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02-25-2008, 01:20 PM
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BEST SHOTS: BEST SHOTS: FREAK ANGELS, MADAME MIRAGE, INCREDIBLE HERC & MORE
 by The Best Shots Team, courtesy of ShotgunReviews.comYour Host: Troy Brownfield Welcome back! Here’s a quick run-down of our advance reviews and Best Shots Extras that ran between last week’s column and now: Zorro #1 In the Vlog: This week’s Vlog tackles over-the-top super-heroics, and looks at how some acclaimed writers handle the world of comics. Join Janelle and Lucas for this all dressed up edition! In part one, Team Siegel talks Hulk #2 and Incredible Hercules #114. Part two sees the debut of Joe Hill (that’s Steven King’s son) as a comics writer with Locke and Key #1. Should it unlock your wallets? Watch and find out! Finally, in part three, they have a longish chat about Runaways, a book that helped bring them back to comics. Unfortunately, it looks like it may get them away from comics now, too. Check it out, subscribe, and comment away! Some of the team is traveling or sick this week (get well, Rev!), but look! Sarah Jaffe’s back, and she’s been online . . . FreakAngels #1 & #2 Written by Warren Ellis Art by Paul Duffield Published (online) by Avatar Review by Sarah Jaffe The Web is killing newspapers. It’s also working on killing off magazines, and with the advent of technology like Amazon’s Kindle, it might start in on books next. But while these media are dying, they are being reborn on the Internet. On sites like this one. And perhaps comics will go the same way. Webcomics are not a new phenomenon. People have been making them probably as long as there’s been an Internet to publish to. It’s rarer to see them created by big names from the comics world, though, and even rarer to see them full-color and published by an actual comics publisher. But Warren Ellis is nothing if not on top of technology and trends. And so we have FreakAngels, a weekly, free webcomic written by Ellis and drawn by Paul Duffield. Yes, I said free. There aren’t even any annoying ads. Don’t ask me how they’re paying for it, I don’t know. Someone set me up an interview with Mr. Ellis and I’ll ask him. The point is, even if you’re rushed and broke like me and can’t get to the comic shop each week to plunk down your hard-earned cash on some sequential art, you can head over to FreakAngels.com and get top-quality stuff on the ‘net, each week. Brilliant. The story starts with KK, a lovely foulmouthed post-apocalyptic tough chick, like a prettier Tank Girl. She’s one of the FreakAngels, a group of kids all born at the same time with strange gifts. They live in a London that appears to be completely flooded, and someone is trying to kill them. Anyone who’s ever read a review of Ellis’s stuff with my name at the top of it knows what I think of him, so I’m going to skip over him for just a second and gush about the artist instead. Paul Duffield is not a familiar name to mainstream comic readers, though he’s had some manga projects before. But his art is gorgeous. Everything on these virtual pages is slightly washed-out looking, soft and pastel with lots of grays, with beautiful goth-cyberpunk characters with big expressive violet eyes. Ellis’s work for Avatar has been some of the best of his career (though nothing will ever top Transmetropolitan for me). Here once again we have sci-fi with a human touch, a badass female lead, and another top-notch artist, plus an experiment in format that will probably pay off nicely. It’s hard to read too much text on a computer screen, and I salute all of you who read our entire column every week, but it’s very easy to look at pretty pictures on the ‘net. Sure, we all like to have something solid in our hands to read, and nothing beats that trip to the comic shop, but convenience plus quality is a win-win. This is the first webcomic that I’ve seen that could be printed out just as it is, bound into a book and put on the shelves. But did I mention it’s free? And weekly? C’mon, what are you waiting for?  Batman Confidential #13Writer: Tony Bedard Artists: Rags Morales and Mark Farmer From: DC Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco After two incredibly disappointing story arcs, a new team comes in to start a third one, and so far, so good. Wait, make that so far, so great. This is a sequel to the old 1984 Batman vs. The Wrath story from Batman Special #1, which was also reprinted in the recent-ish Batman in the Eighties (And I want to say the out-of-print Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told trade too, but I don’t have a copy of my own to look it up in). The Wrath was basically a pre-Crisis, pre-Prometheus anti-Batman, a sort of evil opposite Batman with a “W” motif that gave him a Batman-shaped cowl and scalloped-cape. He died at the end of the story, and that was the last we heard of him. At least until this story arc. I never know what to make of writer Tony Bedard, in part because so many of the books of his I read seem like he’s writing under some kind of severe handicap. Some are great, some are good, some are pretty awful, but more often than not, he’s filling-in for someone, or killing time for someone, or building a bridge from someone else’s story to a story by a third writer, so you never know how much is him and how much is the editors or other writers. That’s not the case here, of course, and perhaps that’s why this seems like one of his better stories of late. We’re back in the past, back when Batman had a yellow oval on his chest, Dick Grayson just put on his Perez-era Nightwing costume, Commissioner Gordon was still smoking, and Dr. Leslie Thompkins hadn’t yet dabbled in sidekick murder to advance her pacifist agenda. Bedard’s script has a nice old school feel to it (beyond these touches that set it in an old-school time period), focusing on Batman the crime-fighter, rather than the sociopath or the superhero, with several dramatic encounters and a few neat character moments built into it. Although it’s a sequel to a story that’s almost a quarter century old now, Bedard eases the reader into it very well, and you don’t really need any prior knowledge of obscure Bat-lore to follow this. Rags Morales provides