BEST SHOTS: BUFFY, SPIDER-HAM, FREEDOM FIGHTERS, AND MORE

[MattBrady]

Courtesy of ShotgunReviews.com
Your Host: Troy Brownfield

It’s been an extra-busy week at Best Shots HQ. You may have noticed that I did an advance review of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1 earlier this week in a stand-alone segment. This time, we’re getting ahead of the game on My Dead Girlfriend and a taking a leap forward into March with an advance review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 (Season 8).

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. As usual, The 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. And don’t post to carp about how your carping is going to be deleted because you posted to carp. As I believe Freud once said, “Sometimes, an asshat is just an asshat.”

2) Each review is individually credited to the person who actually wrote it. Matt does not write the reviews here, although he makes sure that we write in favor of whomever the conspiracy theorists say own the site this week.

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 because I missed something while pushing through post-Super-Bowl fog.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 (Season 8)
Street Date: March 7, from Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Joss Whedon
Art: Georges Jeanty and Andy Owens (Cover Art: Jo Chen)
Colors: Dave Stewart
Review by Troy Brownfield

Some disclaimer-type language: Yes, Buffy fan. Rather than setting me up to give this an automatic “A”, that fact actually makes me enter with some degree of temerity. Consider: if you have something that you really enjoyed, any extension, derivation, adaptation or deviation from same is going to be met with at least some form of heightened expectation. In this case, Buffy as a TV series had an appropriate ending in terms of timing, story, and scale. To revisit it and extend it (in continuity, no less), even with creator Joss Whedon at the helm, you’re going to have do something that a) reads well, b) looks great, and c) does things in a new way for it to even remotely work.

That said: welcome to A, B, and C. To say that Whedon and company knock it out of the park is a disservice to baseball metaphors. The narration on the first page clicks right into that classic Buffy dialogue rhythm, while the second page allows Jeanty and Owens to draw a sign that might as well say “Our stamp, here.” Not only is this a good read, it’s a fun read, and the import of that in the overall Buffy context can not be understated.

Pull back a second to place an appropriate time frame. You must remember that as this is a functional Buffy “Season 8”, the events and actions occur at a timeline that is roughly parallel to the events of brother-series Angel’s Season 5. That point is driven home with a righteously terrific punchline on page 4 that adds some brilliant depth to one of that Angel season’s funniest episodes.

However, just because there are long-time fan moments, don’t believe that it’s not accessible. Whedon plays the narration and development in such a way that you could come in blind and pick things up. Granted, you probably should be somewhat of a fan, and I recommend checking on the show if you’ve never done so. Still, first timers will find plenty to like. Such as:

The art of Jeanty and Owens. They do a great job with likenesses, but more importantly, they convey the motion and body language of the characters well. With roughly 145 hours of television out there chronicling their adventures, you know that it would be a massive disconnect if the renderings weren’t good. In fact, they’re spot on. Honestly, I always thought that Buffy herself was a hard character to get right in the comic form, but the team here manages to get it. Similar kudos should be extended for their work on Xander and Dawn (whose appearance herein fuels a funny subplot).

As to Whedon’s work . . . well, this is his baby, isn’t it? Fans have missed these characters, and you can tell from the script that Whedon has too. The sisterly interplay between Buffy and Dawn is solid, underscoring Dawn’s propensity for getting in trouble (“It must be Tuesday,” you can almost hear Buffy say) and the fractious relationship that they’ve always had. One brief conversation with Buffy and Xander reminds us that he’s always been smarter and more insightful than anyone else ever noticed. Whedon also takes the opportunity to show us that yes, the outside world did realize what happened to Sunnydale. And that last page? Extremely smart choice.

Frankly, I thought this was just great. It’s a treat for fans and it’s a strong comic besides. I’m now also doubly curious about a few things; based on conversations from Angel episodes, we know that the characters were, for a time, on different continents. One wonders if we’ll see Willow and Kennedy in South America, or if this was more disinformation directed by Wolfram & Hart by a, in retrospect, very clever Andrew. Granted, we’re reviewing this about a month before the release, so if you have any curiosity at all, get it on your pull list. The faithful will feel rewarded, and some new converts might be found. And really, we’re just getting started. Welcome back, Scoobies.

My Dead Girlfriend by Eric Wight
From: Toykopop
Additional Inks by: Mike Allred, Michael Cho, Nick Derington
Tones: Mark Lewis
Review by Troy Brownfield

You have to love a book with a horror theme that notes on its cover that creator Eric Wight was the “Ghost Artist from The O.C..” If that wonderful pun weren’t intentional, then they shouldn’t tell. In fact, wink-and-nod gallows humor is on glorious display in the first volume of this new series from Wight, which centers around a young man with an intrusive, albeit dead, family and a miserable school life.

The charm of Wight’s book is how easily he melds teenage conventions and horror tropes. Finney Bleak comes from a long line of people who often die hilariously ridiculous deaths and continue to cheerfully hang out at the family home. He attends Mephisto Prep, where he is essentially the “Marilyn”; that is, he’s the only normal kid in a school full of vampires, werewolves, witches, bubble-helmet sporting lagoon creatures, and more. To compound this problem, Finney has a sharp wit, which, as we (okay, I) all know, will get you in trouble with the wrong crowd.

Clearly, as the name indicates, there is a romantic angle to the overall plot. I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll sum up by saying that it’s sweet without being saccharine and cute without being overbearingly so. The potential for a romantic triangle is deftly handled, and really, all of the plot mechanics are just fun.

If you’re only familiar with Wight due to The O.C. or Batman Byeond or his more traditional comics work, you’re probably going to be in for a nice surprise. He’s a strong writer, and his graphic sense is well-suited to the “digest” size. Wight also gives us some swell extras, including several pin-ups by a murderer’s row of great artists (including the likes of Allred), as well as some design sketches. And if there isn’t a plush version of Mookie the pet gargoyle in the future, that will be a crime. If you’ve wondered about a title that’s the perfect meeting ground for the manga faithful and mainstream readers, there aren’t many places where you could do better.

Ultimate Civil War: Spider-Ham #1 (Featuring Wolverham)
From: Marvel
Writer: J. Michael Hamzynski
Artists: Mike Wieringo, Mike Manley and various
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

As long as the title to this one-shot special is, it’s actually one word too short. You may recall that when it was originally solicited, it was the Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis #1 (Featuring Wolverham). The Diamond shipping list for January 31st featured that title, as did Marvel.com, as of this writing (Actually, they had “Frisis” with an “F;” not sure if that’s a pig joke I just didn’t get or not).

I only mention this at all because it starts the endeavor off on the wrong foot.

The title and cover, complete with Spider-Ham gripping a blood-soaked dollar sign in a parody of Michael Turner’s Civil War #1 cover, indicate that we’re in for a parody of the Big Two’s current money-grubbing event book publishing strategy, but that’s not really the case—oddly, JMS, er, JMH, seems to have trouble filling up 22 pages with material, and resorts to splash pages and some pretty dated gags (Apocalypse Now and 2001: A Space Odyssey parodies are juxtaposed against the Marvel parodies…Kids, you can ask your parents what I’m talking about).

And, of course, it shows Marvel backing away from ribbing the Distinguished Competition, as they did way too often in the painfully unfunny Wha—Huh?!, in which they’d apologize to DC while in the process of making fun of them.

