Bought/Thought April 15th, 2009

[CaptainCanada]

Part I: For Once, Not Enough Issues For More Than One Part

Captain America #49

"Shut your chattering gob, you frail wench! You are but a gnat splattering on the windshield of destiny!"

Line of the series.

Anyway, this is another of Brubaker's little character one-shots; he's done several of these in the course of the series, mainly early on (the Jack Monroe one, the "House of M" tie-in, the Crossbones/Sin story, Winter Soldier: Winter Kills) (he's also done a few in Daredevil, though those were generally not as successful, the big exception being the recent Kingpin story), which really showcase what makes him such a potent writer. For Sharon, who's been mainly off-stage for a half a year, this is a great reintroduction.

Plotwise, not a huge amount happening, and there isn't any really earth-shaking twist (which the solicit might have promised). The main point of the dream sequences is to have her become acquainted with what the audience who read #42 would generally be familiar with (the brief image of a person generated by the machine, which she thinks may be Steve). As well, she finds out she was pregnant, which is handled in a really heart-rending two pages.

Brubaker also picks up the plot of Evil 50s Cap (who Brubaker is metas here should be called 'Bad Cap', but that's not as fun). Be interesting to see how he plays into the coming stories.

This definitely also features Luke Ross's best work on the series to date.

Incognito #3

"Criminal with Superpowers" hits its third issue, as Zach's efforts to lay low from both the superheroes and supervillains pretty definitively fail. I often had a hard time writing reviews of Criminal, and that seems to hold for this too. Well-written and well-drawn, well worth your time.

Also, with prices rising, this $3.50 extra-sized issue with additional articles finds itself looking like a steal compared to a lot of the $3.99 regular comics being sold.

Uncanny X-Men #508

Hmm, so from the first preview that I saw of Land's art, I thought "that looks surprisingly tolerable for Greg Land"; and, having read the whole issue, that still holds. He's still a bad artist and lazy thief to boot, but he didn't ruin the issue. Anyway, the writing quality continues to be much higher than the first arc (and, with Land's art not totally dragging things down).

From the start, the whole "ensemble cast" thing has been something of a losing proposition; even in "Lovelorn", which was really good, the main focus was on the same guys who are in Astonishing X-Men. This is actually the first time that I thought Fraction did a good job of actually using B-tier and below mutants as more than walk-ons (Domino and Northstar, especially). In fact, Cyclops had not even one line in this whole issue.

Northstar (and Aurora?) being recruited for the cast was nice, and the last-minute surprise addition of Dr. Rao to Beast's crew also worked really well (though I could have done without Dr. Nemesis' "I don't believe in magic" routine; I know that's an attempt to play on real-world conflicts between science and the otherworldly, but anyone who doesn't believe in magic in the MU is a straight-up moron). I can't imagine them keeping Classic!Psylocke permanently; the other look seems way too famous for it to be allowed to be done away with.

 

[Dread]

The 15th of April, Tax Day. Ever notice how far it is from Election Day?

My "stimulus package" for my local comic shop will be coming next week, when a good 11 comics come out at once. This week is slower than the last, with me only getting one comic. I almost bought the BETA RAY BILL one-shot, until I recalled that I was never a huge fan of his.

Spoiler ahoy.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 4/15/09:

CAPTAIN AMERICA #49: Something ironic about this title shipping on Tax Day 2009, as well as when it seems there are protests going around the country over the latest national debt figures. A day when America is in a bit of unrest, and the title of their national superhero, least from Marvel, comes out. Reminds me of how foolish it will seem of Marvel Studios can't figure out that releasing the CAPTAIN AMERICA film around July 4th whatever year it comes out would be very fitting.

Even if, technically, Captain America didn't appear in this issue, aside for flashbacks and impostors.

