 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
01-07-2008, 12:56 PM
|
#1 |
|
|
BEST SHOTS: MIGHTY AVENGERS, UNCANNY, TT YEAR ONE, COUNTDOWN, SHARK-MAN AND MORE
 by The Best Shots Team, courtesy of ShotgunReviews.comYour Host: Troy Brownfield Welcome to the first Best Shots column of 2008! After much discussion, we think that we might have accidentally made a deal with Mephisto over drinks at a con this summer, because it seems like we’ve had a couple of team members completely disappear. Anyway . . . Here’s a quick run-down of our advance reviews and Best Shots Extras that ran between last week’s column and now: Ultimate Human #1 The End League #1 ”One More Day” Roundtable The Vlog: Is there a vlog? Right here . . .Mr. Huxford says… “The effects of holiday shipping schedules are almost over, but there's just one last week of books not getting into my hands until Monday. Inspired by Vaneta Rogers' interview with Mark Waid here, I decided to take more of a look at where these fan complaints Waid mentioned might be coming from in the latest issue of THE FLASH. I, also, take a driveby shot at the cluster that was called COUNTDOWN: ARENA. “Now, if only the 1300+ views last week's OMD vlog would carry over to this week, I'd be off on my monotoned plot to rule the world...” Let’s kick things off with a Warning Shot . . . Mighty Avengers #7 drops this week; how’s the landing? Mighty Avengers #7 From: Marvel Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Art: Mark Bagley (with inks by Danny Miki & Crime Lab Studios’ Allen Martinez and Victor Olazaba) Review by Troy Brownfield This issue reads a little bit strangely, primarily because it’s addressing stuff that we’ve already seen covered in other places. We finally see what actually happened when Spider-Woman brought Skrullektra to Tony Stark (placing this just before World War Hulk and Illuminati #5), and the issue ends as the symbiote invasion hits New York (the resolution of which we’ve seen in New Avengers). With the creaky weight of continuity perched upon its head, this issue has to work on good old-fashioned characterization and art. And hey, it does. The opening sequence, pitting an angry, bed-ridden Tony Stark verbally jousting against a righteously indignant Spider-Woman, plays terrifically. Moments like these really do demonstrate the care that Bendis and others have taken with the characters in the past couple of years. Sure, those who haven’t liked the directions of the books will scoff, but the approach has been dynamic and consistent. When Spider-Woman notes that the New Avengers didn’t come to Stark because they believe that he’s the most “skrully” hero of them all these days, his hurt and desperation are palpable (and brilliantly drawn by Bagley). THAT is good shared universe work. Much of the rest of the issue deals with Spider-Woman’s “integration”, and the interior monologue that Tony has regarding trust and paranoia. You really get the feeling that this type of work is exactly what Bendis has been building toward the entire time. It’s fairly riveting. (Also, see if you can spot which characters never have thought balloons; it’s my new favorite Marvel game! Potentially, it could be a Skrull-spotting device; then again, maybe a couple of characters don’t have much inner life. Who knows?) And seeing Bagley’s work here is a treat. I’m sure he’ll do well at DC, but he would have been a great talent to keep on this title. Or New Avengers. Or with his speed, both. Clearly, Bendis and Bagley know each others rhythms, and they make the most out of the character-driven, dialogue-heavy moments. Rock. Solid. Issue.  Uncanny X-Men #494Writer: Ed Brubaker Art: Billy Tan with Danny Miki, Allen Martinez, and Frank D’Armata From: Marvel Comics Review By: Lucas Siegel This tenth chapter of the Messiah Complex storyline started in perhaps the most precarious position of any chapter yet. There are now so many angles to the life of this baby mutant girl and the mysteries and people surrounding her, I can’t imagine it’s easy for the writers and editors to juggle. Luckily, this exceptional team handles it deftly, showing just how to make a great single issue in the midst of a major crossover. I don’t find myself confused at all by any of the interlacing groups and stories in this book. We’re getting just enough of each understory, filling out the overarc perfectly. The dialogue is natural and smooth. While some story elements make the reader frustrated for some of these characters, it’s building a great level of intensity. This is without a doubt the best issue of Uncanny that Brubaker has written, and the character relationships he’s developed are really seeing some payoff now. The twists are definitely not done, as there are some hints toward further betrayals and side-switching to come. The art in this issue was bafflingly good. Billy Tan, since re-inventing his style, has improved upon it more and more. My love for his art is best summed up by the top panel on page 8, where Gambit is tossing some cards. In fact, every time Gambit appears in a panel, it makes me desire a Tan drawn Gambit series more and more. D’Armata’s colors have to be called out, as well. In the many-colored world of the X-Men it would be easy to have muddled and/or drab situations, and we get none. The rendering on Sunfire makes him one of the most dynamic characters seen on comic pages. Really, the only thing bad about this issue for me is figuring out what I like best about it. My favorite character in the issue is Cable, the Cuckoos, Bishop, Layla, Gambit, Sunfire, etc. My favorite scene is the big fight, the future, the introspective shots of Cable, etc. Basically, this is as much as I could ask for out of an X-Men book, and I’m anxious for every issue of this crossover more than the last. With the new development at the end of this issue, chapter 11 should be a whopper.  