We open with Spider-Ham in an alley, thinking about how he’s “out of ideas.” Then, looking up, he understands the problem. His thoughts aren’t appearing in thought balloons connected to him any more, but instead they now float in front of his face, “disconnected” from him.

And so he’s off to find his word balloons. It’s a neat insidery set-up, and Wieringo and Manley turn in the very best Spider-Ham I’ve ever seen, but by the time Spidey wanders into the Civil War-wracked 616 and gets caught up in a Dr. Strange spell, things go downhill. And they go downhill very fast and very hard.

The gag is that the spell shows Peter Porker different dimensions and possibilities, like the Apocalypse Now parody (entitled “The ‘Ham”) and a series of splash pages by different artists introducing us to Wolverham, Iron Ham and other porcine versions of your favorite Marvels (Regular readers have seen each of these on Newsarama.com already…which is probably part of the problem; I was told much of the punchline months before I heard the rest of the joke).

And that’s about all there is to it. It’s sort of like the Evan Dorkin-helmed World’s Funniest DC prestige special a few years back, only on a smaller scale, with far fewer artists, and a much smaller and less interesting multiverse to parody.

Marvel has proved repeatedly that no one makes fun of Marvel as well as Marvel does (the brilliant Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagley Impossible Man meets Stan Lee story, Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen’s Nextwave Agents of H.A.T.E., and some of Jeff Parker’s sharper Marvel Adventures Avengers scripts demonstrate that), but this is just an all-around painful reading experience.

The roster of artists—which includes Nick Dragotta, John Severin, Skottie Young, Jim Mahfood, Chris Giarrusso, Sean Phillips (drawing zombies!), Todd Nauck and others—alone would normally be enough to make this book a must-buy, but the sheer weight of the bad jokes are enough to tip this into the must-avoid category.

Before it starts: Caleb is not biased against pork. That’s Kevin. And Sarah. Who else?

Spider Kiss
Written by Harlan Ellison
Published by M Press/Dark Horse Comics
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

I know what you’re going to say. This book isn’t a comic book. It’s not even about comics, you tell me with just a hint of irritation. I bow to your points and ask that you simply move on to the next review. However, as “real” publishers get more and more interested in the potential of the graphic novel and work on producing their own comics lines, I thought it might be interesting to see what happens when a comic book publisher releases a “real” book.

Dark Horse’s M Press imprint has unleashed myriad new titles, most featuring licensed properties or genre-laden topics. In this case, M Press has brought back into print Harlan Ellison’s early 60s novel Rockabilly, now titled Spider Kiss.

Spider Kiss is a gripping, terse look at the excesses of rock and roll in the late 50s and early 60s, borrowing elements from the life of Elvis Presley and various other teen icons. It also chronicles the moral awakening of Sheldon Morgenstern, the book’s lead character and PR man to rock celebrity Stag Preston. Shelly, who’d once do anything to turn a buck, finds himself questioning the implications of his actions as Stag Preston’s bacchanalian exploits become more and more extreme, more drunken, more violent and more depraved.

Ellison’s descriptive passages are terrific, full of good repetition that pounds the intensity and emotional core of the scene home. Precise details ground every single scene in solid reality, while expanding on Shelly’s growing moral awareness in a slow-burn, convincing manner. Shelly’s awakening contrasts nicely with his appreciation for the incredible cash flow that comes with being Preston’s keeper, particularly when Ellison characterizes Shelly as feeling responsible for unleashing Preston. He discovered the debauch rockn’roller and introduced him to fame, Shelly tells himself, and he has to stay around to contain the damage done by the enfant terrible. He then collapses into wonderings about how hard things were before hitting his human jackpot.

Stag Preston comes across as the most repulsively selfish rock star imaginable, although the true testament to Ellison’s writing is that when Preston gets into trouble, his fall back to innocence and “I didn’t mean no harm” and “I just got a bit carried away” still gives a little tug at the reader’s heartstring, no matter how much Preston doesn’t deserve it.

As with most of Ellison’s work, the pop culture references fly fast and free, and Spider Kiss’s references are forty years old, so don’t be shocked if a names are tossed around and don’t mean much. If you look them up, you’ll find reason for their inclusion, and the references do ground the book in a certain time, a certain lifestyle – but they can be jarring and inconsequential now when so far removed from their era. Ellison’s expansive vocabulary is another aspect that will appeal to or aggravate different readers. He’s not the type of writer to use a two-dollar word when a seventy-four-dollar word will suffice, but because the scenes are painted so well, it is usually easy to decipher the intention of any sentence, even if a word or two are opaque.

With more real publishers diversifying their lines and recognizing the value of the comics form, it is interesting to see a comics publisher return fire, and if M Press can continue to find work of this quality, their counter-offensive should be a resounding success.

Little Lulu vol. 13: Too Much Fun
Written & Illustrated by John Stanley & Irving Tripp
Published by Dark Horse
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

“We need more comics for children,” they cry. And cry and cry and cry. Well, Dark Horse Comics has released a baker’s dozen (with more on the way) of books collecting the classic Little Lulu comics from Dell Comics. Like the best of classic children’s fantasy literature, like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and like The Hobbit, Little Lulu retains all of its joy and humor and effervescence even decades after original publication. Pick up any volume of this series, and here is what you will find:

— John Stanley’s uncluttered understanding of children’s mental and emotional states. Stanley’s kids have adventurous spirits, insatiable curiosity, and unblinking mix of cynicism and utter naïveté, and absolutely no sense of the irony of their actions.

— Irving Tripp’s crystal clear storytelling and emotionally demonstrative characters. Like all kids, Tripp’s characters wear their emotions on their sleeves, yet turn emotional corners in an eye blink. His art exaggerates the right moments and subdues the quiet times, and each page is a lecture on how to use camera angles to layout a story in an exciting, yet clear manner.

— Little Lulu herself, the sharpest and most creative little girl around. The boys never get the better of Lulu, whose schemes fit together like a Byzantine puzzle. From telling twisted fairy tales to little Alvin to upending the feller’s alien abduction hoax, she has an answer for everything.

When an anonymous woman decides that children and spoiled but she’ll give ten dollars (in 1950s money) to a kid who treats her properly, spoiled little rich kid Wilbur’s plot to take the other kids out of commission sets up the completely logical conclusion (his mom is rich too!). After she’s tricked into shoveling the snow off his walk, Lulu’s plot for revenge against Tubby is sharp and classic.

All of the stories are funny, fast, quick-witted and utterly charming, and they’re a treat for young girls or grown men. Little Lulu continues to live up to the title of this volume.

Harlan Ellison and Little Lulu? Mike wins the Diversity Award this week.

Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography
Written by Andrew Helfer
Art by Randy DuBurke
Published by Hill and Wang
Review by Sarah Jaffe

The back cover of this “graphic biography” claims that its story is “distilled to its essence,” and that’s a fairly astute observation, if one takes the time to realize that it isn’t necessarily a complimentary one. This book pares down the life of one of the more dynamic, outspoken figures of the twentieth century into a simple series of events, with very little attempt at understanding the man it portrays. It’s not unsympathetic toward him—it closes with the beautiful words spoken by Ossie Davis at Malcolm’s funeral, and clearly means to leave that same impression—but it’s almost completely defanged.

