Welcome to the 15th installment of the new Leave Your Spandex @t the Door! Wednesday is Comic Book Day in the U.S., and LYS@D is here again with this week’s Early Bird Reviews, so you can catch up on what rocks and what flops this week before you head to your local LCS! I’d like to thank Travelling Man Manchester for providing me with the advance look copies for review!
This week: Hypnotic crotches, murdering cats, lecturing spiders, psychotic midgets, time-travelling hipsters, necrophiliac doctors, bareback swordfights, know-it-all kids, fallen cherubs and –yawn- Ion.
What Were They Thinking?! Some People Never Learn One-Shot
Boom Studios
Writer: Keith Giffen, Mike Leib, Andrew Cosby, John Rogers
Review Content: Who could have predicted a year ago that Remix comics would become the hippest new trend and actually get published! Up until recently only a fun practice from Tim O’Neil over at Popcultureshock.com (Remixed Identity Crisis #3 is still my favourite: “my chick organs”¦”), Comics Remixes saw print with Boom Studios first ‘What Were They Thinking?’ oneshot. They proved such a success amongst fans that Marvel immediately followed suit and launched its own line of remixed romance comics: Romance Redux.
Unfortunately, as hilarious as the Remix comics can be, they’re more easily a shabby miss than a hit. Even Tim O’Neil lost the magic touch after a while, and Marvel’s Romance comics attempts haven’t been that giggle-worthy. I’m happy to report that ‘Some people never learn’ comes to remind us how these remix comics should be done. Giffen’s opening story in particular is a laugh riot, as I haven’t laughed so much and for so long while reading a comic before. The rest of the stories in the issue don’t reach this level of gut-wrenching hilarity, but they still entertain.
While the first issue had made a mockery of War Comics, this new issue pulls the spotlight onto the ever-popular Sci-Fi comics of the Golden Age.Point by point:
‘I stood alone against the trash masters from Beyond!’, remixed by Keith Giffen. Featuring Drew Fist, Eart’s Fussiest Defender who must do battle against alien spacecrafts flinging their dirty female sanitation products on planet Earth!
‘Voyage to Nowhere’, remixed by John Rogers. A rich white guy takes a fake ‘True Lies’ vacation into his subconscious using the ever-popular ‘Hypno-Crotc’
‘Fanboy’ by Andrew Crosby. A time-travelling 11-year old makes a desperate visit to a younger George Lucas to avert the coming of Jar Jar Bings!
‘The bowties that bind’ and ‘White is right’, remixed by Chris Ward. 2 smaller stories, involving a future excavation of McDonald’s fast food chain and hypnotism gone awry.
Grade: B
Catwoman #54
DC
Writer: Will Pfeiffer
Artist: David & Alvaro Lopez
Review Content: Ha! So the new Catwoman IS Holly. There’s no big reveal of the identity this week, it’s taken for granted, which doesn’t help explain why the identity wasn’t clearly stated last issue.
Selina is now a happy and retired mother, while her ‘sidekick’ Holly has now taken over the reins of Catwoman, and isn’t doing such a good job of it, as she is ambushed by the Angle Man, whom Will Pfeiffer has been trying to make a player for the last year of stories. As the cover suggests, the rookie Catwoman (can we call her Catgirl? Pretty please? :) ) loses control this issue and crosses a line. A line crossed just One Year Earlier by the former Catwoman. Lovely tension!
DC is publishing a lot of OYL titles featuring rookie superheroes, including this Catgirl, Manhunter, Firestorm, the new Blue Beetle, the new Spectre and quite possibly the rumoured Renee Montoya title coming soon! Thankfully each of them features their own different take on the problems associating with a person donning the tights for the first time and jumping into the fray.
Grade: B
Manhunter #21
DC
Writer: Mark Andreyko
Artist: Pina & Fernando Blanco
Review Content: This is last week’s release but I felt an obligation to review it anyway as a follow-up to my write-up of the previous issue.
Like all new books in today’s relentless marketplace, Manhunter has been struggling to find its niche and the identity that will help it stand out in the crowd. So what do we get here?
-Rookie superhero
-Strong female lead
-Single mom
-Lawyer turned vigilante
These concepts have been done separately before individually with success (mainly over at the HoI), but their merge in this title felt a bit odd at first. It was still lacking something, as the lead character felt like she didn’t really belong in the spandex world, she was unconnected. And the series wasn’t pulling enough of a punch.