the pencil art (with Mark Farmer the ink), and it’s uniformly great stuff. If you’ve ever read anything by Morales, then you already know how great he is as a character designer and as a pencil “actor,” wringing plenty of emotion out of the individual faces of the people he draws. But I still find myself occasionally surprised at howgood he is (and here perhaps it’s the alchemy of Farmer’s inks on his pencils helping things along). Morales makes some little character moments Bedard writes really sing (like Batman nonchalantly crushing Gordon’s cigarette, or the tense moment between the then-estranged Batman and Nightwing). And there’s a panel of Batman swooping out of the sky (page 10, panel 2) that’s just as dramatic and iconic as any of the versions of that action that Neal Adams, Jim Aparo or Norm Breyfogle have drawn. It’s pretty much a perfect Batman comic, and after months of suffering through Tony Daniel on the main Batman book and fill-in artists all over for the Ra’s story, it’s nice to see Gotham and its inhabitants looking so good.  Madame Mirage #5From: Top Cow Written by: Paul Dini Art: Kenneth Rocafort Reviewed by Tim Janson What started out looking as if it were going to be just another cheesecake female superhero comic has completely surprised me as something uniquely clever. Yes, Madame Mirage is stunningly beautiful with incredible physical assets that literally spill right out of the top of her skin-tight dress—not that I noticed! Yet as we’ve learned through the first three issues, the name Mirage isn’t just a cut handle but an accurate description. Angela Harper has used her hi-tech weaponry to cloak herself in the guise of her murdered sister to help bring down the criminal corporation known as ASI. It’s both symbolic as well as a tribute to her fallen sister, Temple, that Angela uses her image as the hero, instead of her own. Issue #4 ended with Mirage infiltrating ASI’s headquarters and ended with Mirage telling ASI’s head, Abraham Coyle, that she wanted to join his organization. Despite her seeming sincerity, Coyle doesn’t but it and immediately orders his own Mega-Tech operatives to take her down leading to an all-out battle. It’s the first time we’ve seen Mirage truly put on the defensive, and having to utilize all her tricks to escape. This will eventually lead to a startling revelation about her father as well as her sister. Madame Mirage continues to be one of the monthly comic reading highlights for me. Here we have a gorgeous heroine, but one whose brains contradict her beauty. Paul Dini has crafted an incredibly resourceful heroine who outthinks her foes just as much, if not more, than she outfights them. Each issue he shows us a new way for Mirage to utilize her technology. Paul Rocafort’s art is good enough that I would buy the book even if it didn’t have any dialog in it at all. His art is very clean with a bold inking style. What is being called Season 1 of the series will conclude next issue. This book gets better with each issue!  The Perhapanauts Annual #1From: Image Comics Written by: Todd Dezago Art by: Craig Rousseau Reviewed by: Richard Renteria If you have never read an issue of Perhapanauts, then this is the issue for you. While set firmly in the team’s continuity, the story perfectly explains who the characters are, what they do and has more characterization than most comics these days can ever hope for, all the while telling a story that zips along at a nice pace. The end of the issue was a bit abrupt, but the overall presentation of the story makes up for the shortcoming. The Jersey Devil is on a killing spree and it is up to the Perhapanauts to put a stop to the bloodshed. After some initial cat and mouse with the demon the groups leader MG resolves to find out where the Devil is from an learns they are not dealing with just any inter-dimensional devil, they are dealing with a demon called up the old fashioned way, magic. Quickly ascertaining that there was a pattern to the attacks, the Perhapanauts must stop the creature before it completes its evil task and creates and permanent hell on earth. It is quite apparent how much fun Todd Dezago is having writing about the adventures of the Perhapanauts. The writing is sharp and intelligent without being corny. In a title where one of the main characters is a Buddhist/pacifist Bigfoot appropriately named Big, a ghost and the legendary Chupacabra, nicknamed Choopie, it would be easy to go for the ridiculous or over the top, but Dezago manages to keep the characters grounded and side-steps the absurdity by focusing the script on character and giving those characters some sharp dialogue that immediately gives the reader a nice introduction to all of the main characters and the overall story. The story moves along at a quick pace, which really helps to draw the reader into the story. Maintaining a consistent look throughout the issue, Craig Rousseau’s art is a perfect compliment to the story. While maintaining a simple style that borders on cartoon, Rousseau effectively captures the tone of the script while keeping his characters grounded in their reality. While an overall strong story, the issue did kind of falter at the end, with a rather abrupt ending, but the overall creative efforts made up for this slight shortcoming. A note to Todd and Craig, please better define character thoughts and spoken words. There are some pages where it is difficult to identify if words are being spoken internally or externally. As a fan of the original series, this annual is a perfect addition to the soon to be monthly Perhapanauts series. If you’re on the fence about picking up this series, get this issue it tells you all you need to know about the characters and is a perfect starting point.  