This is one of those issues where a single story is told within 22 pages; rarer now than even a decade ago, these are usually used as "trade break" stories, to make the end of one 3-6 part arc and the beginning of the next. For some titles they are filler material but Brubaker has known otherwise, using them to focus on a particular character while dealing with the overall storyline. People still talk about his solo Jack Monroe issue, which summed up and then killed Nomad, basically. This issue brings us back to Sharon Carter, Steve Roger's surviving girlfriend. She spent a good year or so of material as Dr. Faustus' brainwashed pawn, aiding in the murder of Captain America (even if the public believes Crossbones carried out the hit alone, which has to give him some rep in prison), and losing her baby in a plot by Red Skull to be reborn in a new body that went haywire. She was a bit of a wreck afterward, and the series sort of went on without her, at least for the last 6 issues, following Bucky's story with Dr. Pandemic. And that made some sense; Sharon was Steve's lover, not Bucky's, nor are the two especially close. Aside for having some of the same friends and circles, they're hardly chums, especially as Bucky once kidnapped Sharon as Winter Soldier.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #25, one of the best selling single issues of an ongoing series until the Obama ASM issue, is recapped in about two pages and Sharon notes that the length of time between then and now is "over 9 months". Sounds okay to me, but I wonder if the rest of Marvel is on that page. She's been resting at her family home in Virginia, plagued by nightmares and things she can't remember from her ordeal, and essentially out of work since SHIELD is now dissolved. Although I could imagine with Norman Osborn hiring thugs, ex-cons, and current cons for HAMMER, I wonder if Carter put "helped Red Skull kill Captain America" on an application, as if to infiltrate HAMMER, if Osborn would put her back on payroll. She visits her semi-senile aunt at an old folk's home, and it appears that she dated Steve in WWII. Which is a bit...creepy. Even if it is sheer coincidence; Steve never PLANNED to get frozen for sixty years, or to run into his old lover's niece as a SHIELD agent. And to be fair, it isn't nearly as creepy as the "romantic subplot between Steve and his fiance's young adult daughter barely hours after said fiance is murdered" from the 1990 direct-to-video CAPTAIN AMERICA film. Or, for that matter, oft forgotten for good reason tidbits like Sue Storm catching Reed's eye as a 12 year old, or Charles Xavier having the hots for jail-bait Jean when she joined. Yeah, compared to that stuff, the aunt detail isn't terrible creepy. Only a 4 out of 10 on the creepiness scale.

While Sharon has her visits with her aunt and also runs into another friend, Sam Wilson, the Falcon, is busy tracking down the other loose end from the Red Skull fiasco, the revived Grand Director. Having been revived and still surgically enhanced and even modified to resemble Steve Rogers, the guy's still on the loose. While Sam is unable to find him, and Sharon makes sure to note him to her own narration as a "friend", the Grand Director ends up giving the story a bit of a creepy finish by visiting Sharon's aunt in the nursing home for information, as well as of course because he truly believes he is THE Steve Rogers, and has since the 50's. The guy's bats.

While there is a cute moment where Sam is arguing with Sharon about what to call "Bad Cap" for a few panels (especially since "Anti-Cap" was already taken), the tone is mostly serious as Sharon runs into an old friend, Dave Cox, and while they share a kiss decide to keep it that way. In the bathroom the next morning, she seems to "notice" the scar across her abdomen for the first time, and finally confronts Sam with what she lost to the Red Skull. Luke Ross draws a bit of a Jack Kirby pose with one panel of her nightmare scene, which seems to imply that the experiment with Zola and her torn-out fetus may have resulted in...something being born. Or reborn. While I can imagine that an experiment between the fetus and the time-window thingie that Zola had gotten from Dr. Doom would have "speed-grown" the unborn into an adult form (with whatever physical attributes that would have been had between the union of Rogers and Carter DNA), would that somehow spark Steve's return? It seems unlikely, but who knows?

Steve looks to still be dead by issue #50, which will mean that Marvel has successfully managed to keep him dead for over two full years and not have the franchise stagnate. If anything, CAPTAIN AMERICA has been selling twice as many copies per issue ever since Bucky became the star. Creative and financial success have adorned this change of the guard and run, and despite a movie coming Marvel if they are wise have to realize that the current audience LIKES the new Cap and isn't begging for a return. It isn't like this has been met with a collective "WTF?" like a lot of the reactions to FLASH: REBIRTH #1. Capt. America is the few heroes at Marvel who works as a legacy hero and technically did in backstory. DC has decided to sacrifice fans in their 20's and 30's for fans in their 40's and older, and frankly that has not improved their sales. Bucky Barnes allows readers of my age range to really experience modern Captain America stories with similar "man out of time" angles only without it simply being Steve's journey rehashed, but the journey of a new man; tied to the legacy but still brand new, least in comic book terms. Marvel, and superhero comics in general, may NEVER see this kind of success and critical acclaim with swapping who is under the mask of a 70+ year old hero, and both they and Brubaker should think long and hard before undoing such an incredible feat and achievement, especially for something as petty and fleeting as a movie franchise. There are those who miss Rogers, but for god's sakes, he's had a run nearly as long as Batman. You know even if Brubaker revives him and has him walk off into the sunset, it would be a year, or less, after he leaves CA that he would be back in the mask, and all of Bucky's stories would be for nothing. They're too good for that to happen, for this run to simply be as worthless as, oh, all those issues of the SPIDER-MAN: UNMASKED tie-in circa 2007-2008 now look. CAPTAIN AMERICA under this run and change is literally one of those things where all parties involved have to see what they have done, see the acclaim and success, and resist a cheap cash in for the good of the franchise for the next 70 years. I am dead serious. It is THAT important.

