The Weekly Round-Up #213 With The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Baltimore, The Green Team, The Manhattan Projects & More

Columns, Top Story

I love these smaller new comics weeks, although I’m surprised that none of the companies used this as a chance to debut something special.  I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and are on the grind for 2014.

Best Comic of the Week:

The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #7In this all-flashback issue, we get the life story of the new Beetle, building on the revelation last issue of who her Spider-Man villain father is.  We see that the Beetle has always had ambitions of becoming a supervillain, but that her father wanted her to be a legitimate villain (i.e., a corporate lawyer).  Another excellent issue from Nick Spencer, who was joined by guest artist Rich Ellis.  This is such a consistently excellent book, and it’s nice to learn a little more about the least developed character in it.  I really like how Spencer explains her appearance in Ed Brubaker’s Captain America series.  Great stuff here.

Quick Takes:

Aquaman #26 – I’ve always liked Aquaman, especially back in the Peter David days, but I haven’t bought his book since the weird barbarian run that Kurt Busiek wrote in the One Year Later era.  Seeing that Jeff Parker was taking over the book with this issue, I thought it would be a good time to check in on Arthur again.  Having not read the Geoff Johns books at all, I don’t have a good grounding in the character in the New 52, but it seems that he’s having problems with his advisors and other people in power in Atlantis.  Much of the book is given over to fighting a Godzilla-sized creature.  To be brutally honest, this felt a little like paint-by-numbers Aquaman.  Parker is a terrific writer, so I’ll give him another issue to change my mind, but I don’t really see myself sticking around if that next issue is like this one.  There’s no real reason to come back.

Baltimore: Chapel of Bones #1It looks like Lord Baltimore has finally caught up with his great nemesis Haigus, as this new mini-series has friends of Baltimore waiting for him in an English pub, something that Haigus somehow knows about.  As always, this comic is full of terrifically gloomy Ben Stenbeck art.

Catalyst Comix #7 – I don’t know if I’m all that clear on what’s going on in the Agents of Change story which takes the lead this month, but I’m still enjoying all the Joe Casey mayhem of this series, mostly because of the art.  Ulises Farinas is someone to watch, and Dan McDaid and Paul Maybury are pretty excellent too.  The best thing about this comic, though, has been getting to own a new cover by Rafael Grampá each month.  His stuff is unbelievably good.

The Green Team #7 – I really feel like Art Baltazar and Franco are just trying to squeeze about five or six issues of story into their last three, as the team goes through some pretty remarkable physical transformations, and square off against their main nemesis.  This book was much better at the beginning, but I appreciate the fact that DC gave it enough of a reprieve to at least wrap up the major plotlines.

Guardians of the Galaxy #10 – Kevin Maguire is a good fit for this series, since Brian Michael Bendis is including a lot of the light humour that Maguire’s Justice League run is known for.  Angela and Gamora attack a Badoon slave operation while apparently looking for Thanos (because I guess the Avengers Illuminati never told them that they have him).  I still don’t understand the appeal of Angela at all, but at least she’s not completely derailing this title.

The Manhattan Projects #17The various scientists and madmen that make up the Manhattan Projects are still prisoners of General Westmoreland, but luckily, Einstein and Feynman’s project in engineering the perfect being out of various alien body parts is ready to go.  It’s not clear how it feels about them though.  This book is always entertaining, although I think it’s time to resolve some of this Westmoreland stuff, and get the story moving forward again.  Still, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra are doing some amazing things.

New Avengers #13 – The ‘Inhumanity’ banner is placed on this issue, despite the fact that the only Terrigenesis taking place is happening on an alternate world, as the Illuminati continue to try to figure out how they’re going to resolve the incursions that keep happening.  Simone Bianchi draws this issue, and his work doesn’t look as polished as it normally does – I thought at first that I was looking at art from Leinil Francis Yu.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #6 – Everything converges on Battery City, as the girl leads the Killjoys into the city by surrendering, and the Blue porno droid leads Destroya, the god of all robots to free their kind, and Korse faces off against the woman who is in charge.  There were a lot of ideas crammed into this series, and I’m not entirely sure how successful Daniel Way’s story was at giving them all enough space to breathe, but Becky Cloonan’s art was always wonderful (no surprise there), so I enjoyed this series.

