MattBrady
02-19-2007, 07:15 AM
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Boondocks.jpg" align="right"><i>by The Best Shots Team, courtesy of ShotgunReviews.com
Your Host: Troy Brownfield</i>
Welcome, once again. Things are hopping at Best Shots HQ, as ShotgunReviews.com plans its biggest overhaul in years. We’ll talk more about that soon, perhaps on the two-year anniversary of Best Shots. Which, now that I mention it, is next Monday. I mentioned this a little bit back during our 100th column, but I’m frankly left in mild disbelief that we’ve been doing this for two years. That’s a whole lot of accusations of bias, deleted insulting posts, deliberate misquoting, random drive-bys by sneering bloggers, and generally pissy notes from people that don’t understand that just because we don’t like a book, it’s not the same as us banging their mother. Kidding aside (okay, partial kidding aside), the vast majority of readers and posters are swell people and we’re pretty happy as a group to be able to write for and communicate with you on a regular basis.
I do want to take this time to thank one person. The thank you is for Barbara Hallock. She’s one of my students (and a student worker), and aside from diligently archiving the Best Shots links for me, she’s the leading light in the Shotgun redesign. So then, big ups to Barb.
So, next week . . .two years, man! Until then . . . Column Rules!
1) Be kind to one another and my hard-working team. It’s fine to disagree with the reviews or with each other, but let’s stick to factual points and literary themes and leave the personal stuff out. Intentionally rude behavior isn’t welcome. And for the record, when you signed the terms of service agreement, you acknowledged that your posts can be deleted for inappropriate stuff. So don’t hide behind free speech when you know what you’re doing.
2) Each review is individually credited to the person who actually wrote it. Although Matt Brady’s name is on the post at the upper left, that’s because he is Robert Smith, and the rest of us are just rotating band mates to be added and discarded as albums and tours dictate.
3) If you happen to catch a factual error or a typo, drop me a personal message and I’ll correct it. In a column that can often run up to 20 pages in Word doc form, things do sometimes squeak through. I’d rather you just zap me a mail than derail the entire discussion.
So, here we go again . . .
A Right to be Hostile: the Boondocks Treasury
Written & Illustrated by Aaron McGruder
Published by Three Rivers Press
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah
Aaron McGruder writes in the introduction to this volume that “without September 11, The Boondocks would have ended sometime in 2002,” but even without that statement, you can see clearly in the strips themselves that the entire tone of The Boondocks changes in mid-September of 2001. The hallmark of the comics page, stories unfolding in tiny, 3-panel-gag segments, disappears, and the political commentary (already present, yes, but tempered by traditional sitcom-style comics page topics) races to the fore and never relinquishes its hold on the strip.
None of which is a judgment on the early strips in this volume. They’re actually quite good, as McGruder is very skilled at working social content into the familial comedy aspect without overwhelming them. Jazmine’s racial heritage is handled thoughtfully, pointing out the little ways that “black”-ness is looked down upon in ordinary life, and McGruder manages to be social without ever forgetting that the strip should also be funny.
After 9/11, McGruder pushes the political and racial elements as hard as he can, as those elements clearly fire his passion and keep his interest. Although the strip could never be called even-handed – McGruder’s political leanings are extremely blatant – he does take jabs at Democrats and the aspects of black culture that offend him. His potshots at those he disagrees with are witty and precise, yet he will still allow us to see the irony of his characters preaching one thing and, in small ways, failing to follow through with their actions.
In his introduction, McGruder mentions that an editor wrote to him to ask why readers no longer see Brandy (meaning, we assume, Jazmine), and the reason is that McGruder pared the strip back to the characters who support the political and social aspects of the strip. Huey is, of course, McGruder’s radical activism, rage against inequality unsoftened by years of living within the system’s rules. Riley perfectly displays the surface affectations of popular black music and culture, and how those things can – when taken too literally – work at cross-purposes with the cultural aim. Grandpa represents that “average” man, aware, concerned, but ultimately settled into his comfortable existence and willing to enjoy his life where the pleasures occur. Caesar compliments Huey’s radicalism with a more balanced, yet still active, approach to political and racial discourse.
From the hilarious irony of activist Huey describing his local congressman as “Who knows? Some punk.” after decrying everyone else’s political ignorance, to the “rah-rah” adventures of “Flagee and Ribbon,” The Boondocks never runs out of targets and never runs out of sharp, pointed sticks with which to poke those targets. It all starts in this volume, the evolution of a comic strip from above-average fare to classic political humor.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/shadow.jpg" align="left"> Shadowland
Written & Illustrated by Kim Deitch
Published by Fantagraphics
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah
What can I possible say about Shadowland?
It goes a little something like this – in the late 19th century, “Doc” Ledicker ran a small old west show. Then he died, and his clown-face-painted son, Al, started up the ultimate freak-show carnival. Al married the carnival’s midget, Kewpie, and many years later, he died. Kewpie was then taken by aliens to a space station, where she found that they had been recording events surrounding the Ledicker family for the past century. On the station she found out that old “Doc” was still alive, living in a slightly-out-of-time dimension with a movie serial actress and a writer, and that the writer was a semi-frequent collaborator of comic book creator Kim Deitch!
And that description only touches on the surreality of Shadowland, a collection of interrelated stories that Deitch has done over the course of the past two decades. Mixing science fiction, fantasy, humor, tragedy, reality, fiction, sordid relationships and Deitch’s own blend of absurdist adventure, Shadowland leaves you unsure if you should be laughing or crying or both, but you’ll definitely be aware that they’ve experienced something completely unique.
Deitch’s art, somewhat stiff on the surface, recalls the intricate details of old carnival posters, with elaborate borders and backgrounds stuffed to the gills with all manner of oddities: two-faced men, small grey aliens, early 20th-century medical apparatuses, heads floating in tanks of liquid, high-diving pigs, flying beer trucks and tiny naked pygmy men.
Much like the carnival oddities displayed by Al Ledicker, Shadowland is an unclassifiable curiosity, with racial allegories, reverence for bygone eras of film, and a collapsing wall between fiction and reality when Deitch himself becomes a character relating his interaction with his own characters. Yet somehow, these stories, which were done over the course of many years, manage to all dovetail together convincingly. The timeline of “Doc”’s death and re-appearance, Molly O’Dare’s introduction to young Al and salvation via “Doc,” the role of the aliens in the “true” story that inspired Molly’s classic film “The Fairy Ball,” and the reality-warping inclusion of the author’s writer friend Fowlton Means – Deitch makes it all fit into an obsessive-compulsively neat package.
As movies become more and more able to capture the pyrotechnics of comic books, it’s good to be reminded that imagination manifests itself in many different ways, and truly imaginative comics creators will still be creating work that can never possibly be transcribed to the literal medium of film. I can’t guarantee that anybody else will like Shadowland (though I did, quite a bit), but I can guarantee that you’ll have a hell of an experience if you choose to take a trip through Kim Deitch’s worlds.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Neverwhere.jpg" align="right"> Neverwhere Graphic Novel
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Glenn Fabry
Published by Vertigo
Review by Sarah Jaffe
I already own the DVD and the paperback editions of <i>Neverwhere</i>, Neil Gaiman’s first novel, and I had a bootleg copy of the TV show on VHS before it came out on DVD, courtesy of some British friends. So why did I wait until the series came out in trade to buy the comic? Mainly because I already knew the story and would just be buying it for the visuals—no one is going to tell the story better than Neil did, anyway.
Mike Carey had a hell of a job handed him, here. Adapting a novel written by a comic writer with a rabid fanbase assured his comic interpretation two things: readers, and criticism. Carey’s already proven himself Neil’s heir apparent with his take on Lucifer and his mythological knowledge, nearly as deep as Gaiman’s own, but there’s a difference between spinning off a character and adapting a story. Still, he’s done a pretty good job here of maintaining the intent of the story while adapting it to the comic format.
Of course, there are some changes, and with them come some problems. The omniscient narrator is traded for Richard Mayhew’s first-person, and on the whole this isn’t a bad choice, except for certain scenes that Mayhew isn’t in that he would have a hard time knowing about, and descriptive language that seems inappropriate coming from a solidly middle-class British office worker. The problem with first-person is that you’re stuck with the limitations of your character, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Fans of the characters Serpentine and Lamia will not find them here, either, and certain memorable scenes from the book are gone as well. On the whole, the story feels sped up, with many less active scenes dropped in favor of an all-action approach with most of the down time gone. However, since in <b>Neverwhere</b>, the downtime often served to build suspense, the lack of it makes the book feel rushed.
I suppose with a title like this, the assumption might be that most of the readers are already familiar with the source material and thus aware of how the story ends anyway, but some of the eeriness is lost here. A few added details made my skin crawl, but on the whole the sense of foreboding present in the novel is mostly gone. Also, the lack of exposition made it hard to feel Richard’s desire to get back to his life. Jessica seems like nothing but a witch, and it’s hard to understand why he would want to get back to a fiancée like her.
But this edition of <b>Neverwhere</b> was worth the $19.95 if simply for the art. Glenn Fabry is a wizard with a pencil, and the character renderings, wholly difference from both my imagination and the TV series, take Gaiman’s lead and run with it, creating a wildly colorful, thrilling world under the city. Door bears a curious resemblance to Nixon from the SuicideGirls website, a sexy goth chick rather than the waif seen before, and Mr. Croup in particular, with his new catch phrase “bespoke violence,” is creepily, sleazily, chillingly perfect. The detail given to even background characters almost makes up for the rush in the storytelling.
I understand the need to change a story to fit the confines of its new medium. This story doesn’t suffer for want of skilled hands to retell it, only for the time spent in the telling. I suppose perhaps the Powers that Be at Vertigo wanted the story to fit in one trade paperback, but as this one’s already nine issues rather than the usual six or seven, why not give this talented team more time to fully realize this story? Unless, of course, they weren’t under time and space constraints but made the decision, as in the fourth <i>Harry Potter</i> movie (forgive me the reference) to cut out everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary to plot. Whoever the decision-makers were, we’re left with an enjoyable experience with great visuals that nevertheless feels like it’s missing something. For the collector, this version is a must-have. And for those of you who haven’t read the original yet, you should do so.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Stormwatch4.jpg" align="left"> Stormwatch: Post Human Division #4
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Doug Mahnke
Published by Wildstorm
Review by Koben Kelly
Only four issues in, and I’m absolutely in love with this book. It’s not necessarily any particular element. It’s just the fantastic combination of moments high and low, along with the perfect marriage of Gage’s writing and Mahnke’s artwork, that make this series work. There’s high-octane action, spot-on characterization, quiet personal moments, subtle sex appeal, horrific nasties, and the occasional moment you don’t expect that works never-the-less that add up to a total comic book experience unavailable elsewhere. Shall I tell you how I really feel?
Indirectly, this issue highlights team member, Black Betty. There’s really no specific solo moments until the last few pages, but we’ll get there soon enough.
The story opens, suddenly, amidst a battle of PHD with the death-feasting abomination named The Ferryman. The team is trying to contain this rotting corpse of a foe with physical means. Due to an odd distancing of Fahrenheit and Paris, resulting from an inopportune moment of passion, their dynamic is somewhat off, and results in both risking early retirement. Black Betty, quickly asserting her role as MVP, snatches the upper hand with a simple bit of applied knowledge of mythology and religion. It isn’t until after Ferryman is long gone that we discover the actual threat to our pocket of reality’s existence. Think about it… the guy feeds on the demise of other beings, and what could fill his tummy better than an assured instantaneous ceasing of all life as we know it? Yikes.
With a suggestion from Jackson King, after a brief moment of failed relating to his first-in-command, the ladies of PHD take on the idea of a girl’s night on the town. If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know that Gorgeous, Fahrenheit, and Black Betty could not be more dissimilar. Chances that this outing will be successful are at a minimum, but all three are willing to give it a go.
Upon settling down at the watering hole of the hero set, drinks are had, and the topic of conversation steers toward men. Apparently, Fahrenheit and Paris’ liaison is not so much of a secret, as her companions are quite hip to what’s been causing her stress on the field. The assumption that Betty and her mentor Jerimiah have a thing is laid to rest, as she compares their ages for clarity.
A slight tip of the hat is made to Identity Crisis with the comparison of what the risks of males being captured by their enemies is to the risks of females in the same predicament. This reference is made in a simple way, not condemning or promoting a huge plot element of that series. A classy move by Gage, if you ask me, where a cheap shot could have been made gaining many snark points.
Unfortunately, the ladies’ night is rained upon by the arrival of revved-up superjocks, Team Xtreme. We all know what their goal is, but a request to dance is presented sheepishly under a veil of cheeserific compliments. An ass-kicking results, and our heroines move onward with their night. Wouldn’t you know it, the Xtreme boys just won’t take no for an answer. In a moment that makes the previous reference into a bit of foreshadowing, the implication is that a forced sexual encounter is imminent. Without revealing what I considered the defining moment of this issue, Black Betty makes sure these misogynists will NEVER attempt such an atrocity again… without a blow struck. Yeah, she’s that freaking awesome.
The final pages are the only ones that feature moments of Betty by herself. For the record, I wish I had such a cool doggie with a literary-minded name as appropriate as Baskerville. Resisting the temptation to spoil her enormous secret, I’ll just state that she’s harboring a secret, she’s been waiting for quite some time, and it’s quite likely that she’ll be waiting for a long while to come. But, how long can her silence hold?