Now, welcome to One Year Later:
-Kate has grown into her vigilante role
-some ties to the JSA have been uncovered rooting her deep into DC continuity ad adding a Legacy aspect to her identity
-a B-league hero has been modified to a gay sidekick to draw in a diverse readership, and most importantly
-a new twist has been introduced this issue, as Kate’s new job demands her defending the very villains she is hunting down in her vigilante identity.Talk about conflict of interest!
Most of this issue takes place in a courtroom as Kate must defend Dr Psycho from charges against him, as Andreyko amps up the Law&Order aspect fo the title to amazing results, and pulls a couple of ‘supernatural Law’ and Ally McBeal law twists which really made this issue.
So, to make amends for last issue’s F:
Grade: B
Ion #1
DC
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Greg Tocchini
Review Content: Ugh! Talk about unreadable crap. Of the new title launches following the Crisis, this one makes the least sense to me. Kyle Rayner was once the hip cool and new Green Lantern created to replace the demented and deceased Hal Jordan. He got a mixed response from GL fans, but ultimately he didn’t manage to outshine the Jordan GL, leading to a much-discussed change of guard on the title, with Rayner stepping off as GL, and Hal Jordan coming back from the dead and reclaiming his identity. Which left Rayner as an identity-less superhero with no purpose and direction. Cue in some non-creative power-amp and an even-less creative name change, and you have ION, the worst comic I’ve read this year.
I’ve actually managed to wipe off the gruelling details of this issue from my mind since I read it on Saturday, but I have some glaring images of Kyle moving to an artist resort with some mildly promising new supporting characters, a confusing recap double page spread with a horrid layout that confused me even though I was somewhat familiar with the characte’s history and a boring bit of space fighting with Kyle’s new undefined ‘energy blast’ powers. I had to skim through most of the issue anyway to stay awake.
I don’t want to come off as a Hal supporter and Kyle hater through this review, as I personally don’t have a preference between the two, and would much rather see an actually original character take over the reins: Guy Gardner!
Grade: F
Daughters of the Dragon #4
DC
Writer: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Khari Evans & Jimmy Palmiotti
Review Content: Bitch fight!! Naked black cyborg ex-cop wearing a towel versus white leather clad dominatrix with a sword! Great action moves, over-the-top violence and an instant classic opening line help maintain the great standards set up by the first issues.
The fight scene leads to a significant casualty that gives the writers a chance to give the characters a breather and shed a new light on them through some unexpected soul bearing. Bonus points for making a throwaway McFarlane/Micheline Spidey villain like Humbug a powerful player!
I was really glad to hear this mini will turn into the new Heroes for Hire ongoing after Civil War, although I’m disappointed the charismatic Khari Evans won’t be providing the art anymore, he is a prodigy artist that is sure to make it big very very soon!
Grade: B
Lucifer #73
DC
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Dean Ormston
Review Content: Only 2 issues before the Big Finale, and the regular art team takes a much-deserved month off to catch their breath. Dean Ormston fills in once more for a self-contained story featuring the book’s comic relief brother/sister team of Fallen Cherubims: Gaudium and Spera. Elaine, the new God of Creation sends them on a mission to the ‘subbasement’ of Creation where the last refugees of the old Afterlifes have taken refuge. Dean Ormston is an ideal fit both for the monstrous Fallen Cherubs and the otherworldly settings of the fractured afterlives. I hope Gaudium and Spera launch into hteir own solo digest series after the end of Lucifer, they’re always a riot to read.
Grade: B
X-Factor #6
DC
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Dennis Callero
Review Content: The secrets of Layla Miller are *finally* revealed in these pages!
I can’t say I had lost any sleep wondering what the kid’s deal was, all these months. She was a convenient McGuffin device created by Bendis during House of M to precipitate the destruction of Wanda’s illusion. Then PAD adopted her into his title and made her actually appealing. And all it took was for her to kill an intruder, or more accurately, let an intruder get killed. And that’s as far as I’ll tease about the big reveal of Layla’s nature in this issue. It is an original ‘vocation’ for a character, as well as a wink to the Fourth Wall.
PAD once again pushes the reade’s emotion buttons as he introduces the Orphanage where Layla grew up. And it’s not the attitude of the other kids towards her that got to me, but rather the chilling role of the Orphanage director. This is the part where Dennis Callero really shines and proves a more suitable artist for this title than his predecessor as he creates a face for the director that instantly characterises her and makes her real, and frightening in a special way.