The Incredible Hercules #114Writers: Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak Artists: Khoi Pham and Paul Neary Published by Marvel Review by Corey Henson Hercules has been the ultimate supporting character throughout his history in Marvel comics. He first appeared in 1965 and has served as a member of various teams like the Avengers and Champions, and while he s had his fair share of solo mini-series (including two underappreciated series by Bob Layton from the 80s), he s never starred in a regular ongoing title. Due to the events of the World War Hulk storyline, the Prince of Power finally gets his chance to shine, and thanks to a top-notch creative team, it was worth the long wait. Much like Walt Simonson s classic run on The Mighty Thor in the 80s, writers Van Lente and Greg Pak are mixing Hercules s mythological history with his modern day superhero adventures. Hercules and his teenage companion, Amadeus Cho, are fugitives on the run from SHIELD and a small squad of Avengers led by Herc’s relentless brother Ares. Ares has poisoned Hercules with Hydra blood, driving him mad and inducing hallucinations of his life as a Greek god. It's a terrific way to use the character, as I’ve never really really bought into the stories where Hercules, and similarly Thor, are treated as standard superheroes. The characters are much richer when their mythology is referenced, as they stand out more from the pack of their spandex-wearing colleagues. Besides, a lot of times, the mythological stories are way crazier and more fun to read about than anything seen in most comic books. Van Lente and Pak add a healthy dose of humor to their script, particularly in the scenes involving Ares and his obsession with Hercules. The levity adds an extra dimension to Ares s antics, pushing his single-mindedness over the top and highlighting just how far he'll go to defeat his rival. Hercules is a hard-drinking, hard-fighting, fun-loving guy, so adding a bit of comedy to the action is a spot-on way of writing the character. Khoi Pham really shines as Incredible Hercules’s penciler. His rendition of the title character brims with power, and in the scenes in which Hercules is maddened by the Hydra blood, he appears to be appropriately enraged and psychotic. Pham’s artwork is also highly detailed. In several scenes in this issue, Hercules is battling multitudes of Trojan warriors and SHIELD agents. It’s a lot of work for an artist, and Pham doesn’t take any shortcuts. It’s all impressive work, and Pham seems to have grown tremendously as an artist in the short time following his brief stint on X-Factor. At this rate, he’ll be a superstar in no time. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the recently deceased colorist Stephane Peru’s work on this title. The industry truly lost a great young talent in Peru. His richly textured colors really bring out the best in Pham’s artwork. He does a particularly nice job on the various flashbacks by painting the scenes in Troy in sepia tones to highlight their historic nature, as well as mimicking the outdated look of the seventies in the sequences with the Champions. I’m not sure what Marvel has planned in the long-term for this title. The fact that they didn’t start out with a new #1 for Hercules suggests that eventually the Hulk will return and reclaim his book. That would be a shame, because Hercules has been an underused character for a long time now, and with Van Lente and Pak at the helm, he could become a major player in the Marvel Universe.  The Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of DeathFrom: Marvel Comics Written by: Matt Fraction Art by: Various Reviewed by: Richard Renteria Using current events from the ongoing Iron Fist series as a backdrop, Matt Fraction tells the history of the relationship between Iron Fist and the Prince of Orphans. A relationship that is fraught with action, adventure and a hard won friendship. Teamed with a virtual cornucopia of art talent, Fraction weaves a mystical tale about the early exploits of Randall Orson and the Confederates of the Curious. Orson Randall is on the run from John Aman. The Prince of Orphans is after the Immortal Iron Fist due to the disappearance of seven coins from the seven mystical cities, which Randall’s young companion and wannabe Iron Fist, Wendell currently possesses. Racing across time, Randall is constantly faced with the stress of seeing his companions harmed, due to his actions. After Wendell almost dies, Randall finally realizes that he must continue is journey, alone. Randall and Aman have a conversation in the heart of Castle Frankenstein, which Randall ends by asking Aman to answer one question – how did the coins actually get out of the seven heavenly cities. The answer to this question sets the stage for The Prince of Orphans future relationship with the Immortal Iron Fist. Matt Fraction does an excellent job of tying the current Iron Fist’s storyline, with the history of his predecessor while effortlessly expanding the scope and history of the Iron Fist legend. Utilizing various genres as story points, Fraction manages to meld a mystic speakeasy, the old west, a trip to Europe and a Hydra hospital into one seamless story. While constantly maintaining focus on the main storyline of Aman’s hunt for Randall, Fraction also manages to insert a few subplots that help to better define the life of Orson Randall and expand his overall legend. While Fraction’s narration reads perfectly, it is enhanced by the utilization of four different set of artists whose styles each manage to define a different genre distinct to comic books. Handling the mysticism and adventure of part one are the talented Nick Dragotta, Mike Allred, and Laura Allred capture the scene perfectly. Russ Heath handles part two and handles the old west competently, al though I still can’t figure out how the Cowgirls from hell actually keep their pants on, or their tops for that matter. Lewis LaRosa and Stefano Gaudiano handle the events in Castle Frankenstein and impress with a great moody horror scene that could have made a great stand-alone issue. Hollingsworth’s use of a dark color pallet made the scene effective, especially when the green mist of the Prince of Orphans makes its first appearance. Last but not least in part four we have the talented Mitch Breitweiser who manages to convey an emotional scene between Randall and his dying father in a subtle and dignified manner. This issue is packed with talent from beginning to end. The main plot flowed perfectly from each genre and the subplots never drag down the main story of how Randall and Aman end up becoming allies, if not friends. Fraction and crew should be commended on a perfectly executed story that has something in it for just about everyone.  