Alright folks, here we are, for the first day in the new format of reviews. And I, Tim Sheridan, am fortunate enough to be the first person to do reviews for you like this. What you’ll see here are shorter reviews than what you used to, but this way we get to cover many more titles a week, giving you concise recaps of the books out there. Also, if you tune in every day, you may get to see many different takes on the same book. All in all, I think you’ll enjoy it.
So, what a week it was. There was a lot of great stuff out there for you, and as per usual, I picked up more books than I thought I would. But let’s get to it.
Nextwave #2
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Warren Ellis
Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Dave McCaig
I didn’t expect to like this comic. It has a lot of the superhero deconstruction we’ve seen before. But that’s fine. What I do like about it, is that it’s still very different than anything else out there. It’s also different than anything Warren Ellis has done before. He takes his work on “The Authority” and pushes it a step further. This is an absurd book with outlandish characters, bizarre stories, and fun dialogue.
This month is the concluding part of the first story for the book, where the team has to (for lack of a better term) beat up Fin Fang Foom, a big ol green dragon type of thing. And they do. And never has a dragon getting beat up been more fun to watch. You can tell that the characters in the book feel what they are doing is just as absurd as us readers do. It’s a delightful take on superheroes.
At the same, Warren Ellis is having a great time mocking Marvel superhero teams and characters like Nick Fury (with his thinly veiled incarnation “Dirk Anger”). And he’s even poking fun at his own previous work. Immonen is using a more exaggerated style than I’ve seen before, and it works perfectly.
Like I said, I didn’t think I’d dig this title, but it’s too fun not to enjoy.
Grade: A
The Ultimates 2 #10
“Axis of Evil”
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Paul Neary
Colors: Laura Martin
I do so love this book. Always have, and always will (at least until Millar and Hitch leave). The second run of this book has been a severe case of sequel-itus, and normally, that would be a bad thing, but Millar takes all the clichés of sequels, and puts them out there for you, and then pushes them even further. We have more characters, more weird stories, and more double crosses than you can imagine. And despite all that, because of the high class of writing, and the artwork, we are still rooted in a very realistic world, where you can almost imagine this all actually happening. With this issue, we get a true sense of the geopolitical and media obsessions threads that linger in every issue. At the same time, we are introduced to a whole set of new superheroes, and really fear them. Moreover, we are given wonderfully over-the-top moments with Tony Stark, Captain America, and the Wasp. A lot of these moments can be considered cheesy and hokey, but this book continues to walk the fine line between real and absurd in a way that no other book comes close.
Grade: A
Ex Machina #18
“March to War” Chapter 2
Published by Wildstorm
Writer: Brian K Vaughn
Penciller: Tony Harris
Inker: Tom Feister
Colors: JD Mettler
This book initially shocked people by presenting an alternate take on the events on 9/11. While I have been enjoying the series overall, it has lost a lot of it’s steam and momentum. It still tells a good story, and Vaughn is always spot on in terms of characterization, and Harris’ art is always beautiful, but there is something missing. I think perhaps because the book is always in a perpetual flashback, it lacks a certain immediacy. I will continue to pick this book up, but honestly, the stories are beginning to run together.
Grade: C
Y: The Last Man #43
“Kimono Dragons” Chapter One
Published by: DC/Vertigo
Writer: Brian K Vaughn
Penciller: Pia Guerra
Inker: Jose Marzan
Colors: Zylonol
This, on the other hand, is a book by Vaughn that has not lost anything. Back from two flashback issues, we are caught up with Yorick as he tries to find his monkey. (If you read the book, it makes sense.) In terms of plot, that is just about it. But as always, it’s the character and dialogue that make this book. The conversation 335 and Yorick have about what they hate is a perfect example. No other book could have this sort of thing and pull it off. Also, I have to say that Yorick dressing like a Michael Jackson/Annie Hall mash-up is creepy.
So while this is the start of a new story, you may be confused as to what is going on. But please, go out and get the trades for it, you are missing a wonderful story.
Grade: B
Batman Annual #25
“Daedalus and Icarus”
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Penciller: Shane David
Inker: Mark Morrales
Colors: Alex Sinclar
So this is it. This is where we learn about the return of Jason Todd. For two years, we’ve wondered how it happened, and it couldn’t have been told until now. Really. This story fits perfectly into “Crisis” and would have been confusing and annoying if told two years ago. But for now, it makes perfect sense, and I loved every minute of it. The first Batman story I read was “A Death in the Family” which was the one where Jason actually died. It has meant a lot to me, and what I really like about this issue is that it doesn’t really negate that arc, but just brings it to the current DCU’s standards. It also is very logical in terms of the Batman characters we know and love. Ra’s Al Ghul (my favorite villain) and daughter Talia play a very important part in this story, and come to think of it, really should. This issue also sets things right in regards to Jason Todd’s first “return” back in “Hush”.
Jason’s return is ultimately a very creepy story, and you do begin to feel bad for him. For the first time, we really get to see his side of things, and it gives his exploits since he came back a new sense of purpose. This is a very satisfying story, and I’m very happy they decided to wait to tell it. His character is now too rich to lay dormant for another 20 years, so I can’t wait to see where he shows up next.
And by the way, don’t know who this Shane Davis is on art, but he is awesome. Can’t wait to see him next too.
