BEST SHOTS: BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL, SANDMAN, JLA, X-FACTOR, WONDER MAN, AND MORE

[MattBrady]

From the Cast and Crew of ShotgunReviews.com
Your Host: Troy Brownfield

This week, you’ll notice that I’ve written no funny sign-offs for the various crew members (Caleb does have a tag, but he did that himself). The reason is that I wanted to take a moment to thank the men and women of the team for all of their hard work. We’re racing up on 100 weekly installments of the column, and I think that’s quite an achievement. I’m proud of our squad, and I think that they all do good work. So this week, rather than making little jokes and trying to be funny, I think that I’ll just tell them all the truth: you’re a good bunch of people, and it’s great to work with you all.

And now, the usual . . .

The Column Rules:

1) Be kind to one another and my hard-working team. It’s fine to disagree with the reviews or with each other, but let’s stick to factual points and literary themes and leave the personal stuff out. Intentionally rude behavior isn’t welcome. And for the record, when you signed the terms of service agreement, you acknowledged that your posts can be deleted for inappropriate stuff. So don’t hide behind free speech when you know what you’re doing.

2) Each review is individually credited to the person who actually wrote it. Matt does not write the reviews here, although he occasionally smacks random members of the team with a fungo bat for fun.

3) If you happen to catch a factual error or a typo, drop me a personal message and I’ll correct it. In a column that can often run up to 20 pages in Word doc form, things do sometimes squeak through. I’d rather you just zap me a mail than derail the entire discussion because I missed an apostrophy. (Yes, that was on purpose. Almost couldn’t help yourself, could you?)

The Bonus Edition is almost done. There will also be a Year-End Special. And this may all happen on time, depending on when my second child decides to arrive.

Let’s start off with a flashback to last week. Due to inadvertent communication problems, we didn’t get Jeff’s review on time to run it. Therefore, we’ll start with it before diving into this week . . .

Batman: Confidential #1
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Whilce Portacio
Review By: Jeff Marsick

I’m trying hard to figure out a reason why The Powers That Be at DC greenlit another Batman book. Perhaps, as the title implies, this series will be the all-access pass behind the curtain and into Batman’s personal diary, the super secret vault of classified information that will serve to answer at least some of the howcomes and whatfors nagging us for years concerning his transition from simply scourge of the underworld to Dark Knight Detective. Perhaps this will be the series that will fill in the blanks between the other series, where the emphasis here will be more on the psychological and the emotional metamorphosis of Bruce Wayne, where his early successes and failures are laid bare for us to grow along with him. Sure, that’s what Legends of the Dark Knight was supposed to be, but that train has derailed from its purpose over the years, and with better writers these days, the void left in its wake is ripe for the filling, right?

Perhaps not. Batman: Confidential appears to be a carbon copy of the other series, nothing more than another outlet for Batman to exude his brood and to hold a seminar in bad-guy beatdown, Gotham-style. Taking place early in his career, a little over a year since he donned cape and cowl, this issue’s look into the confidential files is apparently the setting of the rivalry stage between Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. Both men are competing for a government contract to build war machines for Uncle Sam. LexCorp’s proposal is decidedly draconian and, well, predictably Republican, with a singular purpose in mind for heavy-fisted protection of American interests around the globe. WayneTech’s proposal, however, is predictably humanitarian, with utility not only as a remote-pilot stealth platform for taking lives in times of war, but also diverse functionality for saving lives in times of peace. What’s ridiculous about this to the point of eyeball rolling, is that WayneTech’s offering in the PowerPoint presentation is called O.G.R.E., and is written in 30-point Fangoria font. I guess nothing sells a project to the Defense Department and exemplifies its potential for benefiting society like naming it after a creature that feeds on humans, and writing its proposed acronym in blood.

I shan’t betray the last page, but with both parties pitching the Cliff Note version of their neural-relay and pseudo-sentient visions for advanced robotics, the ending is predictable from five pages away.

With Diggle and Portacio at the helm, it’s GOT to be good, right? Not really. I loved Herr Diggle’s work on The Losers, but here he’s not very inventive. He follows a recipe: open with a scene of Batman doing Batman stuff whilst voicing-over, add a cave scene with dutiful Alfred, mention mom and dad being killed, add a dash of “why should I be doing this” internal conflict (I keep hoping that one of these days a writer will rise up, a trusted artist at his side, and proclaim that he is ushering in a new age of writing Batman through “Showing, not telling”, and that Bruce’s tiresome monologues to Alfred about his angst on being Gotham’s savior will go the way of Defiant Comics, remembered only in the back issue bin), and then get to the conflict. Standard cookbook Batman. Herr Diggle has written better dialogue, as well. Batman’s staccato voice-over with its poor noir-ness in the first act is reminiscent of recent issues of Moon Knight. Batman imitating Moon Knight who himself is an imitation of Batman? Interesting. At least, though, the writer spares us the inappropriate use of a twenty-five cent word like ‘brachiate’.

Even Portacio’s artwork is disappointing. His work on Punisher and Uncanny X-Men cemented him in my personal Hall of Fame, but this issue is not his finest hour. At times it’s almost as if he needs to have a monitor, someone to pull the page away from him before his pencil can do more damage. His fight scenes are great, I have to give kudos there, and his Batman is certainly fierce. But take the masks off and his normal humans are downright cadaveric (I offer page 13 as Exhibit A). Worse still (and I’m not sure if it’s the penciller, inker, or colorist at fault) is his Lex Luthor, whose eyes are like a pair of eightballs; either the man is severely Vitamin K deficient or he lost a fight with an industrial-sized tube of eye shadow (or maybe Lex is dabbling in the alternative lifestyle and this is the first salvo fired in that effort. A prologue to Lex Luthor: Confidential perhaps?)

All said, this was a very unsatisfying issue and a sad portent for what is coming. The near-term horizon doesn’t hold anything new and refreshing, simply an avenue for DC to shill out a story that never made it into print in Batman’s other titles. My recommendation is to skip this series until the next storyline and instead spend your money instead on the much better Superman: Confidential.

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason #1
Written by John Ney Rieber
Art by Eric Nguyen
Published by DC/Vertigo
Review by Sarah Jaffe

Remember a country called Afghanistan? We went to war there a few years back, before this Iraq mess. We’ve still got soldiers there, and apparently, things aren’t going too well.

You also might remember a man named Wesley Dodds—not the most awe-inspiring name, but then again, he wasn’t that type of hero. He was the Golden Age Sandman, fighting crime without super powers or even a Batmobile, just a gas mask and a spray gun. In the first few pages of this new Sandman Mystery Theatre, he shows just what kind of a hero he was. He’s gotten old, though, and it appears to be time for someone else to take up his mask and gun.

There’s something very appealing about a man with a non-lethal weapon in the middle of a war zone. The first time we meet Kieran Marshall, he’s got an even less lethal weapon in his hands: a camera. He’s an embedded journalist with the U.S. troops and he’s a decent guy, if a little callous. Like most reporters, he wants his story, and he well lives up to the old joke about the photographer—if you could choose between the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph and saving a man’s life, what kind of film would you use? In other words, Kieran doesn’t start off as a Wesley Dodds.

His quest for a story, naturally, gets him into trouble. But when that trouble puts him into the position of being responsible for the deaths of his friends, even Kieran stands up for something. And he stumbles upon something that will help him do so—not the guns that the soldiers tease him to pick up, but the regalia of the old Sandman.

