The Comic Bloke’s Review Block #2 – 3/10/06
By: Chris Delloiacono
The Bloke’s back to dig down deep and look at another crop of comics fresh from the rack.
Judging by the past week of material in these parts, I’d say the new format has been a fantastic success at The Nexus. Things haven’t been this exciting in a long time.
Now, let’s make some noise up in this biotch! Drop me a line, tell me how much you like or hate what’s going on here.
Hard Time:Season 2 #4
“It’s All About Cindy”
Writers: Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes
Penciller: Brian Hurtt
Inker: Steve Bird
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Publisher: DC Comics
Hard Time is a special book that deserves more readers. It has very vague superhero roots, but it’s mostly about people in prison dealing with a terrible situation. Steve Gerber has populated the title with some eccentric characters all begging for their own spotlight.
This month Gerber and Skrenes bring us an in depth exploration of one of the ancillary characters, Cindy. There aren’t too many titles that I give a crap about the background characters, but this is one of them. Cindy is a guy, but he’s the pseudo chick in the prison. Gerber and Skrenes go beyond the stereotypes and explore Cindy’s childhood and his defining moments.
Mixed in with the riveting background moments are sequences that further the main plotline. Gerber and Skrenes prove their deftness with this dual purpose script.
Many of the other guys and gals working for the Big Two should attend a symposium run by Gerber/Skrenes on how to write a comic that matters on a monthly basis.
A special shout out to penciler Brian Hurtt for coming in under the radar with top tier pencils for sixteen issues in a row. He never takes a month off; he too should be a beacon of “how to” for some others in the biz.
Score: A
Fables #47
“The Ballad of Rodney and June” Part Two
Writer: Bill Willingham
Penciller: Jim Fern
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colorist: Daniel Vozzo
Publisher: Vertigo > DC Comics
Y: The Last Man and Fables are my two favorite comics almost every month. While Y seems to be devoid of any down issues, the same cannot be said for Fables. When Bill Willingham misses with a story, he misses big. The last time I found it difficult to read Fables was the abysmal two-part story (#28-29) following Bigby’s time in World War II. I found it utter tripe.
Last mont’s issue #46 wasn’t quite in the depths of that WWII tale, but it was slow moving and tough to read at times. Part of it was the telegraphed story, featuring a wooden soldier in the Adversary’s army, and his wish to become human along with his wooden love.
My other concern with #46 had to do with a cramped, eye sore script lettering used by Todd Klein. The lettering worked within the story’s context as it was used to voice a letter by the wooden soldier, Rodney, to Gepetto. I rarely bitch about lettering, but this was a clear failure that decreased my enjoyment of the story.
This week, when I went to the shop and picked my books up I was happy to see Fables in my pile. When I sat down and looked at the first page I flashed back to the less than spectacular previous issue. Preconceived notions cropped up and I was ready to hate…
Crouching Bloke, Spitting Venom”¦
Not”¦
Bill Willingham surprised me this month. Issue #47 isn’t going down in history as one of the finest Fables to date, but it came together rather nicely. It seems that Mr. Willingham had a clear purpose for this little two-off tale. In fact, it almost felt like a pilot for a brand new series.
This month we get script lettering once again from Todd Klein, in the form of a journal entry by the wooden love interest, June, and it’s not such an eyesore. Props go out to Mr. Klein for sharpening things up.
Truth be told, this two-parter would have made for fantastic single issue. Willingham spread things too thin and the impact was diluted quite a bit. Annoyance aside, the setup led to a decent payoff, which leaves me wanting more of Rodney and June.
Score: B
American Virgin #1
“Head” Part One
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Penciller: Becky Cloonan
Colorist: Brian Miller
Publisher: Vertigo > DC Comics
I read the seven-page preview for American Virgin a while ago on the DC home page. It didn’t grab me as such, but there seemed to be a bit more going on that wasn’t apparent from that taste.
Sadly, that’s not the case. All we get this month is the introduction of the titular character, Adam. As the title states, he’s a virgin. He’s also a twenty-one year old preacher calling for abstinence until marriage. His girlfriend is off in Africa serving the Peace Corps. We see him preach some and there are a few temptations thrown in.
Becky Cloonan’s artwork is solid but never made my peepers pop. The pages are a bit threadbare, so next time out I’d like to see a bit more detail. Honestly, Ms. Cloonan may have been hurt by a rather mundane debut script. We shall see”¦
On the bright side, the last few pages offer an indication of where things are heading, but I’m not quite certain that will be any more interesting than this first issue. I still can’t tell what Steven Seagle is shooting for here. Hopefully next month, because that’s probably going to be make or break time.