Christos Gage is currently in my ever-rotating top five comics writers. Another year of <b>PHD</b> as quality as the first four issues have been, and he may eventually get to the first place. Sir, I bow to thee.
This series would not be what it is without the amazing contributions of Doug Mahnke. Though this issue was more in the scratchy direction I prefer him to stay away from, everyone involved simply jump from the page. To be able to go from the disgusting rot of The Ferryman, to the fully-ripped musculature of Paris, to the hotness (pun intended) of Fahrenheit is an amazing feat indeed. A perfect fit.
I give Stormwatch: Post Human Division issue four eight Brodies out of ten.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/casanova07.jpg" align="right"><b>Casanova #7
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Gabriel Ba
From: Image
Review by Corey Henson</b>
For months, international super spy and sex machine Casanova Quinn has been trapped working both sides of the war between his father, the leader of the counter-terrorism organization E.M.P.I.R.E, and Newman Xeno, the eccentric head of the W.A.S.T.E. criminal organization. Tired of the manipulation and double-crossing that comes from working as a double agent, our titular anti-hero wants out. Of course, if leaving was easy, we wouldn’t have a terribly interesting story, and Casanova’s twisted sister Zephyr and her robotic running buddies Ruby Seychelle and Ruby Berserko have commandeered a Japanese WMD--a giant freaking robot, naturally--to use to destroy the male Quinns. Sound crazy? Did I mention that Casanova was actually kidnapped from an alternate dimension and brought into this one by Xeno? Because that part’s kind of important, too.
<b>Casanova</b> doesn’t simply exist in the comic book ecosystem, filling up space on the racks like an unwanted <b>X-Men</b> spinoff. It is comics as rock and roll, crackling with the energy and verve of all great pop art, representing, if you will, the next stage of comic book evolution. Creators Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba eschew cliché story tropes, hackneyed characterization and by-the-numbers art in favor of wildly novel plotting, stunningly gorgeous and flawlessly staged artwork, and protagonists who aren’t afraid to be utter bastards. Like all the great revolutionary comic books, from <b>Fantastic Four #1</b> to <b>Teenage Mutant Turtles #1</b> down to <b>The Authority #1</b>, <b>Casanova</b> takes familiar ideas and reinvigorates them, presenting them as something wholly fresh and exciting. Yeah, we’ve all read comics with superspies and alternate dimensions before, but Fraction and Ba have come up with a way of making it all seem brand new and innovative. That’s what the best comic books do, and that’s why <b>Casanova</b> should be at the top of everyone’s reading list. (And if that doesn’t convince you to pick up a copy today, remember: It’s a steal at only $2. So don‘t be a miser.)
<I>Corey Henson always wanted to be an international super spy and sex machine when he grew up. Sadly, that’s not really working out so well for him right now.</I>
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/astonishingxm20.jpg" align="left"><b>Astonishing X-Men #20
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Steve Ekstrom</b>
This book has a strange effect on me. I enjoy reading it and I am always happy to see the debut of the current issue but sadly when I finish reading each issue I am slightly disappointed. I’m not even certain how to explain the emptiness I feel after I finish each issue of “AX”, as I like to call it. But for the sake of reviewing the newest issue—which I have mixed feelings about—I will try.
Don’t get me wrong here; Joss Whedon is by far one of the most competent storytellers in the comic book industry. His knowledge of television scripting is a perfect fit for the serialized nature of the comic book; however, I think this might also be a terrible weakness as well. Astonishing X-Men has a writer who uses his artist, the stylishly smart John Cassaday too well. Granted, comic books are primarily a visual medium—I find myself feeling “cheated” textually. I almost want to ask, “Where’s the beef?” I mean, I get the panel to panel internal storytelling—certainly pages 1 and 2 are easily noticeable moments of what I’m talking about—Kitty looking oddly at Peter’s hand on her shoulder; then, as the moment of danger heightens her hand finds his silently. It’s great but these books—because of their dramatic overtures (something that probably comes from Whedon’s background) and the fact that John Cassaday’s work, albeit effortlessly gorgeous can seem stunted with a stiffness that negates any kind of kinetic energy.
It’s just the fact that I only count about 14 or 15 actual panels that denote any kind of movement beyond simple walking in the entire book.
In terms of story content, the book is fantastic—this isn’t one of the standard arcs of X-Men that includes a convoluted obligatory match-up verses a standard villainous threat. In fact, this mission into space leads straight to a strange destination where the odds are stacked against the X-Men and the mystery surrounding Colossus’ return and hailing as a bringer of genocide to a race of aliens is unfolding well. Agent Brand and SWORD are nice additions to the X-mythos—although, they haven’t been recognized by the rest of the Marvel Universe yet. Breakworld has quite the opposite effect on my sensibilities however. It seems very generic and yet mysteriously specific all at the same time. Of all the planets in the entire universe, Colossus of the X-Men from Earth is tied to an ancient prophecy foretelling the downfall of their race? What are the odds? Is Breakworld tied to Earth somehow? I need more info.
The issue’s heart seemed to focus more on Wolverine’s “Humbert Humbert” gaining a new “Lolita” in the form of the newly christened “Armor”—Hisako Ichiki. Maybe I’m looking too deeply into this but again already?!? They need to let Wolverine meet girls his own age—oh, wait, they are all dead.
Simply put: this reader needs more “textual” storytelling from Joss Whedon. I love the immediate story that is covered scenically from panel to panel and page to page. The thickest moments of dialogue took place between Wolverine and Armor and the asides featuring Powerlord Kruun addressing Ord and denizens of Breakworld. The magnitude of this story, its gravity bears further scrutiny. I’m hungry for more. I need more or this whole story just seems kind of two dimensional. I could just be the victim of a great story that has a painful amount of shipping time between release dates, perhaps.
Getting back to John Cassaday—he has easily created another iconic version of the X-Men, his work reminds me distantly of John Byrne’s work during the Uncanny X-Men shortly after the Phoenix Saga, Byrne and Cassaday both have a certain “heavy” quality that I enjoy. The difference between the two is that Cassaday’s work is slyly intricate in its frame by frame sense of symmetry. His pages are clean and seemingly focused upon facial expressions—some of which almost start to look too similar, kind of like Star Trek The Motion Picture and it’s endless streams of close-ups. I can overlook the similarities in features between some of the characters when looking at this issue as a whole—it’s really beautiful—lots of great moments of cinematic quality images. Again, there are moments where I want more, namely the fight involving Kitty, Colossus and a dozen Breakworld soldiers who get the beating of a lifetime—we know it’s a decent fight but we are only privy to it for 2 panels. I almost want to pout. Since Colossus’ return—we haven’t really seen Cassaday “cut loose” with him…yet.
Of all the stories Whedon has written with Cassaday for the X-universe, this one seems to be the most ambitious. I look forward to the next issue in fact; I have a Pavlov-ian slobber almost curling off my lips onto my comic books. Patience tells me that this book will have a really nice pay off come time for this story’s fruition.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/NWcvr012.jpg" align="right"><b>nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #12
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Steve Ekstrom</b>
This review is dedicated to my Best Shots teammate, Sarah Jaffe, who seems to be inconsolable regarding the subsequent end of the Nextwave series. She has a lot of mixed emotions at this time—ranging from teary-eyed sadness (accompanied by sobbing) to an almost homicidal rage at the people who decided that Stuart Immonen would be better suited penciling Ultimate Spiderman. I will attempt to speak on her behalf, as well as my own, because I am quite distraught as well.
The final issue of the series seems to pull out all the stops in the most absurd of assaults on a comic enthusiasts sensibilities—a true coup de grace worthy of this tightly wound piece of satire as it sprinted towards its untimely end. Even in death, readers are given the birth of a baby M.O.D.O.K.—spawned by the light of World of Warcraft servers one amorously charged night by M.O.D.O.K and M.A.D.A.M.E. The baby escapes, leading the crew to the true mastermind behind all the team’s misadventures involing S.I.L.E.N.T. and the Beyond Corporation—Devil Dinosaur! After a number of double, triple and even quadruple takes, I stared helplessly at the ascot-wearing, gun toting Devil Dinosaur and I pondered my own mortality. I pondered the meaning of good and evil—and I most certainly laughed my ass off when he said “I hate monkeys.”
He kind of looked like a goofy, short-armed Red Skull from back in the day with his green smoking jacket.
The Nextwave team seems to almost come together with oddly placed cohesion as Devil Dinosaur becomes enraged and admits to eating his long time friend and partner, Moon-Boy. The team of “filthy monkeys”, as Devil Dinosaur insists on calling them, beats Devil Dinosaur as if he had stolen something. Ellis’ love tap at the “big reveal” cliché gives credence to the ridiculousness of so many modern surprise twists and turns in today’s market—yet, symbolically, making Devil Dinosaur the villain from beyond the time of humanity gives the nature of evil a timeless quality—or he just might have a spot that is soft in his cold, black heart for one of Jack Kirby’s failed projects—maybe he likes dinosaurs, who knows. I snickered—I kind of hope Devil Dinosaur is behind Civil War as well.
Afterwards, the members of Nextwave look around—in the grand realization that they are left with a humungous floating spaceship with near limitless power at their disposal and the capability of doing anything their little hearts desire—sound familiar? I read this book one time, called “Authority”…coincidence? Probably—um, maybe.
Ellis has taken a genre that has been deconstructed in the past seven years and stripped it to its core elements and thrown those out the window too—he has reconstructed a monstrosity of epic satirical proportions in the form of Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. His not so subtle “wink” at the superhero genre of comics jabs at the ribs of its readers with playful mockery. He takes you for a ride and drives you right over a cliff, laughing manically all the way down to the fiery crash at the bottom.
Stuart Immonen’s work is at an all time high stylistically. I can almost envision the hilarity and insanity of his work on Nextwave on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. I can understand Warren Ellis’ decision to end the series at 12 with Immonen’s departure. I don’t think the Machine Man has ever looked so cool.
I can’t say that I will miss Nextwave because at least it’s going away before it becomes a parody of itself and starts to suck. This is issue and the other 11 are a body of work to be proud of—thanks for the years worth of laughs. I won’t say “goodbye” to Nextwave—only “see you later” because I think we just may see them again some day.
R.I.P. nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.
2006-2007
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/BARRACUDA001_COV.jpg" align="left"> The Punisher Presents: Barracuda #1
From: Marvel
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Goran Parlov
Review By: Lucas Siegel
Let me preface this with a small warning: I have not read a single issue of Punisher Max. In fact, as the resident Marvel Carebear of the group, I’d say that the Punisher is my least read character in the entire Marvel Universe. I catch his guest appearances, I know of him and his general stories. I’ve read a decent smattering of Ennis’s work across many genres, though, and knowing I’ve enjoyed that, I decided on a whim to pick this book up and give it a try.
Rude, stereotypical, vulgar- that’s what you’d expect from the first couple of pages here. And in a lot of places, this book rings true to that first impression. However, some of it is very surprisingly different. Hardcore rap is turned off in favor of a pop ballad. A racist confederate-loving cop is a source for the ultimate gangsta. Most importantly, while this big brute comes off at first as, well, a big brute, we quickly see that Barracuda has a big brain over those broad shoulders, and is constantly using it.
We get an allusion to Barracuda’s battle with the Punisher, which tells us how he lost his eye, and that was more than enough Punisher talk. I did not feel lost at any point during this book, although from just this small taste, I’m now intrigued enough by this character to want to track down his storyline in Punisher.
Barracuda, apparently, is the shining example of the new gangster. He rules from the street, he bares no real allegiance, and he’s feared by all. He is presented here as an anti-hero. The things he does are certainly not heroic deeds, but he’s doing them to people just as bad as him, and you can’t help but cheer him on.
This book, while it does have the Ennis stroke to it, was surprisingly (to me) not that violent. It had it’s moments, but they fit the scene, and face it, were downright entertaining.
I know of Goran Parlov from his work on the character profiles in Y: The Last Man[.b]. This guy has definitely come into his own. I’m so glad he had an artist like Pia Guerra to work after/under/around on [b]Y, as it definitely shows in his realism here. Now, don’t get me wrong, Barracuda is larger than life, and definitely not a realistic person, but all the scenery and the facial expressions are realistically drawn. The art is a little dirty and simplistic at times. The detailed areas of individual panels are where the action is happening, while the rest leaves some to the imagination. This would not work on a lot of books, but it works here, where Ennis and Parlov are actively drawing your attention to a specific point on-panel. Also of note were a couple of actor cameos. One of Chris Angelone’s thugs will look very familiar to fans of HBO’s Sopranos, while Chirs himself looks (and sounds, nice touch) mysteriously like a famous Chris who has played a mob boss a time or two. I couldn’t help but read his lines in the Walken voice in my head, but it didn’t take me out of the story.