Eric Nguyen’s sketchy drawings feel like they could have been done in the warzone and colored with sand. They have an immediacy to them that comes not from realism but from the light lines and faded palette, as if they were drawn by an eyewitness to this story who had to get them down on paper before the images got away.

Sandman Mystery Theatre was noir at its finest, and now it’s being brought up-to-date in a very dark place, indeed. Noir books are usually about the darkness under the veneer of society, of civilization, the rot at the core of what appears to be a sleek, sophisticated world. Femmes fatales, hard-boiled detectives, rich playboys—the world of Wesley Dodds. There is no such veneer of propriety and happiness over war-torn Afghanistan. It’s dirty and messy and people die in the streets. It will be interesting to see how the team on Sleep of Reason will take the old conventions of the original series and apply them to this world, a world where, as noted in the title, reason seems to be taking a catnap.

Comics these days are doing a stupendous job of addressing current events (and I haven’t even read Pride of Baghdad yet—don’t shoot me). Just pick up DMZ, The Nightly News, even American Virgin. It’s even more exciting to see classic characters being brought into new surroundings that apply more directly to the world we’re living in every day. Sure, we aren’t living in Afghanistan. But we are living in a country (countries?) where the decisions we make at the ballot box affect people across the world. The format of comics makes them great media for reminding us of that fact while keeping us entertained. They’re second only to the actual movie theater for that task.

Trials of Shazam #4
From: DC
Written by: Judd Winick
Art by: Howard Porter
Reviewed by: Rev. O.J. Flow

Not that I felt that the legend of Captain Marvel was in need of an major overhaul or anything, but I am definitely warming up to the significant changes in the Marvel Family status quo. Most know that DC is perfectly adept at shepherding the legacies of their flagship characters, and bearing that in mind it almost stands to reason that the "Shazam!" line has been behind the curve. It didn't meet a whole lot of opposition, the idea that Dick Grayson couldn't be Robin forever, so maybe Billy Batson as Cap could use some shaking up after 60 odd years. The Trials of Shazam! is a miniseries that is well done in every way one should reasonably expect, unfortunately this was the one issue that least exemplifies that so far. Not that writer Judd Winick or artist Howard Porter need to apologize for anything, it's just that this issue was thoroughly lacking in costume action, and it's something I've come to expect from any typical Marvel Family tale.

You could do worse, though, and like I said, this is a good story, I just wanted even a little something that reminded me that I was reading a Shazam story, and this chapter of a 12-part story happened to be a little more down to Earth, especially if you pay the slightest bit of attention to goings on in the Middle East. Even all the magical goings on in this tale were not enough to deviate from the more realistic aspects. At risk of playing my hand as to my political leanings, I will say that I am usually on the same page as Winick, probably more in terms of belief system and not so much how we get the feeling across. When I opened up the fourth issue of The Trials of Shazam!, I almost cursed Winick for even invoking a little bit of sentiment of the military conflicts that our nation is currently involved in, because I knew that I had to keep a muzzle on me if I was going to get through this review and not stir up a political debate in our Best Shots feedback section. If I can suggest one thing, the setting that Winick places our hero, Freddy Freeman, potential heir to the title of Captain Marvel, in is handled in a relatively nonpartisan way that reminded me of some episodes last season of NBC's ER that took place overseas in Iraq. The setting and activity shows what the heck's going on out there without telling you how you're supposed to feel about it, other than sad for the unfortunate fate of some dutiful soldiers.

Getting the reader up to speed, Freddy, no longer hobbled, thanks to the power of Shazam, is set to become the Big Red Cheese now that Billy Batson has been forced to inherit the role of the Wizard residing in the Rock of Eternity, and he must successfully complete a series of magical tests based off the figures responsible for the power of S.H.A.Z.A.M. To date he is one consonant into things having secured the wisdom Solomon by way of an excruciating visit to a tattoo parlor (like the events of issue #3 were gonna go unappreciated by me ;-) ). You would assume that next up for Freddy is a visit with Hercules (interestingly used right now in Wonder Woman -- perhaps why we have yet to see him?), but we've made the jump to "A" for Achilles and his legendary courage. Too bad, too, what with Festivus being right around the corner and it being an appropriate time for the "Feats of Strength." Achilles has taken the mortal form of a Special Forces operative serving in the DCU's own fictional Iraq, and Freddy and his aide, Zareb, arrive on a grim scene to tap Achilles' assistance.

Some observations from this latest issue? For one, I have really been digging the art style an old favorite of mine, Howard Porter has been employing for this book. It takes a genuine talent to make wholesale changes to their style and have it work. Reminds me, in a good way, of Dan Brereton's painted work. It did seem in this issue like the more tradition pencil & ink line work was evident in some spots which suggested to me that the schedule of this monthly series is starting to catch up to Porter's painstaking new style. Winick has come up with a chapter with plenty of action, though you'll recall that I complained earlier that it regrettably lacked the costumed activity I so adore. The snappy dialogue I like from Winick helps things here, though some gunplay at the book's conclusion reminded me of the old G.I. Joe show where there's thousands of bullets flying everywhere and no one's getting hit. The lead antagonist, Sabina, is evil, sex and sass all rolled into one, and she's clearly going to be a thorn in Freddy's side for a few more chapters. As skeptical as even I was with the idea of the changing of the guard in the Marvel Family, a quality story is being told here, and a quarter of the way into this 12-part series I can honestly say that they got me interested in this new era of Shazam.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Written & Illustrated by Alison Bechdel
Published by Houghton Mifflin
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

Not only the best comic book of 2006, Fun Home is a strong contender for the best any book of 2006. Bechdel’s stunning book is a memoir of her relationship with her father, their connection through the world of literature despite their emotional distance, and the contrast between his closeted homosexuality and her own public outing.

Fitting for two people who could most effectively connect through a love of books, Bechdel and her father’s relationship is explored through literary allusions, with the narrative evoking Joyce, Fitzgerald, Wilde and more. These literature connections serve to support the evolving, complicated bond between father and daughter. While her father sees himself reflected in Fitzgerald, Bechdel sees the false-fronts of Gatsby’s life, while other authors tie into the surface happenings, awkward moments of emotional disconnect and outward instances that shape the lives of these two people.

Bechdel’s linework captures the subtle emotions – the ennui, the longing for emotional attachment, the love and the humor – perfectly and successfully, as believably and convincingly as she captures and contrasts the landscape differences between pastoral rural Pennsylvania and sensory-explosive Greenwich Village.

Everything in this book is sharp and focused. You can’t help but laugh at Bechdel’s reaction to consoling family at her father’s wake, just as you can’t help but feel the heartbreak of her mother, or the sighing resignation of her father when he writes of his envy of “new freedoms.”

Fun Home is a tale of self-discovery and familial discovery, and it’s the sort of book that will remind you how human the anonymous faces in your daily life truly are. By displaying all of the foibles and flaws of her father, as well as his passions and inspirations, Alison Bechdel has shown her readers that bonds of family and love work in peculiar and unlikely ways, but that doesn’t demean the power of that bond.

American Born Chinese
Written & Illustrated by Gene Luen Yang
Publishing by First Second
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

There’s been some controversy surrounding this book, due to its recognition as a National Book Award nominee and the debate about the inclusion of comics for such consideration. This controversy doesn’t seem to have much merit, because American Born Chinese deserves the honor, regardless of its comic book-ness.

Opening with three seemingly unrelated narratives – the fabled Monkey King, the hubristic god of old, challenges the other gods and learns humility; Chinese immigrant Jin struggles to fit in with his classmates in an American school; and Asian-stereotype on steroids Chin-Kee provides stomach-twisting nausea to the reader. And the laugh track adds insult to the pain.