Teen Titans: Year One #1 (of 6)Written by Amy Wolfram Art by Karl Kerschl, Serge Lapointe & Steph Peru Published by DC Comics Review by Rev. O.J. Flow It's funny that I'm reviewing a Teen Titans book I've been looking forward to for a while now on the same week that I told my local comic shop that they can take the monthly ongoing series of my regular pull list. I've given Teen Titans A LOT of rope over the last year or so because I thought the book was in a lull that was fixable, but redemption's yet to happen despite the fact that I'm perfectly content with the team lineup they've been sporting recently (hindsight being 20/20, I should've dropped this book once the "Titans East" story wrapped up). The current book has lacked a considerable amount of joy and exuberance, some key elements I believe are mandatory for any book featuring the DC Universe's best and brightest youthful superheroes. The fact that these expectations were pretty much met at the onset here is why I'm certain I'll be picking up all six issues of Teen Titans: Year One. It's going to take a couple more issues before I'm ready to declare that this limited series spearheaded by writer Amy Wolfram and artist Karl Kerschl has all of the answers, but they're clearly taking things in the right direction. The Teen Titans' origins were definitely due for a retelling for the 21st century. Recalling what I read when I was a ravenous New Teen Titans junkie back in the 1980s, the founding members' story was barely hit on, if at all. If the DC hierarchy can reboot the Superman story every ten to twenty years, there's no reason why this story can't be retold every other generation. Unfortunately this first issue of Teen Titans: Year One gives the reader very little to work with in terms of the big picture tale we're presumably getting. It's pure set-up, really. The overall production is stellar, and should it hold up for all six issues, I'm sure I'll be mentioning this at the end of 2008 when discussing the best of the year. Kerschl, an artist I became a fan of quickly when he was illustrating Adventures of Superman, is unequivocally one of DC's best artists right now, and they'd be doing themselves as well as the readers a disservice to not put him on something high-profile when this miniseries wraps. His line work (with great accompaniment by Serge Lapointe and Steph Peru) brings this material to animated life, much in the same way we've seen from Josh Middleton. I very easily envisioned most every scene as if it was being played out on the small screen. And I'm not quite ready to pass judgment on Wolfram's comic book writing, but I found it interesting that the respective voices she's found for Dick Grayson as Robin and Wally West as Kid Flash are not unlike their more recent contemporaries, Tim Drake and the late Bart Allen. Getting back to what I thought was the only book's shortcoming, I did feel that this first chapter of "In the Beginning..." was lacking in enough exposition that I feel is essential for a debut issue. Not to say that every "Year One" project has to be strictly entry-level, but I found myself asking too many questions about the status of two of the four (or is it five?) Teen Titans who got coverage in issue #1. As many times as DC's taken a stab at it, I'm still not sure exactly Who is Donna Troy?, but the two pages Wonder Girl gets here did very little to give this reader an idea of what got her to the point from where we're introduced to her in "the big city." Her astonishment and adulation of the first boy she meets does little to address that too. As for Aqualad, I dig the heck out of Kerschl's design touches on Garth, making him a little "fishy," so to speak, but his intro makes him out to be as easy to rattle as little Nemo (also the only hint I'll offer regarding the possible fifth Titan I mentioned earlier). Good thing the next issue blurb informs us that Garth is the focus of issue #2, because his encounter with Aquaman also fails to provide ample insight. All signs point to the mentors being under some sort of malicious control, though. Batman, the senior circuit hero featured most in this chapter, comes across as his usual gruff self early on, but it's clear by the end that there's a lot more to his vengeful displays toward cat burglars and his young ward. All things considered, there is definitely enough to recommend about Teen Titans: Year One, and I'm glad I didn't have to go full blown cold turkey on this team after giving up on the monthly book. This satiates me just fine for now, thank you very much.  Countdown to Final Crisis #17From: DC Writers: Paul Dini (Head Writer) with Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray (script) Art: Ron Lim with Jimmy Palmiotti Review by Troy Brownfield I’ve been reading DC’s big-event minis for years, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that, for me, Countdown continues to rank extremely low on the big list. I’d put it above Genesis, but below Millennium. Every time that I check in with the book, it fails for me in almost every major category. I wonder about that. Clearly, Paul Dini is a talent, based on his work on Detective, the Batman animated series, and things like Lost. Palmiotti and Gray are a strong team, giving us books like Jonah Hex and Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters; more often that not, they are successful. And I’ve been known to say good things about the art of Ron Lim. With all of these people aboard for this issue, why is it still bad? It’s the story. How’s that? Well, the story of Countdown is . . . that there isn’t a story. There are random events strung together in a kind of order. There is the shuffling of pieces to align things for a later mini-series (and how woeful the irony is of that juxtaposed with the recurring, and creakingly old, motif of Darkseid’s chessboard). But taken together, Countdown doesn’t have a story. It might function on a basic level of imitating a story because there are characters and events, but there is nothing at the center that makes this a real narrative. Even if you isolated one plot strand as “the story” and wrote off the others as “snapshots of the DCU”, they still don’t possess that much strength. I know there will be people that challenge this thought, but name another event from DC and I’ll tell you “the story”. Invasion? Well, an alliance of aliens invade and the only thing in their way are Earth’s heroes! Millennium? Earth will be home to the next step of evolution in the cosmos, and the Manhunters are so against that, they’ve had agents waiting for centuries to stop both evolution and Earth’s heroes! Countdown? 52 sold really well, and Grant and J.G. aren’t the fastest team, so we need to kill a year with lead-in! Also, it seems that like every time someone runs into a good idea or story beat, it’s immediately ground under the heel of editorial mandates in a wave of character-killing that limits rather than expands the DCU. When it was decided that the 52 Earths would revisit a number of Elseworlds situations, it wasn’t long before those characters were fighting to the death in Arena. When we saw a world where the good guys were winning, Superman-Prime incinerates a pregnant woman then kills the whole planet. And now, there’s this issue: Earth-51, the issue where the Silver Age won. That would have been a brilliant thing to hold on to. With many fans lamenting the loss of light and frivolity in the DCU, it would have been great to have DC keep this world around for a bit to revisit and tell stories in specials. Who knows? It may have been successful, and a way to appeal to different ages of fans. So what do they do? Kill characters left and right and make “our” Ray Palmer run. Again. Yeah, that’s great. You see, I understand killing characters. I understand when a death has dramatic impact, and I understand when it makes sense. Here, it makes