All-Star Companion Volume 3From: TwoMorrows Publishing Edited by: Roy Thomas Reviewed by: Tim Janson All-Star Companion is back with a third incredible treasure trove of articles and interviews about the world’s first and greatest superteam, The Justice Society! Edited by lifelong JSA fan, Roy Thomas, the All-Star Companion continues to deliver great new articles and unlock new mysteries about the JSA. Even after some 60 years as a fan, Thomas’ unbridled enthusiasm for the Justice Society is as strong as ever. The first great highlight of this volume is Roy’s 2001 interview with long-time DC Comics’ editor Julius Schwartz. Before coming to DC, Schwartz worked as a literary agent and even represented horror icon H.P. Lovecraft. It was Schwartz who sold one of Lovecraft’s most well known stories “At the Mountains of Madness”. What was ostensibly supposed to be an interview about the All-Star Comics ends up being a history of Julie’s association with All-American Comics (the Sister company to DC/National). It’s one of the best interviews I’ve read in any of the All-Star companions because it shows just how different the comic business was during the Golden Age. Ghost writers…ghost pencilers…changes in editors…it’s quite fascinating. The history of All-Star comics would not be complete without an examination of All-Star Western. The Final issue of All-Star Comics was #57. Rather than start with a new number one issue, DC instead abruptly changed the name to All-Star Western with issue #58. It’s almost impossible to think of now because superhero comics have become the cornerstone of the business, but in early 1950s superhero comics were almost extinct. Marvel/Atlas had completely moved away from superheroes and at DC, only Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman managed to survive as new genres like westerns, war, romance, and comedy titles took over. Comic historians Michael Uslan and Robert Klein provide a look at the ten year history of All-Star Western and the many characters who starred in the title. When the members of the Justice Society were finally revived, beginning with the landmark Flash #123 in 1961, the JSA became frequent guest stars in many titles but especially in the title of their modern counterparts, the Justice League of America. Roy Thomas takes a look at these various team-up stories with mini-interviews with the writers or artists who worked on them such as Gardner Fox, Dick Dillin, Denny O’Neil, Mike Friedrich, Len Wein, Paul Levitz, and Gerry Conway. This includes the credits for each story, a picture of the cover, and a short synopsis. Len Wein’s story for Justice League #100 was always one of my favorites as it featured not only the JLA and JSA, but also the Seven Soldiers of Victory. My older brother had these issues which was a trilogy told over JLA #100 – 102 and I can recall reading these over and over as a kid. Roy Thomas then goes on to provide and issue-by-issue summary of the All-Star Comics revival in the 1970s, picking up where the series left off with issue #58. It’s always amazed me that it took some 15 years for the JSA to get their own title again, even though it was short-lived. Roy and his wife, Dann, would then go on to create the next generation of heroes in 1987’s Young All-Stars, one of the most underrated titles of the 1980s that featured the art of Michael Bair. Each of the 31 issues plus annuals are covered in full. In addition to the articles, All-Star Companion features rare art and photos. It’s another fantastic effort from Roy Thomas and all of the contributors. Best of all, there will be a fourth volume in 2009.  The Complete Peanuts 1963-1966 box setWritten & Illustrated by Charles Schulz Published by Fantagraphics and Early Works vol. 1 Written & Illustrated by Winsor McCay (with Tales of the Jungle Imps scripts by George Randolph Chester Published by Checker Books Reviewed by Michael C Lorah I’ve probably said a time or two, but there’s simply no better time in the history of comics to be a comics reader. I’m not sure that the current content – with a few noteworthy exceptions – is a high point in comics’ collective creative existence, but never before have so many diverse voices been available, and so many important and talented historical voices. Charles Schulz and Winsor McCay worked on the comics collected in these two volumes almost sixty years apart from one another -- in fact, McCay, who died in 1934, missed seeing the first Peanuts strip by sixteen years – and the most recent of the Peanuts cartoons collected here are forty-plus years old. Essentially, these two collections give you half-century-apart insights into the high point of newspaper cartooning.  Early Works compiles various strips drawn by McCay in 1904 and 1905, including the surreal Dream of a Rarebit Fiend, the racist-in-appearance parables Tales of the Jungle Imps, the detailed Little Sammy Sneeze and the social comedy Pilgrim’s Promise. Both Dream and [/i]Sammy Sneeze[/i] operate on strict formulaic principles, each of the former is an illustrated mind-bending dream with a final panel of a character sitting up in bed, swearing off of “rarebit” before bed. As illustrations, they’re gorgeous work with great designs and a wonderful eye for subversion and twisted connections between actions and settings. The latter strips are all based on the explosive sneezes of young Sammy, which cause untold chaos wherever he travels. In both cases, McCay’s imagination is properly showcased with eye-straining details and imaginative layouts and illustrations. Pilgrim’s Promise is a more social satire, and though some of the specifics are lost in the 100-year divide between today and McCay’s time, it shows another side – a more intellectual side – of an amazing cartoonist.In the case of Tales of the Jungle Imps, written by Cincinnati newspaperman George Randolph Chester, McCay draws the origins of modern jungle animals, bringing to life Chester’s poetic parables about why animals evolved as they have. The unfortunate aspect of these strips is that all of the animals evolve as they do because they’ve been hounded and harassed by the Jungle Imps, awful racist caricatures of Black people. From a historical perspective, you