Yang does an excellent job capturing the wonder of old Chinese proverbs and myths, painting the Monkey King’s journey of discovery in broad, yet precise strokes. The discomfort of Jin’s own journey, the struggle of adolescence to belong, captures all of the confusion, self-loathing and misplaced anger of the teen years. Chin-Kee just makes the reader incredibly uncomfortable, until Yang’s great twist: Three radically different stories come together, showing how Asian-Americans struggle to accept their own heritage, the fear of stereotyping, and the way to find balance in this life and beyond.

Expressive, cartoony art; strong, tight scripting; and moving cultural commentary, everything about American Born Chinese is award winning.

Meltdown #1
From: Image Comics
Written By: David Schwartz
Drawn By: Sean Wang
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford

Last week, one of our regular readers wondered why we didn’t review this book. I offered to try my best to review the book this week and he seemed pleased at that idea. Hoo boy, I think he’ll change his mind after the review.

This isn’t a bad book. It isn’t. But it isn’t necessarily a good one, either. Sadly, the biggest factors that lead me to not really feel moved by this book have nothing to with the quality of the writing or the art, but everything to do with the format of this project.

Solicitations and promotional articles about this book seemed to spell out that we’re going to see the life and death of this character. He’s introduced in one $5.99 book and killed in the next $5.99 book. Two issues for the life and death, with $12 shelled out. It seems a bit much when there is nothing that is groundbreaking here. This book feels like it should have been made into a true OGN or the series spread into more issues. In a one-shot or OGN, it might have come in at $9.99. As a several-issue mini-series, it might have been able to flesh things out enough to convince me to invest time and money to get to know Caliente (even if I knew he was dying, which they might not have had to reveal at the time of solicitation with more issues to spread the story over).

It feels the book has to rush through all of the necessary introduction of the main character to get to its main hook: what if a super-powered person found out they were going to die and just sort of snapped…deciding to go out in a blaze of glory and take some villains out with him…permanently? It isn’t a bad hook, but, by the time it gets the setup necessities out of the way, it doesn’t have a lot of room to play with that beat. Which is a shame, because there are more than a few little touches from the writer that show there was a lot more potential in this book than was realized (like his blurring the lines with the villain almost reciprocally with the “hero” (hero snaps and kills, villain actually aids the starving children of the globe, etc).

There are no real complaints to be had with the art. Much to the contrary, Sean Wang really seems to do an outstanding job here, especially for someone I’ve never heard of before now (queue the replies in the thread telling me all the places I should know him from, natch). I especially like his touch with the flashbacks; he (along with the colorist(s)) goes with a shiny-happy-retro style that makes those moments standout nicely.

To sum it all up: this beautiful book doesn’t really break new ground or appear to be given enough room to truly demonstrate that it is unique enough in its approach to pull me into its story or convince me to part with $12.

I give the book: 7 out of 10 “Ring of Fire” covers on its own merits & 5 out of 10 when taking the unfortunate formatting of the project.

[b]Justice League of America #4 (variant cover shown)
From: DC Comics
Written By: Brad Meltzer
Drawn By: Ed Benes
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford

Another issue, another Boy & Girl Scouts of America meeting with the Trinity in the Batcave.

I’m not a huge fan of decompression, but I’d been oddly immune to its effects in this series prior to this issue. I didn’t mind that the Big Three weren’t throwing down. It didn’t bug me that so many of the league’s to-be-chosen were doing solo work still. But this issue is where my patience has worn a bit thin.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of things introduced in this issue that are intriguing. You can only keep trying to throw interesting ideas into a story for so long before you’re kind of required to do something with them, though. Given some of the questionable logic to the execution thus far (as some of my teammate pointed out: Supes has trouble pulling off a Starro, but Roy shoots ‘em off with ease??), Meltzer’s doing more to wear away my benefit of the doubt than he is to build it up.

The last time Meltzer juggled so many interesting possibilities and mouthwatering bits, he wound up throwing it all away with a twist that, to many, changed their opinion of the whole 7 issue story. Ironically, this arc seems set for 7 issues. While the setup has some of us desperate to find out more about Dr. Impossible, feverishly anticipating the full realization of the challenge the re-purposed Red Tornado armor presents, and wanting to know exactly how the apparent big bad in the story got to his current version…this once-bitten-twice-shy fanboy is scared that he’ll find out it is all a plot by Lana Lang to try to steal Superman back from Lois.

In all seriousness, Meltzer is making me worry that this arc isn’t going to deliver on all of its setup. All the talk leading up to launch about Dr. Impossible led many to believe that he’d be the featured bad guy of the arc. Here we are in issue 4 and we haven’t gotten a whole lot out of him. On top of that, we’ve potentially had two other league-level threats introduced. That leaves us with a total of 3 characters that would each likely have to be the focus of a total of at least one full issue in order to be resolved satisfactorily. I don’t really see that being juggled successfully between now and the end of issue 7.

One minor pet peeve I had with the issue was the quick “meanwhile” aside that seems to show us the mystery 11th member. I have no problem with the member selected, but I really don’t think anything is served by pulling the reader away from everything that is currently going on just to set something up for a few issues from now. This is nothing that couldn’t have been presented as a flashback when they get to the arc that will be introducing the character to the team. Of course, this possible member could somehow wind up involved in this arc and then I’ll feel rather silly…but I doubt it.

There isn’t much to say about the art, as I’ve come to expect consistent sequential sweetness from Mr. Benes. He hasn’t disappointed me with this issue. I found his rendering of the final page reveal of the big bad to be especially nice. He was a nice, unexpected pick for art on the book that continues to payoff.

I’d give this book 7 out of 10 Case of the Mondays on its own merit; 5 out of 10 for how I feel this bodes for the arc overall.

Advanced Shot: Warhammer 40,000: Damnation Crusade
From: Boom Studios!
Written By: Dan Abnett & Ian Edgington
Drawn By: Lui Antonio
Reviewed By: Kevin Huxford

Boom Studios expands their line by adding a video game/role-playing game license to their stable.

“Warhammer 40,000” sets up a fictional universe where it is the 41st century and mankind has grown far past ownership of just the planet Earth. They, apparently, have an empire that extends to over a million worlds. The force that makes sure we’re still dominant over those worlds would be the Space Marines. The “green berets” of the Space Marines would be the Black Templars, who attempt to purge mankind’s worlds of aliens, mutants, and heretics. Though not specifically stated within the story, it would appear that this series is going to focus strongly on the Black Templars.

As licenses go, its no “G.I. Joe” or “Transformers”, but it is certain to have its group of hardcore followers that will come check this out. I’m sure that they will find an easier time of trying to take to this book than the uninitiated, like myself. Some of this is to be expected. I think that the writers want the reader to enter the story through the eyes of Raclaw (or at least the readers who aren’t already well versed in the lore). Where some of the confusion comes in would be that the opening page has a Space Marine, Gerhart, which looks enough like Raclaw to make me wonder if someone missed a caption mentioning a flashback or something of the sort.

Other than that confusion, this artist does a very good job (and, in fairness, the coloring could have made the difference there, too). The coloring has a nice quality to it; not quite a painted look, but somewhat different than your average stuff.

