Nice strong week this time out. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Beyond 6
“The Observer Effect”
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Artist: Scott Kolins
Colorist: Paul Mounts
I’m annoyed with book for two reasons. The first is that it dealt a character I like a lot a really lousy hand. The second is that the dealing of that hand, and especially the aftermath of it, is done with such grace and just the right amount of heartstring tugging that it makes it impossible for me to complain about. Now why do you have to make things so hard on me, McDuffie?
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[It] is done with such grace and just the right amount of heartstring tugging that it makes it impossible for me to complain about. |
I mean, the exchange between “Al” Kraven and Mac “I Used to Be Scorpion but Now I’m Venom” Gargan is strong enough to qualify as their best characterization in years (if we are talking Gargan) or ever (if Al is our focus). This book just makes resentment so damn hard.
Add in Scott Kolins doing his thing and I’m damn tempted to call this Marvel’s best mini. And if it wasn’t for the book reviewed below, I would.
B+
Doctor Strange: The Oath #3
“Chapter Three”
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Marcos Martin
Colorist: Javier Rodriguez
It is still taking a bit of getting used to that I am reading and very much enjoying a Doctor Strange book. You might even call it “strange”. Although I wouldn’t. It is an awful pun and you should be ashamed of yourself for even suggesting it.
Anyway, Doctor Strange comes face-to-face with the man who shot him at the start of the mini and this time the arrogant cur gets his comeuppance. Strange extracts the secret of his employer from Brigand’s mind before banishing him to”¦somewhere because, as Strange puts it, a Sorcerer Supreme has “little patience for the laws of nature and even less for the laws of man.” That feeling you have right now? That’s a chill of “my, what a badass,” and “dear God, Strange just got all creepy and scary.”
The identity of Strange’s nemesis in this dance and who he is working for is a dicey proposition. It could very easily landed with an implausible thud; dragged the entire mini down with “this is message”-ism and too cuteness. The thing is though”¦it works. I do not know how BKV manages to navigate it, but he does and the whole reveal comes across as “oh, that makes perfect sense” as opposed to “groan”¦he went there.”
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That feeling you have right now? That’s a chill of “my, what a badass,” and “dear God, Strange just got all creepy and scary.” |
I also appreciate that Nicodemus, the man that employed Brigand, is not wholly on board with what his bosses are planning to do. I’m a big fan of things not being entirely clear cut and with a brief boardroom exchange, Vaughan nicely introduces layers into the story.
As I am going on about Vaughan’s talent as a writer I am not commenting on Marcos Martin’s talents and that is unacceptable. I rank the man up there with Cliff Chiang and Mike Norton as a hugely underrated talent that I keep hoping will break into the big time. His work here shows why I think as I do. That scene mentioned above with Strange talking about the laws of man and nature is 100% sold by a panel by Martin. It is a simple enough closeup, but the interplay of shadow and light as well as the angle of the panel is just perfect.
Grade: A-
52 Week 31
“Human Resources”
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdows: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Chris Batista
Inkers: Rodney Ramos, Dan Green, and Dave Meikis
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
This week, 52 breaks out of its slump by doing something it has hard a time of since it started: tell a dynamic fast moving story.
I don’t have much love for space opera, typically, and thus I am predisposed to roll my eyes whenever that aspect shows up in 52, especially when it takes up the entire issue. Oh, and before anyone says “Animal Man” allow me to respond “Lobo”. Anyway, had I known what was coming this issue, I would probably have been dreading it.
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“¦even I can’t deny that this is a well-told tale. And a creepy one too. |
That said, even I can’t deny that this is a well-told tale. And a creepy one too. I’m not sure why, but pod people/Stepford-esque tales where everyone becomes incorporated into a single hive mind thinking process always get into my head. I find them deeply disturbing and interesting in the same way I think people find zombie stories (zombie stories, by the by, do nothing for me).
All in all, despite my biases, this is the best issue of 52 in some time.