can certainly keep some distance and tell yourself that “that’s how things were drawn then,” and if it doesn’t completely offend, you’ll find that McCay’s other drawings are gorgeous and Chester’s scripts consistently silly and entertaining. Though it’s mighty hard not to be uncomfortable when reading them. Charles Schulz’s Peanuts… there’s probably not much more I can tell you about Peanuts. The strips are probably at or near the peak of their quality during this time in the mid-60s, and Schulz’s line is very strong and clear. He manages to give so much information about each character’s emotional state with such understated ease that you’re really pulled right into the dramas, discoveries and struggles of these children. Peppermint Patty is introduced here, and there’s plenty of strip-defining baseball and Snoopy v. Red Baron mini-sagas. For content, both books are worth having. They provide important insights into the history of the medium, and both were – at the time of initial publication – about the most popular cartoons in the world, which gives you an idea how not only comics have evolved, but society as well. In terms of format, it’s hard to argue with the attractive Seth-designed Peanuts hardcovers. They’re a comfortable size and weight for carrying and holding, they’re large enough to show the strips clearly, and they’re sturdy and attractive enough to display and let your friends paw. Winsor McCay’s Early Works vol. 1, I am sad to say, isn’t quite as well assembled. The book is definitely sturdy and the reproduction very good considering the age of the original publications. However, newspaper strips in McCay’s day were so much larger than today that his work loses quite a lot of impact when it’s shrunk down to the dimensions of a modern comic book. For most of the strips, you do lose some fine detail, but reading isn’t terribly impaired. Tales of the Jungle Imps, however, becomes extremely difficult to read in this format. The text is just miniscule on the page, straining anybody’s eyesight. Most of McCay’s work could certainly have benefited from an over-sized, collector format.  What Were They Thinking? TPBWriters: Giffen, Ward, Stokes, Casey, Church Artwork: Wood, Ditko, Others BOOM! Studios Review By: Jeff Marsick Mystery Science Theater 3000 as applied to comic books: cut the original words, keep the art, fill in the balloons with your own wacky ideas. Sheer genius. And why a comic company hasn’t gone this route before is truly a mystery of modern times. Normally I have to go to sites such as Every Day Is Like Wednesday or Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog to get my fix of comedic re-interpretation of comic works, but BOOM! has recently come out with a trade of their four issue series that came and went from the comic aisles in the blink of an eye. With Keith Giffen, the Baron of BWA-HA-HA!, on the marquee, you’d probably think his work alone would be worth the price of admission. You would be wrong. His issue, a re-imagining of a Wally Wood World War II book of four stories, is a relative one-trick pony, trying in vain to make homosexuality and cross-dressing GIs funny. The first tale is slightly amusing but what follows is quickly tired and tedious. Even more surprising is how close to racism Mr. Giffen chooses to fly in “Hearts and Minds” in a foolish and contemptible attempt at humor. No, the true treasures in this book are the efforts by Chris Ward and Kevin Church. Their book, “Go West Young Man”, is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time, in particular their adventures of the bandanna-ed cowboy, Black Napkin, and the Sioux Warrior, Keeps It Real. In “Savage Steel”, Keeps It Real finds a challenge in a fearsome Norse warrior whose battle cry “EYE-KEE-AH!” is cause for concern (“I don’t like the way these guys keep drawing bookshelves and futons. Not one bit.”) The language barrier hijinks that ensue should have the reader guffawing. Johanna Stokes (of Eureka fame), John Rogers (of Transformers fame), and Joe Casey also contribute, and while their work is funny and of a higher caliber than Mr. Giffen’s, Mssrs. Church and Ward set the bar pretty high and are the highlight of this book. This is definitely worth picking up. Pellet Reviews! The Brave and the Bold #10 (DC; by Caleb): This may not be the best comic book that DC is publishing, but it’s definitely their best DCU line book. Even if it weren’t very well-written, with a story that explores the DCU setting and its characters past, present and future while pushing a new story forward, even if it wasn’t full of insanely detailed art (look at page nine—look at it!), it would still be worth $3 for story value alone. For the price of a regular book, you get the equivalent of two full done-in-ones, plus half of another story tying them and the previous and next issues together. The framing device concerns the Challs and the Book of Destiny, while this issue has a team-up of two team-ups. Superman is sent back in time, complete with an S-shield-shaped shield, to team up with The Silent Knight (whom I’ve never actually read a story featuring before), and then we drop in on Aquaman and Mera’s wedding day for a team up between the Atlantean Ace and the Justice League’s sidekicks, who haven’t yet formed the Teen Titans. The Spirit #14 (DC; by Caleb): A Will Eisner-less Spirit series is kind of pointless, since it was Eisner’s skills that made the character’s comics worth reading. That’s what I thought when Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone’s run on the title was first announced, and they surprised the hell out of me by not only making The Spirit work sans Eisner, but reinventing it in a way that was true to Eisner’s vision while also something decidedly new. No way in hell DC pulls it off again; Cooke and Bone’s version was lightning in a bottle, right? Well, now I’m not so sure. It does take around twice as many people to pull it off—Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier write, Mike Ploog pencils, Mark Farmer inks and Jordi Bernet does the cover—but this is in no way a bad comic. It’s definitely more Eisner-y in its look (which, in the long run, will actually probably be a bad thing) and a bit more light-hearted