I’m running behind so these reviews are probably going to be quicker than usual. With that in mind, let’s get right to it.
Captain America #18
“Twenty First Century Blitz” Part One of Four
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Captain America has not been this interesting as a character or his book been this good since Mark Waid’s first crack at him. The art is damn near sublime, the story (both overarching and in the moment) crackles and intrigues, and Brubaker does a great job with this issue’s guest stars. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Grade: A
Moon Knight #2
“The Bottom” Chapter Two
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Charlie Huston
Penciler: David Finch
Inker: Danny Miki
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Well… Okay, so I didn’t really have a desire to see one comic character cut another comic book character’s face off prior to this issue and I have no desire to see it ever again. But…it worked it here. The book can push it in terms of brutality, but, coupled with Moon Knight’s narration, it works. The hatred between the two is palpable and the face removal is the culmination of a relationship that stopped being about the good guy stopping the bad guy many many moons ago (if you’ll forgive the pun).
Finch is on hand to provide his typically over rendered approach. I like it and I think it work perfectly for the tone of this comic. I can understand that it’s not for everyone, but I think Marvel hit it out of the park with this art choice.
The final pages, featuring a group that is apparently keeping watch on Marc Spector is plenty intriguing. I especially like one character’s seeming innate ability to dissect the personalities of others with just a glance (made all the better by Finch’s depiction of this talent). It’ll be interesting to see how far that skill will get him when he goes up against the decidedly personality confused Moon Knight.
Grade: B
52 Week 2
“Looking Back at Tomorrow”
Published by: DC
Writer: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdows: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Joe Bennett
Inker: Jack Jadson
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
I kind of wish I had not given a “B” to that issue of 52 last week now because this issue is markedly better but it is not an “A”. That’ll teach me to grade on possibility, eh?
Oh well, live and learn, I suppose.
This issue, everything seems to just work much smoother. Booster and Skeets time travel troubles are given a stronger sense of urgency beyond Gold’s own self interest. The Question makes contact with Montoya (he sure does love the angry, violent “heroes” of Gotham, eh?) and lures her a bit out of her cocoon of self loathing. Ralph Dibny finds a mystery strong enough to hold off his suicidal ideation. T.O. Morrow has picked up on the stealing of mad scientists and drops that he once made a “Red Inferno”. It’s all great.
What’s even better news is that the book makes some choices about what not to show. After last issue’s overstuffed effort, it’s good to see that 52 will leave certain storylines be for an issue (and perhaps more) thus giving enough screen time to everything. After last week I was afraid that the book would insist on checking in on each of our “main” characters every week and I’m happy to report that it appears those fears were unfounded.
Grade: B
Manhunter #22
“Ghost in the Machine
Published by: DC
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Layouts: Javier Pina
Finishes: Fernando Blanco
Colorist: Jason Wright
Dr. Psycho is one creepy fella. Don’t get me wrong, I got a big kick out of the Golden Age imitating sequence that saw Kate in Wonder Woman gear all tressed up, but…brrr…it’s not hard to imagine that that is about as “normal” as it gets inside Psycho’s head.
This issue is more or less stolen by the supporting cast and that’s a-ok. As great as a character as Kate is, she is surrounded by an equaling excellent group of background players.
In particular is, of course, Dylan Battles. I loved his “solution” for Mark Shaw’s “condition” and his reaction to being nearly consumed by an electronic hydra that is part Kilg%re, part tabloid reporter (the one Dylan accidentally teleported to parts unknown just prior to OYL). His thing with Chase is also great fun and kind of cute/sweet in its own way.
Chase is not just around to hook up Dylan and oversleep though. She gets to encounter the killer that has been stalking around in the shadows of Manhunter since the OYL flip. He seems to be something of a musical theater fan, given his name, but he looks like a serious threat. In a few moments, he has Chase isolated, cornered, and unarmed.
Finally, there is Kate’s son. This week he demonstrates that he is his mother’s son. However, as the test Doctor Mid Nite is running show, what lineage, exactly, that links him to is unclear.
As with any issue of Manhunter, a lot of area is covered with surprising ease. It is filled with subplots without ever making the book feel scatterbrained. Month after month this book is pressing all the right buttons and this effort is not exception.
Grade: A
Robin #150
“Hard Answers”
Published by: DC
Writer: Adam Beechen
Artist: Freddie E Williams II
Colorist: Nathan Eyring
The villain stands revealed this issue and it’s likely that it will leave more than a few people disappointed or angry. As it turns out, Cassie, the former Batgirl, has been quite busy OYL and risen through the ranks of the League of Assassins. She is responsible for the deaths of Nyssa and Lynx last issue and is looking forward to adding her father Cain to the list of her kills.
It’s a jarring turn for her, no doubt, but one that I’m okay with. I found her newfound vocabulary a bit too much as I am used to her being nearly mute (as she was in early appearances), but otherwise it worked for me. As did her monologue about what Robin really means to Batman. It’ll be interesting to see if, next, issue, Robin will be silly enough to fall for what is a rather cursory and surface (but no less compelling) evaluation of the Batman and Robin partnership. However, your enjoyment of this is most likely based on your appreciation of Cassie before this. I liked her okay, but never really developed any sort of appreciation for her and thus am less likely to concern myself with the switch. Others might prove less accepting.
The best moment of the book though, in my opinion, was Tim admitting he did 11 hours of complex geometry to work out how to break into prison. You gotta love that commitment.
Grade: B
Shadowpact #1
“Death in a Small Town”
Published by: DC
Writer/Artist: Bill Willingham
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
In this post decompression era of comics, it is not unusual for a first issue of a new series to be mostly setup. Even considering that, however, Shadowpact takes it to a new level.
It’s hard for me to place exactly why I feel that way about this effort, but I do. It’s like the book cuts off just as the engine turns over. The ending is not much of a cliffhanger and the rest of the book seems to sort of drift along with little sense of narrative momentum. In the drifting, there are good bits to be had. Bagman (yes, Bagman) being dissed by a small child, Detective Chimp struggling for 12 reasons to stop drinking, Rex the Wonder Dog faithfully keeping watch, Ragman asking Blue Devil why he doesn’t file his horns down and so on make the time spent reading the book not without charm. But all the charm in the world does not give the book any drive.
Another downside of the book is Willingham’s art. Simply put, it’s not great. In particular, when the Shadowpact are not on panel, it suffers. There’s little to no pop or energy to it.
On the whole, it’s fun, but fun in a thin way. It’ll need more than that to justify me throwing money at subsequent issues.
Grade: C