no sense. Part of that lack of sense comes on the back of the plot piece we were given last week: Bob is bad. The issue tries to make a case for Bob always having been bad, but it falls apart in the face of past bits of dialogue and flat-out not playing fair with the readership. Sure, you could have guessed that Bob would really be bad because it’s such a stark raving cliché, but there are no real clues based on what actually saw print to make that clear (though I’m sure we’ll hear the chestnut from apologists about it being explained in an interview; let me make this clear: if the basic elements of a story have to be explained in an interview, then that story failed). There are other things that happen in the issue as more pieces are shuffled. Mary washes up on Granny’s Island of Misfit Amazons. Monarch’s guys kill people. It’s not exciting or engaging or cool. It just sits there like a lump. We’ve had thirty-five issues of this, and I can’t fathom where it’ll lead in to anything that Morrison will do in any way (except possibly the Kirby stuff). 52 was a tremendous success, both financially and artistically. Its pale imitator, Countdown, may still be selling some copies for DC, but in every way that really counts, it remains a dismal failure. Post-Script, of sorts: I already know that we’ll get a few posts of the variety of “You don’t like Countdown; we get it” or “If you don’t like it, why review it?” Well, it’s like this: when a book purports to be the spine of a company’s offerings for fifty-two weeks, then we need to look at it occasionally. When it’s this bad this often, then we need to say it very clearly. DC made a mistake with this book, DC is making mistakes with other books where editorial patchwork trumps the vision of competent writers, and we’d like to see them quit making the same kinds of mistakes.  Shark-Man #1Writer: Steve Pugh Artist: Steve Pugh Image Comics Review By: Jeff Marsick Steve Pugh has a lot of ideas for his aquatic hero, Shark-Man, and while his enthusiasm is indeed admirable, I wish he had not tried to cram every one of them into this debut issue’s (actually a RE-debut, now at Image vice Atomeka) twenty-nine pages. A book that could have been described as “electrifying” is in reality more “mildly interesting” not just because of the derivative basis of the titular character, but also the disjointed and sometimes confusing storytelling. Shark-Man is one Alan Gaskill, a Bruce Wayne giga-billionaire doppelganger, who happens to also be the founder of a little megalopolis called New Venice City. We are not privy to what happened to the OLD Venice City that precipitated the necessity for a NEW one, or why a city with canals instead of roads and buildings connected by bridges instead of streets is considered a utopia, but it sure looks purty under the setting sun. And expensive. When he’s not blowing his trust fund on expanding New V.C.’s stalagmitic skyline, Alan patrols the shipping lanes in his hammerhead shark-shaped submarine as the costumed Shark-Man, a sort of Jet Jaguar of the seven seas. He prowls not just for pirates to punish but also to capture an elusive Carcharadon megaladon that could probably swallow Pittsburgh in a gulp. Mr. Pugh shies from the standard first issue fare, namely the protracted main character’s origin, by dropping us in the middle of a program already in progress where Shark-Man is on scene after pirates have decimated a cruise ship and killed over five thousand people. Adding a degree of difficulty is that the central bank of New Venice, of which Alan is CEO, is simultaneously being drained dry. It is supposedly an impregnable bank where apparently only one person has the password to the Enron program: Alan Gaskill With an APB too quickly put on his head and his secret cave torpedoed by…someone, it is not clear who, Alan then runs afoul of his nemesis the Shadow-King, a fight ensues, the police arrive, as does Alan’s son, and we are left with a pretty good bet who is going to find themselves unjustly behind bars come next issue when the Sea Witch (“The Baddest Bitch In The Seven Seas”, so sayeth the letters page) comes a-callin’. The artwork is so terrific that I WANTED to like this issue, that I WANTED to look forward to this series. It is very Alex Ross, without being as thoroughly polished, and the colors are so bright and bold that the action just seems to jump off the page. That Alan’s son’s girlfriend, Jenny, resembles (I don’t know if it’s intentional or if it’s simply a manifestation of my own preoccupation) Jessica Alba is like extra sugar on top. Visually, it is some fantastic work. It is so good, in fact, that I can even overlook the herky-jerky storytelling where the reader is yanked from one scene to another with barely enough dots laid out for one to eke out a connection and paint a picture of what is going on and who all the players are and how they play a part in the grand scheme. I can even bypass the flimsy logic that transforms Alan from city father to wanted felon. No, what traps me is the book’s fatal flaw: that Shark-Man is wholly unoriginal from being SO clearly and closely a Batman clone. Everything from the secret cave with (I’m supposing) the Shark-Computer, to the dutiful and smartly dressed elderly manservant named Edgar, to a bank account apparently thrice the GDP of China and the city—HIS city—he has nurtured and protected and rebuilt, down to a vehicle that too closely resembles anything prefixed with the word ‘Bat’. There’s even a psychotic villain with a Heat Miser colored coiff, ghoulish prison pallor, and dentata ridiculum named Gynplaine. For those of you playing at home, that’s Conrand Veidt’s character from Hugo’s “The Man Who Laughs”, the inspiration for Finger and Robinson’s original Joker. (Some could argue that the New Venice City idea is a Sub-Diego rip-off from Aquaman, but I would disagree; this is probably what Aquaman should have ripped off.) In the end, the lack of originality is truly a shame. I had high hopes that the title’s move from Atomeka to Image would carry with it a modicum of retooling that would really set it apart from anything out there. With nearly no aquatic characters on the racks today (Peter David’s Aquaman…how we miss thee!) and the ocean a virtually untapped source of amazing story potential, Shark-Man could be a unique thrill-ride with a crazy-cool main character. Instead, the creative team chose to turn on autopilot and follow a recipe, turning out another rich-playboy-by-day, secret-super-hero-by-night, wanted-for-a-crime-he-didn’t-commit copy only with different names. I’m not looking for Shakespeare, only a little more flexing of the imagination.  