Have you heard the good news?
He is risen. He is risen indeed.
So, take comfort in that folks because this week, comics are largely mediocre.
American Virgin #2
“Head” Part 2 of 4
Published by: Vertigo/DC
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artist: Beck Cloonan
Colorist: Brian Miller
Huh. Well, I have to say, I did not expect the book to go in this direction.
Alright, I sort of did know it was. But only because I read an interview where Seagle talked about it. I was surprised then. And actually, even knowing that Adam would be heading to Africa, this issue still managed to go in a direction I was not entirely expecting.
For one, I did not expect Seagle to play the “sex and violence” card so early. Sex and violence are so bizarrely intertwined in American culture that I figured it would have to come up eventually, I just did not expect it right off the bat. Seagle goes for it, however, and it largely works. The faint message that Americans have (and perhaps will) always view violence, despite its destructive nature, as more acceptable to participate in and certainly more acceptable to show, than sex is made manifest in Adam’s actions. Here is a man of God (not in the “of the cloth” sense, but still) who punches a complete stranger in the face with little provocation and is almost literally frothing at the mouth to kill those people that killed his girlfriend. And yet, he still is horrified by the site of native African women walking around their village topless or boys touching themselves without shame.
Sadly, Seagle does not always trust the power of image and metaphor to get through to the reader. An excellent scene of Adam putting the hurt on a reporter and admitting his enjoyment of it is capped off by his half sister Cyndi (amusing bit of naming there, eh?) telling Adam, “Fighting’s like sex.” With that line, all the smartness of the scene drains out of it. The “sex/violence” card is a good one to play but if you spoon feed us the metaphor, well, it ruins it.
There are also issues of cultural relativism and America’s need to dictate terms (moral in this case) to the rest of the world as Adam “confronts sin” in an African village that has no concept of the sins that he is seeing. Again, however, Cyndi’s dialogue almost screws the pooch (if you can forgive that unfortunate turn of phrase) when she tells Adam that he might have the right to preach morality “in America, but you’re not in America now.” It is very frustrating. Seagle is bringing up challenging ideas, but he cannot let them stand on their own. Cyndi is like a metaphor sledgehammer, making sure we “get” all the deepness that is being laid out in front of us. And it is doubly depressing since Seagle has done a fine job otherwise of laying it out. If he’d only trust us and himself, the result would be a lot more satisfying.
The book is good, bordering on great. In order to reach it though, Seagle needs to start letting some things speak for themselves.
Grade: B
Crisis Aftermath: Battle for Bludhaven 1
Published by DC
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art: Dan Jurgens and Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: Javi Montes
Freedom’s Ring? That’s the new brilliant not silly name for Force of July? First, isn’t that the name of that new character Kirkman has running around in Marvel Team Up and second, how is that not silly/cheesy? Bad DC, bad DC.
(I am so angry, prepare yourself for spoilers.)
Also, why bring back Force of July (see, I do not recognize their new identity) just to kill of most of the team in the first issue? The Force was already dead. Isn’t it a touch unnecessary and cruel to give them new life just to snatch it away again? It seems that way to me.
Getting to the more important parts of the book, we find this book still is not all that great. Problem #1 is the sheer number of characters that Gray Palmiotti throw at us to start with. Between the new Force of July, the new (I assume) Atomic Knights, the Nuclear Legion, Father Time, a new Human Bomb, a new Firebrand, this issue introduces a total of 18 characters that we are mostly or wholly unfamiliar with. Actually, you can probably throw Monolith and his two social worker friends in on that list too because only about 15 people read that title anyways. That’s a lot to absorb all at once and with almost none of them given a real personality to speak of, there is not much reason to make that effort anyway.
The plot revolves around secret testing, a walled off Bludhaven, and the beginnings of violent unrest. However, these are really only bullet pointed moments that stand to introduce that aforementioned giant cast of characters.
Artwise I like what I see. Jurgens is reliable and Palmiotti is an excellent inker. I only have two complaints. First, what’s up with Wonder Girl’s face? Second, why are so many heroes wearing sunglasses?
I think there is still potential here, but this opening shot suffers from a sort of character and plot ADD. Gary and Palmiotti are in such a hurry to introduce all the elements in the first issue that no one thing is ever really fleshed out. It’s a loud mess that does not really take us anywhere.
