Another week, another batch of comics. This is another "average" week with about 5-6 offerings, and as usual, the smaller weeks are usually better than the big weeks not only in cash savings, but ironically in comic quality. Many times in weeks where I get about 8-10 things, at least 1-2 will disappoint me. But smaller weeks? Not so much. This week has 5 offerings plus one from last week that I missed, but could afford.
As always, the spoilers are unlimited. Welcome to first class.
DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 7/12/06:
52 WEEK #10: Cynical as I was, I questioned whether DC could seriously do a 52 issue, weekly comic and have every issue ship on time, despite having 5 writers and a few artists at the helm. While they're barely a 10th of the way in, it should be noted that nearly 3 months worth of weekly comics have shipped on time, and Dan DiDio hasn't been driven batty by it yet. The last time someone tried a weekly comic, it ended in less than 2 months. As usual, "Days Of Our Superheroes" continues, as Black Adam's intentions to unite an internation "colition of the willing", including China's Morrison-created metahumans and Russia (whose Rocket Red brigade helped the GL's a few issues ago; Adam claimed Russia would eventually side with him, and he was correct). The only other face I recognized at the meeting was Copperhead. Adam's intentions are questioned by his "harem slave turned refugee" servant girl from a few issues back, and apparently Adam's secretly conflicted with the loss of Shazam in his life. Elsewhere, the focus goes to the powerless Clark Kent for a bit, and its very interesting how much he relied on his powers and life as Superman for his job (even for typing), and Perry is about to fire him for losing the scoop on the new hero Supernova before Kent pulls a trick out of his wife's purse; jumping from a tall building to interview the hero as he swoops in for the rescue. Lovely irony, and it worked out well (and the look on Lois' face was priceless). Meanwhile, the "mad scientists" wonder what Dr. Sivana was making in his workshop before he vanished, and Booster Gold decides to investigate Skeet's "timestream disturbances" that are partly to blame for his fall from grace (aside for his own selfishness). 52 is a comic that has a good dozen or more storylines to handle, which justifies it being a weekly and standing on its own, whereas most single solo's struggle to keep one arc going for a few issues. The "History of the DC" back-up story is also almost done, and I have to give credit to Jurgens for having the guts to wade through all of DC's conveluted crap from Pre Crisis to Infinite Crisis to attempt to give an accurate "history" of the universe. He's a braver soul than most, I'm sure. 52's what I call "review proof" at this point; if you weren't interested before, you're not going to be 10 issues in. But if you're along for the ride, you're probably enjoying what you read. This is easily the best thing DC's done since IC to me, a Marvel Zombie at heart.
DETECTIVE COMICS #821: Wow, over 800 issues. Marvel would have more books that hit over 500, if only they weren't such pimps that they restart everything with #1's for a few cheap sales boosts. But I digress, this came out last week and I bought it for one reason; Paul Dini. For the few of you not in the know, Paul Dini was a co-writer of the BATMAN ANIMATED SERIES back in the early 90's when it launched, and thus was responsible for crafting some of the best Batman stories ever, recreating and redefining a Dark Knight who needed an "ultimate" version, and crafting whatever liking of the DC universe I had. I cared nothing for DC before B:TAS, and the shows that came after (B:TNGA, S:TAS, BEYOND, JL, JLU). His work in other TV areas, most notably "LOST" put him away from the "Timmverse", as Dini was reduced to writing maybe one episode of JLU every other season. When WIZARD claimed he'd return to Batman for a DETECTIVE stint, I jumped on it. As expected, he didn't disappoint; his work here is a bit more "adult" than stuff he could have written for a network TV show (there's a death very early on), but the mystery isn't so conveluted that even a kid couldn't enjoy it. And yes, I said "mystery". Its been a while since I've seen Batman be a "Dark Knight Detective" rather than either a paranoid Justice Leaguer, grim borderline psychotic vigilante, or a karate machine. Here Dini crafts a simple if not efficient mystery surrounding muggings against Gotham's upper crust, as well as introducing a new rogue for Batman, Facade (and he's way better than Marvel's Facade, circa mediocre 90's issues of WEB). Considering that DC comics owes a bit to Dini and the cartoons for bringing them some readers, reimagining Mr. Freeze, creating some characters like Harley Quinn and even for basically coming up with Robin's new color scheme a good 8 years ago, its great seeing Dini on the core title itself. And its a one-shot story, a rarity in the age of "decompression or bust". If you haven't read Batman in years, or ever, I recommend picking this up. As for the art, J.H. Williams III is excellent when drawing Batman, Robin, or garish rogues, but seems a little stilted with "civvies" like Bruce Wayne. But he's still not bad. There are so few comics that are justifiably "jumping on points" for newbies, but this is one of 'em. Enjoy it while it lasts.