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Vol. 8: Forces of NatureWriter: Peter David Artist: Pop Mhan From: Marvel Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco Remember how excited you were when Peter David was announced as the newest Spider-Man writer, one who would be getting his very own new Spider-title, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man? Then remember how disappointed you were when you found out that his first issue would be part of crossover story “The Other,” and that much of the title’s short life would be in service of the non-stop crossover affecting Amazing Spider-Man? (Or was it just me?) Thank God for Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, which has allowed for David-penned tales of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, unencumbered by arm spikes, costume changes or Civil War fall-out. This ridiculously cheap digest (less than $2 per issue!) collects the next four David stories from MA Spider-Man, all drawn by David’s Spy Boy collaborator Pop Mhan. As in the last all-David digest (Vol. 5: Monsters on the Prowl), this one consists of four stand-alone stories tied together with a theme. Each sets Spidey up against a different guest villain representing one of the four elements. First, he must foil a museum robbery while avoiding the petrifying powers of the Grey Gargoyle (with Flash and Liz getting in the way). Then there’s a Thanksgiving story starring Whirlwind, a fiery encounter with mutant Pyro (who in a neat twist hijacks the Human Torch) and a battle against Hydro-Man. All four stories highlight David’s strengths and weaknesses as a writer, but it’s safe to say if you’re a fan of the man, there’s a lot to like here. Each story is tightly constructed, standing perfectly well on its own, with a beginning, middle and usually rather clever ending (Particularly the Pyro story). The characters are all strong, and at least some of David’s puns and jokes are funny (although if you find his sense of humor a bit much, you’re probably not going to dig these stories). I wouldn’t have pegged Mhan as the ideal Spider-Man artist, since the hero lacks a face or hair and can be tough to nail down, but Mhan acquits himself quite nicely, drawing a great Peter Parker and great civilians, and doing just fine with the costumed characters (the lines of green wind emanating in a busy aura around Whirlwind are especially cool). I’ve long enjoyed much of the Marvel Adventures line, finding it to be all-ages in the best sense of the word (that is, designed to actually appeal to readers of all-ages, not just kids), but the two David-written volumes are almost certainly the two Spider-Man digests Marvel Universe fans are most likely to dig. And hey, check it out—no continuity was harmed in the creation of these comics featuring young, unmarried, down-on-his-luck, living-with-Aunt May Peter Parker, Spider-Man!  Justice League Unlimited #41Writer: Grace Randolph Artist: Dario Brizuela From: DC Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco Comedian/actress/writer Grace Randolph makes her superhero debut with this issue of JLU, and it’s quite a strong one. The quality of this particular title tends to be a bit of a roller coaster, given the fact that the creative teams change even more often than the particular characters starring in the issues, and the artists are almost always hamstrung to a certain extent by having to hew rather closely to the Bruce Timm-style character designs, but this is one of the stronger issues I’ve read in a while. The plot is essentially that The Joker and Harley Quinn from the old Batman: The Animated Series cartoon decide to invade the more recent Justice League Unlimited cartoon, and everyone takes their cues from old Loony Tunes. Joker is a bit down that Batman hasn’t been spending much time fighting him since he joined the Justice League, and the anniversary of their first battle is coming up soon. To cheer him up, Harley suggests they prepare a surprise for Bats on the League’s Watchtower, where the only opposition they face is pretty C-List (Elongated Man, Zatanna, Casual Wear Hawkgirl and Crimson Avenger). Randolph manages a pretty clever gag every page or two, as the super-powered heroes find themselves having trouble taking down two villains who don’t have powers who are “using rubber chickens as a weapon.” There are a lot of individual scenes that work quite well—Batman’s quarters, the Joker trying on a cape and cowl ensemble, Crimson Avenger and Harley trying to intimidate one another with increasingly large guns—but the whole works quite well as an exploration of what makes The Joker and Harley such good super-villains. Akiko: Flights of Fancy – the High Flying Expanded Edition Written & Illustrated by Mark Crilley Published by Sirius Reviewed by Michael C Lorah If you’re not familiar with Mark Crilley’s Akiko, indisputably one of the great all-ages adventure comic book series of all time, I’m not necessarily going to recommend this volume as the best place to start reading. Certainly any of the other seven collections will give you a better idea of how exciting, hilarious and wonderfully engaging Akiko and friends’ adventures are, ranging from the epic rescue quest of The Alia Rellapor Trilogy to the sci-fi adventurism of The Battle of Boach’s Keep, or the everything-goes-wrong humor of Stranded in Komura and Moonshopping. If you’re familiar with Crilley’s excellent cartooning, superb artwork and terrifically imaginative alien and architectural character designs, but you haven’t read this volume, however, you really need to do so. If you’re not familiar with the series, but appreciate the above traits, you’re certain to find plenty of reasons to enjoy this volume as well. Collecting the stand-alone issues of the Akiko comic series, plus all of the back-up illustrations and strips that appeared during the course of the comics’ 52-issue run, Flights of Fancy – the High-Flying Expanded Edition showcases Crilley’s creativity without any constraints. The pin-ups show Crilley’s versatility as an artist, ranging from loose cartoony pieces that demonstrate his ability to design memorable alien cities to impressionist outdoor sketches that allow you to actually feel the cool breeze. The short stories, including one-page ditties and stretching up to 20-page humorist adventures, are all very well paced, with strong dialogue and storytelling that ratchets up the drama when called for, yet hits the right humorous notes with equal ease. He also offers convincing tributes to several contemporaries by drawing in the styles of Jeff Smith, Stan Sakai, Jill Thompson, Charles Vess and Linda Medley (all of whom toured conventions together a decade ago). The book’s highlight is probably Akiko #39, a stand-alone issue that features several strips all running parallel to each other on a single page. Not only does each strip work on its own, but Crilley also imbues each with its own distinct illustrative style, and the climactic crossover of Spuckler’s deadly pursuit combined with Akiko’s meditative discussion on the value of a revered comic must be seen to be believed! To any reader who enjoys hilarious adventure comics, tinged with the sci-fi and magic of fourth grade existence, or to anybody who simply appreciates quality cartooning, Akiko: Flights of Fancy – the Expanded High-Flying Edition should be mandatory reading.  