply reckless or suspicious decision. Um, as far as I can tell, he merely asked the Evolutionary for more time. I can't say it's exactly shocking. The most interesting part of this issue was Scott's decision to activate the newly re-made Beast weapon, which results in the death (again) of all the Evolutionaries but the prime one. That characterization is more or less in line with the Scott we’ve seen over the last few years, but, as Iceman notes, it’s definitely a departure from the X-Men’s usual “no killing” pledge. However, it makes me wonder what's going to happen in "Schism." If Scott is ordering the deaths of the Evolutionaries, is he really THAT far apart from Logan philosophically? Overall, I’m glad this arc is finished. Looking over the last fifteen issues, I’m pretty disappointed with this title. The Spider-Man cross-over was really the only arc I’ve fully enjoyed from start to finish at this point. Given that I’m usually disappointed in “X-Men Legacy,” I continue to wonder if Marvel hasn’t really stretched itself too thin when it comes to the X-Men, focusing on quantity over quality.
X-Men Legacy #252: I haven’t necessarily been thrilled with this arc so far, but, I have to say, this issue made me re-assess that position. Frenzy actually gets some moments here – dare I say, even some funny moments – and Legion actually does something more than cower. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing where Carey goes with this story. Who would’ve thought it?
New Mutants #27: Dani goes fist-to-fist with the Sugar Man, capturing him while Bobby and Amara battle Sugar Man's mutates and Doug and Warlock free Nate Grey. It's a pretty satisfying conclusion to the storyline, with a newly de-powered Nate returned to the X-Men and Dani getting to show up Victoria Hand. I will say, however, that we need a little more character development in the non-Dani department in future issues. I love Dani, but this arc read more like a solo series than a team book. Since this series re-started, Amara and Bobby have been little more than pawns on the chess board. With Sam, Illyana, and Xi'an in the background and Doug unlikely to develop a personality any time soon, it's time to give these two some screen time.
New Mutants #28: This issue is great. Dani brings in a therapist who used to work in her community in Colorado to help with the more troubled members of the New Mutants team. DnA's work with Cannonball here was the most interesting to me. Across three writers – Wells, Carey, and DnA – we’ve seen a slow but steady push to bring Cannonball's character to the next level. Wells laid the foundation in the “Fall/Rise of the New Mutants” arc, with Sam losing all control in the face of brutal torture and overwhelming odds. Carey went the other way, showing Sam as the extremely capable field leader of the X-Men during “Age of X.” DnA are now reconciling those two extremes and, hopefully, setting up his return as the leader he’s had the potential to be since the “New Mutants” graphic novel. Meanwhile, DnA’s treatment of Nate Grey is equally fascinating. By essentially de-powering him, they’ve made him even more like Cable, who also had limited telekinesis abilities as a result of constantly fighting off the techno-organic virus. I’m excited to see him become part of the team, because I’ve always liked him (and, incidentally, finally got my hands on “X-Man” #1, the only “Age of Apocalypse” issue I had been missing). Finally, DnA give us some insight into Magik, confirming that she is actually interested in redemption and (allegedly) not plotting something darker. All in all, it was a really stellar issue of characterization and I continue to be excited about where they're taking the series.
X-Factor #222: This issue is...odd. The characterizations were kind of bizarre, almost like someone other than Peter David wrote the issue. Rictor yelling at Rahne seemed completely out of character for him, particularly since, as far as I'm aware, they had resolved the issues between them several issues ago. Rahne slapping Rictor for apologizing for yelling at her was equally weird. She's mad at him...because he apologized to her? What? I liked the first few issues of this arc, and I'm intrigued to see where it's going, but this issue doesn't really advance the plot much. It leaves you mostly just wondering why everyone was in such a bad mood and feeling like you missed an issue.
X-Men #14: A lot is going on here, and I’m not entirely sure I follow it. The back-and-forth between the past and present is starting to remind me (in a bad way) of the recent 1950s Avengers storyline in “New Avengers.” It’s getting hard to keep all the plot details straight. For example, in the past, the Scarlet Witch gave the X-Men Emma Frost’s name and location so they could stop Magneto from getting her. You’d think Magneto would figure out that happened when the X-Men appear at the institute where Emma is being held just in time to battle him, but he doesn’t seem angry at Wanda when they all later rendezvous at the Mansion. So, either Magneto didn’t put two and two together (which seems unlikely, but possible, I guess) or Wanda sent them to the institute on purpose to clear out the Mansion. The problem is that Yost doesn’t really do a great job of giving us enough information to decide which is which. In the present, I’m still not entirely sure who the three mutants attacking the Stepford Cuckoo on Cerebro are and what their motivation is. They want to know more about the Evolutionaries, but why? Who are they? I don’t recognize them from anywhere, so they can’t be major players. I like Yost, and the previous issues in this arc have been pretty good, but I feel like Yost loses some focus here. It’s time to address some of the question marks before the failure to do so starts to get really, really annoying.