Still, not to be a nitpick or anything, but I’m pretty done with the character profile backups. They are just too short to do anything for me. I do like the “Essential Readings” aspect of them. I won’t say ditch them because I recognize they aren’t for the likes of me, I’m just not sure anyone who isn’t the “likes of me” is reading 52.
Grade: B+
All New Atom #6
“Charged Particles”
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Eddy Barrows
Inker: Trevor Scott
Colorist: Alex Bleyaert
This is a book that I am almost never excited for. Every time I see it on the “Coming This Week” list there is a moment where I ask myself, “wait, was I going to drop this book?” In the end, I realize that, even if I was, I didn’t so I better not rip off my store by not buying it.
Then I get it home. I read it and find myself asking another question, “why the heck did I think I wanted to drop this?”
The book is not flashy about its goodness, that’s true. If all you look for in comics is big shocks and moments of widescreen action, this probably is not the book for you. Even with the chance to go the widescreen route this installment, as DC villains battle over Ivy Town, Barrows keeps things tight and small. That may or may not be a knowing decision, to frame the action in a manner reflective of the titular character, I do not claim to know. But is a move that is a bit offstep the current trend in comic storytelling. And that’s more than okay. The decision to go small, as it was, fits nicely with the tone of the book. It renders things intimate, focusing on Ryan (the new Atom, if you didn’t know) and how he is processing things, rather than focusing on the spectacle and Ryan as a sidenote.
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The decision to go small, as it was, fits nicely with the tone of the book. |
I’m a bit sad to see the man who would be Ryan’s arch nemesis cast aside so quickly, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon enough. That poem gimmick is far too excellent to be gone forever. Plus, there is no denying that Ryan’s old school, low tech, low violence solution to Dwarfstar is a great moment and another indication of the book’s different approach.
Sadly, this issue is a bit empty of the trademark humor that marked the prior five issues. There is, of course, a time and a place for humor and one could argue that this was not it. However, it was used to such strong effect so far that it is a bit of a shame to have it largely take a sabbatical this time out.
Grade: B
Detective Comics #826
“Drums of War” Part 3
Published by: Marvel
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Mike Perkins
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Dini’s take on this Joker/Robin encounter is racking up positive reviews nearly every place you can look for comic reviews on the net. A lot of the praise is well deserved. The story is a done in one that features Joker terrorizing a Robin in yet another twisted (and hilarious to him) scenario. This time out the Robin in question is Tim Drake and the scenario is a simple one. Joker is cruising town, running people over left and right, as Robin sits, tied up in the passenger seat, helpless to do anything.
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The oft-(unfairly) lambasted Kramer provides strong art”¦ Kramer sells it with the Joke’s eyes. |
The oft-(unfairly) lambasted Kramer provides strong art. As pointed out somewhere else, he is able to portray Joker as a man with a smile on his face, not a man who is constantly smiling. The distinction is a fine one, to be sure, but Kramer sells it with the Joke’s eyes. Regardless of his perma-grin, you need only look at the Clown Prince of Crime’s eyes to see how he is really feeling. That’s a hard thing to sell, but Kramer does it without going over the top on flash. He also does a nice job with panel layout and perspective, giving the car ride a rightfully claustrophobic feel without letting the reader get bored with repetitive images.
What holds me back from giving it a higher grade is that there really is not much insight offered here. Beyond Joke’s particular approach to bringing horror to Gotham and the Bat family, this is almost interchangeable with any previous Robin/Joker dustup. It was interesting to go inside Tim’s head, but Dini does not show us anything there that he have not seen in other stories. It is a simple premise, well realized, but not one anyone should expect to see the world on fire.
Grade: B
Justice Society of America #1
“The Next Age” Chapter 1
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Dale Eaglesham
Inker: Art Thibert
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Remember the end of the last JSA series? Yeah, I wish I didn’t either. It was an ugly end to a series that heretofore had been one of the most reliable on the shelves. Don’t worry though, this volume picks up, quality wise, like those last four or so issues never happened. So breathe a sigh of relief on that.