Many of you reading this are familiar with Dan Abnett. Often, you’d hear his name as part of “Abnett/Lanning” like you’d hear “Palmiotti/Gray”. Here, he isn’t flying solo, but my guess would be that Ian Edgington is someone who is simply much closer to the Warhammer license and is here to help guide Abnett as far as continuity and canon within the franchise. Their work at setting up the Raclaw character as our entry point is very effective. Though they already introduced us to the armor that the Space Marines where, the writers work with Antonio to capture a true sense of wonderment when Raclaw sees it for the first time, which really comes across to the reader. Because of that, I might just give this book a look-see when issue 2 rolls out.

Staying with the other ratings I’ve given, I’ll give this 7 out of 10 one-armed bandits.

Wonder Man #1 of 5
From: Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Andrew Currie

Fallen Angel #11
From: IDW
Writer: Peter David
Artist: J.K. Woodward

X-Factor #14
From: Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Pablo Raimondi
Reviewed by: Richard Renteria

During a week where no major titles dropped, no Civil War tie-ins to talk about and 52 continuing its trek to well 52, it’s Peter David week. Regardless of whether or not you are a fan or not, having three books out in one week by any creator is a rarity. That they are all written by one of the best writers in the industry makes the anomoly even better.

The one thing that is consistent about the three titles being reviewed is their originality and deft use of character development. Each title is from a genre unto itself and each one reads as if a different writer wrote them all. From the humor that runs amok, but doesn’t overwhelm in Wonder Man to the fantasy noir found in Fallen Angel, to the subtle character building happening in X-Factor, David covers the range of super heroics and never once does the reader feel like they have been sold short. Each story is well told and reader friendly, I would even dare to state that you could give any one of these three titles to a new reader and they would not feel lost. The other interesting aspect of these three titles, whether intentional or not, is that they are about second chances, whether asked for or not.

Captain America’s a superhero. I’m just a guy with powers. The weakest, but no less entertaining, title of the three is Wonder Man. The only reason I say this book is the weakest, is because I’m not a big fan of the art and some of the dialogue was a bit over-the-top, but it did maintain its comic element throughout. Our story starts in the future and continues at a point in the past that is left vague to allow the reader to enjoy the story without worrying about where it fits with current Marvel continuity (although we can determine that it happens after Avengers: Disassembled as the Scarlet Witch is briefly mentioned). The premise of the first issue, as with all first issues, is to set the tone and the conflict for the story to come. Simon Williams is looking for a new project and is meeting with a “famous” documentary maker to try and find the right angle for a potential film. Suddenly opportunity presents itself in the form of Lady Killer, an apparent assassin for hire who goes mano-a-mano with our ionic hero. After a tussle in which our super villain is restrained, Neal, the documentary maker, hits upon the perfect idea for a documentary, the rehabilitation of Lady Killer. Currie’s art is nicely done, if a little over the top and much like all art is subjective to whether or not you like his cartoony style. It doesn’t work so well for me, but it help to maintain a certain mood throughout the story.

Dolf! I’m having that sad, empty feeling. In Fallen Angel, Ezil is saved from a junkie’s vampire-like attack only to open the door to a much bigger set of problems. With the mysterious death of the junkie, Ezil starts to develop death-like symptoms. After denying the dead junkies girlfriend’s request for assistance, Fallen Angle, decides to intervene at Dolf’s request, Ezil’s dad and the Fallen Angels confidant. Some time later, during a meeting with the dead junkie’s girlfriend, Father Jude decides that it is finally time for Asia Minor to pay for his crimes putting him and the Fallen Angel on the same path. David does a great job of maintaining a certain tone throughout the entire issue, an almost overwhelming pessimism that seems to be draped over every character in Bette Noire and with the help of J.K. Woodward’s moody art, the tone maintains an excellent consistency.

I mean god knows you wouldn’t want to make Shatterstar jealous. Over in X-Factor, we have David doing some of his finest work to date. While juggling a large cast with multiple plot lines being resolved and expanded, the reader never gets lost in the story. In the hands of a lesser writer, an issue like this could get muddy and confusing, but in the deft and talented hands of Mr. David, not only does every character get a moment to shine, he also adds some closure to one story while opening up a whole new can of worms for the lynchpin of this title, Jamie Madrox. In an attempt to find himself, Jamie Madrox begins a quest of self discovery and with some prompting decides it’s time to find all of his missing dupes, in essence to become whole again. Throughout the course of this introspection, we cut to the various other members of X-Factor and find them trying to put their lives in order after recent events. With a deft use of seriousness and humor, David cuts to the core of who these characters are and how they work and really how often do you read a comic where the sound of SPLAT is followed by an explanation that involves a monkey and some flinging. Pablo Raimondi continues to gain his footing on the title and while there are a lot of talking heads, he manages to use various techniques to keep the reader involved in the story. I look forward to seeing how he manages with the action scenes, as the final page leaves no question that a team adventure is in the immediate future.

With multiple characters, multiple genres and multiple styles, Peter David is having the Best Week Ever.

The Escapist #6
From: Dark Horse
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Jason Shawn Alexander, Eduardo Barreto, Steve Rolston
Review by Richard Renteria

… I just see freedom. Even though I enjoy the big loud giant crossover happening right now in the Marvel Universe, there is something to be said about the small quiet stories. Brian K. Vaughan, working in a medium that has been around for decades, does a good job of reminding the readers exactly what the comic book can do when telling the story of a normal group of everyday people.

Vaughan has weaved a masterful tale, that incorporates the creation of a comic book to tell the story of three seemingly random people that have been thrown together to find their destiny. In finding that destiny they learn a powerful lesson about life and how sometimes the baggage we accumulate can prevent us from seeing the bigger picture.

After losing control of the rights to the Escapist to Omnigrip, Max, Denny and Case go their separate ways to recover from the events of Denny’s near death beating while incarcerated. Case moves on to New York, Denny slowly recovers from his injuries and Max goes back to the only job he knows, elevator repair. With some time gone by, Case returns to Ohio with an intriguing idea to bring the team back together, to create their own character and tell their own stories. Max is hesitant to accept, until Case shows him her idea and Max immediately loses any doubt about starting over.

Vaughan uses a lot of allusions and imagery lend themselves well to different interpretations of the words being spoken, but never once is the reader left questioning the end of the journey. By allowing the reader to get emotionally invested in the first few pages, the end of Max’s journey is all the more hopeful. Case’s reasons for returning to Ohio, come across as honest and sincere. Even strong though is Denny’s lack of a grudge toward Max, which speaks volumes about the friendship that these two characters have shared for years.

The use of three different artists within the issue was a smart idea. It allowed separate story elements to play off the different layers of story throughout the issue giving the reader a fuller experience. The opening sequence is well done and is a good representation of how the reader feels when they get to page 6-7 and realize something is not right in Max’s world.

The comic book world would be well served to have more titles like this coming out on a regular basis. Vaughan and crew do an incredible job of telling a story about three friends and their hopes for the future.

The Spirit #1
From: DC
Written by: Darwyn Cooke
Art by: Cooke and J. Bone
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

The recent Jeph Loeb-written Batman/The Spirit special went a long ways towards dispelling my reservations about a new, ongoing monthly series starring Will Eisner-created mystery man, despite that book’s inherent weaknesses (Loeb’s narration, the Bat-cast’s enormous gravitational pull warping and distorting the well-intentioned team-up into just another Batman comic, the implication that the new series may be set in the DCU proper).