than even Cooke’s run, but it was a pretty fun read. I picked this issue up assuming it would be my last one, but I set it down looking forward to the next issue. Wonder Girl #6 (DC; reviewed by Brian Andersen): Yuck. I have not enjoyed Wonder Girl’s limited series one bit. Although, truthfully, I do believe I might have felt a slight tingle of enjoyment in issue three, but alas, that quickly faded when I realized I had to trudge through each subsequent sucky issue; which only managed to get worst and worst. So why did I keep buying it? Partly due to my complete-ist nature (I had to at least see it through to its snore-fest finale) and partly out of fan devotion to the character and all things Wonder Woman related. As much as I adore the idea of there being a series devoted to Wonder Woman’s blond side-kick I fear this flimsily plotted bore has only managed to further call into question whether a solo female character can successfully star in her own comic book series. My biggest beef with this comic was all the run around, dragged out, Hercules and Wonder Girl sister/brother wannabe “dynamic.” It seemed the whole plot centered on the Herc and Cassie back-and-forth; he tries to get her to help him, she says no, he deceives her in an effort to try to get her help, she says no, he gets turned to evil, he comes out from being evil, he ends up rescuing her (with the help of Robin and Arrowette) and she finally respects him, despite all his deception and evilness. Blah! We needed six issues for this? Plus why does Wonder Girl need practically everyone she has ever met to fight the final batter? Isn’t she the star of her series? And why do female heroes always have to be rescued? Here they are the star of the series and yet they always seem to end up needing some dude, or in this case her half-god brother, to pull her from the jaws of defeat. Ugh! Once the entire story played out it all just resulted in six issues of wasted paper signifying nothing. Nothing changed for the character, we didn’t learn new things about her, and even the ugly new costume she sported in the series has been shunted into the continuity closet. Lame! Reading this comic shot me right back to my days in College when I had to struggle to finish some literary novel that was being force-fed on me because it had been canonized and declared a classic, but that was in actuality soooo utterly dull and boring that my mind wondered the whole time. Wonder Girl is like that, but, sadly, unlike those novels, Wonder Girl will most assuredly not stand the test of time, it won’t be treasured in the least, and I can boldly proclaim that the series will be in the quarter bins by next week. Grimm Fairy Tales #21 (Zenescope; by Jeff): This series continues to entertain with consistently gorgeous artwork and its quirky re-working of popular fairy tales from the talented vision that is Raven Gregory. This issue is “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, where a harassed college maiden discovers the tale of a fictional maiden in the employ of a curmudgeonly wizard who has expressly forbidden her from practicing magic. When the wizard is away, of course, the apprentice will play, and chaos is the order of the day. How the story helps resolve the college maiden’s life is a little confusing, and where it stands in the series overall can be a head-scratcher for the uninitiated picking the series up at this point. I have said it before and it bears repeating that this is a series not to be missed, especially by fans of Fables. Personally, I find this series much more enjoyable. Ex Machina #34 (DC/WildStorm; by Lucas): Another stellar issue of Vaughan’s now only-ongoing-series treated us to a deeper look at Police Commissioner Angotti. The story shows multiple points in the Commish’s life as she grew up and came into her role as the top of the NYC police force. It was a nice pause to the main story and delivered fantastic character moments. Angotti became a much more likable and well rounded character between these pages. It must be said as well, this is one of if not the best single issue Tony Harris has ever drawn. Clark and Mettler get a good share of the credit, as the linework, shading, and color were brilliant, with perfect contrast and a vividness I haven’t seen before from this team. A great book, and I hope the art stays at this level, and doesn’t suffer from Harris’ upcoming extra projects. Runaways #29 (Marvel; by Lucas): Janelle and I talked at length about this in the third vlog this week, but I thought I’d drop a written note for the video-phobes out there. Basically, this story arc has been weak, with haphazard story telling, caricatures of the main cast, and of course, delays. In this case, it wasn’t even worth waiting for. I don’t see a situation where the final issue of this arc could possibly save it. Michael Ryan and team’s art is gorgeous- it’s too bad it accompanies such a muddled, nearly incomprehensible story. I love Whedon’s work on Buffy and Astonishing X-Men, but his writing on this book makes me want to run away. Cable & Deadpool #50 (Marvel; by Lucas): Well, it was a great run. This is one of those criminally underappreciated books (like Nova! Please, don’t let this happen to that one, too! Go! Read it!). The grand majority of this fifty issue series was outstanding, and the rest was just great. Reilly Brown shared writing duties for these last two issues, and apparently fit in every Marvel character he wanted to draw, along with the best use of symbiots since the original appearances of Venom. I’m going to really miss this book, one that has seen amazing art by several teams, and consistently entertaining, dramatic, and comedic writing by Nicieza. These characters have grown incredibly under his watch, and it’s disappointing to see him have to leave them behind. Oh, and “I call them a loyal supporting cast, Mr. Holier-than-thou-fugitive-from-the-law, Spider-man. And I don’t have to make a deal with Mephisto to have it, either” officially made this the best in-company commentary pulled off in comics. Great job all around to the whole team that created a great book for 4+ years. Time to go dig into the back issues and re-read these stories over and over (or maybe get the trades