X-Men #15: Meh. This arc really started with a lot of potential, but, I have to say, I’m kind of disappointed with the ending. First, Yost actually leaves some dangling threads. For example, who were, exactly, the three mutants who attacked the Stepford Cuckoo? After she blasted Cyclops' memory to everyone on Utopia, we never see her – or the villains – again. Also, if Beast’s machine killed all the Evolutionaries other than the prime Evolutionary in the past, then who are the other ones – the yellow ones – who accompany him in the present? I mean, where did he find more Evolutionaries? Did the Eternal make more? Also (again), how did Jean "remind" Scott of the events of the past? At first it seemed like she was actually the one to hide the memories, but, with the reveal of this issue, it's clear she wasn't. So, how exactly, if she's dead (allegedly) did she know to activate Scott's memory in the present at just the right time? Second, I don’t know if I buy some of the characterizations. For example, it’s revealed that Magneto didn’t realize that Wanda had in fact betrayed him by telling the X-Men the location of Emma Frost, which, frankly, I don’t really know if I believe. Also, the Evolutionary decides to betray his millennia of training and preparation to kill Cyclops? Really? Finally, what happened to the cliffhanger in issue #14? Magneto asks Scott what he did, as if the memory that the Stepford Cuckoo shared showed Scott make some deeply reckless or suspicious decision. Um, as far as I can tell, he merely asked the Evolutionary for more time. I can't say it's exactly shocking. The most interesting part of this issue was Scott's decision to activate the newly re-made Beast weapon, which results in the death (again) of all the Evolutionaries but the prime one. That characterization is more or less in line with the Scott we’ve seen over the last few years, but, as Iceman notes, it’s definitely a departure from the X-Men’s usual “no killing” pledge. However, it makes me wonder what's going to happen in "Schism." If Scott is ordering the deaths of the Evolutionaries, is he really THAT far apart from Logan philosophically? Overall, I’m glad this arc is finished. Looking over the last fifteen issues, I’m pretty disappointed with this title. The Spider-Man cross-over was really the only arc I’ve fully enjoyed from start to finish at this point. Given that I’m usually disappointed in “X-Men Legacy,” I continue to wonder if Marvel hasn’t really stretched itself too thin when it comes to the X-Men, focusing on quantity over quality.
X-Men Legacy #252: I haven’t necessarily been thrilled with this arc so far, but, I have to say, this issue made me re-assess that position. Frenzy actually gets some moments here – dare I say, even some funny moments – and Legion actually does something more than cower. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing where Carey goes with this story. Who would’ve thought it?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Amazing Spider-Man #562-#563: "Brand New Day" (the Bookie story arc)
*** (three of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "I don't have fond feelings for Spider-Man, but he came in quiet and didn't start this. And he's definitely on the hot list. So if he wants to get tanked without getting hassled, he gets a pass." -- the bartender at the "Bar with No Name"
Summary
After getting fired in the last arc for refusing to stay on the paparazzi beat, Peter discovers that having principles costs something when he learns that Dexter Bennett is blackballing him across town. Betty Brant, who Dexter made the crime reporter a few issues back, tells Peter that Roy Dreimeyer, a vehemently anti-masked vigilante writer, was one of the "Tracer Killings" victims, just as he was going to publish several anti-Spidey screeds. Meanwhile, the Bookie from the "Bar with No Name" fixes a bet by paying the Basher (a "villain" I don't remember ever seeing in a Spidey book) to challenge Spidey publicly to a fight; the Bookie heavily tilted the bet toward Spidey not dignifying the challenge by appearing and hired Screwball to appear so he could collect the winnings. Peter is trying to keep his now-unemployed status from Vin and, meanwhile, decides to check out the Basher "fight" to make sure no one gets hurt. When the fake Spider-Man appears, the real Spidey chases her down, thinking "he" might be involved in the "Tracer Killings." After her unmasking, Screwball directs Spidey to the "Bar with No Name," and the bartender there directs him to the Bookie's parents' house in Jersey. The Bookie's dad tells Spidey his son has information about Spidey being framed for the "Tracer Killings" and leads Spidey to Coney Island, where the Bookie is being playfully abused by some of the hoods who lost money on his fake bet. Spidey learns from the Bookie that at least two of the killer's "victims" died of natural causes and that, indeed, he is being framed.
The Review
This story arc was good fun. The banter between the Bookie and his dad came close to being annoying, but didn't actually cross the line. I'm starting to wonder whether Vin is the "Tracer Killer," trying to set up Spidey to "prove" he's a villain. I have nothing to support that hunch, just that Vin would probably have access to dead bodies easier than most folks given he's a cop. Anyway, just a thought. Again, it's like the original Hobgoblin mystery all over: guessing is half the fun!
