Welcome, one and all, to 411’s new reader-friendly competitive review column, the new and improved Steel Cage. “Reader-friendly how?†you may ask, and a fine question that would be. “Competitive how?†you may also ask, at which point you would be asking questions way too quickly and should slow down, but I’ll humor you and try to answer both in one fell swoop.
This column is like 411Comics’ very own reality TV show of sorts. Two reviewers enter…one reviewer leaves (well, actually, more accurately, one reviewer stays, as in the winner stays on…the other gets sent to Daron’s apartment to do his spring cleaning and toe massage).
Each week, two of our esteemed review staff (or special guests) will select what they thought was the best comic of the previous Wednesday. They will each present an argument stating their case which I will post here for you, the reader, to see. That’s where you come in; you know that nifty little poll in the bottom right hand corner of the main page? Go ahead, go look, you should be able to find it easily enough…ok? Yeah, well from Wednesday to Saturday, from when I post the column to when we need to pick out some new blood for the next week, you guys will have the chance to vote for which comic you thought was better. Now, this is a bit tricky, because you may only have read both comics and already made up your mind before you even read the column…however, you may have only read one comic and trust the guy reviewing the other enough that you vote for the one you haven’t read…or you may have read neither and are going strictly by the column…or maybe one sounds so good you want to go out and buy it…or maybe you flip a coin…or maybe all this speculations has bored you and you decided to go read 144anima (CHEAP PLUG…and we already get your hit here as well anyways, so there)…
It’s simpler than I’m making it sound!
So read these fellas, enjoy, then go vote for your favorite, then check back here in seven days to see who came out on top and who is Daron’s new manservant of the moment.
Introducing first…he hails from the mean streets of Clark, New Jersey…he grew up working the docks of the Jersey shore and making sure anybody who thought Transformers were cooler than Thundercats slept with the fishes…representingInvincible #9, produced by Image Comics…Chris “Scummer†Delloiacono!!!
It’s an honor to be a part of the first of the all new, “Steel Cage†for 411Mania! Well, let’s get ready to rumble! Watch out, clunky robot retreads from the 80s, you may be tough, but you aren’t Invincible!
This was a good week for comics, and my choice was quite difficult as to the best of the best. When I gave it some heavy thought though, there was no option other than Invincible. Issue #9 has all the individual elements that I love about this comic: action, humor, parody, and superheroes vs. supervillains galore! Robert Kirkman is a name to watch in the comic industry. Kirkman’s writing is superb; plus he can pull off a variety of genres well. Invincible centers on teenager Mark Grayson, and let me just say that Kirkman’s got the teen dynamic down. Unlike some books and movies, Kirkman understands what it’s like to be a teen and while the book is about a young man with superpowers, the characters seem true to life. The book’s got a fairly light tone, with a really strong family dynamic.
A hilarious Star Trek parody opens this month’s issue (including the prerequisite Data-like character nearly pulling the deus ex machina that ended most episodes of Next Generation). The early part of the book focuses on the relationship between our hero Mark Grayson (Invincible) and his dad the Superman-esque, Omni-Man. Kirkman’s built the book on relationships, and on top of the stuff with father and son, he has time to develop Mark’s budding love life as well. Then it’s on to a side-splitting recruitment drive for the recently decimated Guardians of the Globe. The sequence features a smattering of other Image characters. Kirkman and Erik Larsen have made some outstanding strides recently to bring the idea of a shared Image Universe back.
Ryan Ottley’s beautiful art and Bill Crabtree’s amazing coloring are the final pieces that pull this book together…making it the pick of the week. This is only Ottley’s second issue, after taking over for the recently departed Cory Walker. Already, Ottley has settled into a wonderful comfort zone. The art is cheerful and clean with a vibrancy lacking in so many superhero works. Mr. Crabtree colors the world in bright tones that give the title the last larger-than-life element it needs!
This is the best superhero comic book on the stands today. I am always surprised by just how much ground Kirkman covers in a single issue. This isn’t a bare bones de-compressed story. Kirkman has packed issue #9 with numerous important character moments and a story that’s a hell of a lot of fun. Invincible has captured some of the best features across the superhero genre and rolled them into a book that’s totally different from every other superhero book on the shelves.