But I had a lot of reservations, and still had them going into this particular issue. See, the Spirit stories remain beloved and influential, at least within the world of comics creators and fans, not because of the masked crime fighter and his colorfully named villains, but because of the skill with which Eisner told stories about them. In a sense, the Spirit is the exact opposite of Batman—he’s a nothing of a character made mythic in the hands of a particular creator, rather than a mythic character who can work in just about any creators’ hands. Thus, an Eisner-less Spirit comic, particularly now that Eisner is no longer with us, just seems silly, wrong, pointless and more than a little ill-considered.

Still, I can see potential benefits to a new, ongoing Spirit series. For one thing, it may very well help introduce the character to new generations of readers, who may then segue into the Einser stories (which DC has made available), and, from there, into the treasure trove of sequential art Eisner left us.

For another, it means that when Frank Miller’s film version is released, Miller won’t have any sort of hegemony on the interpretation of the character. (Obviously, it’s way too early to judge Miller’s Spirit, but looking at his past work as comics artist, comics writer and film writer, his aesthetic doesn’t immediately seem to align itself with the whimsical adventure aesthetic of the Spirit).

And after actually reading Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone’s first issue, I can see one more, greater benefit to a new, ongoing Spirit series: Great comics. Because despite my many reservations about the project, Cooke simply blew me away with this first issue, meeting and exceeding whatever expectations one might have.

In a solidly constructed story, he introduces us to the Spirit (be it for the first time or the second time), his supporting cast and the direction of the book. Oh, and there’s a clear beginning, middle and end. All in just 22 pages! Remarkable!

Cooke teases us with the Sprit’s gradual appearance, so that he truly is a mystery man to readers. Were it not for the revelatory cover, you’d have to assume the hero is but a glimpse of glove, a shadow on a wall, a silhouette, or a dynamic blur for most of the issue. Cooke checks off every item on the list of Things You Expect From Spirit Stories with aplomb. You’ve got a dame with an awesome name (Ginger Coffee), a weird villain (acid dissolving monster The Pill), a flashy title panel that works the background into an impromptu logo, plus action, humor and suspense.

But Cooke doesn’t stop there. Rather than turning out an Eisner impression, this is quite clearly the work of Darwyn Cooke, the artist you’ve come to know and love from New Fronteir, Catwoman and other projects that really ought to be collected into a nice big omnibus. You can see an Eisner influence, but not an Eisner imitation. To employ a music metaphor, it’s more riff than cover song.

And, somewhat surprisingly, Cooke manages to bring the Spirit into the year 2006, and making him seem like he fits in just fine there. To me the Spirit has always existed in a sort of a bubble, where it’s always the Golden Age, but this story features 24-hour cable news networks (complete with crawl) and cell phones, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t work (similarly to the way Batman: The Animated Series bent the modern world to it’s classic aesthetic rather than vice versa). Hell, the Spirit’s old sidekick/wince-inducing racial stereotype Ebony even appears, and he works too (Cooke loses the wince-inducing stereotype elements, obviously).

My only reservation about the series now is how long Cooke will be able to stay on it before it starts to seem like he’s done all there is to do with it. As awesome as The Spirit #1 was, I don’t want Cooke to keep doing it forever. After all, DC has other great Golden Age characters that could use such skillful and faithful reimaginings (I’m looking at you Captain “Shazam!” Marvel and Plastic “Reformed Deadbeat Dad” Man).

J. Caleb Mozzocco thinks this series makes Darwyn Cooke is a shoo-in for an Eisner award.

Pellet Reviews!

Also kicking off with one from last week . . .

White Tiger #2 (Marvel; by Jeff): Poor White Tiger. She’s a C-level character that not even an A-level novelist can do anything with. Ms. Pierce (and Mr. Liebe) have fallen into the trap of making Tiger just like every other female new to a costume. Let’s face it, White Tiger is a generic Daredevil for the double-X chromosome set, but instead of being a breath of fresh air, she’s a stereotype, and a boring one at that. Blame Birds of Prey and Gail Simone, if you must, who have set the bar for strong female characters. This issue involves Tiger recovering quickly and mysteriously from last issue (with no curiosity or interest into the mystery of the amulet that gives her curious abilities), beating up on more men, trying to figure out who the Daredevil running around town really is, and a dance (literally and figuratively) with the Yakuza thug who killed her partner. Marvel’s lack of faith in the character going her tale alone is apparent with yet another unnecessary cameo by Spider-Man and the omnipresent Daredevil imposter. The writing is lackluster, which doesn’t help matters and actually fails the terrific artwork of Phil Briones. White Tiger calls the faux-DD mentor, “Daredevil 2.0” which was mildly amusing the first time she says it in this issue, absolutely annoying the fourth. Waking in the morning before a job interview (in a scene nearly identical to one from Sachs & Violens #1), our heroine descends on the park for a little extracurricular activity, passing this gasser: “Kicking biker butt clears my head SO much better than jogging…” Worse still is a scene later on in a dance club where the Tiger’s alias encounters her partner’s killer, Sano. After the verbal foreplay requisite of cookbook writing, the two enemies dancefight (or is that fightdance?) to the awe of the crowd and the groan of the reader. The issue ends flat, hardly what I would expect with a writer like Ms. Pierce on board, but enough to prevent me from buying the rest of the series. I gave the first issue a pass since it was setting the stage. This second issue, though, isn’t any better. Unless you’re trying to fill your collection with every appearance of Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe (who’s pretty much a guarantee to appear in the next four issues), I would recommend skipping this series and instead dive into the much better The Immortal Iron Fist.

Batman #660 (DC; by Jeff): If I was Batman, subjected to this current story arc of “Grotesk”, I’d hightail it out of Gotham for a year, too. Here, in part 2, Batman continues his pursuit of yet another incarnation of Frankenstein (the DeNiro version) and crosses paths with one of the most ridiculous and more than a little offensive villains he’s ever laid a fist on: a Yakuza gunsel with the nom de guerre of Johnny Karaoke. Traveling with his bodyguards, the Geisha Grrls (yes, that IS their title; with names of J.Lo., Brittany, Beyonce, and Mariah no less), this criminal croons into his Mr. Microphone cane while posturing like Neil Diamond and commanding, pimplike, his “Grrls” to take out a trio of police officers. One of the disconnects in this story, besides the inane plot and idiotic villain, is that after Batman defeats this Japanese quartet, he simply lets them go to pursue Grotesk. Wait, you ask. Doesn’t he bind them or use knockout gas or do anything, well, Batman-like to prevent their escape into the general population? Nope, I answer you, he just lets them go. And if that’s not enough evidence that Mr. Ostrander doesn’t have a full grasp of how to write Batman, then the laughably horrible last page is the final nail in that coffin. It’s not a very creative storyline and an extreme disappointment from someone with Mr. Ostrander’s resume. Mr. Mandrake’s art doesn’t feel right on this series, either. Regular people he does a fine job on. His Batman, however, with those pointy shoulder thingees, is a sore sight, indeed. I give this arc a D and recommend the Batman faithful ride out the rest of “Grotesk” with Mr. Dini over at Detective and come back to Batman when the next arc begins.