The Death and Return of Superman OmnibusWritten by Louise Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Karl Kesel and Roger Stern, with Gerard Jones Illustrated by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke, Jurgens and Brett Breeding, Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood, and Jackson Guice and Denis Rodier, with M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal and Rick Burchett, plus Gene D’Angelo, Anthony Tollin, Glenn Whitmore, John Costanza, Albert DeGuzman, Bill Oakley and Willie Schubert. Published by DC Comics Reviewed by Michael C Lorah You’ve probably heard of this story. Death of Superman (the trade paperback, not the issue) is the comic book that finally pushed me from comics curious to actual comics reader, so I was intrigued when DC Comics recently issued a new edition of this historic (for personal and other reasons) saga, compiling the complete Death and Return, and parts of World Without, into a single massive (nearly 800 pages) hardcover book. Let’s start with the format. The book is well put together. The binding is sturdy and I can vouch for its ability to survive lengthy car trips and reading less than ideal circumstances. The art and coloring look good, though some readers might certainly prefer upgraded paper stock to match the upgraded cover price ($75). The story cuts need to be addressed, however. Surprisingly, despite losing over half of the Funeral for a Friend storyline, the middle portion of the story does read well. If you’re familiar with the Funeral storyline, this book includes the direct aftermath of the battle, including the attempts to resuscitate Superman, almost all of the Lois/Pa/Ma Kent mourning scenes, the guest-star filled funeral, Pa’s heart attack, and Pa and Clark’s journey in the afterlife. Everything else - including the theft of Superman’s corpse, the attempts by Guardian, Gangbuster and Supergirl to fill Metropolis’s superhero void, the powerful Metropolis Mailbag issue, even Lex Luthor’s fury about losing his chance to kill Superman himself – was left on the editing room floor. The story does, as I said, read surprisingly clearly despite the cuts – except for one reference to Superman’s body having been stolen, made by Pa right before his heart attack – but it’s certainly disappointing to lose the full effect of witnessing the world struggle on without its greatest hero. So it’s hard to fault the cuts if I consider that the story makes sense with the excisions, but as a definitive collection of a defining Superman story, I have to be disappointed to lose as much of the story as we did. A 1000+ pages collection would’ve been more satisfying, even if the page count would’ve pushed the price into a ludicrous orbit. The bonus material, featuring comments from nearly the entire creative team, is interesting but not exceptional. Most of the comments have already been noted in various interviews, including discussions of how the news media leapt all over the announcement and turned another piece of the seven-decade Superman saga into the highest profile comic book storyline of all time. As for the story itself, you’ve probably read it in some form or another, but it ages extremely well. Yeah, the slugfest between Superman and Doomsday is a little long, six issues of relentless action, but it’s terrific action and really gives the reader an idea of how much it takes to bring Superman down. The Reign of the Supermen is still an intricate puzzle, with each of the four would-be replacement Supermen developed convincingly, showing how difficult it is to reach the Superman ideal and how impossible it would be to replace the real deal. The twists still make sense and dovetail together believably, the destruction of Coast City still gives chills, the Eradicator’s explanation of Superman’s rebirth is as plausible as possible, and Superman’s triumph still thrills. In short, the story is still a great ride. To this reader, the omnibus hardcover is never going to be the ideal version of the story (Jeff Smith’s one-volume edition of Bone remains the standard for gargantuan single-story compilations) and will be re-visited far less often than the original three-volume trade paperback collections; however, The Death and Return of Superman manages to entertain.  Final Destination: Spring Break TPBFrom: Zenescope Written by: Mike Kalvoda Art: Lan Medina & Rodel Noora Reviewed by Tim Janson I’ll be the first to admit, I was not the biggest fan of the Final Destination films. The first was pretty cool and different but the sequels were just more of the same. The only thing different was the new and inventive way of killing people who had escaped death and I suspect that this was the major appeal for horror fans. So, when I sat down to read the Final Destination: Spring Break trade paperback, my expectations were not that high. The book reprints the five issue series from Zenescope and closely follows the style of the films. A group of hot, young students are on Spring break down in Cancun when one of their members, Carly, has a vision of an explosion at the hotel where they are staying. Her friends play it off as perhaps a nightmare but they humor her by getting out of the hotel…which of course explodes due to a gas leak. Their group of seven escaped the destruction, as did three other people who overhead Carly talking about her premonition. Soon though, Death begins to strike at the survivors one-by-one, in horrifying ways: Kris is killed when he falls into a motorboat’s propeller; Katie dies from Mercury Poisoning when her thermometer leaks; Jake gets a shard of glass from a glass-bottom boat down his throat; and so on…While I’ll still never like the films that much, I have to give writer Mike Kalvoda due credit. He has definitely captured the spirit of the films quite well, especially the overall tone of helplessness as each of the friends begins to realize that there is simply no escaping death. Highlighting the book was sensational art by Lan Medina who handled issues #1 – 3 and Rodel Noora who did the final two issues. They managed to give readers some remarkably beautiful and sexy women as well as some very gruesome death scenes. I look forward to seeing more from both of them in the future. Fans of the films and horror in general should give this title a look.  