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Opinions on the Work of People Far More Talented Than I

Re-reading these reviews”¦apparently I’m in a bad mood this week. Huh”¦who knew.


Punisher/Bullseye #5

“Profit and Loss”
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Steve Dillon
Colorist: Avalon’s Dan Kemp

Daniel Way pulls a pretty neat trick here, coming up with a logical twist in the story that I never saw coming.

The book is not perfect; the Garth Ennis-lite touches still bother a little and Punisher, despite being first on the marquee, remains little more than a piece of movable pissed off scenery.

However, between this mini and Greatest Hits Way has nicely carved out a highly skilled and manipulative sociopath persona for Bullseye. Bullseye has always been dangerous, but these two minis have, for the first time, established him as more than a foot soldier of smarter criminals.

Grade: B

Runaways #14

“Parental Guidance” Chapter One
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Penciller: Adrian Alphona
Inker: Craig Yeung
Colorist: Christina Strain

It is always great when a title you’ve been reading for awhile proves that it still has the ability to surprise you. Runaways managed that feat this week.

Back in LA and together again, the book feels as strong as ever again. As much fun as the trip to East Coast was or Molly’s one-off, what I love about the title felt a little off. The Runaways are at their best when they are hanging out, bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders, and sparring with each other, their parents and/or obscure supervillains. Vaughan gets them back to that this time out and still makes it feel fresh.

Plus, he brings back the patented Runaways cliffhanger. If you saw this one coming, well, you’re a better detective than I.

Grade: A

Ultimate Extinction #3

Published by: Marvel
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Brandon Peterson
Colorist: Justin Ponsor

There’s nothing here that’s bad, but there’s nothing here than is particularly good either. The issue just feels very”¦perfunctory. Between Peterson’s art and Ponso’s colors, it’s pretty as can be, but still”¦perfunctory.

Grade: C

Birds of Prey #92

“Inseparable”
Published by: DC
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Paulo Siquera
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Hi-Fi Design

I think Birds of Prey is one of the most consistent books on the shelves. I don’t think there has been an issue of Gail Simone’s run that I have not enjoyed. I was psyched to see how OYL would shake up the book.

So why does this feel so turgid and same-y to me?

It’s not horrible, even bad really. It just feels a bit like someone let the air out of the balloon. It’s sluggish, like OYL sucked up all of its momentum, instead of energizing it.

The new mission that Oracle and the Birds are devoting their resources to makes sense. Prior to OYL, the Calculator came after them. It only makes sense that Oracle would do the same to him and his team now, especially considering the danger an organized Society poses to all DCU people, not just her crew.

The art is passable, if a bit unexciting.

However, what really hampers the book is where Black Canary has gone and who has taken her place. Black Canary’s quest for”¦something is so generic and cliché you’d almost swear that she’s gone through it before. Her replacement, the identity of whom I won’t spoil for you here, is a pleasant shock at first. However, her inclusion quickly feels like the movie The Ring. Sure, it’s cool in the moment, but apply any thought to it and you can’t help but think, “This makes no sense.” The character would never ally herself in this situation and even if she did, Oracle would never be dumb enough to fall for it.

I’m nowhere near even considering dropping this book, but I do admit that it stumbles out of the OYL gate.

Grade: C

Identity Crisis Secret Files

“Heaven”
Published by: DC
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Jerry Ordway, Cam Smith, Art Thibert and Nelson
Colorist: Dave McCaig

Perhaps the longest exercise in Infinite Crisis thus far of “everything you expected to happen did.” Luthor manipulates, Superboy gets frustrated and makes bad choices, Superman is blinded by his inability to let Lois die. It’s fine, but I’d only recommend it to those individuals who are completists.

Grade for Completists: C
Grade for Everyone Else: D

Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #4

Published by: DC
“Bad Girls”
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Yanick Paquette
Inker: Serge LaPointe
Colorist: Alex Sinclair

First off, special thanks to Manolis Vamvounis and Iain Burnside who helped me better evolve my feelings about this book.

What a disappointment.

This is the first of the Seven Soldiers minis that I honestly think could have been left on the cutting room floor. Shining Knight might not have connected with me, but there was some powerful moments in there and I respected it.

This book though”¦this book has proven inert.

This time out, the last issue of the book, we are treated to the secret origin of Sally Sonic, hero, homewrecker, and queen of the online superhero softcore industry. It amounts to, essentially, little girl goes to the big city and the city corrupts her. Sure, she rocks spandex and a cape while it’s happening, but it remaining a dusty, dusty cliché.