FRONTLINE #3: Back in the land of a "major event" storyline, there comes more death, destruction, and torture for some Marvel characters. This time, however, the story isn't 100% in the Anti-Registration camp for the entire story, more like 90%, with the climax of the first story EMBEDDED, Pt 3. Trust me, after weeks of one side clearly being shoved as being "right" so strongly that it makes the while "conflict" seem pointless to begin with, that extra 10% for the other side was appreciated. Sally Floyd is taken to a secret "meeting" of anti-registration figures, and they're all C-Listers. In fact, some of them I don't even recognize; I got Battlestar, Solo, and Typeface (famous for TKO'ing Spider-Man with a big metal comma some years back), but the spandex woman and the blue caped guy I have no clue. Its nice that Jenkins and Marvel are really raiding the HANDBOOKS for some of these revivals, but some of us need at least one of those little panels at the bottom of the figures that name names, like they used to do in the 90's? I know Marvel is too "nuanced" to do something like that, much as they're too "artiste" to do footnotes or thought balloons ("thought panels" are SO trendy!), but I'd like reader benefit to come before current medium pretentious gibberish sometimes. Granted, only Battlestar, Solo, and Typeface spoke (Jenkins even remembered Solo's "while I live, terror dies!" cheeseball line, I loved it), so maybe I am just being obsessive. These "pocket groups of vigilantes" are apparently hiding from the law, drawn together by their lot and hoping to fall in with Cap's resistance sometime, and naturally they go on about the usual anti-reg. point about how wrong it is to "hunt down your own" in the name of security and "changing the rules for bad guys" and all that. I mean, yes, its written well, but I've heard it a good dozen times by now so far in CIVIL WAR, so I get the point, and it all gells. No way around it, though. I just acknowledge when a choir is being preached too. More interestingly, Urich makes a good show of interviewing Mr. Fantastic, the big "pro-registration" guy, second only to Iron Man, about why he stands for it (the fact that the process that created the Fan 4 was itself illegal is again ignored). Richards breaks down his support because he's done a little statistical formula and sees it as infallible and inevitable without registration; Urich brings up the fact via "baseball" that numbers don't always equal reality (and good lord, pro sports have a lot of useless, worthless "stats"). In more of THE ACCUSED with Speedball, there's more prison hyjinks as he's routinely threatened and injured by inmates, and he continues to stand up for what he believes in DESPITE the gov't all but willing to slap his wrist (much like they did for Norman Osborn and the Thunderbolts, presumably) if he'll toe the line. This is more standard territory for the series, and despite the fact that we know it may not end well for Baldwin (he may very well be the sacrificial lamb), at least he's being good and heroic as he's serving as Joe Q's personal punching bag. What next, Squirrel Girl being gang-raped by SHIELD agents (I'm sure at the sight of that, I have some editor in Marvel's cauldron of horrors stroking his chin and going, "Hmmmm...")? FRONTLINE, like CW, is a good story overall, but its getting very dark and cynical even for me, and I usually read comics to avoid this kind of crap. Oh, and there's a poem at the end of the story that compares the book's D-List fatality, Bantam (last seen in CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #12) accidently being killed by an anti-reg. hero, Thunderclap (last seen in weekly B&W Spider-Man comics in the U.K. that ties into ASM ANNUAL #18, circa 1984; thank the APPENDIX TO THE MARVEL HANDBOOK website for that!). This brawl does a great deal to make the CW not seem so one-sided and obvious for once; the fact that an obviously inexperienced and dangerous hero like Thunderclap (who was causing "accidental" collateral damage even in his '84 strip in the U.K., and blaming Spider-Man for it to the press) accidently killed another hero during a scuffle perhaps shows that as morally wrong as the SHRA is, maybe there IS a valid point to it. Of course, one would argue, "there's a difference between Thunderclap and more trained heroes like Spider-Man or Cap or so on, and it should be more discriminate rather than hunting EVERYONE", and you'd be right. But the SHRA at best has been described as an "overreaction" to Stamford since the beginning, so it works out. Despite the darkness that comes with the event, another rivetting issue of FRONTLINE.