in hopes it’ll come back). Oh, and f Bendis wants to leave Mighty Avengers for whatever reason, though, get Fabian Nicieza on that book; he handled the characters great in this issue. Mighty Avengers #9 (Marvel; by Lucas): Wow…so this book can be really good? Who knew? I’ve felt very lukewarm about this series since its inception, and really haven’t felt a point to it; so much so I’ve been on the verge of dropping it. A big Bagley fan, I opted to give this arc a go and see if I’d keep it up. This issue finally showed some real, thoughtful interaction between the characters, some very cool art from both Bagley and Djurdjevic, and a great juxtaposition between Iron Man and Dr. Doom. I really enjoyed this one, my faith is restored, and I’ll keep picking up these stories. The Brave and the Bold #10 (DC; by Troy): It’s extremely depressing to think that we’ve got more Waid/Perez issues behind us than ahead of us. I intend to enjoy it while it lasts. Continuing the trend of weirdly inspired pairings (like Superman and Silent Knight), the book also gives us an outstanding view of the young Teen Titans (acting like teenagers, no less) just prior to the wedding of Aquaman and Mera. As per usual, it’s some of the best super-heroic stuff on the stands. Justice League of America #18 (DC; by Troy): Let’s take the second half first. Dwayne McDuffie (with artist Jon Boy Meyers) gives us a good look at present state of Red Tornado; Reddy’s caught up in another dilemma about his android body, and McDuffie makes it work. It would have been nice to see what he could have done with a whole issue for the tale. Part of that is because the rest of the issue, the second part of the Suicide Squad meeting by Burnett, Benes and the gang, is a mess. Benes draws a particularly terrible Bronze Tiger, and the whole thing feel rushed beyond belief. It’s obviously yet another case of crossover spillover crashing directly into a title and derailing it. Hulk #2 (Marvel; by Troy): All right . . . Red Hulk clobbering Iron Man with a jet is good fun. And there’s a lot of over-the-top slugfest stuff here that is indeed good fun. However, if Red Hulk is indeed who he seems to be after this issue, then that just seems like a really odd way to go. McGuinness and Vine’s art is certainly energetic, but the whole affair is vaguely cotton-candy like: it’s enjoyable for a bit, but it doesn’t really stay in your memory. Angel: After the Fall #4 (IDW; by Troy): The story continues to pick up, with more unexpected characters returning. We finally get a partial glimpse of where things went bad as a follow-up to last issue’s big revelation. Whereas the Buffy continuance project gelled immediately into a Great Book, Angel has had a bit of a slower build. If things keep moving this way, though, it’s going to be joining a lot of reading lists. The Umbrella Academy #6 (Dark Horse; by Troy): This one wraps up about the only way that it could have: strangely. And that’s a complimentary thing, as this book has defied expectations for the entire six issues. Gabriel Ba’s art is even more striking now that he’s comfortable with the cast, and Way knows how to end the mini at right place (stopping when it’s appropriate, but giving plenty of room for sequels). Umbrella has been a pleasant surprise, and I look forward to more. Three Advance Pellets Highlander: Way of the Sword #3 (Dynamite; by Troy): This one will primarily be notable for the appearance of Ramirez, Connor’s mentor (played in the film by Sean Connery). It’s somewhat unfortunate that the first sequence plunks him down in the battle of Plataea, forcing you to think of 300. Why unfortunate? Because 300 was a great comic, and this one is just average. Better art this time from Carlos Rafael. The Lone Ranger & Tonto #1 (Dynamite; by Troy): This terrific stand-alone turns on the fact that even the Ranger can make mistakes. One of the joys of this book is seeing the character behave like an occasional neophyte instead of the seasoned hero of TV and radio. Befitting the title, Tonto shines, displaying the fierce intelligence that has become one of his defining traits in the series. Mario Guevara contributes some great art, its rough atmosphere a perfect fit for the book. Project Superpowers #1 (Dynamite; by Troy): The action really kicks in as the aged Fighting Yank teams up with Green Lama in an effort to recover the urn. The design of the book is just great, with Carlos Paul and colorist Debora Carita making solid visualizers of Ross’s intentions. This one feels like it has a lot of potential, given the talent of writer Krueger and the expansive cast. Best Shots is brought to you by Newsarama, ShotgunReviews.com and Shots in the Dark, our internet radio show. Check out www.shotgunreviews.com, www.shotgunreviews.com/shots and www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews.com at your leisure. Last edited by Troy Brownfield : 02-25-2008 at 03:25 PM. |
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02-25-2008, 03:03 PM
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#2 |
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The Incredible Hercules has become one of my favorite books in just a few issues. I hope it lasts.
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02-25-2008, 03:07 PM
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#3 |
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I hope they give the Golden Age Iron Fist many more minis after this one! He's a great character with huge potential. I was sad to see him go in the Immortal Iron Fist ongoing, and glad to hear that they have been going back and revisiting his adventures.
DC has really tapped into something with their legacy characters and it's about time Marvel did the same! ___________________________________ THE MIGHTY ISIS #2 COMIC BOOK for sale on EBAY! VINTAGE 70's comic book. OUT OF PRINT. RARE. BATMAN COLLECTED HUGE HARDCOVER BOOK by CHIP KIDD for sale on EBAY! ___________________________________ |
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02-25-2008, 03:15 PM
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#4 |
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Madame Mirage continues to be one of the monthly comic reading highlights for me.