The text of the book reads like a child’s history book, after a promising beginning. The first two pages contain about the only attempt to get inside Malcolm’s head, a feat that should have been easier since the man already published an autobiography. Like, perhaps, the graphic adaptation of the 9/11 reports, the graphic novel format is here used to present an easier version to get through than the full autobiography. But in this case, the writer appears to leave to the artist the job of all nuance and emotion.

Luckily, the artist here is more than up to the task. The art is wonderful: stark, dramatic, rendered boldly in black and white, as for so long Malcolm’s world was defined by black and white. From the iconic first page onward, Randy DuBurke’s images add power and strength to an otherwise simple, straightforward retelling. Those of us who have read the works of Alan Moore and Warren Ellis, to name but a few, will pick out the weaknesses in the writing, but hardly anyone could have a complaint with the illustration.

We see quotes from Martin Luther King and from a movie made about the Nation of Islam, but though we are constantly told that Malcolm is a great speaker, we hear almost nothing from his speeches. The only real quotes from Malcolm at any length are given toward the end of the book, while he is on his hajj, his pilgrimage to Mecca. The letters he wrote from the hajj emphasize his new view of racial harmony, so I am left to wonder if the author deliberately censored Malcolm’s earlier, inflammatory views in fear of alienating his audience. It is hard to understand how thousands of people were drawn to the Nation of Islam through Malcolm’s speeches if we never hear anything from them.

As well, occasional holes appear in the storytelling. We are told that the “Black Legion” was responsible for several important events in Malcolm’s youth, but have no idea who they were. One might assume they were an African-American group, instead of an apparent white-supremacist organization, simply from the name. Later, the Fruit of Islam are mentioned as being the paramilitary unit of the Nation of Islam, but just pages before, the writer said that members of the Nation of Islam were forbidden to carry weapons. Other than the brief explanation of the “white devil” belief of the Nation of Islam, almost nothing is said about the group’s organization, beliefs, and what about them might be so intimidating. Earlier in the book, the author spends pages describing Malcolm’s street hustler friends, but little time is devoted to the reason that he came to prominence in the first place, leaving the feeling that the story is simply told chronologically with little understanding of which events are important and which are simply colorful anecdotes.

If the creators of this book meant to make the story of Malcolm X more accessible to readers, they have succeeded in that goal. Unfortunately, the images are left to do what the text does not: show us how this man grew from humble origins and a prison sentence to become one of the most powerful, symbolic figures of the civil rights movement, and explain his relevance not only to black culture or Muslim culture, but to all of us. Particularly in a time period when our culture professes not to understand the Muslim world, a renewed interest in our country’s most famous Muslim convert might be timely and helpful. You may disagree with the beliefs of Malcolm X or you may support them, but you won’t come away from this book with any deeper understanding of them.

Have I mentioned how nice it is to have Sarah back on a regular basis?

Rock Bottom
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Charlie Adlard
AIT/Planet Lar
Review By: Jeff Marsick

I think it’s funny how comic book characters, after a life-altering change or transformation that effectively makes them bigger or faster or stronger than their peers, come out the other side with a foregone alignment with either the angels or the demons, vowing to use their new abilities to fight their polar opposite. Even if it involves a physical renovation, people just seem to take their new freakishness in stride, quick to accept it as ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ and set off to turn their current bushel of lemons into a satisfyingly cool refreshment.

But what about the ones who don’t know what is happening to them, or why, or are perfectly content with their complicated life as it is and there’s no need to add more crap to my plate, thank you very much?

Someone like Thomas Dare, for instance. The physical changes he’s undergoing aren’t evoking shouts of “Cool!” or “I am SO going to score chicks now!” or “Titans Together!” You see, Tommy is gradually turning to stone, and all he wants is to find out why and to make peace with himself if this turns out to be a first-class ticket on a shuttle to the Pearly Gates.

It starts innocuously enough, with Tommy emerging, post divorce proceedings, from the Los Angeles Court House. Those first few pages foreshadow the hurt to come as he notices that his hands are a little stiff, and when you’re the pianist for a blues band with a specialty for doing Little Richard, that’s not a good thing.
As the story unfolds, we feel the changes as they curiously creep through Tommy’s body: the quick and queer weight gain, the heaviness in the heart and joints, that strange grey color under a fingernail that has somehow grown legs and is crawling up his arm. The primary care physician is no help, either. Years of medical training and experience, and yet he’s never seen anything like it.

The story takes us on a refreshing, realistic feeling ride. The exploration of Tommy’s past to determine if it is a hereditary condition means he’ll have to come face to face with his I’m-glad-he’s-long-dead father when they exhume the corpse. The results confirm something that Tommy has always dreaded and tried to avoid: he is indeed becoming his father.

It gets worse. If Tommy got it from Daddy, then guess what little surprise is baking in the oven of the mistress Tommy knocked up that precipitated the ugly divorce? Knowing that you’ve made a ruckus of your life is one thing, but having to tell the woman carrying your child that you are responsible for probably destroying both of their lives as well…that’s a hard pill to swallow, indeed.

The lawyers and the good doctor are not beyond the blast cone that is the destruction of Tommy’s life. The doctor just wants to do good by his patient and has to fend off the fear-mongers in the press and his colleagues that his patient’s condition is hereditary and not communicable. It’s peer pressure and not a personal desire for “Dr. 90210” level of fame that pushes him to begrudgingly name the petrification syndrome after himself.

Tommy’s friend and attorney, Fred Sanford, gets pulled into the quagmire after Tommy causes a traffic accident and subsequently becomes an accidental hero. Ghouls from the City Attorney’s office want to commemorate Tommy’s act of heroism by erecting a statue of him in the park. Except, they have a special request: since Tommy’s already turning to stone, wouldn’t the original be a more memorable memorial than something created from scratch?

If you could pick up the New York Times today and read an article about a man slowly petrifying into stone, Rock Bottom would be a plausible and realistic depiction of how that man’s life would be handled by himself, his friends, and the media. Mr. Casey has written a solid story, a drama piece that is about the character of the man, and how he goes about reconciling his life and his mistakes. Because, in the end, isn’t that what we all hope, that our passing leaves behind a sweet smell and that we can honestly and comfortably say that we gave it a good run, the best that we could?

Mr. Casey’s pacing is perfect enough that I could almost FEEL Tommy turning to stone. Scenes where Tommy loses his ability to play piano, his only avenue of escape from his life, or when he confronts Melvin, his mistress, are tough and make your heart heavy for his defeats. The only drawbacks are a few instances of logic faults: a little boy going headfirst through a windshield then scampering away unscathed, and Tommy becoming so heavy that his motorcycle disintegrates beneath him, yet he is easily supported by normal chairs, couches, or gurneys.

The black and white pencils of Mr. Adlard (of Walking Dead fame) are halfway between Scott Kolins and Geoff Darrow: more refined and less nervous than the former while simpler and not as crowded as the latter. Several panels require a twice or thrice over to figure out what is going on and the lack of color can sometimes render panels reminiscent of hidden pictures features from a Highlights magazine, but there’s a beauty in the simplicity, and the story is better for it.

All said, I give this book an A-. If you are a devotee of drama and dig near-realism in your comics, then you need to add this one to your list. If you are not familiar with Mr. Casey’s work on Wildcats v3.0, X-Men, or Superman, this book alone will make you a fan.

Hey guys! Jeffy likes it!