OK, I always like to do a “who would like this” segment in my reviews. If you’re a fan of Ennis and his MAX and other Mature-rated work, you’ll more than likely dig this, although it IS notably tamer than some of his other work. Note: Only Ennis could do what was done on page 6, and still have it be notably tame compared to his other work. If you like mob movies, especially those with a lot of twists, ala Snatch, Smokin’ Aces, Suicide Kings, etc., it looks like we’re in for a fun, similar ride here. People that want deep stories with a lot of exposition aren’t going to dig this, at least not in single issue form. It appears from the first issue that there’s a lot more to Barracuda than is shown on the surface, but we only got a glimpse of that here. If violence and cursing bugs you, please, please stay away from the MAX line. You don’t, however, have to be a longtime Punisher fan, or even a fan of his MAX book. As a new reader, my interest was piqued. I’ll be picking up The Punisher: Vol. 6 trade for sure, and the next issue of this will be in my stack next month.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Batman663.jpg" align="right"><b>Batman #663
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: John Van Fleet
From: DC Comics
Review by Rev. O.J. Flow</b>
Well, <i>this</i> is certainly a way to offer a fresh perspective on the perpetual Batman/Joker feud. I will give writer Grant Morrison points in one respect: he’s kept the readers on their collective toes in the two instances he’s tackled the Dark Knight’s #1 foe since handling <b>Batman</b> full time. Way back in issue #655, I don’t think anyone saw it coming, the way the Clown Prince of Crime was dispatched by a Batman impostor, <i>and</i> the real deal himself (Dumpster’s never lived up to their upper-case status more). And faithful reader’s knew they were going to come back to this story, but Morrison has tackled it in such an ambitious manner that it can been downright polarizing, and I don’t blame anyone who was turned off by the production style of <b>Batman</b> #663. It ultimately worked for me, yet I can say as much thanks to multiple readings. This story requires as much, I think, since it is anything but a conventional read that you can absorb in one passing.
For those out of the loop, Morrison decided to employ a “novelesque” style, opting for straight prose accompanied sporadically by illustrations by John Van Fleet (by my count, the Kubert Bros. output for DC is now at six individual issues: 4 for Andy, and 2 for Adam since going DC-exclusive almost a year ago). I’m forced to speculate, but Van Fleet uses a computer-based illustration program that is photo-realistic in a style reminiscent of most contemporary video games. It’s hit or miss sometimes for me. There’s no lack of skill involved, but occasionally the art fails to properly accompany the narrative in terms of what’s transpiring. One illustration does not suffice for several action sequences. Clearly we are supposed to rely heavily on Morrison’s words for what is going on, but in more than one chapter of “The Clown at Midnight,” words or art is the only thing getting you through the story, and the best comic book stories work when they compliment each other. Hard to believe that they were able to do ten chapters for this story, what with it still holding to the standard 22 pages, but, if nothing else, it allows me a simple method to break it down for you. Spoiler shields up, kids.
Chapter 1 -- PUTTING BOZZO TO BED: I do have to say that if you can get through Chapter 1 unscathed, you stand a good chance of getting through <b>Batman</b> #663 in one piece. It’s a lot to take in, and the idea that a group of clowns, all formerly employed by the Joker, are murdered by said boss via long distance is not aided by Van Fleet’s art in this chapter. If any stanza took multiple reads to absorb, it was this. Morrison lays on the overly descriptive superlatives thick, yo. Simply put, a clown massacre is conveyed to the reader almost by narrative alone, because it is pretty much not drawn out for us. That being said, with Bozzo’s ill-fated memorial, the groundwork is laid for Joker’s latest mad scheme.
Chapter 2 -- THE KNIGHT AND THE CITY: Behold Morrison’s valentine to Batman’s hometown on the first of two pages. It doesn’t particularly advance the story, yet the single-panel illustration can’t be more appropriate. It’s a town we know all to well, and Morrison does offer an excellent take on it. The second page does get things going, one of the good examples of Van Fleet’s art accompanying the Morrison narrative. Batman assesses the damage that Joker hath wrought, and he knows how he is going to be spending the rest of the evening.
Chapter 3 -- DOWN ON JOLLITY FARM: Batman swoops down on Arkham Asylum, currently “holding” his recently injured foe. If nothing else, it is nice to get Batman’s take on the controversial manner that he handled the Joker when he succumbed to a near-fatal gunshot wound. I guess he finally remembered that his old partner was murdered by this guy. And maybe it’s just me, but the “Some like it hot” line felt forced. I still don’t know why we get it. The face-to-face between these two is one for the ages, though. Arkham, if nothing else, has way too many apologists for this villain who has countless shameless murders under his belt.
Chapter 4 -- HER SPECIAL DAY: To answer a colleague’s question, yes, I do believe Morrison <i>does</i> reintroduces Joker allies who were infamously featured in 1988’s <b>Batman: The Killing Joke</b>. We get confirmation in…
Chapter 5 -- NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI: Commisioner Gordon confirms what many suspected. Two little “freaks” that Joker employed for his terrorization of the Gordon family all those years ago are the next targets on this latest killing spree. While I appreciate Gordon’s sentiments, Morrison’s terse renderings didn’t click for me (“You remember what this little creep did to me? The Joker and his whole circus can go to hell as far as I’m concerned!”). I just expected a little more tact from the guy who wanted to prove, in <b>The Killing Joke</b>, that the Joker was not above the law, even after he’d been violated beyond belief. And to say this in front of a buch of cops didn’t ring true either. The title of this chapter refers to a meditative state Batman adopts when trying to clear his mind in order to investigate. It’s a very interesting facet that Morrison has introduced for the world’s greatest detective. Grant is always good for these sort of fresh perspectives on all-too-familiar characters…
Chapter 6 -- JOKER MAGGOT: …although here, it felt like Morrison was showing off with his take on the Joker. Though I suppose it is like that Tobasco sauce ad from a few years ago where the recipient of a mosquito bite is better off than said bug. I guess I just saw this illustration of the concept that Joker’s blood is highly toxic coming a mile away. We get it. Dude’s a bad man. I will say this much, though: John Van Fleet does an outstanding Joker. One of the best I’ve ever seen.
Chapter 7 -- THE CHECKERBOARD DOLL: One of the more action-paced sequences in <b>Batman</b> #663, and it’s betrayed by a considerable lack of quality graphics. What Van Fleet does provide is top-notch, but the 22-page limits of this one-and-done story were brought to the fore in this chapter like no other.
Chapter 8 -- JOKER UNBOUND: I am so embarrassed that I had to Google “GSOH” to find out what it meant. I’m terrible at that, not recognizing very basic phrases as acronyms (don’t <i>even</i> ask how long it took me to come around to “DIY”). I don’t think there’s any doubt that Morrison adds several insanely glorious – or should that be <i>gloriously insane</i>?? – layers to Joker’s mythology. I don’t know if I can come up with any other ways to say the dude’s insane – Morrison covered them all. Joker is finally up and about after the Dick Cheney-like blast to the face in #655. I liked how the tension and panic that fills Arkham Asylum reminded me of the infamous escape of Hannibal Lecter in <i>Silence of the Lambs</i>. You got a building full of people, many of whom are armed, and they are scared s***less of a guy who has escaped yet coming off a brutal injury. I would also have to say that Van Fleet’s best work is found on these pages as we see how Joker has “recovered.” Heath Ledger, please take notes.
Chapter 9 -- HARLEQUIN OF HELL: We got a whole new Joker, as evidenced by Harley Quinn’s sad realization. Even though she helped make everything happen, the “Thin White Duke of Death” (love that one!) has no use of old allies, in fact, we find out Joker’s sick motivations for disposing of those who have assisted him over the years. I get the joke, Mistah Jay. If one could say that the Batman/Joker rivalry never gets old, they need look no further than this book. That the Dark Knight is the Joker’s raison d'être is relayed to great effect here and in, um…
Chapter 10 -- THE UNBEARABLE INEVITABILITY OF BATMAN AND THE JOKER: Sort of says it all, eh? The ending is a little succinct for my tastes, but it does bring this ultimately satisfying story to a close. I’m not completely sold on the format the used for “The Clown at Midnight,” but as a one-issue lark, it works. It doesn’t thoroughly reconcile itself fully from the events a few issues ago that got the Joker into his state of incapacitation, but we get an inventive take on this decades-old tale of good and evil, and it kept me thinking the whole was through. Ultimately, I was sold and it could very well be an issue I revisit more often than most.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/JSA3.jpg" align="left"> Justice Society of America #3
From: DC Comics
Written By: Geoff Johns
Drawn By: Dale Eaglesham & Ruy Jose
Cover By: Alex Ross
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford
There’s a lot to like about Geoff’s relaunch of the Justice Society of America.
Despite the implications prior to OYL that the DC Universe was shedding its darker tones, this series has gone pretty dark. In this issue, it is very dark in the way it establishes the villains, most notably the Fourth Reich members. Bodies are obliterated on-panel and innocent civilians die again and again. It does really help get across their hatred and their feelings of superiority over their victims, in a jarring and unforgettable way. Johns and Eaglesham combine to pull these scenes off really well (with Dale giving us an amazing version of Hawkman).
The JSA having to undertake a mission to protect legacy characters is at once unexpected and a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t they be doing something like this? Why wouldn’t such an arch-villain unveil a plot like this? Many of the best stories in comic books have blown me away because they managed to be completely unpredictable without eschewing logic at all. Johns, thus far, is doing just that…though I’ll have to hold off on calling it one of the best stories until it has actually completed.
A funny thing happened on the way to a great JSA story, though: a Kingdom Come book broke out. I’m a fan of the JSA and of Kingdom Come stories, but one would have to admit that the focus has come more directly on all of the KC teases than the core characters (Alan, Jay, and Ted). This arc should really have a banner on the covers saying “The Road to 52/Kingdom Come/Etc”, in that sense, because it seems to be an unofficial tie-in to the unspoken moves that DC is making. I enjoy the road we’re taken, but I’m sure that there are at least a few readers that think we should have made a right at Albuquerque.
This kind of brings me to the parts I found the weakest in the book: the introductions of the new legacy characters that appear to be partially done for Kingdom Come purposes. The new Heywood that has been introduced isn’t entirely likable and his apparent origin took me out of the Fourth Reich scenes a bit more than I’d have liked. What I think he and Ted’s son suffer from is a desire to use them early on that rushes the process of introducing them. Johns does an amazing job at making the introductions as smooth as they are, but it would take a miracle to make all appearances of roughness buff away in such a short space of issues. I’m left to wonder if the forcing them in was done because of Johns own desire to use them in this arc or his desire to have them part of the book in time for the JLA crossover with Meltzer. Either way, it is a bit unfortunate, but I believe any perceived flaws in timing will be forgiven and forgotten within a handful of issues.
I’d give the issue 8 out of 10 “it’s the sport of kings” (it’s a movie theme song reference, dammit).
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/SENSM035.jpg" align="right"> Sensational Spider-Man #35
From: Marvel
Writer: Roberto Aguiree-Sacasa
Art: Angel Medina and Scott Hanna
Review by Tevon Gonzalez
I read this issue once and considered it worth no more than a pellet review; it was that totally open and shut. My major gripe about this book is that it feels the way “Web” and “Spectacular” did in the mid-nineties, sort of a filler between Plain Old “Spidey” and “Amazing”, catching up with supporting cast members and featuring villains who often seemed miniscule when compared to the likes of Venom and the Hobgoblin. But this was my mid-nineties prerogative, so after reading it again, I thought it might have some substance, (according to the staff interviews), but it came off as a Spidey-clone sequel in the post Civil War Marvel U. The featured guest/cameos gave the book a David Micheline “Amazing” feel. I always thought it was kind of cool for Pete to be able to get a helping hand from someone despite his situation, and the other heroes couldn’t even pretend to see him the way the rest of the world did.
“The Strange Case of …” is an awesome title considering the villain. People are turning up in Spidey costumes and the cops (and Pete) want to know what’s up. But Pete’s on the run from the cops (as well as who knows what else), plus he’s a little bummed-out from the Civil-War fallout. The first kid they pickup in a Spidey-suit develops a freaky growth during his first night in jail; Pete finds him and takes him to a hospital via hook-up with Mr. Fantastic. The second Spider-fake dies on his first outing by just barely missing a roof-top as Pete chats up Doc Connors for info on the whys and how’s of the situation. We get some answers to those questions by meeting the villain behind it all on the last pagespoiler on: Doc Calvin Zabo the other half of Mr. Hyde. This is where I got got, since Hyde’s always trying to beat-up Daredevil or Cap but we rarely, if ever, see his alter ego get up to no-good (I actually had to Wikipedia him).
I can’t quite explain it, but the issue was missing something. Aguirre-Sacasa is a good writer, and although his Marvel Knights 4 book was awesome, for some reason I didn’t need every issue. Angel Medina is a competent artist. At first I thought his style was too much like that other guy who was drawing Spider-Man books in the 90’s; while the initial influence is there, he’s got his own direction to move it towards. My favorite aspect of the creative team was Scott Hanna, I’ve been in love with his quick and clean inks for years. I gotta give the crew the crew 6 out of 10 whiskers for a valiant effort; maybe I’m just not enough of a Spidey fan anymore.
Pellet Reviews!