Does this even come out on a monthly basis? I thought it was bi-monthly. |
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02-25-2008, 03:26 PM
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#5 | |
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Quote:
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02-25-2008, 03:35 PM
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#6 | |
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Quote:
Wow...now that sort of language guarantees a fair and unbiased review... |
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02-25-2008, 03:38 PM
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#7 |
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Incredible Herc equals spiritual heir to Deadpool and Cable...I'll miss that book, but am realllly enjoying Inc Herc. In fact, I think Reilly Brown is replacing Khoi Pham when he goes to Mighty Avengers.
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02-25-2008, 03:45 PM
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#8 |
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While art is an extremely subjective topic, I respectfully disagree with J. Caleb Mozzocco when he states we've been "suffering through Tony Daniel on the main Batman book."
I think Tony Daniel is evolving into greatness right in front of our eyes. It's been fun watching him refine his pencils with each issue as he finds his "voice" with the character and script. I certainly hope he stays on board the title for the foreseeable future. |
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02-25-2008, 03:53 PM
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#9 |
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I thought ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL wasn't out until this week?
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02-25-2008, 03:55 PM
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#10 | |
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Quote:
Same here. Orson is the man, and The Green Mist of Death was one of the best things i've read all month. |
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02-25-2008, 03:55 PM
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#11 |
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Herc was a great book. Some great action sequences, some funny laugh-out-loud panels, and - gasp! - Marvel characters actually acting like they have a history together and, because of it, care about each other.
The newest Iron Man was also very good, and had Tony back in his best armor ever, even if he dissed it throughout the book. Death of the New Gods was a good book, too, with some great artwork. But the mystery of who the God killer was was obvious since the second book to anyone who is even remotely familiar with the story of Senator Palpatine/Emperor. Umbrella Academy was just awesome. Can't wait to pass the trade around to some friends who don't usually read comics. |
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02-25-2008, 03:57 PM
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#12 |
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Nope, the Wrath story was not reprinted in the Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told trade. Not in my copy anyway.
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02-25-2008, 03:58 PM
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#13 | |
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Quote:
So why call out Jeff's comment here and not Sarah's comment regarding Ellis? Reviewers can regularly enjoy a person's work just as much as a fan. And again, reviews are subjective, not completely objective. |
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02-25-2008, 04:00 PM
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#14 | |
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Quote:
I don't see much wrong with it, honestly. |
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02-25-2008, 04:02 PM
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#15 |
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Orson Randall is one of the most interesting new break-out characters from 2007. I hope we see more of him, even tho' he died earlier in the current Iron Fist series.
Brave & Bold is awesome! Thank you, Mark and George! |
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02-25-2008, 04:03 PM
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#16 | |
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? I don't get it. |
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02-25-2008, 04:10 PM
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#17 | |
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I have to disagree. While I did think the last issue was rushed and focused too much on the group of heroes rather than the title character, overall I enjoyed the WONDER GIRL mini-series alot. Maybe it was because I didn't have high hopes for it; but I found Cassie to finally, for the first time, be a really likeable and fun character. The in-joke of calling herself "Drusilla" was amusing, and the fact that she kept in touch with both Arrowette and Empress was realistic as well as fun. I liked how the Olympian was used, and even Hercules wasn't annoying. While I can agree this isn't a "timeless" storyline by any means, it was a fun storyline and showed that the character has far more potential than has ever been explored thus far. |
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02-25-2008, 04:31 PM
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#18 |
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Can't argue with the Wonder Girl review at all, I dropped the book by #2 and was shocked that there was an issue 6 and that the story somehow needed 6 issues.
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02-25-2008, 04:50 PM
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#19 | |
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Quote:
Check out "Marvel Romance Redux" for exactly the same idea two years ago. I believe the trade is called "Mighty Marvel Romance". Also, that's not 'Mystery Science Theater' as much as 'What's Up, Tiger Lily?' |
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02-25-2008, 05:01 PM
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#20 | |
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Quote:
I'm guessing that Marvel kept the numbering to see if readers would keep buying the title after the change in lead character and if the new direction actually caught on. As far as I'm concerned, it has, so if Marvel tries to change it back to THE INCREDIBLE HULK in about nine months, all I can say is...HAVE AT THEE!!! Oh, and great one-shots like ORSON RANDALL AND THE GREEN MIST OF DEATH definitely help the wait between issues of the regular IMMORTAL IRON FIST title. If Fraction would write a time-travel adventure pairing Orson Randall and the equally fascinating Wu Ao-Shi, I think my head would explode from the sheer awesomeness. |
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02-25-2008, 05:04 PM
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#21 | |
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Quote:
I'd buy that.  |
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02-25-2008, 05:28 PM
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#22 |
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they should just leave the vlogs to the Stack crew,those vids were just bad
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02-25-2008, 06:51 PM
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#23 |
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Iron Man, Ultimate X-Men, Flash, Checkmate, Spider-Man, Ultimates 3, the Order.
Oh, those were just a list of titles that came out this week that weren't reviewed that alot of people actually read as opposed to the indy books that sell about 1/10. Not saying those books aren't good and shouldnt be reviewed, but that's an awful lot of the books read by the masses missed. Just because you might not like them shouldnt put them beneath your notice |
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02-25-2008, 07:23 PM
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#24 |
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Hurm. Wonder Girl.
Does anyone remember when she had a personality? |
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02-25-2008, 10:10 PM
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#25 | |
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Quote:
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