Se7en #3: Sloth
Written by Mike Kalvoda
Artwork by David Seidman
Published by Zenescope
Review by Koben Kelly

This series from Zenescope highlights the individual seven deadly sins murders committed by John Doe, from the hugely successful film Se7en, serving as prequels of sorts.

Whereas the first issue was a gloomy tale of isolation and loneliness, and the second installment was a bit of siding with the killer, this third issue serves as a direct window into the mind of Doe, himself.

The artwork provides a trippy, dreamlike setting for this tale. David Seidman, who has provided covers for the entire series, takes a mixed media approach to depicting the story. As featured in the other issues, we are often made privy to the rambling, frenzied journal entries in the notebooks that fill John Doe’s base of operations. Half confessional, half religious fever dream, the writings show a man full of conviction yet utterly alone in his delusional state. Everything the man comes in contact with has some holy connotation to it. Even the minutia of everyday life is given to random intensity and meaning. Chance momentary encounters spark off judgment and condemnation. It is in these notes that we are made aware of Doe’s self-inflicted torment. Appearing as the actual pages, journal entries are often accompanied by clear-taped photos and drawings, giving a sense of actuality and first-hand witness to the unauthorized viewing.

A second element is that of flashbacks that provide an origin of sorts for the crippling cluster headaches that do well to propel the killer’s zealotry, as if the Lord was testing his resolve. Headaches that he visualizes as electrical storms taking place in his mind. The beginnings of these flashes of intense pain reach back to Doe’s childhood, where the connection to lightning began. When reading this, I wasn’t sure if these were actual memories or some imagined history that Doe concocted in his confused state. One almost feels sorry for him, for the ties are horrible, committed in the name of healing. The graphic representation of these bolts drive the point home brilliantly.

The third factor is that of the actual story being related. Remember the sloth victim, bound to his bed with all the air fresheners hanging from the ceiling? Seems that he was quite the repulsive figure. John Doe comes upon him by chance, the conversation between his lawyer and him drawing the killer in. While the intended favor the victim is attempting to do for Doe is less than noble, it is a favor none-the-less. He intends to help his impending captor with a cure for Doe’s pain. It is possible that he’s only procuring a new client, but it’s debatable if he really deserves the torture to come. Without a doubt, the man is despicable. Without a doubt, he preys upon the common addict’s weakness. It is up to the individual reader to feel sympathy or not.

Zenescope has greatly succeeded in my eyes with this series. Each issue has its own creative team, and the results are varying. With the first issue, I came away with more of a feel for the victim than John Doe, himself. The second issue, I (embarrassingly so) sided with the killer and his actions. This issue, I was made to pity the killer, and my feelings on his victim were torn between whether he deserved his fate or not. As this series is about the seven deadly sins, there are four more issues to come. The idea that each team has their own individualized takes on what to highlight and who to empathize with does much to encourage my interest.

Whether you’re a fan of the movie, horror fiction, or just like well-told graphic fiction… this series will satisfy.

I give Seven: Sloth (issue three) se7en-and-a-half out of ten Spaceys.

One “spacy”, and occasionally one “scary” is how we describe Koben.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #7 (of 8)
Writers: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Daniel Acuña
From: DC Comics
Review by Rev. O.J. Flow

Man, what did I get myself into? I follow politics on a daily basis, the good stuff and the bad, but I know well enough that it’s best to keep such matters out of the Best Shots discourse. I have no problem with that at all, truthfully. So what happens when I finally get super caught up on Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, after letting the last few issues stack up, and find out that it does NOTHING BUT address the political issues I pursue knowing that I could clearly place myself on one side of the proverbial fence or the other?? What happens is that I know I really got my work cut out for me in offering you, the faithful readers, a decent review that doesn’t offend anyone or favor one party over another. I will say this much, for good or for bad, this Freedom Fighters limited series certainly appeals to me in that the creative team doesn’t sugarcoat the belief systems of the two major political parties or do anything like shoehorn real-life platforms into fictional parties to make it more palatable for comic book readers. So much of what fuels this series rings true to me and what I follow, and it was kind of refreshing for a story set in the DC Universe proper.

For sheer classic DC legacy superheroics, I am cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs over Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. I have been dying to see something done with this team with some teeth, especially since Geoff Johns returned them to the national consciousness first in JSA and later, infamously, in Infinite Crisis. I couldn’t be happier that they did choose to resurrect this decimated team into one that serves a relevant, 21st century purpose, and that they did so with a superior writer and artist outfit. As a super-team book, this works on many levels. The action is constant and frenetic, the art by Daniel Acuña is breathtaking in rich, full-color glory, the story has advanced well without any filler for an 8-part series, and there’s solid, distinctive characterization all over the place thanks to the writing duo of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. With Gray & Palmiotti, this is one of two of their titles I get regularly, the other being Jonah Hex and I’m amazed that they are responsible for two such disparate books. Somehow they are pushing the right buttons with me, because I love the understated drama of Jonah Hex as much as I do the blockbuster bombast of Freedom Fighters. That they’ve assembled a model of the Freedom Fighters that is rich in legacy while updated for a new audience is terrific as well. During the course of this series, especially the last couple of issues, there have been debuts of new characters with old aliases, along with the very welcome return of one who was missing for a while, all that had me saying “Hell yeah!” more than once.

For those out of the loop, the Freedom Fighters are back after getting shellacked by the villainous Society in Infinite Crisis (2005), and the seeds of a revival first took root in 2006’s post-IC Battle for Blüdhaven. I didn’t follow that story at all, but fortunately Gray and Palmiotti invoked it minimally enough so that I never felt like I missed out. The series started off at an accesible introductory point that made it easy to take in these new people who were inhabiting roles known to many for decades. I will freely admit, though, that if we got the same Doll Man, Ray and Phantom Lady now that we did in issue #1, I may not have stuck around for very long. Initially they were anything but heroic as pawns of Father Time, one of two leading antagonists who have thrust this tale into its politically charged mire. I like that a couple of instances recently had me going back to the Frankenstein stories of Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers. Since those books hit over a year ago, I had to refresh my memory as to the role the Bride of Frankenstein played as an agent of S.HA.D.E., but it didn’t weigh things down. It was funny to see in this issue Father Time restoring himself (after severe battle damage at the hands of our heroes issues earlier) to a look more reminiscent of how he appeared in Seven Soldiers. I’d be lying if I said that his uncanny resemblance to the titular Uncle Sam didn’t at least puzzle me when I saw the character in Battle for Blüdhaven. Was I the only one who thought Father Time’s look for most of Freedom Fighters made him look like, perhaps, a “mirror universe” manifestation of Uncle Sam and the spirit of America? Like dual sides of the same ideological coin? Anyway, where issue #7 picks up, the team finds out in a most fatal fashion that they have a traitor in their midst and he has opened the door for a fleet of “Cosmigods” (who, by the way, look like they eat Sentinels for breakfast) to unleash great vengeance and furious anger upon our merry band of, um, freedom fighters.

The battle here is exhilarating thanks to the reemergence of a Freedom Fighters stalwart. I won’t spoil anything, but it was definitely a case of “I was wondering when he was gonna show up!” Sure enough, as predicted, the lead bad guy is starting to steal the show, and it isn’t all that surprising that another baddie is forced to alter his alliances. The battle lines are drawn at the conclusion of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #7, and I’m still not sure what to make of the entrance Uncle Sam makes in Washington, D.C. when he announces to the world that the “man” occupying the White House has anything but the country’s best interests at heart. Regardless of what party you might favor, the creative team on this title clearly have your best interests in mind, that is if you love good old-fashioned comic book action.