Alter Ego Magazine #74From: TwoMorrows Publishing Edited by: Roy Thomas Reviewed by Tim Janson TwoMorrows is one of my favorite publishers. As a comic book fan, how can you not love a company whose every publication is about comic books and geared towards die-hard comic book fans. Roy Thomas’ Alter Ego fanzine/magazine has bee around for over 40 years and it’s always one of my most enjoyable reads because of Thomas’ abundant knowledge and enthusiasm. The latest issue, #74, is a special 85th birthday tribute to Stan Lee. Stan…85 years old? Is that even possible? I would hazard to guess that without Stan Lee, many of us would not be comic book fans today. Rather than provide a new interview with Lee (and his memory is notoriously bad as Thomas points out) Alter Ego instead reprints of various interviews that Stan has given over the years. Thomas has carefully selected these and as a result, there’s little in the way of duplication of topics. The first interview was originally published in the horror movie magazine Castle of Frankenstein back in 1965, at a time when the Marvel machine was getting into high gear. The interviewer, Ted White, provides a brand new intro to the interview, explaining how it all came about. One of the things they discuss is the old Marvel Super-Heroes TV show. These were the one’s that utilized actual comic book art with limited animation. Those shows were a staple in my after-school viewing in the 70’s. Next up is an interview Stan did with Changes Magazine in 1970. It’s probably the best interview in the magazine in my opinion as interviewer Mike Bourne probes Stan on issues of the Comics Code, minority super heroes, violence in comics, and whether titles like Sgt. Fury glamorized war. Stan is extremely forthcoming in his answers. Interestingly, even in 1970, Stan had wanted to do a line of comics geared to adults but could not convince the “powers-that-be”. There’s another interview with Stan from Comics Feature Magazine from 1974 as well as an interview with Golden Age Timely artist Pete Tumlinson who reminisces about working for Stan after World War II on such characters as Blonde Phantom and Kid Colt. Besides the interviews, there’s a number of other articles on Stan, notably the one that focuses on Stan’s many cameo appearances in Marvel Comics over the years. Just as he has appeared in several films, Stan (and Marvel’s artists) liked to stick him into the comics as well. From Millie the Model to the X-Men, Stan could turn up almost anywhere. One magazine can’t do Stan Lee’s nearly 70 year career in comics justice, but it’s a great start and a great magazine. Pellet Reviews! Acme Novelty Library vol. 18 (Drawn & Quarterly; by Mike): At first glance, this tale of a crippled girl who recalls being accidentally impregnated and goes through the emotional turmoil of an abortion, while lamenting the loss of the boyfriend who broke her heart sounds like the most melodramatic, college-creative-writing cliché dross. That the story works 95% of the time is a testament to Chris Ware’s craft. The intense design work engages the reader and demands your involvement, pulling you into the story despite yourself, and Ware adds plenty of small character touches to flesh his characters out. Ware’s a master of putting together a page in engaging fashion, and though I sometimes wish his characters showed a more varied emotional range, his ability to capture the somberness of heartbreak and melancholy is second to none. Plus, the book is a beautiful package. Standard trade-dress collections need to take notice how nice a book should look on your shelf. X-Factor vol. 2: Life & Death Matters (Marvel; by Mike): This volume manages to capture everything that I love and everything that I hate about modern superhero comics. The love comes from Peter David’s ability to come up with novel twists that flow elegantly from the characters – Madrox’s inability to make decisions or the chaos of his personal “x-factor”; Siryn’s denial of her father’s death (he’s a superhero, and we know how permanent their deaths are!); Layla’s humorous asides; Rictor’s slick plan to get the better of Singularity Investigations... The hate stems from the introduction of story elements that make no damn sense. Why do the X-Men lie to their friends about the Decimation event? I understand the logic of hiding the truth from the public at large, but aside from causing a dramatic stand-off in this story, what’s gained by hiding it from X-Factor, their long-time allies? Then there’s Quicksilver, who’s gained powers and motivations that I cannot begin to fathom. Also, the story would probably read better if the trade was meatier, rather than the current six-issue standard collection, but a few unwelcome shared universe intrusions aside, X-Factor remains a good read. Doctor 13: Architecture & Mortality (DC; by Mike): Even if you took away the meta-textual brilliance of having a roster of massively lame characters fighting DC’s top writers for their place in the modern (i.e. “realistic”) DC Universe, writer Brian Azzarello and superb artist Cliff Chiang still turned in one of the most pun-intensively hilarious, loose-logic crazy, fast-moving adventure stories in a long, long time. The continuing adventures of Team 13 is a comic I’d not hesitate to buy. The Darkness #1 (Top Cow Productions, Reviewed by Tim Janson). In the wake of the First Born storyline, the Top Cow universe is getting a makeover with changes to existing titles, new titles, and a re-boot of The Darkness. The first issue gives a little history of the original Darkness and its hold over the lineage that the current wielder of the Darkness, Jackie Estacado, belongs to. Estacado has fled the United States and taken up residence in the tiny South American country of Sierra Munoz. He’s ousted the previous dictator and now HE runs the country. Welcomed as a conquering hero by most of the people, not all are enamored with him. It hasn’t taken Jackie long to set up a new criminal empire and explore very new and interesting ways to utilize his unique powers. He’s used the Darkness to create a new, synthetic drug that make Ecstasy look like candy. Some very interesting changes are taking place with Estacado as he becomes more and more a part of the Darkness. I’ll be interested to see where writer Phil Hester goes with the new title. Army of Darkness #5 (Dynamite; by Troy): After a somewhat lackluster issue four, AOD picks back up with the new status quo (as status as this book’s quo gets, anyway). James Kuhoric is now co-writing with Mike Raicht, and they’ve injected some more strength into the character of Sheila (and it’s a welcome change). Fernando Blanco is still doing a fine job on art, and his depiction of four familiar new menaces is really sharp. Inasmuch as Ash’s particular qualities are appealing, he’s been around in comics for a bit, and I’d now like to see him experience a little more growth. The Boys #14 (Dynamite; by Troy): Love Sausage gets action! No, you haven’t jumped over to AVN by mistake. The inappropriate Russian super-hero finally gets to throw down as he and Wee Hughie race to save the day. This