A book called Civil War was released this week. I understand people are quite up in arms about that. But, no fear, this was a darn good week, War book or not.
52 Week 42
“Trigger Effectâ€
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdows: Keith Giffen
Artist: Darick Robertson
Colorist: David Baron
I’m torn on this one.
On the one hand, it is a pretty spectacular way of going out, trapping one of the DCU’s biggest supernatural villains. I enjoyed the retroactive idea that Dibny has been toying with Faust all along. Also quite engaging was Dibny shouting, “You’ve been under my spell!†It was a strong demonstration of the fact that while the former Elongated Man might have laid one hell of a trap here, he’s not exactly what he’d call “calm and collected.â€
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For such a dramatic reveal, it just seemed to be lacking the personal element to really sell it… I feel like I’m missing a couple of pages of story. |
On the other hand, why would this have been Dibny’s plan from the start? It plays like it is a personal thing but has Dibny ever encountered Neron, never mind locked horns with him before? For such a dramatic reveal, it just seemed to be lacking the personal element to really sell it. I guess there is something to be said for a heroism so unselfish that you would use your wish to lock up, essentially, the Devil despite never having encountered him. But everything about it, Dibny’s posture, his rage bordering on righteous indignation, his mocking tone, all point to there being something more to it. I feel like I’m missing a couple of pages of story.
Still, it is probably the most I’ve enjoyed a single installment of 52 in some time. And it brings a storyline to a close in a satisfying way. While it does completely erase the feeling of wheel spinning when it comes to Dibny’s journey, those pacing problems did not, ultimately, render the ending a disappointment. This would stand in opposition to poor Steel’s ending, which was a cool fight but completely undercut by the fact that Steel’s storyline had spent months inert and annoying.
Robertson on art was welcome, despite what you may read on our message boards. He’s very talented and it was nice to have a different style in 52 as the past several issues have blended together in a mosaic of blandness.
B
Birds of Prey #103
“Truth or Dareâ€
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Nicola Scott
Inker: Doug Hazlewood
Colorist: Hi-Fi Design
Gail Simone’s first book of the week (we’ll get to Black Alice later) is, simply put, great. I love how quickly she has carved out individual identities for the new Birds (except Gypsy who, perhaps, might be the Teflon Bird. Can’t make a personality stick on her), giving them enough of a personality that it is easy to read a speech bubble randomly, without benefit of visual aid, and know who said it. It’s an impressive feat to have pulled off in merely 3 issues.
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Spy Smasher and Oracle’s coming together and growing apart, as detailed by a succinct flashback sequence, offers laser sharp glimpses into what makes them so similar and wildly different all at once. |
But excellence does not stop there. Let me also sing the praises of how Simone (ably aided by Scott’s aid) pulls the Tabby store to a close in a way that highlights the Huntress’s oft-underestimated detective skills (Batman she’s not, but she’s picked up something living in his shadow all this time) and pulls a “everything you thought you knew was wrong†with skill that deftly sidesteps thundering melodrama or self congratulatory “bet you didn’t seem that coming†preening.
Finally, Spy Smasher and Oracle’s coming together and growing apart, as detailed by a succinct flashback sequence, offers laser sharp glimpses into what makes them so similar and wildly different all at once. Oracle is someone who tries to the best she can and win, but it is about proving herself, not cutting others down. Spy Smasher, on the other hand, is motivated purely by a desire to see her rivals fail. It’s a small gap, perhaps, but it makes all the difference.
God, I do love this book.
Grade: A-
Checkmate #11
“Corvalho†Part One
Published by: DC Comics
Writers: Greg Rucka, Nunzio Defilippis & Christina Weir
Penciller: Steve Scott
Inker: Nathan Massengill
Colorist: Santiago Arcas
This book was written by three people. Three! Thankfully, much like the multiple writing staff of Children of Men, the script is so well put together you cannot tell.
By the man, Children of Men was totally robbed at the Oscars this year. Snubbed in all the major categories and unrewarded in those it was nominated for. It is a travesty of the highest order. But I suppose that is neither here nor there.
What is here (and possibly there) is that Checkmate has reached issue #11! I figured this guy would be 10 and out, but with no cancellation notice hitting the wire, this guy is cruising into over a year of being published and that’s a great thing.