And his opponent…from across the pond, specifically the lovely city of Edinburgh in Ben Morse’s ancestral homeland, Scotland…his career highlights include finally grabbing a copy of U2’s “Zooropa†and he aspires to be a young Johnny Cash when he’s older…representing Transformers: Generation One #3, produced by Dreamwave…Iain “The Cheesemonger†Burnside!!!
Okay, first off I’m going to have to play my trump card of this book having really frickin’ cool giant robots. What’s that you say? Really frickin’ cool giant robots are only to be expected in a Transformers comic? Well, you have a point but this book features really frickin’ cool giant robots LAYING THE SMACKETH DOWN! In one corner we have Sunstorm, who comes complete with Dragonball Z-style fireballs and transforms into a really frickin’ cool giant jet! In the other corner we have Jetfire, who favours wearing Gundam-style armour and transforms into an even cooler frickin’ giant jet capable of interstellar travel!
Yes, Dreamwave’s artwork here continues to impress. Lately they have been far more hit than miss when it comes to drawing the big guys, perhaps because they keep Pat Lee at bay with a large stick, with panels becoming far less cluttered and a much welcome lack of splash pages. It’s a genuine improvement from Don Figueroa, one that is highly notable when compared to issue #0 back in December. As good as the artwork is, however, it’s the writing that totally owns this issue and makes it my pick of the week. For the first time since Simon Furman wrapped up the Generation 2 series back in 1993, the Robots in Disguise actually talk and act like the believable characters they once where and, as a long-time TF fanboy, this simply rocks my rockable parts. There have been signs of this is the previous issues but here it all comes together spectacularly. Bumblebee really stands out in particular. He was often overlooked in the old comics but here he is, the little guy thrust into the limelight by circumstances beyond his control, trying desperately to maintain his composure and prove himself to the doubters he is in command of. Having been put in charge of a simple supply mission he is in way over his head trying to stop a rogue Decepticon that can very easily take down every single member of his crew at once. Does he stand down and let the larger, more experienced Autobots like Jetfire or the overly aggressive Brawn take charge or boss him around? Nope, he sticks to his guns and asserts himself brilliantly. That’s exactly what Bumblebee is all about folks, and to see writer Brad Mick nail his character so precisely is a real mark-out moment.
And as for that rogue Decepticon… Wow. What a relief! If you’ve read my War Within: Dark Ages #5 review (cheap plug!) then you’ll know how pissed off I was getting with Dreamwave’s apparent determination to focus on TF stories centered on major cosmic events like Unicron and The Fallen. Given the daft dialogue that the latest zealot, Sunstorm, has been spewing as of late, I feared this would lead us back to Unicron once again. Thankfully, Mick takes him in an entirely different direction. Sunstorm is no mysterious herald threatening the very fabric of the space/time continuum or some other such nonsense. He is merely insane. A clone of Starscream’s created in some groundbreaking experiments with a substance called electrum, he is imbued with great powers but his mind has been warped. By the time he catches up with Starscream at the end of the issue, broken and pleading for his ‘brother’ to help save his life, you really can’t help but feel for him. Finally the Transformers franchise gets an interesting new character with potential for growth! Hell, you’d have to go back to 1987 and the first appearances of Death’s Head for the last time that happened! What’s more, the conflict with renowned scientist Jetfire is a feud that seems to have room for growth. It’s the old religion/science conflict again but, unlike massive battles against a chaos god in the form of a transforming planet, they can actually do this one with more subtlety and intelligence. Check out the conversation they have on the Orion for evidence of the way Mick can do this sort of thing without slipping on the hammiest of fists.
So, yeah, all in all this one is down to pure mark-out value for me. But at the end of the day isn’t that what comics are meant to be all about in the first place? Certainly they are when it comes to the Transformers. This issue is the first time that Dreamwave have made me do that since they acquired the franchise three years ago. From a jaded fanboy point of view, its one hell of a welcome surprise!
Well, you’ve read the arguments, now go vote!
NOTE: votes sent as replies to this column via e-mail will not be counted