JLA: Classified #34 (DC; by J. Caleb Mozzocco): This is the third installment of the Dan Slott-plotted, Dan Jurgens-scripted and laid-out storyline “The Fourth Parallel,” but it’s labeled “Part 2B,” as it’s set at the same time but in a different dimension from last issue’s “Part 2A.” Sort of clever, as is having Jerry Ordway finish Jurgens’ art in this dimension, further distinguishing it from the last. In this reality, The Red King tries to take out the League in a more traditional supervillainous way, by blackmailing them with a doomsday machine. When he accidentally sets it off prematurely, the League has exactly 98 hours to terraform the planet Mars and relocate all life on earth and as much of human civilization as they can. It’s an absurdly difficult challenge, of the sort the JLA should be meeting, and Slott and Jurgens include lots of crazy scenes, like Superman bottling Earth cities ala Kandor, Wonder Woman negotiating a truce between predators and prey as they get on her space arc, and Aquaman and all the fish in the sea swimming to Mars via a Green Lantern-ring generated pipe line. The dialogue is pretty cheesy—I winced more than once while reading—but it’s silly fun.
Thunderbolts #111 (Marvel; by Caleb): Two issues in and it seems as good a place as any to pronounce this series a fairly well-written, fairly poorly-drawn, incredibly stupid but distracting enough super-comic. The modern Marvel Universe’s tenuous position as political allegory for our own troubled times was tottering badly before Mark Millar and Warren Ellis introduced the concept of the nation’s worst criminals being recruited by the federal government to bust minor criminals guilty of technically breaking the letter of the law, if not it’s spirit. In this issue, the Thunderbolts, their bloodstreams riddled with microscopic robots, ride a rocketship across the country to cripple and incarcerate a vigilante guilty of not volunteering for the draft. Ellis’ scripting takes one huge step away from real-world verisimilitude, back in the direction of the wacky sci-fi fairy tales of 1960’s Marvel, which is fine I guess. The cultural criticism seems a tad weak though, given that Peter Milligan and Mike Allred already gave us despised freaks as super-celebrities in X-Force/X-Statix and Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch have already given us antisocial jerks as super-celebrerties in The Ultimates. Both featured far better art work than Deodato’s faux-photo-realism. This book still has the potential to be big, dumb fun, but thus far, I’m afraid it’s delivered the big and dumb but has yet to come through with the fun.
Double-Shot Pellet: NEXTWAVE: Agents of H.A.T.E., Marvel, by Warren Ellis/Stuart Immonen; review by Sarah Jaffe: It’s over. I didn’t want to read it at first. I wanted to save it for a rainy day or a fit of deep dark depression. But then I realized that it might make my depression worse to realize that I had finally read the LAST NEXTWAVE. I will have no more robot humor or broccoli-man jokes or creepy little baby-looking things plotting to take over the world. No sly political humor creepy in to make my giggles that much more maniacal. No more Monica Rambeau, Elsa Bloodstone, Tabby, Captain, or *&$% robot. They’re left to their own devices on a vast invisible floating base full of God knows what kind of technology and supplies. May we see them again, in some format. They’ve been a hundred times funnier than most cartoons out there, but probably too smart for TV. Hell, they’ve been too much for comics.
Friday the 13th #3 (Wildstorm; review by Koben Kelly): Man, there are so many things I love about this series. First off, it’s obvious that Palmiotti and Gray are serious horror flick fans. The story progression and beats are on the mark for the genre. Granted, the necessary bits of gore and titillation are included, but this comic would make for a better Jason flick than any that has come out in years. Second, relative newcomer Adam Archer couldn’t have been put on a better book to showcase his exciting artistic talents. While his work is creepy and horrible when needed, it contains decent amounts of character, emotion, and sex appeal to satisfy any comic art fan. The victims… er… I mean, twenty-somethings working to fix up Camp Crystal Lake for a new influx of campers are slowly disappearing as the series goes on, and we all know who’s to blame. The fact that two of them have a conversation debating whether the murders attributed to the late Mr. Voorhees are actually him or copycats is quite humorous, considering what happens mere moments later. I really do hope that the story eventually does get around to explaining Jason’s immortality and its connection to the lake. While I had absolutely no problem with it, there is a specific WTF moment concerning two of the work-for-hire’s sexuality. But, as this is the twenty-first century, and as residents of the camp seemed to get all sexed-up by their surroundings, it makes sense to me. As the Best Shots Crew’s resident horror-phile, I adore this book. I hope and pray that when the camp runs out of their current crop, new blood is brought in to allow for the story to continue for many more issues.
Manhunter #28 (DC; review by Koben): Somebody, for God’s sake, explain to me how this book gets the axe, a second time, while Supergirl (…that’s right) continues to trudge on? This series is beautifully written by the fantastic Mark Andreyko. The art by Javier Pina and Robin Riggs is gorgeous. There’s a wonderful mix of main and sub-plotting, as well as central and peripheral characters. Kate Spencer is an attractive, intelligent, assertive, asskicking female lead with a law degree, to boot. This issue alone, anyone who misses Ted Kord should be interested by the is it him, or isn’t it aspect of Blue Beetle arriving during the proceedings of Diana’s trial over her killing of Max Lord. Batman is on-scene to provide physical evidence for the it ain’t him side. I have to admit, I laughed out-loud at Kate wondering, “What does he eat? Newborns?” All I can wish for is a new team series, written by Andreyko, with Manhunter as the team leader. Or, maybe, Gail can let her permanently join the cast of Birds of Prey. *sigh*
Ultimate X-Men #79 (Marvel; review by Koben): Chuck’s dead, and all’s not well. Yes, this is the funeral issue of Kirkman’s run on the title, but it’s not just the funeral, itself. There are some excellent character moments included. The scene of Bobby simply holding Rogue, being careful as per her request, hit me hard. Having lost my pops at the early age of twenty-two, I’m a sucker for weepy mourners. While Logan collects his thoughts near the treeline, Sabretooth drops by to dangle the carrot of their possible shared DNA in a moment I enjoyed far more than the ever-raging slashfest in Wolvie’s 616 series. Kirkman delicately drops in a phone conversation between Peter and Jean-Paul before the ceremony, letting the reader know that their relationship is still going strong. The funeral itself is impressive, as many of the Ultimate universe heroes show up to pay their respects. Among the depicted are the Fantastic Four, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, the Hellions, and even Moira McTaggert. As a last page cliffhanger, a certain mutant who Xavier had kept under psychic sedation has broken free, and is now on the loose, setting up the next story arc. Artwork on this issue is by the amazing Yannick Paquette, who I hope becomes the regular penciller. You can catch him eyeballing his shot of booze on the first page, cameo-style.
New Excalibur #16 (Marvel; by Steve): This book was hyped in solicitations as something terribly tragic befalling one of Excalibur’s members—and rightfully sospoilers on, Nocturne suffers a stroke. The nature of such a terrible occurrence was significantly stunted by the fact that the whole “Dazzler keeps getting killed” sub-story seems to beg for more attention and then, Nocturne falls over. I think that the momentum of Nocturne’s misfortune would’ve been greater had she had her stroke in the middle of thwarting the generic bank robbers—much more dynamic than dancing with her iPod. Chris Claremont’s verbose internal narration reminds me of listening to John Madden calling a football game with nauseating redundancy—the book redeems itself somewhat with the addition of Scott Eaton’s pencils. I hope that this dramatic moment has lasting effects on the Nocturne’s rocky road in the 616 because if its ramifications are short-lived—it will just seem like a hyped up stunt to sell a couple extra issues. I’m in “wait and see” mode on this book.
Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo – Born Better #1 (Marvel; by Steve): Having grown to love Baron Zemo over years of reading Thunderbolts, I quickly snatched up this interesting little aside. You had to know that Fabian Nicieza wouldn’t kill Zemo off. Something I noticed right away—no stupid “re-cap” page—and I hope it doesn’t appear in issue #2. I loved the smart historical nod to actual German printmaker, Albrecht Durer in the opening sequence involving the first Baron Zemo. The best part of this book is the underlying discussion of the power of the individual versus how and who should govern (or lead) people and by what means do these leaders attain their power that they wield. This book had a “Man behind the mask”/Three Musketeers quality with the interaction between Zemo and the third Baron, Heller Zemo. I look forward to seeing the history of the Zemo lineage unfold—simply a fun read for fans of Baron Zemo and Thunderbolts.
New X-Men #35 (Marvel; by Lucas): Well, they’re at least keeping the pace up here! I’ve been reading this book steadily since it began as New Mutants vol. 2. Yost and Kyle are definitely talented writers, and this issue shows some of their strengths. We’re starting to see more individualized personalities shine through in each of the characters, and real relationships are forming. However, as every other plot on this book has so far, this one revolves around the capture and life-endangerment of yet another one of the kids. In fact, this issue saw a death, making it pretty consistent with their run so far. I’d love to see an actual body count from these guys. Luckily, the relationships and the story in general are both told well enough to keep the reader interested despite the same old plot device. Medina’s art is solid here, although these ARE still kids, so some of the shots may be borderline…disturbing. I am really enjoying the development of Hellion, and I can’t wait for the next arc, in which they’re going to bring a character BACK from the dead! This is a solid book, and they’re definitely getting the feel of “Hunted, persecuted, feared” mutants. If your super-heroes need some more angst, this has it in spades.
Double-Shot Pellet: Batman #663 (DC Comics; by Kevin): I’m a fan of the Batman character. I’m a fan of Grant Morrison. I am in no way a fan of this issue. It is my opinion that Grant could have benefited from much greater editing on this book than he seems to have received. He gilds the lilly too much in his attempt to make a pulp-like story. I think the editor needed to be able to pull back the reigns a bit, but might have suffered from not being in the habit of editing prose work. The artwork was pretty good, but the layout on the page broke up the story and made it difficult to follow (often literally).
Double-Shot Pellet: Stormwatch: PHD #1-4 (Wildstorm; by Kevin): Koben from the crew (and a few reader responses in our threads) influenced me to try this series out. I’m completely on the Christos Gage bandwagon. He really has a way of delivering a really good story, while still being able to whet the reader’s appetite for the next issue. He always keeps some sort of thread alive for the next book (even if it isn’t immediately delivered on in the next issue). There’s a certain LOST quality (in the best sense) to how he writes the book. The only time he actually lost me with was the revelation of there being a mole on the team, without making it clear if we’ve seen them revealed or not. Doug Mahnke is an excellent choice for this book because has such a knack for capturing the beautiful, the horrific, and everything in between exceedingly well.
Martian Manhunter #7 (DC Comics; by Kevin): This mini-series has largely been a disappointment. I believe I came to the mini with more of an open-mind than many fans of the character may have had, but I can’t really find a way that the writing makes sense. If not for AJ Lieberman’s track record, I might give him the benefit of the doubt that J’Onn’s behavior might have made more sense if this came AFTER the supposed explanation for his personality change that we’ll see in 52. But all I see here is a confused, emotional, irrational, and inefficient character where, often, that behavior is NOT adequately explained by anything occurring in the story. The proverbial icing on the cake was shown at the end of this issue where J’Onn makes hell of an assumption, irrationally acts on it immediately, and winds up filled with regret. Not only strange for this character, but it isn’t even the first time we’ve seen such action from him. I’ll be glad when this series is over and can only hope that the company can find a better direction (whether traditional or new interpretation) for the character.
52 #41 (DC; by Troy): So, Montoya gets to fight the Dragon, and as an added bonus, appears to hit on Wonder Woman. Overall, this installment felt like it moved pretty quickly, but most of the motion seemed to be directed toward getting all the players in place for particular events next time. The details in the Ralph story are starting to add up, and the saga of Adam Strange and Starfire takes a happier turn. The big negative here was that the art was pretty rough; tonally, it wasn’t very consistent and I honestly thought that Wonder Woman looked a lot more like a Tim Sale Selina Kyle than her normal self. I expect that the next few weeks, as things run to a head, will be much snappier.
Battlestar Galactica: Zarek #2 (Dynamite; by Troy): Behind a vividly terrific cover by Adriano Batista is another strong entry in the tale of BSG’s favorite revolutionary. I called this book topical before, but that applies in even deeper fashion as the story progresses. The notion of the soul-crushing cost that one must sometimes endure to be a patriot comes to the fore in this issue as Zarek has to commit two extremely brutal acts in the name of his beliefs. This is particularly interesting for fans of the TV series, as you first meet Zarek in a “fully formed” state, wrapped in surprise casting (Richard Hatch, of the original BSG). The fleshing out that Zarek receives here is welcome to viewers, but makes for a gratifyingly politically astute comic regardless.
Darkman vs. Army of Darkness #3 (Dynamite; by Troy): Even though I’ve enjoyed this series for finally dragging Darkman back out of the, well, darkness, I think that I would get to enjoy the adventures of Dr. Westlake a bit more if he were given a book of his own. Granted, this is fun, but the over-the-top nature of Ash and his continuing battle with the Deadites occasionally short-circuits the pathos that Darkman could generate. Big points though for incorporating references to not just the original Darkman, but the two (albeit inferior) sequels. James Fry somehow manages to strike the right artistic tone between humor, horror, and action, and Busiek & Stern do good work on the script. As things wrap up next issue, and as Ash moves to fight Marvel Zombies, I’d urge the gang at Dynamite to give some thought to giving Darkman his own book and letting it breathe in that funky Gothic science-fiction noir blend that the first movie evoked.
Your Best Shots host Troy Brownfield founded ShotgunReviews.com and serves as the Editor-in-Chief. He’s a professor of English, a writer for Fangoria Comics, and a journalist for a number of print and online sources. Anyone wishing to submit their titles for review can contact Troy at psikotyk@aol.com. For other relevant info, visit www.smwc.edu, www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews and, of course, www.shotgunreviews.com.