Why?
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The thing is, Checkmate plays this scenario 100% straight and makes it work. |
Well, take this issue. The story focuses on an election in Santa Prisca that has seen a Bane (you know, that Batman villain) supported candidate robbed of the election by fraud. That fraud was perpetrated by, wait for it, the floating head now as Colonel Computron. Colonel Computron threw the election because he was working for the United States through the Suicide Squad. Checkmate receives a message from the good Colonel and they are off to save him. But personal loyalties could be a problem as Thomas Jaeger is also the son of the original Judomaster who was slain by Bane during Infinite Crisis. Uh-oh, what’s going to happen?
Ludicrious, right?
The thing is, Checkmate plays this scenario 100% straight and makes it work. I don’t mean makes it work like the Silver Age makes the idea of Batman wearing a rainbow costume work. This is not the land of unintentional laughs. Instead, the book grounds it all in a near real world setting (as real as a world can be which includes a man who calls himself Count Vertigo and wears a cape to the office can be) and plays it like a straight up espionage story.
So, yeah, a book this good, this smart, that is about to reach a year deserves a bit of fanfare.
Grade: A-
The Helmet of Fate: Black Alice
“Death and the Maidenâ€
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Duncan Rouleau
Colorist: Mike Atiyeh
Does it really matter if I did not buy or read any of the other Helmet of Fate issues? I’m guessing, given how easily this story goes down that no, no it doesn’t. That’s good for me, bad for DC. Good for me because god help me if I had to pick up a book focusing on Sargon but for DC because if you can’t make the mini must read, why the hell would I sign on for the ongoing? But we are not here to critique DC’s need to launch yet another Dr. Fate title.
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What I am here to do is tell you that this is a good issue. Entirely unnecessary and inconsequential, but good nonetheless. |
What I am here to do is tell you that this is a good issue. Entirely unnecessary and inconsequential, but good nonetheless. It is disposable but enjoyable. I’ve got no issue with that. But for those of you looking for something interconnected, something with REPERCUSSIONS!, look elsewhere. This is just a day in the life of Black Alice. For me, that’s enough.
Rouleau’s art is fine. It is not exactly my speed, but that’s more of personal preference thing than a critique of his work.
One thing does bother me though. Black Alice’s mom is indeed back from the dead and making pancakes. The pancakes thing is a good gag, I like its monkey paw-esque elements (actually, the whole issue is a Monkey’s Paw story except with the Helmet of Fate). For some reason though, the whole wishing her back alive thing (which took place in Birds of Prey) is just not something I like. That’s totally not a reasonable or helpful critique and should not be taken as overruling my recommendation of this issue. I just wish Black Alice’s mom was still dead.
And yes, I’m aware of how that makes me sound.
B-
Ion #11
“Lovers and Enemiesâ€
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Pencillers: Javier Pina & Brad Walker
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Jason Wright
Kyle and Donna are reunited and it feels so…okay. Perhaps it is just my new found disinterest/distaste for Donna since her resurrection. Yes, I know it’s not her fault. Her death at the hands of a Superman robot was damn weak so she deserved a resurrection. And it is wrong to blame her just because the story that brought her back was incomprehensible. And, of course, she’s not responsible for the awfulness that was the History of the DCU back up feature. But she was there for all of them. She is the common element. So it’s just easiest to go on disliking for it.
It is a bit of shame though because I used to quite like her.
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Anyway, since I don’t give a damn about the Monitors, this issue does not do much for me. |
In any case, Kyle still does, but it is hard to understand why. She was more than a bit abrupt when she dumped him (yes, extenuating circumstances, blah blah blah, whatever) and more than a bit rude after she lost her memory (sure, it sucks that she didn’t recognize him anymore, but did she need to start hooking up with Roy to provide the cherry to that particular humiliation sundae). Come to think of it, maybe this dislike for Donna (or, in fairness to the fictional character, who’s she portrayed) has be coming for sometime.
Anyway, Grayven shows up this time out and that is cool and appreciated. I think he could be a pretty good villain if anyone besides Marz bothered to use him. The bit about the GLs pitching in to save Kyle’s mom was nice too. But Donna (who, again in fairness, was actually pretty decent in this issue) and the Monitors hold the stage here. While I’m a stickler for resolving some plot threads, if DC dropped the Monitors right now and promised never to speak of them again, I would gladly pretend that no such lingering plot line exists. GLADLY!