The Good
1) I'm really enjoying the frequent appearance of the "Bar with No Name." It's yet another flashback to Spidey of yore and continually adds a sense of fun. It's the type of the device that keeps a book light, and I hope they use it when, inevitably, the happy-go-lucky "Brand New Day" Spidey encounters some darker realities.
2) I liked how the Ox just kind of quietly surrendered. It actually showed a real thoughtful, deft touch on the part of Gale since, in most comic books, Spidey would've just won the fight, yadda yadda yadda. By making him surrender, it kind of added to the somewhat surreal Spidey-hanging-with-small-time-hoods theme, making the whole arc have the same kind of vibe as the "Batman" TV show from the 1960s.
The Bad
1) I'm still confused by Screwball. Is she, or is she not, afraid of Spider-Man? In her initial appearance, she surrendered to the cops because she thought him tagging her meant he, the "Tracer Killer," was targeting her for death. But, in this interaction, she doesn't seem too concerned about it. My only thought is that she surrendered to the police not because she was afraid Spidey was the "Tracer Killer" but because she didn't want Spidey to capture her. But, she'd rather the police arrest her? Really? That doesn't make too much sense either. I know it's a small plot point, but it's been kind of bothering me.
2) As a Jersey native, I was offended by Spidey's reluctance to go to Jersey and belief he'd need a mullet. For someone who just recently moved out of his aunt's house in Queens, he's a little cocky.
On Betty Brant
I'm glad to see Betty back on active duty. Again, she definitely seems younger than she has in the past, given that, you know, we haven't mentioned her dead husband, the Hobgoblin (or, at least, who used to be the Hobgoblin before someone got all ret-conny). It's nice to have her back.
Friday, August 5, 2011
New Comics!: The Bat-Edition Addendum
Batman: The Dark Knight #4: Honestly, words fail me. So, instead, let me use some of David Finch's words to sum up this issue:
"Treacherous fool!" -- Ragman
"You need to make yourself presentable before I take you down to talk to Commissioner Gordon." -- Batman (!)
"You stand against forces that you can't possibly understand." -- Ragman
It's like Finch was so pressed for time he just threw every possible cliché at the plot and hoped for the best. He wasn't even drawing this issue and, somehow, it's even worse than the others. I mean, Batman is taking Dawn home so she can look "presentable" for the media? I just...I mean...WTF? I can barely even get to the plot, such as it is, because the script is so bad. But, looking at the plot, we know that the girl we saw last issue is the daughter of a guy who works for Wayne Enterprises and is selling information to some (for lack of a better term) bad men, that Golden's father was some sort of demon worshiper, and that Ragman was, in fact, possessed by a demon who then possesses/empowers Etrigan. Yup. Still no fucking clue what's happening. Finch essentially discards the only solid plot line we had -- that Killer Croc had kidnapped Golden -- by revealing that her kidnapping was totally random and more or less incidental to the overall plot. (I'm not entirely sure how that jives with Penguin's involvement, since Penguin certainly implied that he was part of some larger scheme pertaining to Dawn.) I could continue ranting, but I'll stop here. I'm canceling this series. I can't believe I've spent $11.96 on it over the last EIGHT months.
On top of all these amazing twists and turns, Snyder also manages to continue building on his excellent previous work of establishing the Commissioner/Dick relationship. In fact, Gordon pretty much seems to be talking to Dick without any pretense of pretending he doesn't know he's Batman. Similarly, in a great view from the other side, the Joker also knows that Dick is behind the mask, not Bruce (or, at least, Robin is behind the mask, not Batman). These two conversations bookend the issue to great effect, establishing the sense of history -- of the entwined relationships of all the characters -- that propels this story. One of the amazing aspects of what Snyder does here is that he actually uses the imminent reboot in his favor. First, he has Joker hint at it, which I really just thought was awesome. But, second, I really honestly have no idea what's going to happen. I mean, James, Jr. could, I don't know, kill everyone, because the reboot could in theory wipe that story clean. Unlike other series, where the authors seem to be phoning in the last pre-reboot issues, Snyder uses it to his advantage here and makes his already creepy story even creepier. Just bravo, Scott Snyder. Bra-freaking-vo.