Your Host: Troy Brownfield</i>
Welcome, once again. Things are hopping at Best Shots HQ, as ShotgunReviews.com plans its biggest overhaul in years. We’ll talk more about that soon, perhaps on the two-year anniversary of Best Shots. Which, now that I mention it, is next Monday. I mentioned this a little bit back during our 100th column, but I’m frankly left in mild disbelief that we’ve been doing this for two years. That’s a whole lot of accusations of bias, deleted insulting posts, deliberate misquoting, random drive-bys by sneering bloggers, and generally pissy notes from people that don’t understand that just because we don’t like a book, it’s not the same as us banging their mother. Kidding aside (okay, partial kidding aside), the vast majority of readers and posters are swell people and we’re pretty happy as a group to be able to write for and communicate with you on a regular basis.
I do want to take this time to thank one person. The thank you is for Barbara Hallock. She’s one of my students (and a student worker), and aside from diligently archiving the Best Shots links for me, she’s the leading light in the Shotgun redesign. So then, big ups to Barb.
So, next week . . .two years, man! Until then . . . Column Rules!
1) Be kind to one another and my hard-working team. It’s fine to disagree with the reviews or with each other, but let’s stick to factual points and literary themes and leave the personal stuff out. Intentionally rude behavior isn’t welcome. And for the record, when you signed the terms of service agreement, you acknowledged that your posts can be deleted for inappropriate stuff. So don’t hide behind free speech when you know what you’re doing.
2) Each review is individually credited to the person who actually wrote it. Although Matt Brady’s name is on the post at the upper left, that’s because he is Robert Smith, and the rest of us are just rotating band mates to be added and discarded as albums and tours dictate.
3) If you happen to catch a factual error or a typo, drop me a personal message and I’ll correct it. In a column that can often run up to 20 pages in Word doc form, things do sometimes squeak through. I’d rather you just zap me a mail than derail the entire discussion.
So, here we go again . . .
A Right to be Hostile: the Boondocks Treasury
Written & Illustrated by Aaron McGruder
Published by Three Rivers Press
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah
Aaron McGruder writes in the introduction to this volume that “without September 11, The Boondocks would have ended sometime in 2002,” but even without that statement, you can see clearly in the strips themselves that the entire tone of The Boondocks changes in mid-September of 2001. The hallmark of the comics page, stories unfolding in tiny, 3-panel-gag segments, disappears, and the political commentary (already present, yes, but tempered by traditional sitcom-style comics page topics) races to the fore and never relinquishes its hold on the strip.
None of which is a judgment on the early strips in this volume. They’re actually quite good, as McGruder is very skilled at working social content into the familial comedy aspect without overwhelming them. Jazmine’s racial heritage is handled thoughtfully, pointing out the little ways that “black”-ness is looked down upon in ordinary life, and McGruder manages to be social without ever forgetting that the strip should also be funny.
After 9/11, McGruder pushes the political and racial elements as hard as he can, as those elements clearly fire his passion and keep his interest. Although the strip could never be called even-handed – McGruder’s political leanings are extremely blatant – he does take jabs at Democrats and the aspects of black culture that offend him. His potshots at those he disagrees with are witty and precise, yet he will still allow us to see the irony of his characters preaching one thing and, in small ways, failing to follow through with their actions.
In his introduction, McGruder mentions that an editor wrote to him to ask why readers no longer see Brandy (meaning, we assume, Jazmine), and the reason is that McGruder pared the strip back to the characters who support the political and social aspects of the strip. Huey is, of course, McGruder’s radical activism, rage against inequality unsoftened by years of living within the system’s rules. Riley perfectly displays the surface affectations of popular black music and culture, and how those things can – when taken too literally – work at cross-purposes with the cultural aim. Grandpa represents that “average” man, aware, concerned, but ultimately settled into his comfortable existence and willing to enjoy his life where the pleasures occur. Caesar compliments Huey’s radicalism with a more balanced, yet still active, approach to political and racial discourse.
From the hilarious irony of activist Huey describing his local congressman as “Who knows? Some punk.” after decrying everyone else’s political ignorance, to the “rah-rah” adventures of “Flagee and Ribbon,” The Boondocks never runs out of targets and never runs out of sharp, pointed sticks with which to poke those targets. It all starts in this volume, the evolution of a comic strip from above-average fare to classic political humor.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/shadow.jpg" align="left"> Shadowland
Written & Illustrated by Kim Deitch
Published by Fantagraphics
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah
What can I possible say about Shadowland?
It goes a little something like this – in the late 19th century, “Doc” Ledicker ran a small old west show. Then he died, and his clown-face-painted son, Al, started up the ultimate freak-show carnival. Al married the carnival’s midget, Kewpie, and many years later, he died. Kewpie was then taken by aliens to a space station, where she found that they had been recording events surrounding the Ledicker family for the past century. On the station she found out that old “Doc” was still alive, living in a slightly-out-of-time dimension with a movie serial actress and a writer, and that the writer was a semi-frequent collaborator of comic book creator Kim Deitch!
And that description only touches on the surreality of Shadowland, a collection of interrelated stories that Deitch has done over the course of the past two decades. Mixing science fiction, fantasy, humor, tragedy, reality, fiction, sordid relationships and Deitch’s own blend of absurdist adventure, Shadowland leaves you unsure if you should be laughing or crying or both, but you’ll definitely be aware that they’ve experienced something completely unique.
Deitch’s art, somewhat stiff on the surface, recalls the intricate details of old carnival posters, with elaborate borders and backgrounds stuffed to the gills with all manner of oddities: two-faced men, small grey aliens, early 20th-century medical apparatuses, heads floating in tanks of liquid, high-diving pigs, flying beer trucks and tiny naked pygmy men.
Much like the carnival oddities displayed by Al Ledicker, Shadowland is an unclassifiable curiosity, with racial allegories, reverence for bygone eras of film, and a collapsing wall between fiction and reality when Deitch himself becomes a character relating his interaction with his own characters. Yet somehow, these stories, which were done over the course of many years, manage to all dovetail together convincingly. The timeline of “Doc”’s death and re-appearance, Molly O’Dare’s introduction to young Al and salvation via “Doc,” the role of the aliens in the “true” story that inspired Molly’s classic film “The Fairy Ball,” and the reality-warping inclusion of the author’s writer friend Fowlton Means – Deitch makes it all fit into an obsessive-compulsively neat package.
As movies become more and more able to capture the pyrotechnics of comic books, it’s good to be reminded that imagination manifests itself in many different ways, and truly imaginative comics creators will still be creating work that can never possibly be transcribed to the literal medium of film. I can’t guarantee that anybody else will like Shadowland (though I did, quite a bit), but I can guarantee that you’ll have a hell of an experience if you choose to take a trip through Kim Deitch’s worlds.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Neverwhere.jpg" align="right"> Neverwhere Graphic Novel
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Glenn Fabry
Published by Vertigo
Review by Sarah Jaffe
I already own the DVD and the paperback editions of <i>Neverwhere</i>, Neil Gaiman’s first novel, and I had a bootleg copy of the TV show on VHS before it came out on DVD, courtesy of some British friends. So why did I wait until the series came out in trade to buy the comic? Mainly because I already knew the story and would just be buying it for the visuals—no one is going to tell the story better than Neil did, anyway.
Mike Carey had a hell of a job handed him, here. Adapting a novel written by a comic writer with a rabid fanbase assured his comic interpretation two things: readers, and criticism. Carey’s already proven himself Neil’s heir apparent with his take on Lucifer and his mythological knowledge, nearly as deep as Gaiman’s own, but there’s a difference between spinning off a character and adapting a story. Still, he’s done a pretty good job here of maintaining the intent of the story while adapting it to the comic format.
Of course, there are some changes, and with them come some problems. The omniscient narrator is traded for Richard Mayhew’s first-person, and on the whole this isn’t a bad choice, except for certain scenes that Mayhew isn’t in that he would have a hard time knowing about, and descriptive language that seems inappropriate coming from a solidly middle-class British office worker. The problem with first-person is that you’re stuck with the limitations of your character, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Fans of the characters Serpentine and Lamia will not find them here, either, and certain memorable scenes from the book are gone as well. On the whole, the story feels sped up, with many less active scenes dropped in favor of an all-action approach with most of the down time gone. However, since in <b>Neverwhere</b>, the downtime often served to build suspense, the lack of it makes the book feel rushed.
I suppose with a title like this, the assumption might be that most of the readers are already familiar with the source material and thus aware of how the story ends anyway, but some of the eeriness is lost here. A few added details made my skin crawl, but on the whole the sense of foreboding present in the novel is mostly gone. Also, the lack of exposition made it hard to feel Richard’s desire to get back to his life. Jessica seems like nothing but a witch, and it’s hard to understand why he would want to get back to a fiancée like her.
But this edition of <b>Neverwhere</b> was worth the $19.95 if simply for the art. Glenn Fabry is a wizard with a pencil, and the character renderings, wholly difference from both my imagination and the TV series, take Gaiman’s lead and run with it, creating a wildly colorful, thrilling world under the city. Door bears a curious resemblance to Nixon from the SuicideGirls website, a sexy goth chick rather than the waif seen before, and Mr. Croup in particular, with his new catch phrase “bespoke violence,” is creepily, sleazily, chillingly perfect. The detail given to even background characters almost makes up for the rush in the storytelling.
I understand the need to change a story to fit the confines of its new medium. This story doesn’t suffer for want of skilled hands to retell it, only for the time spent in the telling. I suppose perhaps the Powers that Be at Vertigo wanted the story to fit in one trade paperback, but as this one’s already nine issues rather than the usual six or seven, why not give this talented team more time to fully realize this story? Unless, of course, they weren’t under time and space constraints but made the decision, as in the fourth <i>Harry Potter</i> movie (forgive me the reference) to cut out everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary to plot. Whoever the decision-makers were, we’re left with an enjoyable experience with great visuals that nevertheless feels like it’s missing something. For the collector, this version is a must-have. And for those of you who haven’t read the original yet, you should do so.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Stormwatch4.jpg" align="left"> Stormwatch: Post Human Division #4
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Doug Mahnke
Published by Wildstorm
Review by Koben Kelly
Only four issues in, and I’m absolutely in love with this book. It’s not necessarily any particular element. It’s just the fantastic combination of moments high and low, along with the perfect marriage of Gage’s writing and Mahnke’s artwork, that make this series work. There’s high-octane action, spot-on characterization, quiet personal moments, subtle sex appeal, horrific nasties, and the occasional moment you don’t expect that works never-the-less that add up to a total comic book experience unavailable elsewhere. Shall I tell you how I really feel?
Indirectly, this issue highlights team member, Black Betty. There’s really no specific solo moments until the last few pages, but we’ll get there soon enough.
The story opens, suddenly, amidst a battle of PHD with the death-feasting abomination named The Ferryman. The team is trying to contain this rotting corpse of a foe with physical means. Due to an odd distancing of Fahrenheit and Paris, resulting from an inopportune moment of passion, their dynamic is somewhat off, and results in both risking early retirement. Black Betty, quickly asserting her role as MVP, snatches the upper hand with a simple bit of applied knowledge of mythology and religion. It isn’t until after Ferryman is long gone that we discover the actual threat to our pocket of reality’s existence. Think about it… the guy feeds on the demise of other beings, and what could fill his tummy better than an assured instantaneous ceasing of all life as we know it? Yikes.
With a suggestion from Jackson King, after a brief moment of failed relating to his first-in-command, the ladies of PHD take on the idea of a girl’s night on the town. If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know that Gorgeous, Fahrenheit, and Black Betty could not be more dissimilar. Chances that this outing will be successful are at a minimum, but all three are willing to give it a go.
Upon settling down at the watering hole of the hero set, drinks are had, and the topic of conversation steers toward men. Apparently, Fahrenheit and Paris’ liaison is not so much of a secret, as her companions are quite hip to what’s been causing her stress on the field. The assumption that Betty and her mentor Jerimiah have a thing is laid to rest, as she compares their ages for clarity.
A slight tip of the hat is made to Identity Crisis with the comparison of what the risks of males being captured by their enemies is to the risks of females in the same predicament. This reference is made in a simple way, not condemning or promoting a huge plot element of that series. A classy move by Gage, if you ask me, where a cheap shot could have been made gaining many snark points.
Unfortunately, the ladies’ night is rained upon by the arrival of revved-up superjocks, Team Xtreme. We all know what their goal is, but a request to dance is presented sheepishly under a veil of cheeserific compliments. An ass-kicking results, and our heroines move onward with their night. Wouldn’t you know it, the Xtreme boys just won’t take no for an answer. In a moment that makes the previous reference into a bit of foreshadowing, the implication is that a forced sexual encounter is imminent. Without revealing what I considered the defining moment of this issue, Black Betty makes sure these misogynists will NEVER attempt such an atrocity again… without a blow struck. Yeah, she’s that freaking awesome.
The final pages are the only ones that feature moments of Betty by herself. For the record, I wish I had such a cool doggie with a literary-minded name as appropriate as Baskerville. Resisting the temptation to spoil her enormous secret, I’ll just state that she’s harboring a secret, she’s been waiting for quite some time, and it’s quite likely that she’ll be waiting for a long while to come. But, how long can her silence hold?