DMZ #14 (Vertigo; review by Sarah Jaffe): Matty Roth is about to be tested far beyond what we’ve seen so far—and he’s already gone through more than most of us will deal with in a lifetime. And we’ll see one answer to the question of what the responsibility of journalists is—to report the story or to intervene. (See review of Sandman Mystery Theatre Sleep of Reason) How deep can you get yourself in before you’re complicit? You will like this issue of DMZ if you liked V for Vendetta. If you read and liked this issue of DMZ, you should go rent Road to Guantanamo.
The Nightly News #2 (Image; review by Sarah Jaffe): Read this book. Or you might get shot by eerily well-drawn, creepy guys with dreadlocks, sunglasses, or cowboy hats. You might also learn something if you do read it. You might just learn that, once again, violence is fun. If you can read small print, you might learn more about errors in the news media. Plus, there’s another contest in the back. Really, you should read this book. It is very good. It came out last week, and I am once again behind in telling you to read it, but take my word for it.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #32 (DC Comics; review by O.J.) : Stuart Moore and Jamal Igle bring their tenure on Firestorm to a close, and it seems fitting that the setting is New York on New Year's Eve. Things kind of got bogged down in the last story arc, enough so that even I tuned out a bit, but Moore did good work with this cast of characters in leaner one- and two-part stories. This series had more heart and soul than a vast majority of titles out there right now, and it's a shame that it's more the exception to the rule instead of the norm. The mantle of Firestorm is in very good hands with Jason Rusch and Professor Stein, and I wish the next creative team all the luck in the world. Now let's see if we can get this guy back in the JLA sometime soon!

Pride of Baghdad (DC/Vertigo, by Mike): Lucas already got into the meat of it, but it bears repeating that Pride, the inspired-by-true-events story of four lions who escaped the Baghdad zoo during initial bombings in 2003, is a beautiful and complex meditation on war through the eyes of those caught in the chaos by no choice of their own. Niko Henrichon’s art deserves another mention as well, for the detail, storytelling clarity, and tear-inducing beauty of his two-page vistas.

Iron Wok Jan vol. 1 (Comicsone, by Mike): Who could have imagined that a comic about cooking could be so lively and kinetic? The characters are interesting, if not dynamic or complex, and the scenarios are fun. I don’t see enough legs on it to justify another 22 volumes (that have been translated, to date), but Jan is a fun little diversion.

Damned #3 (Oni; review by Koben Kelly): Another exciting issue of the comic that mixes deadly mob hits with demonic supernature. Sure, Eddy was hired to find the Hellish overseer of the truce between families, but he’s been a tad bit delayed. A conversation with The Worm, whose portrayal gives me the chills, leads the scarred protagonist to a run down ex-hang-out of the devilish worst of the worst. So, why is it mortals who want to send Eddy to his dirt nap? Things get even more tangled up when one of the key players turns up deader than a doornail. Brian Hurtt’s simple line-work brings this unique vision to noir-influenced life, and his grey tones are fantastic. A shame that this series is only around for two more issues. I’d be more than pleased to pick up another ten. Maybe Oni will push for a sequel as Eddy, alone, merits a deeper probing into his backstory.

Bullet Points #2 (Marvel; review by Koben): While not as revelatory as the first issue, this second installment is quite interesting in its own right. The majority of the story focuses on the emergence of Peter Parker’s (that’s right, Peter Parker’s) Hulk persona. It seems that his initial transformation is the result of the mockery and chiding that the 616 Parker knew all too well. A conversation between a somewhat retired Iron Man, who has a reason for an internal attachment aside from shrapnel near his heart, and an un-fantastic Reed Richards has a drastically different take on how these two see each other from what we’re used to. Considering who this reality’s Iron Man is, there’s a noticeable lack of reverence. It seems that this Richards has had more time to prepare for the journey he and his three companions will take… but, will they even make it off the planet? JMS has succeeded in writing a tale that will truly make you ponder the pre-conceived notions most fans write off as continuity-established facts.

Double-barrel pellet shot: Justice League of America #4 (DC;review by Koben):
First off, let me state that I absolutely dig Meltzer and Benes’ take on DC’s premier superteam. Many have complained that Meltzer’s pacing isn’t to their liking, and so be it. I however enjoy his decompressed-without-padding style. This issue primarily focuses on… SPOILER ACTIVATED… the discovery that certain ne’er-do-wells are being manipulated by modified Starro parasites, and the fight that ensues. Meltzer makes sure to pop in on peripheral characters for the occasional update and foreshadowing. I have heard the gripes uttered along the grapevine that Roy shouldn’t be able to ace these inorganically modified Starros with a cleverly aimed arrow when the Big Blue couldn’t pull on off by hand. Allow me to postulate that it wasn’t a strength problem for Kal, as much as it was difficult for him to pry the suckers off without them breaking or without ripping out the afflicted’s spinal column. Red Arrow… excuse me… Arsenal simply has such incredible skill with his chosen weapon that he could place the tip of his arrow in just the right place to successfully draw the Starro out from its host. It’s really not that much of a stretch. Benes knocked me right in the noots with his unsettling portrayal of what Red’s old body is morphing into. Wow. Also, this book wins, hands down, the award for most shocking “Never saw that coming” last page cliffhanger. The only beef I have is with the atrocious covers Turner is pumping out for this series. This one really takes the cake. Yuck. He was so busy giving Roy Green Arrow’s costume that he didn’t notice he’d even made the belt buckle a G. Regardless, all in all a great read.

Stormwatch: Post Human Division #2 (Wildstorm; review by Koben): Christos Gage effortlessly proves that his success with this unique vision for the Wildstorm universe isn’t just a bit of luck or a one-hit-wonder. Now that the team of unpowered individuals has been assembled, it’s time to go after the first target. For this initial outing, the Walking Ghost has been targeted for apprehension. Without giving too much away, certain members infiltrate the Ghost’s crew and work their magic. A bit of training is involved, as is an informative flashback feeding us much-desired screen time for old school Stormwatch member, Hellstrike. Mahnke’s artwork is fantastic, toning down the Bisley influence except for when portraying D-lister enforcer, Johnny Too Bad… which works. Allow me to say that Mahnke’s new look for the depowered Fahrenheit is deadly good… she’s a hottie if you will. The script is filled with a decent amount of humor, as well. The funniest line of dialog has to be: “She did not put ‘em on the glass.” Christos is becoming quite the underdog champ over at Marvel, but I sincerely hope he continues to pen the adventures of his original idea for some time. I absolutely adore this book.

Blade #4 (Marvel; by Caleb): And Ebeneezer Scrooge thought the Ghost of Christmas Future was scary! Disguising himself with a moustache and terrible sweater while hiding out in Bethlehem, PA, Blade encounters a much deadlier spirit of Christmas—a killer department store Santa under the possession of a body-hopping demon from hell. Okay, so it’s not the most original menace in the world (coincidentally, the Son of Satan was stuck in a very similar scenario in one of the old stories collected in October release Essential Marvel Horror), it still makes for a story that fulfills Blade’s horror requirements while making the issue into something of a Christmas special. It also gives cover artist Marko Djurdjevic an excuse to draw a hulking Santa from hell on the cover. Like each issue so far, writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Howard Chaykin have given us a crazy-busy book, with the fight before Christmas intertwining with Blade’s ongoing origin and another step forward in the Lucas Cross plot. Plus, a letters page! You really can’t ask for much more from a comic book.

Ghost Rider #6 (Marvel; by Caleb): Character and creator all too rarely synch up as perfectly as they do in this issue. Regular writer Daniel Way is joined by fill-in artist and well-respected master of horror comics Richard Corben, whose name on the cover was really all it took to convince me to give the latest volume of the title a try. It was thankfully very accessible, and a fairly rewarding read. As the recap page explains, the devil has been split into 666 fragments and scattered across the physical world, and it’s up to Ghostie to play an infernal version of Pokemon—he’s gotta catch ‘em all. The story is split between two threads, with Ghost Rider fighting a very classic looking devil in the present, and a young Johnny Blaze doing a deal with a different kind of evil creature in the past (Here’s a hint: It wears a tie and charges by the hour). I can’t speak for what’s come before, but this issue at least made for a nice entry point into the title. I’ll certainly be back next month.