GHOST RIDER #1: Another day, another #1 issue for Ghost Rider. After Ennis & Crain brought him back in a mini that was decent overall, if not filled with Ennis stereotypes (fat, slovenly Texan hick, rascist Southerners, an emotionless killing vixen, toilet jokes) that prove to be more old and outdated every time I see them, but ended on a downer as GR was still stuck in Hell. Ennis made a bit of a folly as the MU never really had the actual divinities of "God", Angels, Heaven, Hell, and "Satan", usually other figures that would claim rights to those names and realms (such as various demons, including Mephisto, who control hellish pocket dimensions and either claim to be "Satan" or are mistaken for him, or so on). Way, who has been criticized as basically being "a poor man's Ennis" basically falls into the same trap. Rather than Mephisto, we have "Satan" once again. But aside for that, its written well; GR is still trapped in Hell, with Satan continuing to torture and bait him for his years of heroism and betrayal. GR seems to rescue a demon who may end up being his ticket out of Hell, but it turns out it was yet another trick by Satan, who actually does release GR back to Earth, but with a horde of undead and Satan himself unleashed on Earth behind 'im! I think I prefer Way so far to Ennis on GR, and the art is gorgeous without being too "photoshopped" like Crain or even Greg Land's art is. Its good comic book art without losing all the comic-booky stuff, and its all the more excellent for it. Plus, the Rider's bike has never looked as gnarly (and a scene clearly plays on Blaze's past as a daredevil cyclist). I'll be along for the ride, and hopefully it fares better in the last lane than Ennis' tale did.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #31: Millar's work on UF4 seems to be more underrated than his stuff on ULTIMATES 2 or CIVIL WAR, but I find it better because its not as cynical, grimy, or extremist as those works are, and more imaginative. Millar & Land are on their "preultimate" issue of their run, which was done for UF4 what Vaughan's run did for Ult. XM; revitalize the title in a way it had never been in years with fresh stories and excellent execution. As stilted as Land's art is, I'll be sad to see Millar go. The Ultimate Fearsome Four, who're Zombie versions of the Four from the "Marvel Zombie" alternate reality, trick their Baxtor Building captors with a ploy that even I wouldn't fall for, much less should "smart" guards for America's think-tank like the Baxtor Building is, but whatever, its a plot requirement. They go on a vicious killing rampage and plot to unleash more zombies on Ultimate Marvel. Elsewhere, the Four go to Latvernia to make a deal with Dr. Doom to save Johnny. Millar totally reinvents Dr. Doom from the goat-legged, foam-spitting action figure that Ellis created. In fact it is such a revision that he all but pretends that Ellis' arc never happened. The loss of the goat-legs and the body spikes, for instance, aren't even explained. I suppose a continuity buff may want one (an "I altered my organic flesh to look more regal"-esque explaination), but frankly Goat-Legged "Van Damme" was rather lame, so I don't mind the "eraser" tactic this once. Millar wrote Namor as an untoppable bad-arse, but Doom is worse, offering a deal to Richards that is all but Lucifer worthy to save Johnny, and its painful to watch. Either the next issue will be very busy resolving it all, or Millar is leaving a heck of a bungle on the lap of Mike Carey, who is up next after issue #32. Regardless, an effective, enjoyable issue of what is becoming Ultimate's sleeper title.