Grade: D
Superman #651
“Bare Hands”
Published by DC
Writers: Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns
Art: Pete Woods
Colors: Brad Anderson
The “Up, Up, and Away” enters a holding pattern of sorts this issue. There is still plenty of action happening with a prison break (what do you know, Busiek was right. The Flea Circus is creepy cool now), marauding giant “walk” signs (yes, you heard me), and forced surgery. The problem is the bulk of the action focuses on Lex Luthor.
Now, I like Lex, don’t get me wrong. I think he can be fascinating when written well and while he’s not a billionaire industrialist and top notch manipulator here (he’s more evil scientist, but thankfully not cackling, wearing green battlesuit evil scientist) he’s written pretty darn well.
The reason it is a problem is because Clark Kent is shunted to the side for it. If this book is aiming to give us a feel for the man behind the Man of Steel (and it seems to be, what with the new origin box and the loss of powers) we need to have that man be front and center.
With that not being the case this time, the book trips on itself and Clark ends up looking kind of wooden and ineffectual.
It’s still got me more interested in the Superman titles than I have been in awhile (since Reign, really), it just needs more Clark.
Grade: C
Ultimate Extinction #4
Published by Marvel
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Brandon Peterson
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Did anyone else thinking of the creepy animated Captain America from the internet when they looked at the last page here? No, just me? Well, okay. But take a look again, I think you’ll see what I mean.
So, this being the penultimate issue, I think I am ready to issue my opinion on the whole of the “Ultimate Galactus Trilogy”.
Not all that good.
We’re 14 issues (5 from Ultimate Nightmare, 5 from Ultimate Secret, and 4 from this book) and, I don’t know, let’s say 5 years, into it and I still feel uninvolved. Well, I also feel a bit like a sucker for sticking around to the bitter end and waiting for something, anything, to kickstart this thing.
Anyways, I know it is wrong to review an entire title (in this case, three, I guess) while discussing one issue, but in some ways this issue summarizing all that is good and bad about the Galactus trilogy.
Let’s deal with the good first.
Artwise, (besides that last page), the book is gorgeous. Peterson is knocking this out of the park and the coloring from Ponsor, especially on the Silver Man (read: Silver Surfer) and Captain Marvel, is absolutely top notch.
Writing wise, Ellis has done two things well. First, he has invested a sly gallows type humor in the book that while not as present as in Secret is still used to good measure here. Unfortunately, at times, it feels like everyone has the same type and tone of humor. Second, his Captain America’s journey from loss of faith to kicking butt to redeem God’s good name is an interesting take on the character. I just wish that he gave it more time to grow and mature.
That actually leads right into the bad. Given the “deliberate” pace of this story (all three series) there should be plenty of time for everything. However, things are oddly rushed or left unshown. Cap’s “journey”, the full effect of the Silver Men (the graffiti from last issue was a nice touch, but failed to properly portray the magnitude of it), the preparation to stop the end of the world all get short shrift. On that last point, yes, I know the whole focus has been on the end of the world, but everything seems to get done off panel. Reed has his bright idea, off panel. His big machine is erected, off panel. Jean Grey’s plan comes together, off panel. I understand the desire to surprise, but the end result is a lot of onscreen standing and expression of frustration, a few fights that seem a bit too easy, and sudden out of the blue “solutions” that pop up rather than are arrived at.
Grade: D
Ultimate Spider-Man #93
“Deadpool” Part 3
Published by Marvel
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Mark Bagley
Inker: Danny Miki
Colors: Richard Isanove
First off, I have to give a kudos for the Ultimate Gus Beezer. I am sure like 8 people get the reference, but it still made me smile.
Actually, this whole book made me smile. The past two issues have, while light on plot, been very heavy on the humor. That’s a smart move as, about six months ago, Ultimate Spider-Man had almost gotten too dark for its own good.
The downside of it is that everything feels rather inconsequential. This should be a hugely dangerous situation for Spidey but instead it all feels a bit unthreatening. I know the Webhead jokes when he’s nervous, but the scenes are so wallpapered with his humor that you are never concerned.
Of course, that could be Bendis’s aim. He is, after all, dealing with “reality” television which Americans gobble up and criticize as if it was fiction. By making it all seem unreal and unthreatening, Bendis could be seeking to induce the same sort of reaction we have from watching a man seriously burn himself on Survivor or another 17 year old be reduced to tears by a panel of arrogant music people. Then again, I might just be looking too closely at this.
The last page twist is a neat off…provided you don’t remember the first issue of this arc. If you do, you’ll recall that X-Men were acting other X-Men except it was not really the case, it was all shapeshifting or holograms or something. Thus, sure it looks like Xavier, but with shapeshifting in the mix, it is probably not.
Grade: B