Comics I Would Have Bought if They Weren’t $4:

All Star Western #26

Grindhouse Doors Open at Midnight #4

Juice Squeezers #1

Rachel Rising #22

Savage Wolverine #13

Bargain Comics:

All Star Western #22-24I can get behind the notion of having Jonah Hex come to the present for a while, because he’s such a strong, well-established character, that it’s kind of fun to see him interact in our everyday world.  At the same time, I don’t know that I would have had him attend the Burning Man festival.  This could all easily fall off the rails.  Moritat art is always a treat, however, so I’ll keep checking this title out at sales (note to DC: if this were a $3 title, I’d probably be buying it monthly).

Avengers AI #4-7 – I feel like this title got off to a very rough start, but Sam Humphries really has things under control in these issues, as Hank Pym’s team works to contain the threat of Dimitrios, an artificial intelligence bent on giving his people control over the Earth.  There are elements of that story that still don’t make sense, but as we learned who the mysterious Alexis is.  The best issue of this bunch is the Inhumanity tie-in, which has Pym, Doombot, and Daredevil meeting a new Inhuman in New York City.  I really like André Lima Araújo’s art – I might pick up the .NOW issue when it comes out…

Avengers Annual #1 – I’m not quite sure what the point of this kind of cute one-off was.  Shang-Chi is running some kind of meditation retreat for troubled children, and after a tour of Avengers Tower, one of them sticks around and causes trouble.  Kathryn Immonen writes this as a light comedy (aside from one scene where Captain America tries to help a supposedly homeless (but well-dressed) veteran).  David Lafuente’s art is always fun, but I wasn’t all that impressed with this one.  I’m glad I didn’t spend $5 on it.

Batman and Robin #23.1 – Two-Face – It’s time to check out a couple of Villains Month titles that were of some interest to me at the time they came out, but which I didn’t buy.  This Two-Face one is really pretty incomprehensible without knowing what’s going on in Forever Evil.  The Scarecrow tries to recruit Two-Face into the Secret Society, and he agrees, but later on, when he finds a bunch of generic bad guys torturing people in his former DA’s office, he gets mad about it.  I don’t know why.  I’m not sure that writer Peter Tomasi knew either.  Guillem March’s art looks nice though.

Batman and Robin #23.2 – Court of Owls – This issue works a little better, even though it’s all over the place, chronology-wise.  We check in on the Court of Owls at a few different points in their existence in Gotham, and get a good sense of just how involved they’ve been in Gotham’s development.  Jorge Lucas does a good job of giving this book atmosphere.

Batman and Two-Face #24&25 – Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason have finally moved beyond portraying a grief-wracked Batman, and have instead started a multi-part story that gives Harvey Dent second billing.  Apparently, in the New 52, when Harvey was disfigured, it was by a beautiful Irish-American gangster, who did the deed in his house, after killing his wife in front of him.  I wonder why these tweaks were necessary, but it’s interesting to see how, now that the woman has returned to Gotham, Harvey sets out for his revenge.  I was especially pleased to see that none of these issues were trying to shoehorn Carrie Kelly into the book.

Before Watchmen: ComedianI think this may be my favourite of the Before Watchmen titles that I read.  Brian Azzarello gives us an interesting look at Blake’s 1960s, structured around his relationship with the Kennedy boys, John and Bobby.  Basically, this book takes us from the assassination of one to the assassination of the other, and in-between, Blake gets sent to Vietnam, and encounters race riots when back home in the USA.  Blake was one of the most interesting characters in the real Watchmen – he was so messed up that it was hard to imagine him being the hero of his own series, and Azzarello really plays well with that.  There are times when you find yourself almost rooting for Blake, but then you become shocked by his lack of ethics or his brutality.  I also found that Azzarello was having a bit of fun with this book – I kind of wondered if Blake’s CIA handler, Benday, was a nod to the writing of William S. Burroughs, but when, at the end of the series, we meet a new company man named Raul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson’s alter ego in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), it was clear.  Wonderful art by JG Jones really made this book work for me.  I am still opposed to the idea of the Before Watchmen project, but this is a good example of how the whole thing could have worked, with a little more thought put into it.