Anyway, since I don’t give a damn about the Monitors, this issue does not do much for me.
One thing though…wasn’t Donna hanging out with a Monitor in that History of the DCU feature? So, is she just playing dumb here or should I just pretend that History didn’t happen. Again, DC, perfectly happy to do that.
Seriously, just let me know.
Grade: C+
Robin #159
“First Dateâ€
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Adam Beechen
Artist: Freddie E.Williams II
Colorist: Guy Major
This is bold of me but I’m just going to come right out and say it anyway. Beechen, I believe, is on his way to becoming to Robin what Simone is to Birds of Prey. That is, he’s good enough to remind me of the book’s halcyon Dixon days but to do so without simply following back over Dixon’s steps. Also, he’s probably better that Dixon’s later issues.
Bold, indeed, but correct? I wouldn’t be saying it if I didn’t think it.
This issue plays out over the course of Tim’s first date with classmate Zo. Like any good first date for a vigilante hero, crime rears its ugly head and Tim is forced to fight it.
What I like here is that it presents a situation where Tim chooses to continue his date rather than slip away and don his tights. The broken date is a cliché as old as Spider-Man and I’m sure we’ll go there at some point, but it was good to see a different option taken. Even better, when push comes to shove, Tim does step up and do the heroic thing. It is sort of a “cake and eat it too†moment, but it works for me. Tim chooses having a social life over engaging in a fight that Batman should be able to handle, but puts aside that choice when the situation seemingly changes.
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Beechen, I believe, is on his way to becoming to Robin what Simone is to Birds of Prey. |
Speaking of Batman, I think this is the first time we’ve seen Bruce as Batman since Beechen took over. We’ve seen him in costume before, but only in the cave. What’s cool is that there is a noticeable dialogue difference between Bruce Wayne around the manor talking to Tim and Batman, about to stop a crime, talking to time. One is laid back and, dare I say, a normal older brother type figure. The other is more the unstoppable force of justice (but, thankfully, tempered by some humanity) that we know. It also gives Beechen an excuse to paraphrase a Dark Knight Returns line seemingly just for the hell of it and that made me chuckle.
My only complaint? The cover. Can’t Robin by protecting a young black woman, since that’s who is hanging with inside the issue instead of a young white woman? A minor matter, perhaps, but would it really have taken much time to change it?
Grade: B+
Wonder Woman #4
“Who is Wonder Woman†Part Four
Published by: DC Comics
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Penciller: Terry Dodson
Inker: Rachel Dodson
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
A book being late does not tend to impact my enjoyment of it. Civil War has been running behind throughout but it had no effect on my review of it (see below). Kevin Smith’s original Daredevil run (not Target) ran behind but I still largely dug it. Planetary is one of my favorite series ever and what should’ve taken about two years took somewhere in the neighborhood of six. Even Heinberg’s previous comics foray, Young Avengers, had lateness problems and I truly love that series.
So, what makes Wonder Woman different?
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Whenever the conclusion of this arc comes out (apparently #5 is something else now) I don’t expect it to find its way to my pull file. |
I think it is a matter of strength of story. Civil War was heavily flawed but had enough big ideas and gorgeous art that the memory of the book lasted through the delay. Daredevil was all about my favorite character and was a cool story. And so on. Wonder Woman has the gorgeous art (although it is distractingly cheesecake, more so than usual, in this installment. Lots of firm Diana butt this time out) but that feels like it to me. I’m not a huge Diana fan naturally. I appreciate her and I keep waiting for her to truly earn her place in the Trinity, but this story does not do that. It is full of villains, but most of them are hit and run so I’d probably appreciate them more if I was more familiar with them in the first place. The “big†idea, of Diana accepting all sides of herself, is a good conceit but one that has not really gelled and we are 4 issues in.