Score: C
Ultimate Spider-Man #91
“Deadpool” Part One
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Mark Bagley
Inker: John Dell
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Talk about expectations being dashed. After the interminable Silver Sable arc sputtered to a close last month, B.M. Bendis goes and drops a gem on a disgruntled fan.
For the first time in several months Bendis unleashed his gift for cracking the shell of a teenage’s troubles by giving us a stunning look into the budding relationship between Pete and Kitty Pryde. Bendis goofed like Ashley “Reflux” Simpson on SNL when he offed Gwen Stacey in the most humdrum of ways twenty-odd issues ago. Without the Pete/MJ/Gwen triangle going on the book has been listless.
Finally BNB seems to have found his way again! We’re even treated to Deadpool’s first appearance. Plus, the arc is only four issues long!
You mean we’re two issue shorter than most arcs?
Yippity skip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BNB is goin’ short form for a change!
Last observation: Bagley is good!
Score: A — Chip of the Week!!!
Catchin’ Up: For the foreseeable future I’ll be spotlighting at least one book each week that’s not a new release. For one reason or another I haven’t been able to review the book until now.
So, let’s get to it”¦
Helios: In With The New #1-2
Writer: Jason Rand
Penciller: Gabe Pena
Inker: Transparency Digital Productions
Publisher: Dakuwaka Productions > Speakeasy Comics
Helios steadily improved issue by issue in its initial four-issue miniseries. In With The New gets off to a strong start as issue #1 picks up right where the previous series ended. We’re focused on the brand new recruits brought in to fill out the NeoGenic Task Force (NTF). Animosity, flirtation, and a visceral getting to know you between the two factions make for excellent drama. The focus on characterization fleshes out the large cast rapidly.
This second issue of In With The New is my favorite single issue bearing the Helios name. Amazingly, it doesn’t feature any of the regular NTF cast members. Instead, writer Jason Rand brings us a tale centering on Colonel Jack Shiels who was the former NTF head. Shiels has been investigating a super-powered kille’s escape that set all of the previous change into motion. His poking leads to a superhuman contract killer being hired to silence Shiels. The focus is on Shiels’ battle with the killer. The action is superb and it leads to a bang up conclusion.
The potential exhibited in the initial miniseries seems to be reaching fruition this time. That first series featured a lot of setup. Now the reader is paid off for their patience with an action packed blowout featuring some major answers.
The horror of all this is that Speakeasy Comics went out of business recently. Thankfully, Dakuwaka has plans for future issues, as issue #3 is touted as arriving in June. It’s a shame to see some of the momentum lost because of Speakeasy’s sad ending, but things will pick up again soon enough.
In any event, when issue #3 shows up, they can count on me being there.
Score: B
Kick to the Bollocks:
To DC Comics this week I send out a firm kick to the bollocks for the travesty known as Infinite Crisis. More specifically the events in last week’s issue #5.
Minor Spoilers ahead”¦
Do you mean to tell me that Superboy’s punches are the cause of the editorially mandated changes going on?
Hahahahahahaha! I’d be mad if I spent four nickels on that tripe let alone the actual cover price of the issue and the glut of crossovers DC is asking people to buy every week.
I don’t want to use the term “hack work” but this is damn close. These “explanations” are silly, lame, uninspired writing on an epic scale. Anytime a creator doesn’t like what’s come before he can just blame it on Superboy.
The endless quest to explain every piece of minutiae and put it in some clear order has finally ruined DC Comics.
They’ve taken the hard work of hundreds of writers over the past twenty-odd years and thrown it all in the garbage, just so it can be restarted”¦again. I can’t believe people are buying this shite! Not only buying it, but apparently enjoying it.
So, it seems to me that they’re saying their past twenty years of comics were badly done, so they need to fix everything. Putting it back to some bastardized, multi Earth version of what was there before.
The past twenty years were good and bad, but this stuff is BAD to the power of X cubed!
Ford should start producing the Pinto again to go alongside DC’s own clunker redux.
Special thanks go out to Patti Maillaro once again for her imaging artistry. I don’t know what I’d do without you!
Contact me at acegecko@comcast.net if you have a book you’d like me to review. Hell, just drop me a line and make a suggestion. I’ll find ‘em on my own. I’m always looking for the next great thing.
Bloke’s done. See ya next Friday!