Christos Gage is currently in my ever-rotating top five comics writers. Another year of <b>PHD</b> as quality as the first four issues have been, and he may eventually get to the first place. Sir, I bow to thee.
This series would not be what it is without the amazing contributions of Doug Mahnke. Though this issue was more in the scratchy direction I prefer him to stay away from, everyone involved simply jump from the page. To be able to go from the disgusting rot of The Ferryman, to the fully-ripped musculature of Paris, to the hotness (pun intended) of Fahrenheit is an amazing feat indeed. A perfect fit.
I give Stormwatch: Post Human Division issue four eight Brodies out of ten.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/casanova07.jpg" align="right"><b>Casanova #7
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Gabriel Ba
From: Image
Review by Corey Henson</b>
For months, international super spy and sex machine Casanova Quinn has been trapped working both sides of the war between his father, the leader of the counter-terrorism organization E.M.P.I.R.E, and Newman Xeno, the eccentric head of the W.A.S.T.E. criminal organization. Tired of the manipulation and double-crossing that comes from working as a double agent, our titular anti-hero wants out. Of course, if leaving was easy, we wouldn’t have a terribly interesting story, and Casanova’s twisted sister Zephyr and her robotic running buddies Ruby Seychelle and Ruby Berserko have commandeered a Japanese WMD--a giant freaking robot, naturally--to use to destroy the male Quinns. Sound crazy? Did I mention that Casanova was actually kidnapped from an alternate dimension and brought into this one by Xeno? Because that part’s kind of important, too.
<b>Casanova</b> doesn’t simply exist in the comic book ecosystem, filling up space on the racks like an unwanted <b>X-Men</b> spinoff. It is comics as rock and roll, crackling with the energy and verve of all great pop art, representing, if you will, the next stage of comic book evolution. Creators Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba eschew cliché story tropes, hackneyed characterization and by-the-numbers art in favor of wildly novel plotting, stunningly gorgeous and flawlessly staged artwork, and protagonists who aren’t afraid to be utter bastards. Like all the great revolutionary comic books, from <b>Fantastic Four #1</b> to <b>Teenage Mutant Turtles #1</b> down to <b>The Authority #1</b>, <b>Casanova</b> takes familiar ideas and reinvigorates them, presenting them as something wholly fresh and exciting. Yeah, we’ve all read comics with superspies and alternate dimensions before, but Fraction and Ba have come up with a way of making it all seem brand new and innovative. That’s what the best comic books do, and that’s why <b>Casanova</b> should be at the top of everyone’s reading list. (And if that doesn’t convince you to pick up a copy today, remember: It’s a steal at only $2. So don‘t be a miser.)
<I>Corey Henson always wanted to be an international super spy and sex machine when he grew up. Sadly, that’s not really working out so well for him right now.</I>
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/astonishingxm20.jpg" align="left"><b>Astonishing X-Men #20
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Steve Ekstrom</b>
This book has a strange effect on me. I enjoy reading it and I am always happy to see the debut of the current issue but sadly when I finish reading each issue I am slightly disappointed. I’m not even certain how to explain the emptiness I feel after I finish each issue of “AX”, as I like to call it. But for the sake of reviewing the newest issue—which I have mixed feelings about—I will try.
Don’t get me wrong here; Joss Whedon is by far one of the most competent storytellers in the comic book industry. His knowledge of television scripting is a perfect fit for the serialized nature of the comic book; however, I think this might also be a terrible weakness as well. Astonishing X-Men has a writer who uses his artist, the stylishly smart John Cassaday too well. Granted, comic books are primarily a visual medium—I find myself feeling “cheated” textually. I almost want to ask, “Where’s the beef?” I mean, I get the panel to panel internal storytelling—certainly pages 1 and 2 are easily noticeable moments of what I’m talking about—Kitty looking oddly at Peter’s hand on her shoulder; then, as the moment of danger heightens her hand finds his silently. It’s great but these books—because of their dramatic overtures (something that probably comes from Whedon’s background) and the fact that John Cassaday’s work, albeit effortlessly gorgeous can seem stunted with a stiffness that negates any kind of kinetic energy.
It’s just the fact that I only count about 14 or 15 actual panels that denote any kind of movement beyond simple walking in the entire book.
In terms of story content, the book is fantastic—this isn’t one of the standard arcs of X-Men that includes a convoluted obligatory match-up verses a standard villainous threat. In fact, this mission into space leads straight to a strange destination where the odds are stacked against the X-Men and the mystery surrounding Colossus’ return and hailing as a bringer of genocide to a race of aliens is unfolding well. Agent Brand and SWORD are nice additions to the X-mythos—although, they haven’t been recognized by the rest of the Marvel Universe yet. Breakworld has quite the opposite effect on my sensibilities however. It seems very generic and yet mysteriously specific all at the same time. Of all the planets in the entire universe, Colossus of the X-Men from Earth is tied to an ancient prophecy foretelling the downfall of their race? What are the odds? Is Breakworld tied to Earth somehow? I need more info.
The issue’s heart seemed to focus more on Wolverine’s “Humbert Humbert” gaining a new “Lolita” in the form of the newly christened “Armor”—Hisako Ichiki. Maybe I’m looking too deeply into this but again already?!? They need to let Wolverine meet girls his own age—oh, wait, they are all dead.
Simply put: this reader needs more “textual” storytelling from Joss Whedon. I love the immediate story that is covered scenically from panel to panel and page to page. The thickest moments of dialogue took place between Wolverine and Armor and the asides featuring Powerlord Kruun addressing Ord and denizens of Breakworld. The magnitude of this story, its gravity bears further scrutiny. I’m hungry for more. I need more or this whole story just seems kind of two dimensional. I could just be the victim of a great story that has a painful amount of shipping time between release dates, perhaps.
Getting back to John Cassaday—he has easily created another iconic version of the X-Men, his work reminds me distantly of John Byrne’s work during the Uncanny X-Men shortly after the Phoenix Saga, Byrne and Cassaday both have a certain “heavy” quality that I enjoy. The difference between the two is that Cassaday’s work is slyly intricate in its frame by frame sense of symmetry. His pages are clean and seemingly focused upon facial expressions—some of which almost start to look too similar, kind of like Star Trek The Motion Picture and it’s endless streams of close-ups. I can overlook the similarities in features between some of the characters when looking at this issue as a whole—it’s really beautiful—lots of great moments of cinematic quality images. Again, there are moments where I want more, namely the fight involving Kitty, Colossus and a dozen Breakworld soldiers who get the beating of a lifetime—we know it’s a decent fight but we are only privy to it for 2 panels. I almost want to pout. Since Colossus’ return—we haven’t really seen Cassaday “cut loose” with him…yet.
Of all the stories Whedon has written with Cassaday for the X-universe, this one seems to be the most ambitious. I look forward to the next issue in fact; I have a Pavlov-ian slobber almost curling off my lips onto my comic books. Patience tells me that this book will have a really nice pay off come time for this story’s fruition.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/NWcvr012.jpg" align="right"><b>nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #12
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Steve Ekstrom</b>
This review is dedicated to my Best Shots teammate, Sarah Jaffe, who seems to be inconsolable regarding the subsequent end of the Nextwave series. She has a lot of mixed emotions at this time—ranging from teary-eyed sadness (accompanied by sobbing) to an almost homicidal rage at the people who decided that Stuart Immonen would be better suited penciling Ultimate Spiderman. I will attempt to speak on her behalf, as well as my own, because I am quite distraught as well.
The final issue of the series seems to pull out all the stops in the most absurd of assaults on a comic enthusiasts sensibilities—a true coup de grace worthy of this tightly wound piece of satire as it sprinted towards its untimely end. Even in death, readers are given the birth of a baby M.O.D.O.K.—spawned by the light of World of Warcraft servers one amorously charged night by M.O.D.O.K and M.A.D.A.M.E. The baby escapes, leading the crew to the true mastermind behind all the team’s misadventures involing S.I.L.E.N.T. and the Beyond Corporation—Devil Dinosaur! After a number of double, triple and even quadruple takes, I stared helplessly at the ascot-wearing, gun toting Devil Dinosaur and I pondered my own mortality. I pondered the meaning of good and evil—and I most certainly laughed my ass off when he said “I hate monkeys.”
He kind of looked like a goofy, short-armed Red Skull from back in the day with his green smoking jacket.
The Nextwave team seems to almost come together with oddly placed cohesion as Devil Dinosaur becomes enraged and admits to eating his long time friend and partner, Moon-Boy. The team of “filthy monkeys”, as Devil Dinosaur insists on calling them, beats Devil Dinosaur as if he had stolen something. Ellis’ love tap at the “big reveal” cliché gives credence to the ridiculousness of so many modern surprise twists and turns in today’s market—yet, symbolically, making Devil Dinosaur the villain from beyond the time of humanity gives the nature of evil a timeless quality—or he just might have a spot that is soft in his cold, black heart for one of Jack Kirby’s failed projects—maybe he likes dinosaurs, who knows. I snickered—I kind of hope Devil Dinosaur is behind Civil War as well.
Afterwards, the members of Nextwave look around—in the grand realization that they are left with a humungous floating spaceship with near limitless power at their disposal and the capability of doing anything their little hearts desire—sound familiar? I read this book one time, called “Authority”…coincidence? Probably—um, maybe.
Ellis has taken a genre that has been deconstructed in the past seven years and stripped it to its core elements and thrown those out the window too—he has reconstructed a monstrosity of epic satirical proportions in the form of Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. His not so subtle “wink” at the superhero genre of comics jabs at the ribs of its readers with playful mockery. He takes you for a ride and drives you right over a cliff, laughing manically all the way down to the fiery crash at the bottom.
Stuart Immonen’s work is at an all time high stylistically. I can almost envision the hilarity and insanity of his work on Nextwave on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. I can understand Warren Ellis’ decision to end the series at 12 with Immonen’s departure. I don’t think the Machine Man has ever looked so cool.
I can’t say that I will miss Nextwave because at least it’s going away before it becomes a parody of itself and starts to suck. This is issue and the other 11 are a body of work to be proud of—thanks for the years worth of laughs. I won’t say “goodbye” to Nextwave—only “see you later” because I think we just may see them again some day.
R.I.P. nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.
2006-2007
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/BARRACUDA001_COV.jpg" align="left"> The Punisher Presents: Barracuda #1
From: Marvel
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Goran Parlov
Review By: Lucas Siegel
Let me preface this with a small warning: I have not read a single issue of Punisher Max. In fact, as the resident Marvel Carebear of the group, I’d say that the Punisher is my least read character in the entire Marvel Universe. I catch his guest appearances, I know of him and his general stories. I’ve read a decent smattering of Ennis’s work across many genres, though, and knowing I’ve enjoyed that, I decided on a whim to pick this book up and give it a try.
Rude, stereotypical, vulgar- that’s what you’d expect from the first couple of pages here. And in a lot of places, this book rings true to that first impression. However, some of it is very surprisingly different. Hardcore rap is turned off in favor of a pop ballad. A racist confederate-loving cop is a source for the ultimate gangsta. Most importantly, while this big brute comes off at first as, well, a big brute, we quickly see that Barracuda has a big brain over those broad shoulders, and is constantly using it.
We get an allusion to Barracuda’s battle with the Punisher, which tells us how he lost his eye, and that was more than enough Punisher talk. I did not feel lost at any point during this book, although from just this small taste, I’m now intrigued enough by this character to want to track down his storyline in Punisher.
Barracuda, apparently, is the shining example of the new gangster. He rules from the street, he bares no real allegiance, and he’s feared by all. He is presented here as an anti-hero. The things he does are certainly not heroic deeds, but he’s doing them to people just as bad as him, and you can’t help but cheer him on.
This book, while it does have the Ennis stroke to it, was surprisingly (to me) not that violent. It had it’s moments, but they fit the scene, and face it, were downright entertaining.
I know of Goran Parlov from his work on the character profiles in Y: The Last Man[.b]. This guy has definitely come into his own. I’m so glad he had an artist like Pia Guerra to work after/under/around on [b]Y, as it definitely shows in his realism here. Now, don’t get me wrong, Barracuda is larger than life, and definitely not a realistic person, but all the scenery and the facial expressions are realistically drawn. The art is a little dirty and simplistic at times. The detailed areas of individual panels are where the action is happening, while the rest leaves some to the imagination. This would not work on a lot of books, but it works here, where Ennis and Parlov are actively drawing your attention to a specific point on-panel. Also of note were a couple of actor cameos. One of Chris Angelone’s thugs will look very familiar to fans of HBO’s Sopranos, while Chirs himself looks (and sounds, nice touch) mysteriously like a famous Chris who has played a mob boss a time or two. I couldn’t help but read his lines in the Walken voice in my head, but it didn’t take me out of the story.