What’s worse is that, even with this clichéd origin, I still have a better idea of who she is than our title character. Bulleteer lost her husband and does not want to be a superhero. That’s about all I’ve gotten from fours issues of this book.

Making matters worse is Paquette’s art. A huge part of Sally’s origin hinges on the fact that she looks very young. So barely pubescent that Social Services would wholly ignore her belief certificate and proclaim her a minor purely based on her appearance. So barely pubescent that she cannot get a job, even with aforementioned proof of age. (And yes, I thought that that stuff was pretty silly.)

Yes, she should look young. Instead, she looks basically the same as the Bulleteer. She claims to be about 25 and you know what, she looks it too. It is hard enough to believe that authorities and business owners would willfully ignore documentation of her age. It’s impossible to believe it when she looks perfectly her age.

I think what kills me most is that it seems like there are germs of ideas and themes to be explored here. Instead we get nine pages of a fairly static fight, ten pages of the aforementioned clichéd origin, and three pages sort of connecting the whole thing back to the Seven Soldiers idea.

Like I said, disappointing.

Grade: D

Teen Titans Annual #1

“Love & War”
Published by: DC
Plot: Marv Wolfman
Dialogue: Geoff Johns
Pencillers: Ed Benes, Dale Eaglesham, Tom Grindberg, and Elton Ramalho
Inkers: Oclair Albert, Mariah Benes, Alex Lei, Drew Geraci, and Wayne Faucher
Colorist: Rod Reis

Between fill-ins, the Kid Destiny/Brother Blood arc, and the mis-scheduling of the latest issue of Teen Titans preceding this one, my interest in the Titans has waned. As such, I was not very excited by the prospect of this issue.

It feels good to be proven wrong.

There are some nitpicky issues, like when did Superboy get some ripped (see the scene with him in Wonder Girl’s kitchen) and does Wonder Girl really always wear her costume? Overall, however, this is a return to form.

This issue is probably the sharpest scripting that Johns has done on the title in sometime (with special thanks, no doubt, to Wolfman’s plotting).

The secondary plotline, the cleaning up of Bludhaven by most of the Titans is pretty peripheral to the issue’s main focus, the relationship between Wonder Girl and Superboy. However, it is noteworthy as we watch Tim Drake come into his own a bit, giving Superman a piece of his mind and better rallying the troops (including more than just the Titans) around his leadership in the clean up effort.

As I said though, it is mostly Superboy and Wonder Girl’s show. They shoulder that burden nicely. They act like people as they long for the simplicity of the past and try to recapture it by doing something that will no doubt make things more complicated (read: making love in a hay loft). Their reasoning rings true even as we can see that maybe they are not of the best state of mind to be making such decisions.

Those last few pages are a bit foreboding though, aren’t they? I am sure Martha and Jonathan are safe, but given Superboy’s good-bye, I’m kind of thinking that perhaps he or Wonder Girl might meet their demise in the pages of Infinite Crisis.

Grade: B

The Atheist #3

Published by: Desperado/Image
Writer: Phil Hester
Artist: John McCrea

The last time this came out, it might have been the Carter Administration”¦I can’t remember for sure. That’s a shame because it’s a damn good book. I just wish I didn’t have to pull out the ol’ long box to remind myself what the book was even about. But, that refresher course out of the way, The Atheist continues to deliver the goods and prove that Hester is no slouch in the writing department either.

This time out, Antoine Sharpe (the titular Atheist) and his partner Ms. Nguyen come face-to-face with the leader of the hedonistic zombies. His role in American history just might surprise you.

Hester nails each moment of this issue perfectly. He drapes it in classic horror movie dread. Our heroes are isolated against an enemy that greatly outnumbers them and their bodies may betray them at any moment (the pathogen takes over if you fall asleep). The villain, even if he is not who he says he is, is a shocking reveal and he oozes a kind of creepy charisma that almost makes you trust him. The high point of the issue, no doubt, is how the villain attempts to use Sharpe’s father to stop Sharpe in his tracks. The scene is subtle and stomach turning.

McCrea’s black and white artwork is a great asset to the book as well. It’s moody and evocative and the use of shadow, once again, lends it a feel of claustrophobia that the best classic horror films possess.

Now I just wish it came out more often

Grade: A