New Comics!: The Bat-Edition
Batman #712: If you've read this blog a while, you know that I usually wind up sorely disappointed with Tony Daniel's endings. He generally spends the first few issues setting up an interesting story, but he drops the ball at the end, usually because he's trying to do too much. In this issue, the Two-Face/Gilda reunion goes pretty much how I expected it would, with Two-Face (and Batman, for that matter) not entirely sure whether it is actually Gilda and, if it is, what to make of her. However, Daniel leaves a huge question mark (heh) when it comes to the Riddler. I'm somewhat perplexed by the importance of the documents Riddler found in the Falcone's library. First, why would a bunch of files detailing who he was/is lead to his "restoration?" Second, why would Falcone have them or, to put it another way, what did Falcone's files have that the Riddler couldn't find elsewhere (like, you know, Google)? I'm assuming they're the files that Gilda implied she had at the end of the Sensei arc, but Daniel doesn't exactly make that clear. But, even if they are, what would they have that the Riddler himself wouldn't know? I'm also unclear as to why he had to kill (seemingly) Enigma? Is it because the Riddler of old -- who he seems to be trying to re-become -- didn't have a sidekick/daughter? As usual, Daniel leaves me annoyed and not intrigued by these questions. Whenever Daniel sets up these twists they almost always feel like they're being done just for the twist's sake and not because the plot organically went there. Moreover, Daniel -- as he has in other arcs -- takes up space he could've used to actually sell the twist by adding a random and totally unnecessary Catgirl sub-plot. Although this arc is an improvement over other arcs, I'm still surprised DC is allowing Daniel to helm the title, given the significant number of authors who could be doing a much better job with it.
Batman: The Dark Knight #3: Reading these issues, I'm transported to 1990. The style of plotting, writing, and artwork is almost identical to "Torment," the first arc of Todd MacFarlane's "Spider-Man." Unfortunately for Finch, I don't really mean that as a compliment. It's hard to find something positive to say about this arc. Finch's characterization of Bruce is just...bizarre. He's playing him like some rank amateur, showing more emotion over Dawn Golden than he has over anyone ever. Moreover, the plot is just...yeah. Penguin appears to have made a deal with a demon (who may or may not be Ragman), for reasons that have yet to be clarified but involve Golden. Golden herself is implied to be more than just a Gotham socialite, and I'm assuming we'll find out more now that Batman found her. Sub-plots include Etrigan (about whom I'm clearly supposed to care or know more) confronting the aforementioned demon (who's eating homeless people) and a little girl (who looks like Golden) stealing the Batmobile. In other words, this whole story is a huge mess. It's of course made worse by the fact that it's the third issue in SEVEN MONTHS. The real chutzpah, though, is that we'll barely finish this introductory arc only to have the title reboot itself. It seems kind of unbelievable to have two #1 issues of the same title in the same year, but I guess DC is just that shameless. I sincerely doubt I'm going to be still getting this title in six months...
Batman: Gates of Gotham #3: OK, so, to be honest, I think something should probably happen soon. I mean, not that blowing up a bunch of buildings isn't "something happening," but, at this point, I'm feeling a little ho-hum about this series. Basically, the only real mystery is whether the guy in the suit is in fact Nicholas Gates or a descendant equally set on revenge. I can't say I'm really dying to find out the answer. But, the more notable aspect of this book is the portrayal of Dick Grayson as a mopey failure. The first few issues of the Bat-books in which Dick took over the cowl did a good job of showing Dick go through an adjustment phase while, at the same time, giving him credit for the fact he's been a superhero since he was, like, twelve. However, recently, the Bat-book writers seem to actually be taking a few steps back when it comes to portraying Dick as Batman. Both Higgins here and Daniel in "Batman" (he gets clocked by Gilda) show Dick as mildly incompetent. We only have a few more months of Dick as Batman, so this lament is soon to be overcome by events, but I'd like Dick to go out winning not whining.
Batman and Robin #25: Oh, Jason fucking Todd, you are just sex on a stick. I mean, first, you're naked, like, A LOT. But, you're not naked in the usual pin-up way, the casual showering-as-if-no-one-was-watching way that we usually see in comics. Oh, no. Not you. You're naked in the "Yeah, I may be gay, I may be straight, I may be bi, but any way and every way you'll have a good time with me" way. Yum. I had my doubts about Winick's Todd, only because Tomasi is so good that I wanted to see what he could do with Jason. But, by sexing up Jason, as he has in this series, Winick has really let Jason shine. He's not just a smart-ass anymore. (Winick also portrays that part of Jason's personality better than anyone; see his taunting of Bruce in issue #23 and his needling of Dick and Damian in this issue.) By making him into this edgy, sexualized bad-ass, Winick has moved him past just being the angry young man seeking revenge. He still fills the anti-Dick role (or, more accurately, the "Dick without a moral compass" role), but in a more organic way. This arc is the first time I've really felt Jason Todd is a character in and of himself and not just a MacGuffin created to move along a plot like he has been in the past. Of course, God only knows what DC is going to do to screw up his character in the reboot but, at the very least, Jason Todd finally got to be a real boy at long last. Lest I be accused of gushing, I will mention a negative here. In fact, it's a pretty big negative: Winick never actually tells us what the hell is happening. Why, exactly, did the mysterious woman want Jason in the first place? Winick never tells us. That happens sometimes with Batman comics, but it didn't really feel like Winick was doing it on purpose, creating a sense of the futility of Batman's efforts to control the world around him. Instead, it honestly felt like he was so busy focusing on the characterization he actually just forgot. I can't say it ruined the issue for me -- since the characterization WAS so good -- but it's that sort of inattention to detail that makes Winick not quite raise to the level of Scott Snyder or Pete Tomasi.