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #97: After an enjoyable action romp of DEADPOOL and a two-issue UMTU tale of MORBIUS that if not for MJ would have been totally pointless, Bendis gets back to doing a "serious" USM arc with CLONE SAGA, which is supposed to last 7 issues. Considering how decompressed Bendis is with 6 issues, giving him another may mean a prescription for Valium, but so far things are moving along fine. Bendis on USM gets right the qualities that the 616 Spider-books have abandoned; the lives of Peter and Spider-Man are seperate (to a degree), and Spider-events are always getting in the way of Peter's civvilian soap opera. In this case, his "superhero" girlfriend Kitty is feeling threatened when Peter spends time with his ex, MJ, who is Peter's best friend (and was before they dated). This leads to enjoyable teen soap stuff from Kitty, Peter, and MJ that is very readable because on USM, Bendis' ability to have everyone sound like an immature, at times hypocritical teenager works wonders with a teenage cast, and the dialogue feels very crisp (aside for a few stilted, repeated lines). The action hits the fan when Scorpion attacks a public area, going on a rampage and seemingly acting in a confused, psychotic stupor while muttering lines that reak of some unknown "conspiracy". I thought it was familiar, and it was; a level on the PS2 SPIDER-MAN game (the one based on the 1st movie) with Scorpion essentially started out the same way. So for a moment I was disappointed until the unmasking scene came, and it worked for the "shock" value of it being Peter Parker, when we know Spidey's Peter. And for those wondering why USM actually beat Scorp, the answer's simple; villians in USM come in two varieties; the "Main Villian of the Arc Who Unmasks and/or Humiliates Spidey that half the time Spidey doesn't defeat", and "Canon Fodder Goon that Exists to get TKO'd". Scorp, like Shocker, Killer Shrike, Omega Red, and to some degree Rhino fall into the latter category. I was wondering if this would happen and promised to be angered if Bendis "bungled" Mac Gargan, but as Ult. Scorp clearly wasn't Gargan but meant to be a herring to lure Spidey into a dark plot, I can live with it. Naturally this is going to cause no end of problems for Spidey's life, and that's not simply because MJ was seemingly "kidnapped" in the last page (or Aunt May is seemingly dating Miles Warren, who in 616 is the Jackel who started this mess). Anyone feeling that MJ (or a clone of her) may end up being "Spider-Woman"? After all, in the past, MJ's mentioned how close she was "to becoming Spider-Man" back in #1. But maybe Bendy goes with the 616 angle and has Spider-Woman be a hair-color changed clone of Gwen? Apparently Bendis is going to tie in a bunch of arachnid foes of Spider-Man to the CLONE SAGA to make sense of them, which considering Ultimate is supposed to be a "new" universe with "new" ideas, is fine in theory. This is probably the best start to an arc of USM that Bendis & Bagley have done for a while. So please, please, PLEASE, Bendis, don't blow it with your usual "predictable hogwash". As for Scorp, Bagley's decision to merge his design with that of The Spot came off a bit odd, but I've seen worse. Considering he was a "goon", it was forgiveable. Part 1 of CLONE SAGA worked out very well for me, and I'm glad this title seems to ship 18-24 issues a year right now.
So once again, Bendis; DON'T BLOW IT BY USING YOUR PREDICTABLE BAG OF TRICKS! Which in this case, would be "someone besides the hero shows up out of nowhere and solves the problem with zero effort", a finale Bendis has used in at least a half dozen stories include the recent COLLECTIVE in NA. Think OUTSIDE THE BOX you created in USM, for once! Thank you.
Was bored yesturday and downloaded it cos im considering getting into batman a bit-- maybe a couple of trades -- so i've been reading a few issues. This was really good stuff. I also loved anything batman animated and was suprised when i first heard harley quinn wasnt created in the comics, i hope he gets royalties for her creation 
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