one has a couple of nice turns, with Billy Butcher demonstrating some steely conviction. Many (including me) have tended to focus on the more sensational aspects of the book, but Ennis and Robertson (and guest artist Peter Snejbjerg) have been exploring honest issues about the danger of unchecked power. Frankly, I hope that they stick with this book for a while. Detective Comics #840 (DC Comics; review by O.J.): I didn't hold back last November that I thought the overall "Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" crossover was lousy, but it may have been a little more salvageable had the books involved contained even a fraction of the craftsmanship and nuance that this epilogue to that story has. I'm not totally sold on the end result that has Batman settling the score with Ra's (in his new albino incarnation), after he has the chutzpah to set up shop in Gotham, mainly because it seems a bit beneath the Dark Knight to resort to such medicinal methods for a potentially long-term solution. But we at least get some of the skilled storytelling from Paul Dini that's made this book a keeper for a while now, and the new art squad of Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs are proving worthy of the assignment. The best news that comes from this issue is that we can finally put the drawn out "Resurrection" behind us (for a crossover that was mercifully brief, it sure felt like it dragged out, no?), and this book is none the worse for wear after the quagmire it was immersed in to end 2007. It's definitely back to being the best Batman book in print right now. Best Shots is brought to you by Newsarama, ShotgunReviews.com and the number 3.14159265358979323846264338327950. In addition to reviews and articles across the pop culture spectrum, The Shotgun hosts “Shots in the Dark”, a weekly internet radio show. Check out www.shotgunreviews.com, www.shotgunreviews.com/shots and www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews.com at your leisure. |
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:20 PM
|
#2 |
|
|
Countdown
Troy I remember millennium countdown worse than that? I agree Countdown is a mashup....and everytime I think it gets better they revert to a crappy course...I really hate this series, but I find myself compelled to pick it up and see it through till the end....Millennium...I didn't feel so compelled to.
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:21 PM
|
#3 |
|
|
cool reviews troy and gang,
I don't agree with your countdown review, if anything the last few weeks have been the better issues, anyways, my fightning spirit defending countdown is dwindling these days, i just don't have the time or patience writing long posts for everytime somebody says something negative about countdown or the countdown brand. That;s grand, i'll keep reading your reviews. |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:23 PM
|
#4 | |
|
|
Quote:
it's the armour, that Talia gave him, it's corrupted him. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:24 PM
|
#5 |
|
|
Re: The Death of Superman Omnibus
Can I just go ahead and say how incredibly disappointed I was in this purchase. I am a Superman NUT!! I have all of the original issues, but none of the trades for this story, so I was extatic to have this collected for me in a hardback edition. $75 was a worthy price to get it all plus some commentary. I was suprememly disheartened by the horrible paper quality and the fact that they took out so much of the Funeral for a Friend. What a joke!! And the fact that they felt the need to put an advertisement on the slip cover for the new DVD made it even worse!! They had it shrink wrapped, just put it on a sticker, don't dirty up my expensive book. I would have rather waited for the $100 Ultimate Edition that will no doubt come out. Boo on you DC. |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:33 PM
|
#6 |
|
|
Interesting thoughts on Countdown, especially the one-line-summary notion - I really think 98% of the boost Marvel got from Civil War (like it or not, it did very well, especially early on) was due to exactly that, it was a concept that could be explained in a couple of lines. I remember in the early issues of Countdown trying to work out why I hadn't felt like reading it, after getting into 52 in such a big way, and simply not knowing what it was about was probably the biggest factor I came up with. At any rate, congrats on offering constructive criticism, always a good sign in a negative review.
Mighty sounds sweet - I've been right with the book since issue one, it's good to see it was a smart move. |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:35 PM
|
#7 |
|
|
Mesiah Complex
Red hair and green eyes.
I guess the messiah baby reminds me of someone... |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:36 PM
|
#8 | |
|
|
Quote:
To be fair, the two points you bring up (the secrecy of M-Day and Quicksilver's characterization) aren't really a fault of X-Factor's but of the larger X-Men universe (if they must be called faults). In its first year, X-Factor was the book that dealt with fallout from House of M and Son of M, major events that the core X-Men books apparently weren't addressing at the time. It's my understanding that when fans seemed lukewarm about the M-Day fallout, David decided to veer away from that plot point and tell other stories. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:45 PM
|
#9 | |
|
|
Quote:
I couldn't agree more. I had no plans to pick up this book, but I was so taken aback by the advertisement on a supposedly high-end collector's edition that I felt bad for the people that wanted it. They took what should have been a nice keepsake collection and packaged it with all the class of a tabloid magazine cover. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:46 PM
|
#10 | |
|
|
Quote:
  |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 01:58 PM
|
#11 | |
|
|
Quote:
I agree with you 100% granted I found mine used and bought it for 30, but the idea of leaving out the Adventures of Superman stories just because they featured Matrix was just ridiculous. Marvel is ahead of the game with their Omnibus...err Omnibuses....ummm Omnibi releases. I too would have waited for an Absolute release. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:02 PM
|
#12 | |
|
|
Quote:
I had to google that because I didn' t know who Patti Scialfa is...  |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:08 PM
|
#13 | |
|
|
Quote:
Howabout....Countdown? A Great Disaster is coming, and only the heroes can save the multiverse...but how can they stop what they don't even know about? I could make up about five others, but I'm lazy and I've got my own work to do. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:13 PM
|
#14 |
|
|
Mighty Avengers
how many times has the Sentry seen/think that his wife Lindy is dead?