I’ll leave it to someone else, but Rev’s take on this book should be quoted for truth.

Annihilation #1-6
Writer: Keith Giffen
Art: Andrea Divito and Laura Villari
From: Marvel Comics
Review by: Lucas Siegel

Annihilation, the OTHER Marvel Comics event! Not a lot has been said by The Crew about this stellar (pun intended) series of minis. For the uninitiated, it all started with four mini series, each focusing on a different cosmic character from the Marvel Universe (Although, yes, the groundwork was laid in other books before then). Nova, Super-Skrull, Silver Surfer, and Ronan the Accuser each got their own spotlights for four issues, which showed how the cosmic world was coming together to combat the annihilation wave. The important parts (SPOILERS for the minis preceding the core mini): Nova (Richard Rider) is the last of his Nova Corps, and in fact now has all of the power that was distributed to them; the first Super Skrull, K’lrt, is dead; Several former heralds of Galactus are helping the war effort (one without his powers), and Silver Surfer is his herald once more (voluntarily), partially to help fight Galactus’ “siblings”; Thanos is helping/playing Annihilus; Ronan is now the Accused, and technically a fugitive from Kree justice; and Drax the Destroyer is a complete bad@$$. Oh, and the Annihilus led Annihilation wave (say that five times fast) is coming out of the negative zone into our universe and destroying (see: DEVOURING) everything in its path. That about brings us up to speed to the main mini. Most of this is pretty well covered in the first issue of the mini, which did not hurt the flow of the story at all. I felt that whether or not I’d read the initial stories, I could enjoy this one.

First, let me say that the covers for all these books have been simply incredible. Gabriele Dell’Otto has outdone himself with each new image. He gets better and better, and I can’t wait to watch him tackle full interiors again now that his craft has become so perfected.

Some amazing explanations are given for the universe cosmic that Marvel weaves. We have a wonderful explanation, especially, of the Power Cosmic and how it affects so many in such different ways. We see amazing relationships bloom between races that have warred for millennia.

The interesting twist to the story comes halfway through. After trying to wage a conventional war, the heroes lose. That’s right, after three issues of a six issue series, the heroes lose the war. The alliance disbands and a new battle begins.

The fight is of legend, and masterfully written and drawn. There are deaths, resurrections, alliances forged and broken. Characters gain power and lose it. Of all the stories that are supposed to “change the status quo forever,” this one actually delivers.

Giffen is masterful here, and at the top of his game in a long career. It’s easy to see why he is in such high demand from both of the big 2 and why this story was entrusted to his care. There is a perfect blend of action, drama, and even comedy, which make this into an incredibly realistic experience; not just a story, an EXPERIENCE. He clearly has a love for these characters, and while I had not delved much into the Marvel Cosmic, I felt at home. I felt for every one of these characters, good and bad. I fully delved into the complexity of Thanos and of Drax and the multitudes of others. After reading this book, I desperately want a cosmic renaissance for Marvel. Giffen made me want more. I truly feel he’s created a whole new universe here from the scraps that had been left behind by other writers, editors, and simple time. What is most amazing is how he did not choose to give it a simple happy ending. There were clear losses and clear threats left for the worlds of the Marvel Universe to deal with later. It would be criminal if Nova does not get an ongoing soon. Even more so if Giffen either doesn’t write it, or at least have a say in who gets to.

DiVito: wow. Anatomy, check; detailed expansive foreign worlds, check; expressive faces, check; truly scary and disturbing scenes in some of the battles, check; hot women, hard men, and explosive action, CHECK!!! This is everything a comic book artist should be doing. From now on this is an artist I will follow to any book. In fact, the work here makes me want to hunt down everything that’s come before so I can watch the evolution of art. The realism that Giffen brought to this extremely high-scale, high-concept cosmic story was matched pound for pound by DiVito. Laura Villari’s colors kept the moody, high tension feeling brought out by the Dell’Otto paintings that covered each issue. I felt not as if I was watching a movie, but as if I was a Kree soldier drawn into this devastating war.

In an age of event comics and crossovers, most of which have dealt primarily with the human condition, it was just plain FUN reading this book. Everything that happened affects the entire UNIVERSE, not just one character. This fact made the book seem more important, like in a history book two hundred years from now, you’d read this: “Annihilation War: The Heroic Richard Rider, who would later reform the Nova Corps and establish a new Kiln and new edge to the universe, heroically led a force to the first destruction of Annihilus. Footnote: On Earth, heroes fought each other. They got over it.”

I say that in (mostly) jest, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the majority of what I’ve read from Marvel recently. If anyone wants to know how cosmic characters should be handled, look no further than this limited series. There are some writers out there who need to have Keith Giffen on speed dial. I hope Marvel still does. Annihilation gets Billions and Billions and Billions of stars out of the Universe. If you enjoy any of these characters, if you like expansive universe shattering stories, or if you just want a gorgeously drawn, expertly written tale of life, death, honor, and destruction, go read this book.

Thanks to Lucas for taking on this admittedly huge review!

Teen Titans #43
From: DC Comics
Written By: Geoff Johns
Drawn By: Tony Daniel
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford

I approached this issue knowing I’d have one of two reactions to it (which would ironically be expressed with the same sentence, just different punctuation):

This is what I’ve been waiting almost a year for!!!!!
Or
THIS is what I’ve been waiting almost a year for?!?!?

Fortunately, my reaction fell more into that first sentence than the second.

Geoff and Tony are finally showing us the arc that they’ve been building to for what feels like ages. The globe-trotting arc was entertaining on its own, but it really functioned more as buildup for the story we’re about to get now. What do we get from this story?

We get Johns’ take on a classic action/popcorn flick opening: our protagonists are almost immediately beaten and bloodied to set the mood and the stakes. It even includes cut scenes where some of the worst is about to happen (cutting to just blackness and a visual sound effect when Match lands a knockout punch). It truly fits well.

One of the ways that method is improved upon here is the fact that, given the genre and the medium, there are teases included in these action scenes. The interesting tidbit that Sungirl drops in her scene adds a little depth to her scene, as does the bit of a reveal we get with Batgirl.

The only drawback I’m personally experiencing with this issue is that a book that focuses this much on action doesn’t really lend itself to an in-depth review. There’s not necessarily a lot to pick apart. Sure…Geoff has Inertia saying, “am I that forgetful,” when the proper phrase would be, “am I that forgettable?” Of course, this could be a way of establishing Inertia as being as ditzy as the pre-capped Bart Allen. Or it could be that our intrepid writer truly did need to lighten his load.

I do think that the dialogue in this book is written very well. I think that there is much more being set up in this issue than writer fully shows us. The bookend scenes between Jericho and Rose make me wonder if we’re only seeing Rose happy for a short time. The Inertia scene makes me wonder if Geoff had him deliver a verbose recap of his origin for the benefit of the readers…or to move along a certain Robin subplot…but, either way, it wasn’t written in a jarring way that takes you out of the story. No two words uttered in this book brought a hint of a chuckle to me like Eddie Bloomberg’s possibly defeatist comment on the floor of a church. Geoff’s writing here doesn’t make you stand back and say wow, but, instead, makes you forget that there is a writer and only see the story, if that makes sense to you, dear readers.