Batman Beyond #7: This issue moves the series forward nicely. Terry faces a real challenge as he attempts to stop Blight and Bruce stops playing "creepy guy in a dark cave" by deciding (for the first time) to fully take the reins of Wayne Enterprises. The problem, of course, is that the DC reboot is wiping out this series, so the fact that this series shows such promise makes it all the more difficult to accept.
Detective Comics #879: C...r...e...e...p...y. I've said several times that I felt like Scott Snyder is creating his own Joker in his characterization of James Gordon, Jr. and this issue confirms that, since, for most of it, I thought the guy strapped to the gurney was James, not the Joker. It's that sort of implied parallel that makes what Snyder does here all the more gripping; the crime James is planning -- turning needy children into psychopathic killers -- is, quite frankly, totally something the Joker would do. Jim's discover of the box of keys of James' victims advances the plot, with the Commissioner now aware of what we've known since last issue, that James is in fact a homicidal psycho. By my reckoning, Snyder has two more issue to go before the reboot, so God only knows where this story is going. He's been building it on a slow burn for so long that I assume it's just going to explode. I can't freaking wait. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Francavilla's art is an equal partner in these stories, and I applaud the editor who put him together with Snyder for the James Gordon, Jr. stories. Doing so required knowing that Jock (who's amazing) wouldn't convey the same creepiness as someone like Francavilla would. Given that I feel editors so often screw up stories, it's nice to applaud their ability to help make one every once in a while. It bears repeating: best book on the market.
Batman: Gates of Gotham #3: OK, so, to be honest, I think something should probably happen soon. I mean, not that blowing up a bunch of buildings isn't "something happening," but, at this point, I'm feeling a little ho-hum about this series. Basically, the only real mystery is whether the guy in the suit is in fact Nicholas Gates or a descendant equally set on revenge. I can't say I'm really dying to find out the answer. But, the more notable aspect of this book is the portrayal of Dick Grayson as a mopey failure. The first few issues of the Bat-books in which Dick took over the cowl did a good job of showing Dick go through an adjustment phase while, at the same time, giving him credit for the fact he's been a superhero since he was, like, twelve. However, recently, the Bat-book writers seem to actually be taking a few steps back when it comes to portraying Dick as Batman. Both Higgins here and Daniel in "Batman" (he gets clocked by Gilda) show Dick as mildly incompetent. We only have a few more months of Dick as Batman, so this lament is soon to be overcome by events, but I'd like Dick to go out winning not whining.
Batman and Robin #25: Oh, Jason fucking Todd, you are just sex on a stick. I mean, first, you're naked, like, A LOT. But, you're not naked in the usual pin-up way, the casual showering-as-if-no-one-was-watching way that we usually see in comics. Oh, no. Not you. You're naked in the "Yeah, I may be gay, I may be straight, I may be bi, but any way and every way you'll have a good time with me" way. Yum. I had my doubts about Winick's Todd, only because Tomasi is so good that I wanted to see what he could do with Jason. But, by sexing up Jason, as he has in this series, Winick has really let Jason shine. He's not just a smart-ass anymore. (Winick also portrays that part of Jason's personality better than anyone; see his taunting of Bruce in issue #23 and his needling of Dick and Damian in this issue.) By making him into this edgy, sexualized bad-ass, Winick has moved him past just being the angry young man seeking revenge. He still fills the anti-Dick role (or, more accurately, the "Dick without a moral compass" role), but in a more organic way. This arc is the first time I've really felt Jason Todd is a character in and of himself and not just a MacGuffin created to move along a plot like he has been in the past. Of course, God only knows what DC is going to do to screw up his character in the reboot but, at the very least, Jason Todd finally got to be a real boy at long last. Lest I be accused of gushing, I will mention a negative here. In fact, it's a pretty big negative: Winick never actually tells us what the hell is happening. Why, exactly, did the mysterious woman want Jason in the first place? Winick never tells us. That happens sometimes with Batman comics, but it didn't really feel like Winick was doing it on purpose, creating a sense of the futility of Batman's efforts to control the world around him. Instead, it honestly felt like he was so busy focusing on the characterization he actually just forgot. I can't say it ruined the issue for me -- since the characterization WAS so good -- but it's that sort of inattention to detail that makes Winick not quite raise to the level of Scott Snyder or Pete Tomasi.
Batman Beyond #7: This issue moves the series forward nicely. Terry faces a real challenge as he attempts to stop Blight and Bruce stops playing "creepy guy in a dark cave" by deciding (for the first time) to fully take the reins of Wayne Enterprises. The problem, of course, is that the DC reboot is wiping out this series, so the fact that this series shows such promise makes it all the more difficult to accept.