The art is quite tasty, as you might expect from Dale Eaglesham. However, Eaglesham does a nice job of tempering his dirty, gritty style for the book. Compare his work here to his fill-in issue in the previous volume (the last Johns penned issue of JSA) and you’ll see that he is doing a much better job of fitting his style to the tone. He get still bring the grit when he needs to (the Mr. America sequences) but it does not overwhelm the rest of the book. Particularly noteworthy is his depiction of the surprisingly thick (I don’t know, buy I expected him to be thin) Starman as he dances through his appearances.
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“¦ this volume picks up, quality wise, like those last four or so issues never happened. |
On the characterization side, there is good and bad news. Alan, Jay, Stargirl, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Power Girl are comfortable, natural portrayals. I especially enjoy Mid-Nite’s complete unawareness of being flirted with. Wildcat feels”¦off, as if the script is trying too hard to show him as gruff and standoffish. He’s never been a “father figure” perhaps, but he has always been one of the guys. Here, he’s talking more like a boxing Batman. Liberty Belle (Jesse Quick) and Hourman (Rick Tyler) are a bit too over the top in love for my tastes, especially given my recent frosty feelings towards Tyler due to his “unique” interpretation of the Twelve Steps. However, as I write this, it occurs to me that, given his addictions, this over the top love does make sense and can be the beginning of an interesting character arc for the duo. We’ll see on that score though.
The new guys introduced so far are intriguing. Damage has been around before, of course, but as presented here he might as well be a wholly new character. It will be interesting to see how the “new” Damage connects to the “old” one and how his evolution over the OYG led him to what he is now. I got a kick out of Maxine Hunkel and don’t really understand why so many others were annoyed by her. Her reactions made perfect sense to me.
Starman is a bit more problematic to me. He carries an undeniable sense of energy with him which I love. He seems to be a lot of fun. However, given our brief exposure to him, his supposed diagnosis does not fit. Johns seems to have borrowed a page from the Big Book of “CRAZINESS!!!!” Clichés in which talking a little crazy can be interpreted as whatever mental disease you choose. There is nothing on the page that suggests borderline schizophrenia. I’m probably jumping the gun here, and I hope I am, but as of now, Starman appears to suffer from “Generalized Fictional Character as Crazy Man” Disorder and not schizophrenia.
Still and all, a great start to the newest volume of the Justice Society.
Grade: B+
Manhunter #26
“The Lady in Question”
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Penciler: Javier Pina
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Jason Wright
Ahh, my favorite book is back. And it feels so good.
I always worry about TV shows or comics that just survive cancellation and end up changing up almost everything I liked about them in a quest to get new viewers. More often than not, they jettison everything that made them unique and/or special in the first place. It is like they were saved just to become an entirely new product. Thankfully, Manhunter deftly avoids that trap. I still worry that it might end up like Arrested Development, a show that dodged cancellation once and defiantly became more like itself than ever before and could not dodge cancellation a second time around. Still, I greatly prefer a comic go out like that, without compromise, than lose itself to get sales.
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I’m so thrilled to have this book back and have it be as good as ever, that I’m having a hard time writing a coherent review here. |
I’m so thrilled to have this book back and have it be as good as ever, that I’m having a hard time writing a coherent review here. So, let me just tick off what I loved: the return of Chase’s fathe’s killer (ahh, now those Comic Book Resources articles on Chase make sense), Mark Shaw on a vision quest, Dylan Battles being Dylan Battles, Kate trying to, then quickly giving up, concealing her identity, sparring in the woods, and the art. The art, in particular, I was thrilled with. Pina has always done good work, but, teamed with Riggs, he is producing his best work yet. The figures are well rendered, the presentation well chosen, and the art generally has a clean energy to it that Manhunter has not previously displayed.
The book may be too tied into its previous incarnation for newcomers to pick up with ease, but I’m not sure. Generally, I think we underestimate the intelligence of “newcomers” and everything you need to know about the main characters’ personalities is present and accounted for. So, I’m going to give it a stamp of approval in that area too.
Grade: A