It would be wrong to go the entire review without commenting on Tony Daniel, Jonathan Glapion, and the Hories do on the issue. The splash on page 12 is pretty sweet, really driving home the changes in Batgirl. The two-page splash that covers pages 2 and 3 seems to get more attention, due to Raven’s clingy costume. I do have to ask, though, what the heck the slit under her left cheek is, when it isn’t mirrored on the other side. As perplexing as that is, it doesn’t really take anything away from the great work done here.

It is an action-packed issue to set up the major conflict between two teams of Titans. I’d give it 8 out of 10 spent bombshells.

Kevin would like to dedicate all his reviews to little Nevaeh Huxford, who will sadly never have the chance to read them.

Pellet Reviews!

Beasts! (Fantagraphics; by Troy): Fans of cryptozoology unite! This magnificent volume, imagined into life by Jacob Covey and given form by 90 terrific artists (including the likes of Gilbert Hernandez, Tony Millionaire, Stan Sakai, Renee French, James Jean, and many more) takes us on a tour of monsters from a variety of cultures that were actually believed to have existed. Each beast gets a lovely full-page (sometimes two) rendering and an accompanying text piece to explain the nature of the creature. This approach results in stunning page after stunning page. It’s enormous fun, and you’re sure to run across things familiar (vampires, Triton, Baba Yaga, Bigfoot) and unfamiliar (like the jackelope-like fellow with flaming paws). The whole enterprise feels like a labor of love. Honestly, this volume is so compelling and unique that I can’t imagine it not receiving wildly enthusiastic praise from all quarters. Definitely check it out.

You’ll Have That Vol. 2 (Viper; by Troy): Wes Molebash continues his fun and lively relationship strip online, and this collection from December is a great introduction. Fueled by the typical troubles of young adult love and the gigantic communication gap between men and the women who will never think we’re as funny as we know we are, Molebash uses his clear and expressive style to deliver many, many laughs. Extras include some takes on the characters from some other artists, including a strikingly funny one by Josh Howard.

Amour/The Evil Inside (Approbation; by Troy): I’ve praised Approbations anthologies before, but I need to revisit them again to point out Amour and The Evil Inside. While TEI does effective horror, Amour should bear special mention because it tackles the romance genre. Granted, we’ve seen somewhat of a return to romantic themes in comics in several indie series and the surfeit of manga titles that deal with same, but it’s fairly rare to see young male writers dive into the concept of straight-up everyday romantic slice-of-life tales. Perhaps the best tale in Amour #1 is the first one, “CyberMate”, which does a cute, clever spin on the idea of online dating and expectations of same. For more on these books and their unique merged anthology, hit www.ApprobationComics.com.

Black Panther #24 (Marvel; by Caleb): Continuing with his very busy Civil War tie-in arc, writer Reginald Hudlin backtracks to somewhere between CW #4 an #6, with the Panther setting up shop with the “Secret Avengers,” working on how to crack the Negative Zone prison and literally sniffing out the traitor in Cap’s ranks. Meanwhile, Storm tells off Tony Stark and has a sit-down with Reed Richards, one that the cover of Black Panther #25 seems to indicate will eventually lead to the storm goddess taking on a cloned thunder god. The art is messy and all over the place (not surprising, considering there are two pencillers and four inkers), but the story more than makes up for it. This issue boasts guest-stars galore—perhaps the most notable one being a certain member of Nextwave with a mysterious relationship with the Panther—and Hudlin advances several of the title’s ongoing plots while still serving the Civil War agenda. If more of the tie-in issues like this, I might be more excited about the last month of the war.

JLA: Classified #33 (DC; by Caleb): DC seems to have gotten the credits for this story arc all straightened out, and we know who to blame for all the bad dialogue—Dan Jurgens scripts and does the layout art, Dan Slott provided the plot, and Trevor Scott finishes the art. This second issue in the story arc is labeled “The Fourth Parallel Part 2A,” and considering that new villain the Red King is fighting the League in three different realities simultaneously, it looks like the Dans are doing something clever with the construction of the arc (I assume next issue will be “Part 2B”). In this issue’s reality, the Red King seeks to infiltrate the League by helping them take out the Royal Flush Gang until they finally ask him to join. Slott and Jurgens don’t write the League very credibly—since when does the Royal Flush Gang rate a response from the whole JLA line-up? Superman could take them out solo without wrinkling his cape—but I’ll take this version of the League written rather poorly in Classified over the glacially paced adventure unfolding in the flagship title. At least Plastic Man, J’onn J’onnz, Wally West and John Stewart are still around, and the League uses their superpowers and runs around doing things other than narrating and calling one another by their first names.

DinoWars #2 (Antarctic Press; by Caleb): After a slow and suspenseful set-up last issue, writer/artist Rod Espinosa makes with the fighting in this issue, as dinosaurs return to earth in some sort of crazy dinosaur-shaped battle suits and giant flying mountains to reclaim the earth from us puny mammals. Espinosa’s dino-designs are cool, and there’s certainly fun to be had in this big, stupid action movie mash-up of genres, but I can’t tell if Espinosa’s parodying Hollywood blockbusters or perpetuating their aesthetic. If the former, he could do it a little more consistently, because while the story is campy, I can never tell if I should be laughing at it or laughing with it. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, so long as I’m laughing, huh?

Jack of Fables #7 (Vertigo; by Sarah): Jack was one of the most fun characters in the early Fables books, a man with almost endless stories in his past and without quite the stick up his you-know-what that some of the other residents of Fabletown seemed to have, and yet none of the sleaze of guys like Prince Charming and Bluebeard. No matter how much trouble he gets into, you can’t help but like Jack. He’s broke again, and on the lam, headed for Vegas to try to win back some of his fortune, and about to stumble onto a bloody mess featuring one of my favorite characters from children’s tales, the Queen of Hearts. This issue features one of the goriest images I’ve ever seen and still laughed at, after Jack gets bounced off the hood of a car, and I’m expecting more where that came from. More slapstick than the rest of the Fables crew but just as expertly crafted and real, Jack is a great read.

The Dark Nebula (webcomic; reviewed by Koben Kelly): If you’re sick of the current crop of overly-adult superheroics, this tale might be right up your alley. Brought to you by the team of Tad P. and Shane Foley, this Australian internet creation wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The Dark Nebula is the result of two individuals, one human and one extraterrestrial, combined by a godlike cosmic force into one hybrid being. Possessing telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to survive in deep space, this Aussie powerhouse repeatedly saves the day when humanity is threatened. These tales are told in the spirit of a bygone era, as silver age as they come. The art is a fun combo of classic Kirby and current Sale. An oddity in the comics scene, most of the action is related in prose form, with pages often displaying only one panel. As far as style and progression of events is concerned, if you’re a fan of Ed Wood, these adventures will satisfy. My only issue with this story is that the narration has occasional slips from the past tense to the current tense, which is more than a tad distracting. Overall, this series is a nice alternative to the overly serious tone many comics of today have adopted. For more details, go to http://www.webcomicsnation.com/darknebula.