Video (Lost in the Dark; by Troy): The Second Coming will apparently be televised. That’s just a conceptual nugget from the larger tapestry of this series, collected here with some slight revisions from the original text. Writer/artist Stephen R. Buell cuts through post-Millennial fears and manages to make the story of a savior’s potential return to Earth a relationship tale. There are a lot of looming philosophical questions that might have been worth exploring, but Buell shows commendable drive in sticking to the main points of his narrative. Ultimately, we’re left with an out-of-the-ordinary reading experience, a strong work that captures the fantastic by reflecting how it would matter in our interactions with our friends, our siblings, and finally, whomever we choose to be our families.

Modern Masters Volume Nine: Mike Wieringo (TwoMorrows Publishing; by Troy): I’ve been planning a longer examination of some of the volumes by (occasional Newsarama content partners) TwoMorrows Publishing, mainly because they’re outstanding. Their Modern Masters series focuses on current bright lights in the field. This edition benefits greatly from co-writer Todd Dezago; as Wieringo’s partner on Tellos and a generally knowledgeable talent, he’s able to set up great discussions. Wieringo discusses his larger body of work, including his run on The Flash and Fantastic Four, and elaborates on how he juggled art with the grocery business. Fascinating stuff, and a great series for students of the form.

The Batman Strikes! (DC/Johnny DC; by Troy): Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from parents that I know about what comics are appropriate for their kids. (Yes; amazingly, it appears as if the media saturation may net new readers.) I automatically respond with Johnny DC and Marvel Age. This particular title is an especially good choice. Not only is it smartly written by Jai Nitz, the self-contained plots are sophisticated enough for the older kids and generally acceptable for the younger ones. In this issue, Joker steals Scarface and Batman is forced to team up with the Ventriloquist. Christopher Jones and Terry Beatty do an able job on art, and it’s all good fun.

Doris Danger books (Salt Peter Press; by Troy): To buy into the Tabloia conceit expounded by multi-talented Chris Wisnia is to throw reason out the window and just have a good time. His various Doris Danger titles, including Doris Danger Seeks Where Giant Monsters Creep & Stomp and Doris Danger in Outer Space, are all laugh-out-loud homages to giant monster books and science fiction films of the ‘50s. Told with tongue wedged so far in cheek that I’m surprised Wisnia can breathe, this tales careen deliriously along with no other mission than to make the reader have a good time. And if they have anything resembling a soul, they will. Enormously entertaining goofiness (and that’s a big compliment).


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

[Mike Hayden]

I read The Spirit it's an awesome book. One i am willing to follow. Anyone who wants to read something really new and classic, should pick it up.

[fast eddie]

I couldn't agree more. Darwyn Cooke, for my money, is hands down the most exciting creator in comics right now. His work is a breath of fresh air. It's about time someone brought a real sense of fun back to comics all the while still respecting the material. Oh, by the way, at the risk of preaching to the converted, if you haven't checked out New Frontier yet, shame on you. It captures that sense of wonder and excitement of the that era masterfully. If your budget allows it, the Absolute Edition is gorgeous and well worth the dough. If you're poor, however, the good news is that the trade paperbacks are cheaper and beautiful as well.

[StripedTiger]

Thank God someone else noticed the G on Roy's belt. I thought maybe I'd dipped too far into the darkside of fanboy land when I noticed it and wondered what the hell was up with it...

Peter David's going to get me to pick up a Marvel book. After two years without Marvel books he's going to drag me back in with X-factor. Damn that man has skills...

[durkadurka]

As you can see from my signature below, I too am a big fan of the Meltzer/Benes run of Justice League of America. People do complain about the slow pace or whatever in the series, but then look at X-Factor. It's a book of X-characters, none of which have been core X-men for any considerable period of time, so they were usually out of the soap opera-esque goings on in the X-mansion. They were mostly in action titles and have suddenly been thrust into a book about characterization and slow, meticulous plot development that has produced one of the best titles marvel has.
I think Mr. Meltzer has more than the ability to explain everything he wants to in the first arc, and, while I'm really just going off my experience from Identity Crisis, he doesn't really do things, such as the "meanwhile" with the possible new member, without some sort of gameplan. I can't wait to see what's next.

[SyVyN11]

Originally Posted by StripedTiger

Peter David's going to get me to pick up a Marvel book. After two years without Marvel books he's going to drag me back in with X-factor. Damn that man has skills...

PAD (along with Dan Slott and Robert Kirkman) is one of Marvel's very few writers that are great and are not OVERRATED!! (Millar, Bendis and JMS, I'm looking at you three!)

[speedfreak]

Just to say that Portacio's artwork was some of the worst I've seen in a comic book in a loooong time. Some of the headshots were laughably absurd. This is a good case of an artist being given a book to launch simply because he is a name creator when in fact his work has become incredibly bad since he made his name. Really don't know how I'm going to sit through this for four more issues. Congratulations DC, one issue and I want to drop the book.

[SyVyN11]

Nice to see that there will be those that will be carrying the water for the failed Firestorm writing of Stuart Moore to the bitter end. Now come back in a few months when he is touting the book's new artist, Ken (I helped destroy Flash) Lashley as the second coming of Jim Lee (more like 21century circa Rob Liefeild).

Let me drop a clue. When a bold goes into a 'status quo' changing event every four or five issues, it means the writer doesn't have anything to sustain a book.

The only reason for the next arc cross over with New Gods, is to set up Starlin's New Gods project. After that, I expect a quick cancelation.

And to stop the disscussion now. They won't return to Ronnie Raymond for at least 2 or 3 years. That's fine, like the Ori, I can bide my time.

[kingofcities]

- Why does Whilce draw Batman's nose nine inches wide? Seriously. In fact, the cowl doesn't really look right at all. It's like he'd never actually seen a Batman pic but was instead working off of someone's verbal description and that was how Whilce interpteted it. Ugh. I was only sad to not pick this up because of Diggle. Reading the review though I think I made the right choice.

- I think I must have read the Justice League that Koben was reading. I've been enjoying the book but have been waiting for the Ummph of the story to get rolling. This was the issue that finally felt that way to me. I can forgive any kind of pacing overall though when the characterization is this damn good. And Khux, we don't EVER complain about Geoforce around here.

- Firestorm had a wonderful, intimate wrap-up up with all of the characters Stuart and Jamal have been exploring on their run. Last time I was this bummed to see a creative team leave was when Johns and Porter left The Flash. Great run here. My only problem? Have the bad guy make the cryptic "I know why you are Firestorm" comment and then not frigging give us the answer.

- Can I make a request? Give the next isssue of Stormwatch the full review and not just a pellet. This is a fantastic book that needs more exposure. It is everything that is right and good about comics.

Great column as always everyone.

[Kevin T. Brown]

Originally Posted by SyVyN11

Nice to see that there will be those that will be carrying the water for the failed Firestorm writing of Stuart Moore to the bitter end. Now come back in a few months when he is touting the book's new artist, Ken (I helped destroy Flash) Lashley as the second coming of Jim Lee (more like 21century circa Rob Liefeild).

Let me drop a clue. When a bold goes into a 'status quo' changing event every four or five issues, it means the writer doesn't have anything to sustain a book.

The only reason for the next arc cross over with New Gods, is to set up Starlin's New Gods project. After that, I expect a quick cancelation.