Grade: B
Amazing Spider-Man #531
DC
Writer: J M S
Artist: Tyler Kirkan
Review Content: The best part of this issue is the cover, and that’s not even a part of the story. I haven’t had the stomach for this book since Sins Past, and the recent shoehorning of all things Bendis in the title and the horrid Other storyline have nailed the coffin.
This newest issue is quite uneven. It opens up with Spidey battling an armoured foe that isn’t identified until much later in the issue. After some forgettable fisticuffs, JMS hits ‘stop’ on the action and cuts to the prerequisite Civil War plot. Tony Stark is attending a hearing about the Registration Law, which Spidey decides to crash unannounced, because that’s a sure way to convince the committee about accountable and trustworthy masked vigilantes are. A debate starts between the two about the politics of registration which, although well thought-out and containing valid points, feels too much point-by-point. Although this is obviously a very personal matter to Peter, the argument as it was played felt cold and impersonal. The most personal and touchingline of dialogue in the issue actually comes from the villain in a line of dialogue that paints the character in a different light. Even that effect is quickly ruined y an ill-timed joke from JMS
An all-together uneven and frankly boring issue. Isn’t it about time Marvel retired JMS and got a more capable issue on their flagship Spidey title? I hear this new guy Dan Slott has been making waves recently”¦
Grade: F
Fantastic Four #537
DC
Writer: J M S
Artist: Mike McKone
Review Content: Wow, look at that cover! Dr Doom lifting Tho’s hammer! Instant Mighty Marvel classic moment! I bet you can’t wait to open the book and find out how it happens!
[sound of rustled paper]
Oh”¦
Wait”¦
Mmmmmm
[sound of magazine thrown in the trash heap]
Stupid stupid c**ktease Marvel editors! After this and last issue and Amazing spiderman this week, Marvel should start running some disclaimers on their covers: ‘this scene doesn’t take place in this issue’.
What we do get is a decent in-continuity explanation of Dr Doom’s return from the dead, lots and lots and lots and lots of Dr Doom megalomonologuing and a too-quick fight between the FF and Doc Doom. Amidst the mediocrity, as in this week’s ASM, there’s one classic character moment, involving Ben Grimm being the ever-lovable blue-eyed Thing. I won’t spoil it for you, it’s an ‘Awww, cool!’ moment.
Grade: F
Runaways #15
DC
Writer: Brian K Vaughan
Artist: Adrian Alphona
Review Content: the Runaways finally come face to face with the new Pride and their leader: the teenaged version of the team traito’s dad: Geoffrey Wilder! And if the hints are valid, he may not be the only one making a return.
Runaways is the only ongoing title that has me eagerly waiting the next issue as the exciting rollercoaster ride continues to develop unexpected turns and twists, as the seeds planted in recent months bear fruit and now threaten to tear the team apart!
Grade: B
X-Statix presents: Dead Girl #4
DC
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Nick Dragotta and Mike Allred
Review Content: U-Go Girl, the most popular X-Force member from the Milligan/Allred run, and the most missed, is back this issue and she brings with her heartache. This issue is a ‘breathe’ before the big finale next month, as Milligan looks into the relationship between Guy and Edie, and develops the erotic tension between Doc Strange and Dead Girl.
Guy and Edie’s romance was the hallmark of the old X-Force series, but it had ended abruptly with Edie’s death. Guy’s love for her had marked the X-Statix series that followed, as her presence was always felt throughout the second series. Milligan doesn’t seem willing to give them their peaceful life forever after so easily though and keeps pulling at their heart strings. Their confrontation this issue is handled through a series of extreme close-ups, taking a queue from the Allred cover, amplifying the emotional impact of their reunion. And once more, he has this humble reviewer in tears.
X-Statix presents: Dead Girl is the best comic I’ve read this year, and the quality only improves with each passing issue! Spotless characterisation is blended with an offbeat scenario and the unlikeliest of guest-stars (a bug-crazy Ant-man, a man-crazy Moira, Gwen Stacy, Miss America and the Western Ghost Rider). I’m hoping Marvel realises the chemistry they have going on here and greenlights more X-Statix projects after this.
Grade: A
Aaaaand that’s a wrap for this week! I’m waiting your comments and feedback through email to Manolis@gmail.com. If you self-publish your own comics or represent an indy comics company, add me to your press release list, and I will run your news in this space every week.
Manolis Vamvounis
a.k.a. Dr. Dooplove