Pieces For Mom (Image; review by Koben): I don’t remember seeing any solicitations for this book, nor any big-time promotion based on Steve Niles’ name, so I checked it out on a whim. Man, did it pay off. As a huge fan of both zombies and horror fiction in general, I absolutely loved it. The story has many things going for it. Post-zombie-apocalypse setting, disgustingly detailed undead artwork by Andrew Ritchie, kids trying to survive on their own. Good stuff. The idea of taking care of a loved one after they’ve been bit is nothing new. But, wait… there’s more! This tale takes a sharp turn into amazing splatterpunk territory when one of the kids run into their dad during a provisions run. To go into the intricacies of it would be to ruin the best part of the story, but I can say that I had no idea it was coming. This is an unflinchingly angry story. You’ve got to think that living in a world like this would harden you. Make you dead inside, if you’ll pardon the pun. Any fan of Romero, or his ilk, will adore this story. Huge thumbs up.

Daredevil #93 (Marvel; review by Koben): So, the great reset button has been pressed. Bendis’ entire arc of everyone knowing who Daredevil is has been set back to zero with just one issue. How do I feel about that… hmmm. Actually, I’m totally cool with it. I felt that particular element had run its course after ten issues. Bru’s decision to do away with that bit allows for a whole new world of superheroing to return to the title. Now, Matt’s able to be a lawyer and a man of action again without the eyes of the media on his every move. His debt to the Fisks has been paid, and the Kingpin is out of the picture… but for how long? The reunion that takes place has been a long time in coming. I loved seeing the tears flowing, as the most amazing friendship in comics is brought back to life. Even though I know Bru’s making everything peachy only to tear it all down, it’s nice to have Matt’s sense of stability return. The thing is, for me, it’s the private moments that I love most about this book. With Lark on board, I guess you could say that Daredevil is my replacement for Gotham Central. Both writer and artist create a series that I can believe in. Of course, a cliffhanger of some sort was a necessity, but I have no idea what this will spell for Mr. Murdock’s life. I eagerly anticipate finding out!

American Virgin # 11 (Vertigo; review by Koben): Again, this month, AV wins my vote for most amazing cover. With the madness that was Australia behind him, Adam returns to the States. He’s back on his mission of spreading the joy of chastity, and the gigs are lining up. Of course, he’s still having visions of his deceased one-true-love guiding his moves, but that’s to be expected from this series. I sincerely enjoy the fact that while others around him are bible-thumpers and coffer-raiders, Adam is actually a pure soul. He truly believes his work to be for the good of man. It would be an easy and cliché out for Seagle to characterize every outwardly pro-Christian as duplicitous, but he resists that temptation, and it makes for a much more engaging read. It’s also great that Adam, while resisting it, has much temptation… especially at the waterpark where bikinis are the fashion-du-jour. While Adam is the protagonist, my favorite character remains his sister. What can I say? I love outspoken, pierced, redheads who inject reality into the minds of the faithful. Becky Cloonan continues to give this series its spice, although it does seem her work is leaning toward a more fluid, animated style. Is it just me, or would this series be an amazing vehicle for HBO or Showtime to pick up?

Chronicles of Wormwood (Avatar Press; by Kevin): Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows put together the beginnings of a really interesting, funny, and sacrilegious book here. Who’d have thought that the anti-christ wouldn’t even be the most offensive producer in Hollywood? Who knew Christ himself would be a Guinness man? Will the bartender ever meet Arseface in a story that leads to face-on-face XXX adventures? Give it a browse and I’m sure you’ll have a chuckle, especially if you’re missing THE BOYS already.


Best Shots team leader Troy Brownfield writes for Newsarama and Fangoria Comics, and runs ShotgunReviews.com. He’s also a professor of English, journalism and communication. Anyone wishing to submit their titles for review can contact Troy at psikotyk@aol.com. If you’re interested in taking a class with Troy via the miracle of Distance Learning, check out the program here http://www.smwc.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?futureDistance , and specifically mention him or his areas (Journalism, Professional Writing, Creative Writing, Film Studies) when you call. The other plugs: www.shotgunreviews.com and www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews

[stones throw]

So, the great reset button has been pressed. Bendis’ entire arc of everyone knowing who Daredevil is has been set back to zero with just one issue.

I should point out that the process of the public starting to disbelive that Matt was Daredevil began in #87 when he was held hostage by the Punisher. And Matt clearly says "some people will always think I'm Daredevil".

[Scorned1]

I am so in for that Buffy book. It is so nice to see a company that hired writers who actually wrote for the tv series to write the comic book series. How many issues will there be does anyone here know? It hope it would be like 20-22 issues like 20-22 regular television season like this is suppose to be.

[The Guvnor]

Thanks for the reviews

Originally Posted by Caleb

Black Panther #24
The art is messy and all over the place (not surprising, considering there are two pencillers and four inkers), but the story more than makes up for it.

Funny, I found it to be the other way around. The art was pretty good given it was from guys I had never seen any work from, but it is yet another penciller to add to the list of creators that have worked on this title in the past few months. Even though it was in collaboration with Aspen Studios, it kind of makes you wonder if Marvel editors throws darts at a board with a list of names in order to see who will draw BP this month.

For me Hudlin seemed to keep going back ad forth between different scenes too often but at least some of the plots are coming to fruition such as the Wakandan government planning to oust T'Challa, but the American invasion seems like a re-hashing of the plot from the first arc. This book suffered from terrible continuity issues with Tigra being in Cap's team and it probably would have made more sense if released before the last Civil War. At least Hudlin gave a credible explanation of how they knew Tigra was a spy.

Originally Posted by Caleb

Ultimate Civil War: Spider-Ham #1 (Featuring Wolverham)

I agree with the review and was also a bit disappointed with this issue as I expected more jokes in it. The art was nice overall but the amount of pin-ups make it feel as though I was going through a poster book. I wasn't expecting it to be hamtastic but I would have liked the story to have more meat/ham/bacon/sausage/you-get-the-pun in it.

The only other book I picked up was Ultimate Fantastic Four #38. It was brilliantly written from Mike Carey with stunningly beautiful art from Pasqual Ferry and Justin Ponsor. Reed will also get to create and play with the Ultimate Cosmic Cube in the future which will be cool.

By the way, did anyone (Best Shots Crew or other readers) happen to pick up the XIII trade. I'm waiting on mine to be delivered and I expect it to be good, but I was wondering what other people thought of it.

[IronWolf]

I think they Changed the tittle to Spider-ham from Crisis 'cos its hard to make Fun of crisis the event it self was a joke so it would be repetitive.

[jimbo887]

I just love reading praise for Annihilation. That mini was good to the last drop.

Oh, and did anyone catch the zombified Romero in Pieces for Mom, 'cause he was in there.

[PhoenixFacto]

Overall a good week. I thought the art in BP was very pretty in some places but odd in others. Storywise though the book has never been better under Hudlin. Loved seeing him sniffing out Tigra. The Frightful Four idea was interesting too.

I can't wait to get my 3 Annihilation HCs.

[BlueThunderArmy]

Doubly looking forward to Buffy now. And I agree about American Virgin—it's fair to sincerely religious people, while rightly tearing down those with more sinister motives. Adam is a "pure soul" but he's not perfect, and he's not naive (or at least not willfully so). I have a feeling I know where Adam's quest for his intending partner is leading—last issue made it pretty clear—but it should be a good time getting there.

[Darthphere]

Annihilation just decimated Civil War IMO, easily the best Marvel event from Marvel in a long time.

[s*p rules]

I hope they give Spider-ham another shot soon, but with a better writer. Maybe a mini by Bill Willing-ham. And drawn by Mark Bucking-ham.