And to stop the disscussion now. They won't return to Ronnie Raymond for at least 2 or 3 years. That's fine, like the Ori, I can bide my time.

Unfortunately, as long as Dan DiDio is in charge, there will be no return of Ronnie Raymond to his rightful place as Firestorm....

However, I do agree that the book will be cancelled relatively soon. It's actually lasted a lot longer than I suspected it would.

[kingofcities]

Originally Posted by SyVyN11

Let me drop a clue. When a bold goes into a 'status quo' changing event every four or five issues, it means the writer doesn't have anything to sustain a book.

Yeah, you really have the pulse of the contemporary here. This book must be about to go away. The book has been going almost three years now. Time to live in the now and move on. Isn't there a Green Lantern somewhere to hate?

[Michael P]

If you're don't like Darwyn Cooke's Spirit, you suck. I can prove this with an Etch-A-Sketch.

[SpyGuy]

Brad Meltzer needs to burn every page of the recent JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #1 into his brain before even attempting to write another comic script. New characters are introduced and the team is pretty much assembled by the end of the issue, unlike Meltzer's EVENTUALLY WE'LL BECOME THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA series.

Even more appalling is that Meltzer is reportedly leaving as of #13, which means half of his run is spent just getting the team together. To his credit, though, no one has been seen carrying around flamethrowers...just in case.

[FireLight]

X-Factor - just rocked. I thought another introspective issue just after the X-aminations issue was probably too much. Turns out it was not enough of a good thing. Plus we get forward progress on dangling story threads and a new direction. Although I am confused at how much effort does it take for Jaime to draw a dupe back in. I thought at one time he just (in a sense) blinked and they came back and were absorbed. I guess he has to be in range of them now...

I also liked how wrong he (Jaime) was about certain character aspects - and how - even though she only shows on ONE page - Layla essentially still influences the book on many pages.

Batman Confidential - eh - I didn't hate it - I still have issues with Portacio's art tho - his facial features look - I dunno - off...

Justice Leage #4: I'm another one to thumb down decompression - and this title has tested my patience. But I really liked the character interaction - the Hal introspection - and the final page reveal. Three more issues to go to wrap up the who/why/how of the baddies. I also agree - we've been highly decompressed so far - how does Melzter plan to thorough explain all the elements that are laid down here.

Ghost Rider - now that is the GR I know and love. Looking forward to Blaze going full-tilt next issue. I'm one of those that (like for some Kyle is 'their' Lantern) Dan Ketch was my first real introduction to GR. Sure I saw those posters and tatoos in the 80's - but when I got into seriously reading comics again - GR with Mackie/Salteras/Texeria was my title. I'm a newly old fan of Johnny Blaze here.

[Dreighton]

Batman Confidential. Like the writer, and I think Diggle is very underrated. I loved the artist several years ago......but this was absolute trash, and has no reason for existence. It's an arc (at best) of Legends of Dark Knight

[Peter David]

Originally Posted by StripedTiger

Thank God someone else noticed the G on Roy's belt. I thought maybe I'd dipped too far into the darkside of fanboy land when I noticed it and wondered what the hell was up with it...

Peter David's going to get me to pick up a Marvel book. After two years without Marvel books he's going to drag me back in with X-factor. Damn that man has skills...

Just when you thought you were out...

PAD

[kingofcities]

Originally Posted by Peter David

Just when you thought you were out...

PAD

Have I just missed the softcover of the trade or what? If I have missed it I apologize in advance for this comment but seriously, what the hell? The ongoing is up to issue 14 but there is STILL no softcover collection?

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by Peter David

Just when you thought you were out...

PAD

It looks like the PADfather made StripedTiger an offer he couldn't refuse...

[khuxford]

Originally Posted by SpyGuy

It looks like the PADfather made StripedTiger an offer he couldn't refuse...

He did the same to me. I had been hearing that the series was great and I scanned through the issue where a Madrox dupe got chucked through a window...which felt like the wrong issue to check out, I guess. I say this because, once prodded again during a slow week, I picked up the therapy issue and now I'm a full-fledged fan of the series. Must be something with me and therapy issues, because the Heroes Squared session issue has been one of my favorites of the year. Hey...that'd make a decent column idea...

[Beefy McHuge]

X-Factor's entertaining but it doesn't really seem to have a point. And despite how much PAD's been trying to convince us otherwise, I still think Layla's annoying and useless.

[pez dispenser]

Originally Posted by Beefy McHuge

X-Factor's entertaining but it doesn't really seem to have a point. And despite how much PAD's been trying to convince us otherwise, I still think Layla's annoying and useless.

She's annoying and pretty useless alright.
That's why she's such a fun character.

Great book. It's always near the top of my to read pile every month.

[O.J. Flow]

Or, if I may, just "Sieve" for short? That rolls off the tongue better than SyVyN11.

The only time you ever enter the discussion is when Firestorm is covered so you can go hatin' on things. You're nothing if not consistent with that.
I'm wondering if you actually read the book?
You seem to have a myriad of opinions on something you don't even like, but are you basing these on a title you don't even read?

[Scarlet Mage]

JLA: Taking forever to get to the point and decompression is fine when you're Bendis and stay on a book forever. With Meltzer only being on the book for twelve issues, he'll set up the team and then be gone. And has there been an explanation to why Arsenal changed to Red Arrow? We know why it was done creatively but it makes no sense with the character. I guess it's another OYL backstory we have to make up for ourselves.

X-23: No mention? Yes, X-Factor was amazing but there was one book I liked better this week, New X-Men, and the new X-23 mini was right behind it. Kyle and Yost are proving to be masters of balls to the wall action while never neglecting character and Paco Medina is doing an amazing job of presenting it in NXM and doesn't forget that these characters are kids. PLUS page 17 alone has an incredible character bit I didn't even notice on my first or second reads through the book but is downright inspired. READ THESE BOOKS!

[HG_studios]

Agree strongly with the White Tiger and Batman reviews. I, too, dropped White Tiger after this most recent issue, for pretty much the same reasons...if it's not Wolverine, Marvel (or maybe it's Ms Pierce?) has to shove someone recognizable down our throats, so we get Spidey instead. No thank you.

Batman...le *sigh*...I was attempting to get into Morrison's run. Though I like Morrison, his first arc just wasn't clicking with me...I was planning on waiting it out and seeing if things would improve...this filler arc has me wanting to just say screw it, and not get Batman any longer (bringing my bat-book count to zero as I'm not impressed with All-Star or Detective, and feel that Confidential should not have even been made).

Finally!!! I may be a biased BKV whore, but I'm glad we got an Escapist review that delivered on the praise that I and others I know have been giving this excellent mini-series. For those of you who missed out, be sure to pick up the trade when they collect this fantastic series about the independant creators-who-could!

-Kevin

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by Scarlet Mage

And has there been an explanation to why Arsenal changed to Red Arrow? We know why it was done creatively but it makes no sense with the character. I guess it's another OYL backstory we have to make up for ourselves.

I'm pretty sure that responsibility will fall to the upcoming Outsiders storyline "Pay as you Go" which will tell the story of the missing year. While i like Outsiders, i do feel the recent arc left a little to be desired. I'm hoping for better with this one. Plus, he was just called Red Arrow because for some reason Hal was stuck in first name mode, and had to make a quick decision about what to call him, making a reference to Kingdom Come.

I agree with you that New X-Men was good. I just love when ol' Slim admits he was wrong. Plus, X-23 is hot hot hot...dammit, i'm a perv.

But X-Factor is king.