Detective Comics #879: C...r...e...e...p...y. I've said several times that I felt like Scott Snyder is creating his own Joker in his characterization of James Gordon, Jr. and this issue confirms that, since, for most of it, I thought the guy strapped to the gurney was James, not the Joker. It's that sort of implied parallel that makes what Snyder does here all the more gripping; the crime James is planning -- turning needy children into psychopathic killers -- is, quite frankly, totally something the Joker would do. Jim's discover of the box of keys of James' victims advances the plot, with the Commissioner now aware of what we've known since last issue, that James is in fact a homicidal psycho. By my reckoning, Snyder has two more issue to go before the reboot, so God only knows where this story is going. He's been building it on a slow burn for so long that I assume it's just going to explode. I can't freaking wait. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Francavilla's art is an equal partner in these stories, and I applaud the editor who put him together with Snyder for the James Gordon, Jr. stories. Doing so required knowing that Jock (who's amazing) wouldn't convey the same creepiness as someone like Francavilla would. Given that I feel editors so often screw up stories, it's nice to applaud their ability to help make one every once in a while. It bears repeating: best book on the market.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
New Comics!: The "Fear Itself" Mega-Edition
OK, so, as you can see here, I've decided to focus my immediate post-vacation reading on the multitude of "Fear Itself" issues. At this point -- four issues into the main series -- I think I can safely say that this cross-over event is rapidly approaching "epic fail" for me. As I detail below, Fraction seems to be almost incapable of conveying emotions. His writing isn't exactly wooden, but it often feels much more focused on moving forward a specific plot than expressing the emotional impact of said plot on the main characters. Given that the core conceit of the whole affair -- how fear affects us -- is all about emotion, this failure to make the reader, you know, feel anything is, well, a problem. On top of that, so much is happening in the side issues -- such as the apparent death of everyone in Paris, just to start -- that it's almost impossible to tell what the central story actually is. For example, the Initiative was fighting Juggernaut in Las Vegas in "Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt," while the X-Men were fighting him in San Francisco in "Uncanny X-Men." I know that sounds excessively nit-picky, but, to me, it raises the question of why I should be paying the attention Marvel wants me to pay to this event if its editors can't even muster the energy to do so. Essentially, unlike "Civil War" or "Blackest Night," this event so far is pretty clearly just a poor attempt by Marvel to make some money, as opposed to telling an interesting story or change its creative setting. Sad, but true.
Avengers #15: Bendis continues to structure the Avengers' "Fear Itself" cross-over issues as part of the "oral history of the Avengers" that he had been including at the back of "Avengers" and "New Avengers" before "Fear Itself" began. It worked spectacularly well when he first used it in "Avengers" #13 and continues to do so here. This story focuses on Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, the Protector, and Spider-Woman trying to stop the Hulk's rampage in Brazil. Bendis does two things here that made me wish -- for all my griping about him -- he was penning "Fear Itself." First, he manages to make the issue about the characters, not just advancing the overall "Fear Itself" plot but the "Avengers" plot as well. One of my main complaints about his run so far on "Avengers" has been that the cosmic nature of the crises they've faced has meant that the "street-level" heroes -- namely, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, and Spider-Woman -- have been largely ignored. Over the last few issues, he's done a great job of reversing that trend, giving us some great Hawkeye/Spider-Woman moments, for example. This issue is no different; in fact, it's a detailed character study on Spider-Woman. By using her as the lens through which we see the team's confrontation with the Hulk, Bendis gives us an amazing amount of insight into her character while at the same time telling a story that isn't just one long, mindless fight scene (as most of "Fear Itself" has been). Second, he remembers where his people are. It would've really, really stretched belief if Peter was fighting crowds in "Fear Itself: Spider-Man," the New York invasion in "Fear Itself," and the Hulk in Brazil. Bendis sends in four characters that haven't played a role elsewhere, making sure that the story (unlike many of the other cross-overs) doesn't contradict anything happening in other stories. Moreover, it's just a damn good story. He gives us a redemption arc for Spider-Woman that doesn't fall back on tired tropes or unbelievable outcomes. Some writers would've had Spider-Woman defeat the Hulk; Bendis has her hold him off long enough so others can get in the game and she can save a school full of children. Totally believable, totally redeemable. Bendis is really doing a great job on these "Fear Itself" cross-overs. Imagine what he could've done with the main title?