[FallenFate]

Originally Posted by IronWolf

I think they Changed the tittle to Spider-ham from Crisis 'cos its hard to make Fun of crisis the event it self was a joke so it would be repetitive.

Some people just have to see how snarky they can get and how close to pushing the boundaries of those rules set forth at the beginning of the column every month, don't they? If you didn't like Crisis, fine, but being a jerk like this really doesn't help anything. Many people have said it before, but why bother posting something that shows 5 year old schoolyard mentality?

[Darthphere]

Originally Posted by s*p rules

I hope they give Spider-ham another shot soon, but with a better writer. Maybe a mini by Bill Willing-ham. And drawn by Mark Bucking-ham.

With a variant cover by Dale Eagles-ham.

[s*p rules]

I agree with the reviewer that Uncle Sam has been a great series. Much like the Adam Strange mini last year, I bought the first issue on a whim mostly because I like the central character from all the cameos and guest-stars he's done in the past, but also because I was a fan of the writer of the series, and was pleasantly surprised at just how great the issue was. So far, I've been just as rewarded for spending my money on the series, too. Each issue has been great, both the art and the plot/dialogue, and #7 has been the best so far, especially the return of (spoiler)




...the Ray. Damn, did he smack a bitch with the new "Ray". Here's hoping this mini can lead into a series or another mini later this year. If not, I would love a return of a DC Showcase type series, so that the Freedom Fighters, Adam Strange, Metal Men, etc. have a place to return and star regularly.

[ColourMan]

Buffy will be absolutely delicious. I'm so jealous he got to read it over a month before it hits stores.

[Zeitgeist]

Spider-ham wasnt that good but i have to disagree regarding Wha Huh?!, that comic was some of the funniest things i have ever read in a comic.


Am i the only one disappointed by Andrea Divito's art in Annihilation? It looked so much better when he did Thor and Stormbreaker

[Darthphere]

Originally Posted by Zeitgeist

Am i the only one disappointed by Andrea Divito's art in Annihilation?

Simply put. Yes.

[gaffealot]

Teen Titans #43
From: DC Comics
Written By: Geoff Johns
Drawn By: Tony Daniel
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford

The two-page splash that covers pages 2 and 3 seems to get more attention, due to Raven’s clingy costume. I do have to ask, though, what the heck the slit under her left cheek is, when it isn’t mirrored on the other side. As perplexing as that is, it doesn’t really take anything away from the great work done here.

Yeah...what is that slit? Spandex got ripped?

[DaVeO]

Originally Posted by FallenFate

Some people just have to see how snarky they can get and how close to pushing the boundaries of those rules set forth at the beginning of the column every month, don't they? If you didn't like Crisis, fine, but being a jerk like this really doesn't help anything. Many people have said it before, but why bother posting something that shows 5 year old schoolyard mentality?

Or they are just whiny 15 yr. olds looking for attention/validation and should be ignored.

[Brenticles]

Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters has been a great read. The characters and the story have all been over the top fun. Don't let any of the politics in the series scare you off from it. It's handled very well. It's safe to say that I am considerably more conservative than the authors but I don't feel preached at or that the series has an underlying agenda. It is balanced and adds to the flavor of a great comic instead of distracting from it.

[kcekada]

Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighers is a good example of what a mini should be. The characters really grew -- the artist was able to illustrate all of the issues -- and there was a lot of fun and surprises throughtout the series. Along with JONAH HEX as mentioned by OJ Flow, this is definitely Gray's & Palmiotti's best work to date. Makes me wonder how they completely missed the mark on HEROES FOR HIRE.

For those who haven't bothered with this series, do yourself a favor and get the trade.

Regarding ANNIHILATION, while it was a solid read, it never really came anywhere close to the level of 70s Starlin cosmic greatness. Too many of the characters like Gamora and Firelord were left in the background or taken out too early (like Quasar). Giffen does write a great Nova, and his new book has already been announced -- though I don't believe either Giffen or DeVito are involved. DeVito did do a nice job, but his art is somewhat lacking in style. I do have to wonder why Captain Marvel wasn't brought back in this series -- or why Adam Warlock was absent. Seems like the title was meant to upgrade Nova -- and it did succeed at doing that. As mentioned, the covers were beautiful.

For me, Teen Titans has lost most of the steam it had in the Johns/McKone run. The introduction of Titans East was interesting, but not enough to bring this book back to where it should be. I fear that Johns' departure will only make matters worse.

[silverbolt]

teen titans absolutely rocked my world last week and that 2 page spread made me think or Raven in a way ive never thought of her before.

i'll miss Tony Daniel.

[Zechs]

Teen Titans #43
From: DC Comics
Written By: Geoff Johns
Drawn By: Tony Daniel
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford

The two-page splash that covers pages 2 and 3 seems to get more attention, due to Raven’s clingy costume. I do have to ask, though, what the heck the slit under her left cheek is, when it isn’t mirrored on the other side. As perplexing as that is, it doesn’t really take anything away from the great work done here.

All must bow down to the hypno-ass

[silverbolt]

Originally Posted by Zechs

All must bow down to the hypno-ass

seeing that at work made my day Zechs.
thanks!

[Snarf5181]

Annihilation review: Spot-on! I loved this series. Loved it! Ronin, Nova, Starlord, Galactus, new Quasar, Drax, etc.etc.etc. I hope these guys show up in the Nova series! Great time to be a space fan (and I wasn't really before this) with Rann-Thanagar War, Adam Strange, Mysteries In Space, Annihilation and now Nova coming up. Oh, and Bru's X-Men. Well, all that except for the Weird back-ups in Annihilation. Those suck.

Buffy: Followed the first 2 or 3 years of the original Dark Horse series, seems like a good time to get back in there. I hope Whedon does some more Fray soon.

Seven: I hope this gets collected in a trade, sounds great!

Uncle Sam: While at some points during the Bludhaven mini I was wondering why I was still buying it, this series has been satisfying from start to almost finish. And they just turned it up to 11 with my old buddy coming back! My first encounter with this guy was in that Destiny's Hand arc in JLA right after Supes died, and I've loved him ever since. I have to admit I never actually picked up his solo series, but I'm sure I'll eventually track it down. He definitely adds something to this team.

Teen Titans: I feel like a creep, but wow, Raven has some nice booty! What is that, Pilates?

Jack Of Fables: I think Willingham has said that this isn't actually the Queen of Hearts over at the Fabletown forums (I think there are some clubs on her outfit, maybe the answer is she's the Queen of Clubs). Either way, great book, and I'm not at all bummed that the last story won't be finished for a few months. This one is better.

Oh, and I have to pick up that antichrist book. Great review here and at X-Axis.

[Snarf5181]

Originally Posted by Brenticles

Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters has been a great read. The characters and the story have all been over the top fun. Don't let any of the politics in the series scare you off from it. It's handled very well. It's safe to say that I am considerably more conservative than the authors but I don't feel preached at or that the series has an underlying agenda. It is balanced and adds to the flavor of a great comic instead of distracting from it.

I am a pretty liberal guy, don't even feel Dems are progresive enough sometimes. While politics are an important part of American life, I don't really love them in my comics. It makes me irritated when I read an issue I feel strongly about shoehorned into a story it doesn't belong in, regardless of whether it matches my views or presents the opposing side. That being said, Uncle Sam definitely does not come off preachy, very well handled.