Grade: A
Adventures of Superman #649
“Superman, This is Your Life” Part Three
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artists: A Whole Bunch of People
Yeah, I’ll be honest with you, I really don’t know what’s going on. This Superman story has been utterly confusing. It’s supposed to be (I think). There are all sorts of timeline shifting things happening, and yes, it gets confusing. That’s also part of the fun. It’s kind of nice to see the different incarnations of Superman, and the what-ifs that go along with switching timelines. But because this is the last story before “One Year Later” it unfortunately will be compared to Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”, which was the last story before DC rebooted things 20 years ago. This just does not rank up there. While it’s a blast to see, this lacks a certain cohesive root. It may be because of the many different artists on the book, or because of the confusion overall, but it’s just not a very good story in and of itself.
Grade: C
Infinite Crisis #5
“Faith”
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencillers: Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway & Ivan Reis
Inkers: Andy Lanning, Jerry Ordway & Art Thibert
Colorists: Jerome Cox, Guy Major & Rod Reis
I’ve been waiting for this for a while. We all have. It is one of the most anticipated comics out there, and with it delayed a few weeks, it sucks. But it’s completely worth the wait. Amazing, jaw-dropping stuff happens here. Epic stuff happens. And it’s all outstanding. Unlike this week’s Superman, the multiple artists do not disrupt the story. In fact, they enhance it. I’m not going to even attempt to give to give you exposition for this story, because it would take forever. I’ll just give you a run down of some of the crazy things that happen in these particular pages.
As you can see from the cover, we get Superman vs Superman. It hurts too. It really sucks to see these two icons duke it out. But at the same time….it’s really cool. You have to admit, there is something to truly geek out about here.
Wonder Woman shows up. No, not that one….but the one we haven’t seen in 20 years. And she has not aged well. But she tells ‘our’ Wonder Woman what she needs to hear, and because of that, the DCU may begin to heal. (Cheesy, I know…but it’s the truth)
Meanwhile, we meet the new Blue Beetle. I like him already, because he has no idea what is going on, doesn’t want to be a hero, but has to step up right away. And despite being a rookie, Batman is not too mean to him.
Lex Luthor has seemingly gone completely nuts and has traded in his nice suits for his old school classic green and purple tights. Personally, I miss the suits.
And then Alexander Luthor does something wayyy out there, and somehow makes many many multiple Earths appear. (at the same time causing Kal-L a whole lot of pain) And then they start to explode. Not good.
Nightwing, ever being the noble hero calls all the heroes together to fight this all, and how many show up? One. That’s it. And even he may not be what he seems.
The issue ends with one of the main villains returning in a way we do not see coing, and quite frankly, it’s a scary image. I can’t wait til issue six.
This series packs a lot in, but it’s also one hell of a blast to read.
Grade: A
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40
“Once and Future”
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: Butch Guice
Colors: Dan Brown
I don’t normally read Aquaman, but since this was the beginning of something new, and because I really like the folks involved, I thought I might give it a whirl.
And that’s it.
I won’t be picking up another issue of it. I can’t say this was bad, because it wasn’t. The writing was crisp. But it was also confusing. We have Arthur Curry, but it’s not the one we knew. But some stuff is similar. And for someone not really well versed in Aqua-lore, I was lost.
The art is beautiful, I’ve always like Guice’s work, but I’d rather see him on a book that is worthy of his talent.
Grade: D
Outsiders #34
“The Good Fight” Part One
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Penciller: Matthew Clark
Inker: Art Thibert
Colors: Guy Major
After a few months of disappointing issues, this book finally gets good again. This is not a superhero story though. In fact, for most of the issue, the Outsiders are not even around. This issue is more about the politics in Africa, and we see one character that may look vaguely familiar.
Then, just before the politics overtake the issue, the Outsiders show up to kick ass. And I am so happy to see Nightwing back on the team. I am confused as to how Captain Boomerang is there, but it’s a delightful surprise nevertheless.
The last page is a great cliffhanger, and makes me really excited to see where things are going (and how they got this way).
Grade: B
Detective Comics #817
“Face the Face” Part One
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: James Robinson
Layouts: Leonard Kirk
Finishes: Andy Clarke
Colors: John Kalisz
There is a lot different about Gotham City in “One Year Later”. First of all, Jim Gordon is back in charge of the GCPD. And this is nice. I’ve missed him. And Harvey Bullock is also back on the team. I also missed him.
Oh yeah, and Harvey Dent is the resident crime-fighter. WHAT?! No really, it’s true. And I have no idea how that happened. But I have to say, it’s intriguing. It’s going to be a fun story.
This issue is a lot of set up, and that’s fine. We get reacquainted with Gotham, and we find out a few tidbits about the past year. Batman and Robin went away, but they are back now. Their return scene is less than bombastic, and it works because it almost seems like just another conversation between Batman and Commissioner Gordon. But Batman reminds us that ‘something’ has happened since the last time that took place.
Oh, let me inturrupt things by saying that Robin has a new costume. I have no idea why. It’s fine…but I always liked his last one.
Anyways, we are also introduced to new cop on the force, a young woman who is very eager to please both Batman and Gordon. Don’t know much about her, but it seems like she and Robin may have been flirting in the background.
Overall, it’s a great issue, with a lot stuffed in. One nice thing is that the Batwing shows up, and it makes sense. I always wondered why Batman didn’t use it more. There is still a lot to go though. Where has Batman been all this time? I’m sure all will be revealed in time, but it’s a great ride so far.
Wonderful to see James Robinson back in comics. He’s only on Batman for a few months, but judging by this first issue, he’ll have a lot to show for his time here. And I loved seeing Leonard Kirk’s work here too. He did work on a series called “Bloodhound”, which I bought…and no one else did. I’m very happy to see him on a high profile book.
Grade: A