OK, I always like to do a “who would like this” segment in my reviews. If you’re a fan of Ennis and his MAX and other Mature-rated work, you’ll more than likely dig this, although it IS notably tamer than some of his other work. Note: Only Ennis could do what was done on page 6, and still have it be notably tame compared to his other work. If you like mob movies, especially those with a lot of twists, ala Snatch, Smokin’ Aces, Suicide Kings, etc., it looks like we’re in for a fun, similar ride here. People that want deep stories with a lot of exposition aren’t going to dig this, at least not in single issue form. It appears from the first issue that there’s a lot more to Barracuda than is shown on the surface, but we only got a glimpse of that here. If violence and cursing bugs you, please, please stay away from the MAX line. You don’t, however, have to be a longtime Punisher fan, or even a fan of his MAX book. As a new reader, my interest was piqued. I’ll be picking up The Punisher: Vol. 6 trade for sure, and the next issue of this will be in my stack next month.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/Batman663.jpg" align="right"><b>Batman #663
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: John Van Fleet
From: DC Comics
Review by Rev. O.J. Flow</b>
Well, <i>this</i> is certainly a way to offer a fresh perspective on the perpetual Batman/Joker feud. I will give writer Grant Morrison points in one respect: he’s kept the readers on their collective toes in the two instances he’s tackled the Dark Knight’s #1 foe since handling <b>Batman</b> full time. Way back in issue #655, I don’t think anyone saw it coming, the way the Clown Prince of Crime was dispatched by a Batman impostor, <i>and</i> the real deal himself (Dumpster’s never lived up to their upper-case status more). And faithful reader’s knew they were going to come back to this story, but Morrison has tackled it in such an ambitious manner that it can been downright polarizing, and I don’t blame anyone who was turned off by the production style of <b>Batman</b> #663. It ultimately worked for me, yet I can say as much thanks to multiple readings. This story requires as much, I think, since it is anything but a conventional read that you can absorb in one passing.
For those out of the loop, Morrison decided to employ a “novelesque” style, opting for straight prose accompanied sporadically by illustrations by John Van Fleet (by my count, the Kubert Bros. output for DC is now at six individual issues: 4 for Andy, and 2 for Adam since going DC-exclusive almost a year ago). I’m forced to speculate, but Van Fleet uses a computer-based illustration program that is photo-realistic in a style reminiscent of most contemporary video games. It’s hit or miss sometimes for me. There’s no lack of skill involved, but occasionally the art fails to properly accompany the narrative in terms of what’s transpiring. One illustration does not suffice for several action sequences. Clearly we are supposed to rely heavily on Morrison’s words for what is going on, but in more than one chapter of “The Clown at Midnight,” words or art is the only thing getting you through the story, and the best comic book stories work when they compliment each other. Hard to believe that they were able to do ten chapters for this story, what with it still holding to the standard 22 pages, but, if nothing else, it allows me a simple method to break it down for you. Spoiler shields up, kids.
Chapter 1 -- PUTTING BOZZO TO BED: I do have to say that if you can get through Chapter 1 unscathed, you stand a good chance of getting through <b>Batman</b> #663 in one piece. It’s a lot to take in, and the idea that a group of clowns, all formerly employed by the Joker, are murdered by said boss via long distance is not aided by Van Fleet’s art in this chapter. If any stanza took multiple reads to absorb, it was this. Morrison lays on the overly descriptive superlatives thick, yo. Simply put, a clown massacre is conveyed to the reader almost by narrative alone, because it is pretty much not drawn out for us. That being said, with Bozzo’s ill-fated memorial, the groundwork is laid for Joker’s latest mad scheme.
Chapter 2 -- THE KNIGHT AND THE CITY: Behold Morrison’s valentine to Batman’s hometown on the first of two pages. It doesn’t particularly advance the story, yet the single-panel illustration can’t be more appropriate. It’s a town we know all to well, and Morrison does offer an excellent take on it. The second page does get things going, one of the good examples of Van Fleet’s art accompanying the Morrison narrative. Batman assesses the damage that Joker hath wrought, and he knows how he is going to be spending the rest of the evening.
Chapter 3 -- DOWN ON JOLLITY FARM: Batman swoops down on Arkham Asylum, currently “holding” his recently injured foe. If nothing else, it is nice to get Batman’s take on the controversial manner that he handled the Joker when he succumbed to a near-fatal gunshot wound. I guess he finally remembered that his old partner was murdered by this guy. And maybe it’s just me, but the “Some like it hot” line felt forced. I still don’t know why we get it. The face-to-face between these two is one for the ages, though. Arkham, if nothing else, has way too many apologists for this villain who has countless shameless murders under his belt.
Chapter 4 -- HER SPECIAL DAY: To answer a colleague’s question, yes, I do believe Morrison <i>does</i> reintroduces Joker allies who were infamously featured in 1988’s <b>Batman: The Killing Joke</b>. We get confirmation in…
Chapter 5 -- NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI: Commisioner Gordon confirms what many suspected. Two little “freaks” that Joker employed for his terrorization of the Gordon family all those years ago are the next targets on this latest killing spree. While I appreciate Gordon’s sentiments, Morrison’s terse renderings didn’t click for me (“You remember what this little creep did to me? The Joker and his whole circus can go to hell as far as I’m concerned!”). I just expected a little more tact from the guy who wanted to prove, in <b>The Killing Joke</b>, that the Joker was not above the law, even after he’d been violated beyond belief. And to say this in front of a buch of cops didn’t ring true either. The title of this chapter refers to a meditative state Batman adopts when trying to clear his mind in order to investigate. It’s a very interesting facet that Morrison has introduced for the world’s greatest detective. Grant is always good for these sort of fresh perspectives on all-too-familiar characters…
Chapter 6 -- JOKER MAGGOT: …although here, it felt like Morrison was showing off with his take on the Joker. Though I suppose it is like that Tobasco sauce ad from a few years ago where the recipient of a mosquito bite is better off than said bug. I guess I just saw this illustration of the concept that Joker’s blood is highly toxic coming a mile away. We get it. Dude’s a bad man. I will say this much, though: John Van Fleet does an outstanding Joker. One of the best I’ve ever seen.
Chapter 7 -- THE CHECKERBOARD DOLL: One of the more action-paced sequences in <b>Batman</b> #663, and it’s betrayed by a considerable lack of quality graphics. What Van Fleet does provide is top-notch, but the 22-page limits of this one-and-done story were brought to the fore in this chapter like no other.
Chapter 8 -- JOKER UNBOUND: I am so embarrassed that I had to Google “GSOH” to find out what it meant. I’m terrible at that, not recognizing very basic phrases as acronyms (don’t <i>even</i> ask how long it took me to come around to “DIY”). I don’t think there’s any doubt that Morrison adds several insanely glorious – or should that be <i>gloriously insane</i>?? – layers to Joker’s mythology. I don’t know if I can come up with any other ways to say the dude’s insane – Morrison covered them all. Joker is finally up and about after the Dick Cheney-like blast to the face in #655. I liked how the tension and panic that fills Arkham Asylum reminded me of the infamous escape of Hannibal Lecter in <i>Silence of the Lambs</i>. You got a building full of people, many of whom are armed, and they are scared s***less of a guy who has escaped yet coming off a brutal injury. I would also have to say that Van Fleet’s best work is found on these pages as we see how Joker has “recovered.” Heath Ledger, please take notes.
Chapter 9 -- HARLEQUIN OF HELL: We got a whole new Joker, as evidenced by Harley Quinn’s sad realization. Even though she helped make everything happen, the “Thin White Duke of Death” (love that one!) has no use of old allies, in fact, we find out Joker’s sick motivations for disposing of those who have assisted him over the years. I get the joke, Mistah Jay. If one could say that the Batman/Joker rivalry never gets old, they need look no further than this book. That the Dark Knight is the Joker’s raison d'être is relayed to great effect here and in, um…
Chapter 10 -- THE UNBEARABLE INEVITABILITY OF BATMAN AND THE JOKER: Sort of says it all, eh? The ending is a little succinct for my tastes, but it does bring this ultimately satisfying story to a close. I’m not completely sold on the format the used for “The Clown at Midnight,” but as a one-issue lark, it works. It doesn’t thoroughly reconcile itself fully from the events a few issues ago that got the Joker into his state of incapacitation, but we get an inventive take on this decades-old tale of good and evil, and it kept me thinking the whole was through. Ultimately, I was sold and it could very well be an issue I revisit more often than most.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/JSA3.jpg" align="left"> Justice Society of America #3
From: DC Comics
Written By: Geoff Johns
Drawn By: Dale Eaglesham & Ruy Jose
Cover By: Alex Ross
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford
There’s a lot to like about Geoff’s relaunch of the Justice Society of America.
Despite the implications prior to OYL that the DC Universe was shedding its darker tones, this series has gone pretty dark. In this issue, it is very dark in the way it establishes the villains, most notably the Fourth Reich members. Bodies are obliterated on-panel and innocent civilians die again and again. It does really help get across their hatred and their feelings of superiority over their victims, in a jarring and unforgettable way. Johns and Eaglesham combine to pull these scenes off really well (with Dale giving us an amazing version of Hawkman).
The JSA having to undertake a mission to protect legacy characters is at once unexpected and a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t they be doing something like this? Why wouldn’t such an arch-villain unveil a plot like this? Many of the best stories in comic books have blown me away because they managed to be completely unpredictable without eschewing logic at all. Johns, thus far, is doing just that…though I’ll have to hold off on calling it one of the best stories until it has actually completed.
A funny thing happened on the way to a great JSA story, though: a Kingdom Come book broke out. I’m a fan of the JSA and of Kingdom Come stories, but one would have to admit that the focus has come more directly on all of the KC teases than the core characters (Alan, Jay, and Ted). This arc should really have a banner on the covers saying “The Road to 52/Kingdom Come/Etc”, in that sense, because it seems to be an unofficial tie-in to the unspoken moves that DC is making. I enjoy the road we’re taken, but I’m sure that there are at least a few readers that think we should have made a right at Albuquerque.
This kind of brings me to the parts I found the weakest in the book: the introductions of the new legacy characters that appear to be partially done for Kingdom Come purposes. The new Heywood that has been introduced isn’t entirely likable and his apparent origin took me out of the Fourth Reich scenes a bit more than I’d have liked. What I think he and Ted’s son suffer from is a desire to use them early on that rushes the process of introducing them. Johns does an amazing job at making the introductions as smooth as they are, but it would take a miracle to make all appearances of roughness buff away in such a short space of issues. I’m left to wonder if the forcing them in was done because of Johns own desire to use them in this arc or his desire to have them part of the book in time for the JLA crossover with Meltzer. Either way, it is a bit unfortunate, but I believe any perceived flaws in timing will be forgiven and forgotten within a handful of issues.
I’d give the issue 8 out of 10 “it’s the sport of kings” (it’s a movie theme song reference, dammit).
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/BestShots/Feb07/SENSM035.jpg" align="right"> Sensational Spider-Man #35
From: Marvel
Writer: Roberto Aguiree-Sacasa
Art: Angel Medina and Scott Hanna
Review by Tevon Gonzalez
I read this issue once and considered it worth no more than a pellet review; it was that totally open and shut. My major gripe about this book is that it feels the way “Web” and “Spectacular” did in the mid-nineties, sort of a filler between Plain Old “Spidey” and “Amazing”, catching up with supporting cast members and featuring villains who often seemed miniscule when compared to the likes of Venom and the Hobgoblin. But this was my mid-nineties prerogative, so after reading it again, I thought it might have some substance, (according to the staff interviews), but it came off as a Spidey-clone sequel in the post Civil War Marvel U. The featured guest/cameos gave the book a David Micheline “Amazing” feel. I always thought it was kind of cool for Pete to be able to get a helping hand from someone despite his situation, and the other heroes couldn’t even pretend to see him the way the rest of the world did.
“The Strange Case of …” is an awesome title considering the villain. People are turning up in Spidey costumes and the cops (and Pete) want to know what’s up. But Pete’s on the run from the cops (as well as who knows what else), plus he’s a little bummed-out from the Civil-War fallout. The first kid they pickup in a Spidey-suit develops a freaky growth during his first night in jail; Pete finds him and takes him to a hospital via hook-up with Mr. Fantastic. The second Spider-fake dies on his first outing by just barely missing a roof-top as Pete chats up Doc Connors for info on the whys and how’s of the situation. We get some answers to those questions by meeting the villain behind it all on the last pagespoiler on: Doc Calvin Zabo the other half of Mr. Hyde. This is where I got got, since Hyde’s always trying to beat-up Daredevil or Cap but we rarely, if ever, see his alter ego get up to no-good (I actually had to Wikipedia him).
I can’t quite explain it, but the issue was missing something. Aguirre-Sacasa is a good writer, and although his Marvel Knights 4 book was awesome, for some reason I didn’t need every issue. Angel Medina is a competent artist. At first I thought his style was too much like that other guy who was drawing Spider-Man books in the 90’s; while the initial influence is there, he’s got his own direction to move it towards. My favorite aspect of the creative team was Scott Hanna, I’ve been in love with his quick and clean inks for years. I gotta give the crew the crew 6 out of 10 whiskers for a valiant effort; maybe I’m just not enough of a Spidey fan anymore.
Pellet Reviews!