Cable and X-Force #16&17 – There’s a lot of chaos in these two issues as various factions of the team face off against some Reavers in the Outback, a gigantic Sentinel, and the Adversary (you know, the threat so big that the X-Men had to die to stop him).  I think perhaps Dennis Hopeless was given a condensed timeline in which to finish off his stories before the upcoming Uncanny X-Force cross-over which is going to see the end of both titles.  There was real potential in this book, but it never quite got there.  I hope Marvel lets Simon Spurrier do his own thing with the next relaunch, because they are really watering down this franchise lately.

Captain Midnight #1-3I love Golden Age characters, and enjoyed the Dark Horse Presents shorts that reintroduced this character, so I thought I’d see what the first three issues of the series were like.  They aren’t bad, but there’s not enough here to bring me back for more.

Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand #1&2 – Having checked out all the peripheral series for this Ultimate event, I thought I should see what’s happening in the main title.  While it doesn’t fit very well with everything happening in Spider-Man’s own book (strangely, written by the same writer), it does give us a good sense of impending doom, as Galactus shows up in New Jersey and sets about trashing everything.  The only hope the heroes have is to send someone over to the 616 Earth, to learn how the regular Marvel Universe has turned Galactus away, time and time again.  It’s not a bad book, but as usual, Mark Bagley’s art kinda bothers me (I hate the way he draws Thor here).

Detective Comics #24-26 – John Layman’s doing a fine job writing Batman in this book, but I’m getting tired of the way Batman’s getting portrayed in the New 52 these days.  Everything with him now is specialized planes, sonic guns, special serums, and enhanced armor.  I would think that in Detective Comics, the emphasis should still be on the character as a detective.  I always thought those were the Batman stories that worked best.  I like what Layman’s doing – the Wrath is an interesting character, and I’ve always liked Man-Bat, but Batman comics are not the place for dogfights in the air.  The Zero Year tie-in, which features James Gordon fighting corruption in the Gotham PD, was an excellent issue.

Indestructible Hulk #16I have no idea why this issue has the Inhumanity banner splashed across the top of the cover, unless Banner’s lab assistant (who gets a lot of screen time) turns out to be an Inhuman next issue.  Bruce is frustrated that he’s falling behind on his invention schedule, and so tags along when a SHIELD team tries to deal with an interdimensional incursion in an Aztec temple, against Director Hill’s orders.  It’s not a bad issue, and I like Mahmud Asrar’s art on this book more than the last artist’s.

Iron Man #19 – I really like where Kieron Gillen is taking Iron Man these days, as Tony and Arno decide to rebuild Mandarin City as a laboratory for their new ideas.  The Mandarin has been one of my favourite Iron Man villains for a long time, and while he may be gone, it’s cool that his rings are recruiting new people to use them (in a manner that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Green Lantern Corps).  Much of this issue is given over to character interaction, which is where Gillen excels.  Good stuff.

Journey Into Mystery #655 – An alright ending to an alright comic.  It was nice to see Beta Ray Bill again.

Legends of the Dark Knight #12&13 – I’m really sad that DC is not publishing this series anymore, since it’s provided us with some very good Bat-stories.  In these issues, there is a very nice piece by Rafael Albuquerque, and a good story by Tim Seeley and Freddie Williams II that explores the superstitious half of ‘cowardly and superstitious lot’.  Across these two issues is an excellent story by Peter Milligan and Riccardo Burchielli, that explores the ramifications of economic downturn on Batman’s ability to maintain his high-tech toys.  This story, which has him facing off against Ras Al Ghul without the toys he’s come to depend on, can almost be read as a commentary on Scott Snyder’s work with Batman, which has really emphasised the technological (and toyetic) in the character’s approach to fighting crime.  Personally, I like the idea of seeing Bruce fight without so many (deus ex) machines.