If this book was monthly, I’d probably be saying something to the effect of, “it’s not great yet, but I can see it getting there.†However, this story has unfolded over 9 months (10 months?). Sure, it is only four issues, but I’ve felt that delays on this so, to me, it is as if I’ve been “treated†to 9 or 10 issues of this. Thus, “it’s not great, but I can see it getting there†has become, “I just don’t care.†Whenever the conclusion of this arc comes out (apparently #5 is something else now) I don’t expect it to find its way to my pull file.
Grade: C-
Civil War #7
Published by: Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven
Inkers: Dexter Vines, John Dell, & Tim Townsend
Colorist: Morry Hollowell
This is that indie book that could. It was published with little fanfare and hype. It always came out on ti—
Okay, okay. I kid.
Anyway, this is the final installment of Civil War and that means it is guaranteed to disappoint. I’m not saying it should or shouldn’t, just that it will. It has to. The thing has been so built up that if didn’t completely redefine the Marvel U forever and ever and possibly cure cancer, everyone will walk away something to the effect of “…but I’ve felt sort of underwhelmed.â€
Bad news: this book does not cure cancer.
Oh yeah, it also does not redefine things forever and ever.
What it does is highlight what made Civil War so polarizing in the first place. It is full of gorgeously rendered pages depicting incredible scenes. It is a parade of your favorite Marvel characters saying cool things, posing coolly, and, occasionally, punching the hell out of one another. It had interesting ideas and raised intriguing issues about the way heroes should behave in the Marvel U.
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I think it was a great idea that the execution went wide on because of the slapdash tone, the feeling that of “well we need to get from here to here and as long as we do that, no one will care about the intermediate steps.†|
At the same time, however, it seemed to lack connective tissue. Everything unfolded in series of escalating vignettes in service of a plot that was more idea that structure. Characters were often made to act mildly or wildly out of character to satisfy the story’s direction. Corners were cut and the easiest way to get there was often taken. In a lot of ways, the story mirrors Stark’s behavior. You need to get your fellow heroes to embrace this law? Don’t present your case because that’d be boring. Instead, attack, manipulate, and recruit super villains to force people to kowtow to it. Have to get people to accept a post-Registration Marvel Universe and they hate its main champion? Don’t justify it, don’t attempt to persuade, just have the leader of the other side give up because we’ve all been missing the point…or something.
If it sounds like I’m being harsh, perhaps I am a bit. But it is not because I hated the thing, I didn’t. I think it was a great idea that the execution went wide on because of the slapdash tone, the feeling that of “well we need to get from here to here and as long as we do that, no one will care about the intermediate steps.â€
In the end, Civil War was beautiful spectacle that was cut down by its inability to think things through. Again, sort of like Iron Man.
Grade: C+
Punisher War Journal #4
“Small Wake for a Tall Manâ€
Published by: Marvel Comics
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Mike Deodato
Colorist: Rain Beredo
I love when villains get together in comics. I love it so much I bought last year’s Marvel Romance: Villain in Love (and it was pretty good!). I love it so much that I will defend Ron Zimmerman on the basis that anyone who wrote “Double Shots†(in which Spidey villains got together at a bar and talk about the web slinger and what they’ve done/hope to do to him) can’t be that bad. So, yeah, I’m sort of a sucker for the kind of story Fraction is telling in Punisher War Journal #4.
So it should come as no surprise that I dug this story very much.
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It should come as no surprise that I dug this story very much. |
It is hardly the most innovative story. The running monologue, (PAY ATTENTION TO THE CAPTION BOX COLORS! IT IS IMPORANT!), discusses the sort of golden age of super villainy, when it was all crazy capers, bank robberies, and meaningless in-fighting where no one really got hurt. It is a nice lament of days gone past, but it is a lament that, chances are, you’ve heard before. Maybe in Flash, perhaps in Astro City, possibly even from a “real†life figure like Alex Ross. It is a well worn sigh, “remember when comics were fun and not so violent.†That said, I totally bought it. Fraction embraces this modern cliché of comic writing (or criticism) and makes it work.
What also helps to make it work is a great drop-in by Spider-Man and a hysterical Doombot who clearly was programmed rather rapidly as his vocabulary is…rather limited.
The ending is a neat twist, if largely inconsequential. It brings it back to the guy whose name is on the marquee, but I doubt if it will have any lasting repercussions. But, for this kind of story, that’s perfectly okay.
Grade: B