Fear Itself #4: OK, so, I'm going to ignore the killing of Bucky for the moment so I can focus on the positive aspects of this book. Fraction finally manages to resolve two dangling plot points by clarifying that the goal of the Worthy is indeed to spread fear so that the Serpent can re-power himself (he hadn't explicitly made that connection before) and revealing that the Serpent is the brother of Odin, who (allegedly) usurped his position as king of Asgard. We also learn that a prophecy exists (I'm assuming it was revealed in one of the "Thor" cross-overs) that predicts that Thor will defeat the Serpent by sacrificing his own life. Moreover, we finally see our heroes doing something rather than just watching the carnage unfold on giant television screens: Captain America has joined the Avengers' fight for New York, Iron Man is trying to convince Odin to help him create anti-Serpent tech, and Thor is taking on the Worth-ified Hulk and Thing in his push to get to the Serpent. Progress!
The bad news, of course, is that none of Fraction's efforts here to advance the plot matter, because they're overshadowed by how spectacularly badly he fucks up Bucky's death. First, we do actually get confirmation here that Bucky is, in fact, dead. His death -- particularly how meaningless it was, resulting in nothing more than putting Steve Rogers back in the Captain America uniform -- alone would be sufficiently rage-inducing to make me hate this series, despite Fraction's efforts in this issue to right the ship. (See my post on "Fear Itself" #3 to get a sense of my, um, opinion on this front.) But, Fraction makes it worse here by keeping all reactions to Bucky's death off-panel. We get a comment by Nick Fury about him deserving better and then Natasha crying on Nick's shoulder in the background while the menfolk talk. That's it. We don't even get a reaction from Steve, who just straps on the Captain America suit and heads into war as if it were a normal Tuesday. In fact, Natasha herself starts the issue just sort of standing next to the body like it was just some guy and not, you know, her boyfriend. In Nick's words, Bucky deserved better.
Moreover, Steve's reappearance as Captain America leading the Avengers is barely even mentioned, like he's just returning from a short trip to a B&B in Vermont for some R&R with Sharon. Given that Bucky-Cap was tight with the New Avengers, you'd think someone would've at least asked, "Hey, where's Bucky? Is he still in the gulag?" (As I mentioned in my post on "Fear Itself" #3, let's all take a moment to mourn the potentially kick-ass series Marvel seemed to be establishing for Bucky in the last few issues of "Captain America," with Bucky going all Cold Warrior and planning to atone for his Winter Soldier crimes. [Sigh.])
To sum up my outrage, Fraction seriously, seriously fucks up the transition from Bucky to Steve here, both in giving Bucky a meaningless death and Steve a lackluster return. The fact that he can't even convey any sense of emotion over Bucky's death makes me wonder how Marvel could've entrusted this big of an event to him. The ho-hum nature of Bucky's death and Steve's return completely overshadows any good "Fear Itself" could ever achieve. It appears nothing more than to be a cheap stunt to fluff the ego of a bad writer. I can't believe I'm still spending money on it.
Fear Itself: The Home Front #4: This title just continues to get worst. The Speedball story is...odd. Speedball seemingly defeats Attuma in St. John's, only to have him return and destroy the city with an enormous tidal wave. I think Gage is trying to show how bad things are, giving people hope (Speedball initially defeating Attuma) but then destroying it (Attuma ulitmately obliterating St. John's). The problem, though, is the problem of the larger "Fear Itself" storyline, which is that so many cities are being wantonly destroyed (Paris, Washington, etc.) that it's getting hard to feel any sort of emotion as it happens. The Jimmy Woo story was just awful. Jimmy could have saved the world but decided not do so, which makes him a hero? Wait, what? Finally, to be brutally honest, the Blue Marvel story is maybe the worst comic-book story I've ever read. It's just...moronic. I'm hoping the Jimmy Woo story will be replaced by something better, but I seriously doubt it will be, the way this whole sad, sorry affair is going.
Fear Itself: Spider-Man #3: OK, so Yost kind of loses it here. (I promise I like SOME issues in this review. Keep reading.) First, the last two issues of this mini-series managed to convey Peter's attempts to fight off "the fear" and rescue people without going too far and making Peter seemed like a scared newbie trying to keep himself together. Yost unfortunately goes too much in that direction here, with Peter giving us a running narrative on how he's lost hope, yadda yadda yadda. (Guess what? He's inspired by the actions of a "regular" person and finds the strength to defeat the bad guy. I know. Shocking! I never would've expected it.) To be fair, I'm a little harder here on Yost than I probably have to be. The problem with all the "Fear Itself" books is that (until "Fear Itself" #4), they've done a poor job really explaining "the fear" that everyone is experiencing. Yost has actually done the best job of that, so I feel like I'm punishing him for being the only one trying to flesh out the concept. So, I'll give him a pass personally, even if I found that his addressing of the issue used really tired plot twists. Second, it seemed WAY too convenient that everything got nicely wrapped in a bow for us in the end. I mean, I'm not saying everyone had to die, but, really, EVERYONE was OK? Really? Finally, my problem with this mini-series has been that it's a bit of a throwback to the days before Spidey was on every New York-based superhero team. Often, during these big cross-over events, Peter would save the regular people while the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men fought the big bad. Given that Peter's now on both Avengers teams and in the FF, it does make you raise an eyebrow, wondering how he's involved in those teams' responses to the crisis while at the same time saving regular people he encounters on the street. More than anything, it's the last part that made me feel like a sucker for shelling over $8.97 for these three issues, when I could see Peter fighting the big bad in the main title or the Avengers titles. (Also, on a total side note, I was annoyed when Ben spoke that weird "Worthy" speak, because we've established in other series that he actually has retained his ability to speak normally.)
Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #3: This title continues to be the best of the bunch. It does the best job, to my mind, in conveying the magnitude of what Fraction is trying to convey in "Fear Itself." McKeever shows us how often-reluctant C- and D-List heroes put their lives on the line just to try to slow the advance of Sin and the Worthy. They know their efforts aren't going to be enough to stop them, but instead just hope to buy the more super-powered heroes time. This approach lends itself to heroics like we see on the part of Hardball, who appears to sacrifice himself to buy people time to escape the Juggerneaut. The only real drawback to this series is that it's hard to keep all the characters straight. I vaguely remember Hardball from the first two issues of this series, but I can't remember if I liked him or not. So, his sacrifice, though heroic, doesn't exactly have the same impact as, say, Bucky-Cap's. Regardless, McKeever is doing a better job than almost anyone out there putting his finger on the pulse of "Fear Itself,"and I applaud him for it. This series is the only one worth reading, to my mind.
New Avengers #14: Bendis again uses the "oral history of the Avengers" format, using Mockingbird as our lens here as he did with Spider-Woman in "Avengers" #15. The device works well, bridging us from the previous arc in which Mockingbird received a combination of the Super-Soldier Serum and Infinity Formula and the events of "Fear Itself." As in "Avengers" #15, Bendis does a great job of keeping track of everyone; the Avengers who were in Brazil aren't the Avengers who are in New York. He also ties the events of this issue to "Avengers" #14, as we watch Avengers Tower fall from Mockingbird's perspective. I'm not sure what to say about the other major event of this issue, which is Spider-Man's apparent resignation from the team in protest of Victoria Hand's continued presence. Bendis is keeping that sub-plot on a steady burn, and he manages to give us some action without revealing his hand. (It reminds me of the very well done "Tracer Killer" storyline in "Amazing Spider-Man" during "Brand New Day.") I actually like Spidey best on this team, given his familiar ties to each of his teammates (as opposed to the main title's team, where he functions more or less as the provider of one-liners and nothing more), so I'd be sad to see him go. But, my guess is that whatever Wolverine and Luke tell him after his outburst manages to keep him on the team. Bendis isn't going to tell us Victoria's true motivations any time soon, so we'll see how he continues to build the suspense.
Uncanny X-Men #540: OK, this issue is a "Fear Itself" tie-in pretty much in name only. We see the Serpent-possessed Juggernaut get himself an acolyte as he marches toward the X-Men in San Francisco while Cyclops and Mayor Sadie try to reason out why San Francisco has so far been spared the "Fear Itself" trauma that other cities are facing. But, nothing else really...happens on the "Fear Itself" side of the house. To be honest, the other sub-plot in this issue, involving Magik's imprisonment, is also short on action. Peter goes to visit Illyana, who Cyclops has had imprisoned for setting Legion free to destroy the Elder Gods (over in "New Mutants'" "Rise/Fall of the New Mutants" arc). Gillen wraps up a loose end from that storyline by clarifying that Illyana's soul has not been fully restored. Otherwise, Gillen doesn't really do anything with this sub-plot; he seems to be setting the stage for a later story. (He might actually want to look to Bendis for help on this front, given that Bendis does something similar -- adroitly present drama without resolution -- with the ongoing Victoria Hand plot.) I'm not entirely sure what the connection between the two stories is, other than the possibility that Magik will be involved in Juggernaut's eventually defeat. We shall see.
Uncanny X-Men #541: This issue feels exactly like what it is: a cross-over event installment forced on Kieron Gillen by Marvel's management. Unlike last issue, this issue does directly address "Fear Itself," and you can pretty much sense Gillen's resistance here. Normally, I think he could've given us an interesting riff on the Juggernaut, given what he did with the Breakworlders in the last arc. Instead, we get a pretty straight-forward Juggernaut story, with the heavy hitters trying to pry off Juggy's helmet so Emma can whop him telepathically. Gillen does gives us a twist: the Serpent's powers appear to make Juggy's immune to telepathic attacks. In fact, he (or the Serpent) possesses Emma when she tries to take control of his mind. The issue has some nice moments, such as Kitty saving Magneto (who doesn't quite get that a mystic hammer might not be made of ordinary metal), but otherwise it's pretty much just getting the job done.
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