Marvel Knights Hulk #1I really enjoyed Joe Keatinge and Piotr Kowalski’s take on the Hulk.  Bruce Banner is found by a kind art gallery worker, bleeding from gunshot wounds and amnesiac, so of course she takes him to work to try to help him out.  There are people after him, and they can use a serum to Hulk-out.  There’s not a lot of exposition – Keatinge leaves us with as many questions as Banner has, but the approach is very wide-screen action oriented, and it works well.  I like Kowalski’s work on Sex a great deal, and it was interesting to see his work here, although it looks less European than on his other title.

The Movement #5 – I really, really want to like this comic.  There’s not enough politics in comics, and Gail Simone had the chance to explore how an Occupy-type movement might play out in the DC Universe.  The problem is, none of these characters are likeable or unique, and the story doesn’t seem to be going very far, especially since Simone is positioning a Lex Luthor-type business man as the main problem in the city, not crushing inequality.

Power Man and Iron Fist #75 – I never read much of this series as a kid, although looking back, I don’t really understand why.  Anyway, this double-sized issue crossed my path recently, and it made a pretty good read.  Jo Duffy takes the duo to K’un-lun, where Danny learns some truths about his childhood and his half-sister (much of which got retconned out during the Matt Fraction/Ed Brubaker Iron Fist series).  Kerry Gammill’s art really took me back, as did the yellowing pages.  The best thing about this comic?  Reading it took longer than any three or four modern-day Marvel books take.

Superior Spider-Man #22&23 Superior Spider-Man is always an entertaining read, and co-writers Dan Slott and Christos Gage pack a lot of story into each issue.  Spidey-Ock meets Agent Venom for the first time, but has no memory of the fact that Flash Thompson is an old friend.  Aunt May gets cured of her limp, and Peter introduces his new girlfriend to the family.  In the background, there are building subplots involving Captain Watanabe knowing that Peter is not his usual self, and the Goblins are also closing in, now that they have Carlie Cooper prisoner.  Like I said, there’s a lot going on.  This is a very good read.

Thor God of Thunder #15&16 – I’m finding this story arc, about Malekith, to be pretty tedious.  Thor has been saddled with a League of Nations-style team representing the various Worlds of Asgardian myth, and of course they don’t get along, although a night of drinking helps somewhat (diplomacy, Thor style).  But obviously there has to be a traitor, and meanwhile Malekith is just wandering around killing his own people.  The story feels a little too drawn out for me.

The Week in Graphic Novels:

The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge

by Steven Gilbert
 

I’m always on the lookout for interesting historical comics and graphic novels, and when I saw this show up at the store where I shop, I was intrigued.  The book, by Steven Gilbert, who apparently built a bit of a name for himself in the Canadian independent comics scene in the 90s, is set in the town of Newmarket (now basically just a suburb of Toronto) at the end of the 19th century.

The title is a little bit misleading, as there is no Main Street Secret Lodge in evidence, but we are given an interesting look into a place at a time where society was going through rapid change.  At the centre of this book is a story called ‘Cold Cold Ground’, which follows a pair of bank robbers, a man and a woman, who have come up from the States.  They attack a Northern Outpost, drawing away Captain Gilbert (presumably an ancestor of the author), so that they can rob a bank on Main Street.  That robbery doesn’t go well, and there is a fair amount of bloodshed.  As the robbers flee, things get even worse for a small family we are introduced to earlier.

This story is bookended by some random information on crime in that time (there is a lengthy essay on how people used to rob hotels), and portraits of ‘billiards’ girls in the nude.  In the middle of the story are a couple of pages about the growth of the railroad, and throughout the book are large pictures of scenery and establishing shots.

Gilbert is a strong cartoonist with a deep love of cross-hatching, and the place he is portraying.  His publisher, from what I can tell, is a comics store in Newmarket, and it’s clear that this unconventional book is a passion project.  I enjoyed it, and would gladly return to the journals of the Main Street Secret Lodge, if given another opportunity.

Get in touch and share your thoughts on what I've written: jfulton@insidepulse.com