maybe she's a Skrull and when she dies another replaces her I would have had Carnage come back and kill his wife  |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:16 PM
|
#15 |
|
|
Funeral for a Freind was BY FAR the best part of the whole Death of Superman super-arc.
Cutting any of it is a poor decision. |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:18 PM
|
#16 | |
|
|
Quote:
Yeah I agree. Millenium AND Genesis? Someone needs to reread how bad those crossovers were. This ain't in those leagues by a longshot. This is strictly somewhere in the middle |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:19 PM
|
#17 | |
|
|
Troy, I couldn't have agreed with your Countdown review more. When they described it as the "spine of the DCU," I assumed there'd be a story to go along with it. Apparently, I was mistaken.
Quote:
Davy |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:28 PM
|
#18 | |
|
|
Quote:
MattB |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:34 PM
|
#19 |
|
|
The problem with the Countdown review is that it isn't a review of this issue. It mentions a few details of the issue in a paragraph or two, but for the most part it's just a long commentary on Countdown in general. There are already tons of forum posts doing that every week.
Take a look at the review. 90% of it could be cut and pasted into a review of last week's issue of Countdown, and the review before that, and before that, back for dozens of issues. There's actually very little in the review that tells you how this issue compares to any other issue of Countdown, any other comic, are even just how well the individual elements of the issue work. If Countdown isn't working for you in general, that's fine. But don't forget to review the individual issues in the issue reviews. |
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:41 PM
|
#20 | |
|
|
Quote:
This is garbage. For weeks it seems the Best Shots team would not say anything about Countdown until recently. It looked like the “Best Shots” team had written off Countdown. Fine you torn DC a new one on Countdown, but your reviews on Countdown have no semblance of objectivity or credibility now. Contrary to your feeling, there in no way was an overwhelming need for the Best Shots Team to review Countdown. If it was that important as you say, maybe you should have conducted done your reviews in a way that you could approach the book with some objectivity later on. The way the book was paned there was no way for you to look at the book again with any credibility. I understand that not everyone is enjoying Countdown. But if DC has to live with editorial decisions they make so should the Best Shot Team. If you feel the need to say DC needs to heed the “constructive criticism” on Countdown, maybe the Best Shots team should stop and think when they know people will say “We get it already.” to the review. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:47 PM
|
#21 | |
|
|
Quote:
Matt!!! You got me in trouble at work.  My boss yelled at me for laughing to loud she dies all the freaking time, doesn't anyone notice this  , she dies and when he comes back she's normal like nothing happened, no one notices this???? |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:47 PM
|
#22 | |
|
|
Quote:
I liked this game, so I came up with some more: How 'bout: "Countdown, where pacing, story and characterization don't matter (hey, we'll get to some of that in the mini we're counting down to -- Final Crisis)" Or another: "Countdown. The horror that was the story 'Amazons Attack' finally MIGHT wind down somewhere outside of either the WW book or the actual 'Amazons Attack' mini. And some other weird stuff happens with the New Gods, who also have their own mini, which may or may not require you to read Countdown. And tasteless gay jokes get told under the pretense of enlightening about homophobia, only wtihout any real exploration of said homophobia, leaving the jokes to just stand on their own. And oh yeah, Mary Marvel gets evil but doesn't kill, except when her actions lead to the deaths of others, which we promise didn't happen (even if the story makes it look like it did)." Or my favorite: "Countdown. Paul Dini is a Skrull!" See? Fun for the whole family! Davy |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 02:50 PM
|
#23 | |
|
|
Quote:
For the ten millionth time: reviews aren't supposed to be objective like straight reporting. They are subjective by nature. I also think it's kind of funny that you read the Post-Script and responded with the same kind of approach anyway. In terms of credibility, I don't think that writing another negative review of Countdown and recounting what's wrong with the series 35 issues in hurts my credibility at all. I have stated what my problems are, I have recounted why this series is hurtful to the DCU, and I have been consistent in my presentation. If you don't like what I have to say, that's fine, but your disagreement with my opinion doesn't make me any less credible. |
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 03:14 PM
|
#24 |
|
|
Concerning TEEN TITANS: YEAR ONE #1, I completely agree that Amy Wolfram is writing Dick Grayson like Tim Drake and Wally West like Bart Allen, but I did enjoy the scenes where Wally is waiting impatiently for an instant message response that never comes and where he races over to France just for a box of fries.
|
|
|
|
01-07-2008, 03:18 PM
|
#25 | |
|
|
Quote:
I loved Millenium! It was my first crossover series - I got every issue + crossovers (which was hard since I was grounded off comics because my marks were so bad in grade 8 - still managed to get everything even though I had no way of getting to a comic shop on my own). Good stuff (might be nostalgia, but I have fond memories). The spin off series was awful - the one with the characters created by something something - don't remember but it was awful. |
|
|
|
|
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:41 PM.