JLA: Classified #34 (DC; by J. Caleb Mozzocco): This is the third installment of the Dan Slott-plotted, Dan Jurgens-scripted and laid-out storyline “The Fourth Parallel,” but it’s labeled “Part 2B,” as it’s set at the same time but in a different dimension from last issue’s “Part 2A.” Sort of clever, as is having Jerry Ordway finish Jurgens’ art in this dimension, further distinguishing it from the last. In this reality, The Red King tries to take out the League in a more traditional supervillainous way, by blackmailing them with a doomsday machine. When he accidentally sets it off prematurely, the League has exactly 98 hours to terraform the planet Mars and relocate all life on earth and as much of human civilization as they can. It’s an absurdly difficult challenge, of the sort the JLA should be meeting, and Slott and Jurgens include lots of crazy scenes, like Superman bottling Earth cities ala Kandor, Wonder Woman negotiating a truce between predators and prey as they get on her space arc, and Aquaman and all the fish in the sea swimming to Mars via a Green Lantern-ring generated pipe line. The dialogue is pretty cheesy—I winced more than once while reading—but it’s silly fun.
Thunderbolts #111 (Marvel; by Caleb): Two issues in and it seems as good a place as any to pronounce this series a fairly well-written, fairly poorly-drawn, incredibly stupid but distracting enough super-comic. The modern Marvel Universe’s tenuous position as political allegory for our own troubled times was tottering badly before Mark Millar and Warren Ellis introduced the concept of the nation’s worst criminals being recruited by the federal government to bust minor criminals guilty of technically breaking the letter of the law, if not it’s spirit. In this issue, the Thunderbolts, their bloodstreams riddled with microscopic robots, ride a rocketship across the country to cripple and incarcerate a vigilante guilty of not volunteering for the draft. Ellis’ scripting takes one huge step away from real-world verisimilitude, back in the direction of the wacky sci-fi fairy tales of 1960’s Marvel, which is fine I guess. The cultural criticism seems a tad weak though, given that Peter Milligan and Mike Allred already gave us despised freaks as super-celebrities in X-Force/X-Statix and Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch have already given us antisocial jerks as super-celebrerties in The Ultimates. Both featured far better art work than Deodato’s faux-photo-realism. This book still has the potential to be big, dumb fun, but thus far, I’m afraid it’s delivered the big and dumb but has yet to come through with the fun.
Double-Shot Pellet: NEXTWAVE: Agents of H.A.T.E., Marvel, by Warren Ellis/Stuart Immonen; review by Sarah Jaffe: It’s over. I didn’t want to read it at first. I wanted to save it for a rainy day or a fit of deep dark depression. But then I realized that it might make my depression worse to realize that I had finally read the LAST NEXTWAVE. I will have no more robot humor or broccoli-man jokes or creepy little baby-looking things plotting to take over the world. No sly political humor creepy in to make my giggles that much more maniacal. No more Monica Rambeau, Elsa Bloodstone, Tabby, Captain, or *&$% robot. They’re left to their own devices on a vast invisible floating base full of God knows what kind of technology and supplies. May we see them again, in some format. They’ve been a hundred times funnier than most cartoons out there, but probably too smart for TV. Hell, they’ve been too much for comics.
Friday the 13th #3 (Wildstorm; review by Koben Kelly): Man, there are so many things I love about this series. First off, it’s obvious that Palmiotti and Gray are serious horror flick fans. The story progression and beats are on the mark for the genre. Granted, the necessary bits of gore and titillation are included, but this comic would make for a better Jason flick than any that has come out in years. Second, relative newcomer Adam Archer couldn’t have been put on a better book to showcase his exciting artistic talents. While his work is creepy and horrible when needed, it contains decent amounts of character, emotion, and sex appeal to satisfy any comic art fan. The victims… er… I mean, twenty-somethings working to fix up Camp Crystal Lake for a new influx of campers are slowly disappearing as the series goes on, and we all know who’s to blame. The fact that two of them have a conversation debating whether the murders attributed to the late Mr. Voorhees are actually him or copycats is quite humorous, considering what happens mere moments later. I really do hope that the story eventually does get around to explaining Jason’s immortality and its connection to the lake. While I had absolutely no problem with it, there is a specific WTF moment concerning two of the work-for-hire’s sexuality. But, as this is the twenty-first century, and as residents of the camp seemed to get all sexed-up by their surroundings, it makes sense to me. As the Best Shots Crew’s resident horror-phile, I adore this book. I hope and pray that when the camp runs out of their current crop, new blood is brought in to allow for the story to continue for many more issues.
Manhunter #28 (DC; review by Koben): Somebody, for God’s sake, explain to me how this book gets the axe, a second time, while Supergirl (…that’s right) continues to trudge on? This series is beautifully written by the fantastic Mark Andreyko. The art by Javier Pina and Robin Riggs is gorgeous. There’s a wonderful mix of main and sub-plotting, as well as central and peripheral characters. Kate Spencer is an attractive, intelligent, assertive, asskicking female lead with a law degree, to boot. This issue alone, anyone who misses Ted Kord should be interested by the is it him, or isn’t it aspect of Blue Beetle arriving during the proceedings of Diana’s trial over her killing of Max Lord. Batman is on-scene to provide physical evidence for the it ain’t him side. I have to admit, I laughed out-loud at Kate wondering, “What does he eat? Newborns?” All I can wish for is a new team series, written by Andreyko, with Manhunter as the team leader. Or, maybe, Gail can let her permanently join the cast of Birds of Prey. *sigh*
Ultimate X-Men #79 (Marvel; review by Koben): Chuck’s dead, and all’s not well. Yes, this is the funeral issue of Kirkman’s run on the title, but it’s not just the funeral, itself. There are some excellent character moments included. The scene of Bobby simply holding Rogue, being careful as per her request, hit me hard. Having lost my pops at the early age of twenty-two, I’m a sucker for weepy mourners. While Logan collects his thoughts near the treeline, Sabretooth drops by to dangle the carrot of their possible shared DNA in a moment I enjoyed far more than the ever-raging slashfest in Wolvie’s 616 series. Kirkman delicately drops in a phone conversation between Peter and Jean-Paul before the ceremony, letting the reader know that their relationship is still going strong. The funeral itself is impressive, as many of the Ultimate universe heroes show up to pay their respects. Among the depicted are the Fantastic Four, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, the Hellions, and even Moira McTaggert. As a last page cliffhanger, a certain mutant who Xavier had kept under psychic sedation has broken free, and is now on the loose, setting up the next story arc. Artwork on this issue is by the amazing Yannick Paquette, who I hope becomes the regular penciller. You can catch him eyeballing his shot of booze on the first page, cameo-style.
New Excalibur #16 (Marvel; by Steve): This book was hyped in solicitations as something terribly tragic befalling one of Excalibur’s members—and rightfully sospoilers on, Nocturne suffers a stroke. The nature of such a terrible occurrence was significantly stunted by the fact that the whole “Dazzler keeps getting killed” sub-story seems to beg for more attention and then, Nocturne falls over. I think that the momentum of Nocturne’s misfortune would’ve been greater had she had her stroke in the middle of thwarting the generic bank robbers—much more dynamic than dancing with her iPod. Chris Claremont’s verbose internal narration reminds me of listening to John Madden calling a football game with nauseating redundancy—the book redeems itself somewhat with the addition of Scott Eaton’s pencils. I hope that this dramatic moment has lasting effects on the Nocturne’s rocky road in the 616 because if its ramifications are short-lived—it will just seem like a hyped up stunt to sell a couple extra issues. I’m in “wait and see” mode on this book.
Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo – Born Better #1 (Marvel; by Steve): Having grown to love Baron Zemo over years of reading Thunderbolts, I quickly snatched up this interesting little aside. You had to know that Fabian Nicieza wouldn’t kill Zemo off. Something I noticed right away—no stupid “re-cap” page—and I hope it doesn’t appear in issue #2. I loved the smart historical nod to actual German printmaker, Albrecht Durer in the opening sequence involving the first Baron Zemo. The best part of this book is the underlying discussion of the power of the individual versus how and who should govern (or lead) people and by what means do these leaders attain their power that they wield. This book had a “Man behind the mask”/Three Musketeers quality with the interaction between Zemo and the third Baron, Heller Zemo. I look forward to seeing the history of the Zemo lineage unfold—simply a fun read for fans of Baron Zemo and Thunderbolts.
New X-Men #35 (Marvel; by Lucas): Well, they’re at least keeping the pace up here! I’ve been reading this book steadily since it began as New Mutants vol. 2. Yost and Kyle are definitely talented writers, and this issue shows some of their strengths. We’re starting to see more individualized personalities shine through in each of the characters, and real relationships are forming. However, as every other plot on this book has so far, this one revolves around the capture and life-endangerment of yet another one of the kids. In fact, this issue saw a death, making it pretty consistent with their run so far. I’d love to see an actual body count from these guys. Luckily, the relationships and the story in general are both told well enough to keep the reader interested despite the same old plot device. Medina’s art is solid here, although these ARE still kids, so some of the shots may be borderline…disturbing. I am really enjoying the development of Hellion, and I can’t wait for the next arc, in which they’re going to bring a character BACK from the dead! This is a solid book, and they’re definitely getting the feel of “Hunted, persecuted, feared” mutants. If your super-heroes need some more angst, this has it in spades.
Double-Shot Pellet: Batman #663 (DC Comics; by Kevin): I’m a fan of the Batman character. I’m a fan of Grant Morrison. I am in no way a fan of this issue. It is my opinion that Grant could have benefited from much greater editing on this book than he seems to have received. He gilds the lilly too much in his attempt to make a pulp-like story. I think the editor needed to be able to pull back the reigns a bit, but might have suffered from not being in the habit of editing prose work. The artwork was pretty good, but the layout on the page broke up the story and made it difficult to follow (often literally).
Double-Shot Pellet: Stormwatch: PHD #1-4 (Wildstorm; by Kevin): Koben from the crew (and a few reader responses in our threads) influenced me to try this series out. I’m completely on the Christos Gage bandwagon. He really has a way of delivering a really good story, while still being able to whet the reader’s appetite for the next issue. He always keeps some sort of thread alive for the next book (even if it isn’t immediately delivered on in the next issue). There’s a certain LOST quality (in the best sense) to how he writes the book. The only time he actually lost me with was the revelation of there being a mole on the team, without making it clear if we’ve seen them revealed or not. Doug Mahnke is an excellent choice for this book because has such a knack for capturing the beautiful, the horrific, and everything in between exceedingly well.
Martian Manhunter #7 (DC Comics; by Kevin): This mini-series has largely been a disappointment. I believe I came to the mini with more of an open-mind than many fans of the character may have had, but I can’t really find a way that the writing makes sense. If not for AJ Lieberman’s track record, I might give him the benefit of the doubt that J’Onn’s behavior might have made more sense if this came AFTER the supposed explanation for his personality change that we’ll see in 52. But all I see here is a confused, emotional, irrational, and inefficient character where, often, that behavior is NOT adequately explained by anything occurring in the story. The proverbial icing on the cake was shown at the end of this issue where J’Onn makes hell of an assumption, irrationally acts on it immediately, and winds up filled with regret. Not only strange for this character, but it isn’t even the first time we’ve seen such action from him. I’ll be glad when this series is over and can only hope that the company can find a better direction (whether traditional or new interpretation) for the character.
52 #41 (DC; by Troy): So, Montoya gets to fight the Dragon, and as an added bonus, appears to hit on Wonder Woman. Overall, this installment felt like it moved pretty quickly, but most of the motion seemed to be directed toward getting all the players in place for particular events next time. The details in the Ralph story are starting to add up, and the saga of Adam Strange and Starfire takes a happier turn. The big negative here was that the art was pretty rough; tonally, it wasn’t very consistent and I honestly thought that Wonder Woman looked a lot more like a Tim Sale Selina Kyle than her normal self. I expect that the next few weeks, as things run to a head, will be much snappier.
Battlestar Galactica: Zarek #2 (Dynamite; by Troy): Behind a vividly terrific cover by Adriano Batista is another strong entry in the tale of BSG’s favorite revolutionary. I called this book topical before, but that applies in even deeper fashion as the story progresses. The notion of the soul-crushing cost that one must sometimes endure to be a patriot comes to the fore in this issue as Zarek has to commit two extremely brutal acts in the name of his beliefs. This is particularly interesting for fans of the TV series, as you first meet Zarek in a “fully formed” state, wrapped in surprise casting (Richard Hatch, of the original BSG). The fleshing out that Zarek receives here is welcome to viewers, but makes for a gratifyingly politically astute comic regardless.
Darkman vs. Army of Darkness #3 (Dynamite; by Troy): Even though I’ve enjoyed this series for finally dragging Darkman back out of the, well, darkness, I think that I would get to enjoy the adventures of Dr. Westlake a bit more if he were given a book of his own. Granted, this is fun, but the over-the-top nature of Ash and his continuing battle with the Deadites occasionally short-circuits the pathos that Darkman could generate. Big points though for incorporating references to not just the original Darkman, but the two (albeit inferior) sequels. James Fry somehow manages to strike the right artistic tone between humor, horror, and action, and Busiek & Stern do good work on the script. As things wrap up next issue, and as Ash moves to fight Marvel Zombies, I’d urge the gang at Dynamite to give some thought to giving Darkman his own book and letting it breathe in that funky Gothic science-fiction noir blend that the first movie evoked.
Your Best Shots host Troy Brownfield founded ShotgunReviews.com and serves as the Editor-in-Chief. He’s a professor of English, a writer for Fangoria Comics, and a journalist for a number of print and online sources. Anyone wishing to submit their titles for review can contact Troy at psikotyk@aol.com. For other relevant info, visit www.smwc.edu, www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews and, of course, www.shotgunreviews.com.