Luke Ross puts in great art alongside Magyar's inks and D'Armata's colors. CA of course is that ol' reliable title that can be counted on for quality month in and month out, whether it is superhero espionage action or quiet emotional round-up issues like this. Unlike many other good titles, though, it also actually sells well. Any week with CA is a good week, even a week when it is my only comic.

 

[kguillou]

Good review Dread, i completely agree with keeping Cap dead at least for a little while and let Bucky do his thing. He's a great character and he's the reason the book is selling so well.

Btw, i know you dont read ASM Dread, but i'd love to hear your thoughts on this week's issue, it was.... interesting to say the least. lol

 

[Hush]

GLC was awesome and Batman and Superman was fun.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I think I'm in the mood to do some reviews. Spoilers ahead.

Beta Ray Bill: The Green of Eden - Let down. I've been excited to see the Beta Ray Bill things coming out after loving the Stormbreaker mini and the SI: Thor mini, but this issue was only mediocre really, and the art wasn't much either (in my opinion, some may like it). The Skrull storyline was alright but the Warrior Three Super Skrull in the end just looked stupid. It could have been cool, even worth more appearances later once he turned good in the end, but just because he looks dumb, I have no desire to see him again.

All in all, it was an alright read, but not worth the $4 price tag.

X-Men Legacy 223 - I'm so bored of this book. I like Xavier, but this journey of his has gotten old. I like Gambit, but Rogue bores me and so this story sure isn't doing me any favors. Danger's okay. And you know what... if I have to read another dang issue of Rogue having menal problems or her dealing with Carol Danvers... I just might punch myself in the balls. Seriously! How many times does the same stupid storyline HAVE to get played out before writers go... "hmm... I think it's been done before". What do editors or whoever say when writers go up to them and pitch "I'd love to write Rogue. I'm thinking of having her deal with her mental issues, specifically how she stole Ms. Marvel's powers... but in my version, it'll be done in a machine, or in a mental image, or against Ms. Marvel herself, or a Skrull that looks like Ms. Marvel!!! It'll be awsome!" God I'd love nothing more than to see Ms. Marvel show up, kill Rogue, and then be done with it. Maybe Gambit can become cool again.

I'm done with this stuff, but since they're swinging back around to Exodus' crew I'll stick with it. That was when the books stopped being interesting for me, so hopefully their involvment will make me like it again, and I think I've heard that's the end of Xavier's run. Thanks God.

Now that my whinings is finished, on to the 3 issues I liked.

Uncanny X-Men 508 - You know, I've been saying for a while now that I've been bored of this title but this issue has turned it around for me. I've never been one to diss on Land's art but it has been wearing on me some, but for some reason this issue it didn't bother me save Northstar. I didn't like his rendition of Northstar (or whoever he based him after). Everything else was good.

I've not cared a lick about Madelyne Prior or her chick group, but this issue made them interesting. I'm really growing to like the Wynguard sisters together! And while I'm not a big Psylocke fan but the moment they mentioned Revanche (Kwannon) I was hooked. I first started reading X-Men at issue 20 when Revanche showed up and joined the X-Men. I was sad when she died and she's been forgotten ever since. I was a little sadened when it wasn't really her but Betsy's mind being switched out of her Asian body into her original British body (which is the body Kwannon died in, it's confusing, I know). However, I will say that this has really caught my attention. It's the first time since 500 that I actually finished the issue thinking "Huh, wonder what'll happen next?". Thank God. This title needed it and now I don't feel like I'm wasting my money on this book every month. Hope it continues to be good, and I can't wait for the Dark Avengers crossover coming up here soon.

I also liked the little touch that Logan keeps a graveyard in Tokyo. Don't know why... just do.

X-Factor 42 - The time shift slingshots in reverse and Madrox, trapped in the 1930's winds up accidentally becoming his own grandfather. Siryn and Monet declare their secret love for each other. And Guido wakes up to discover Layla in the shower. I kid you not, this really is in the issue.

Green Lantern Corps 35 - I kinda feel like between this and GL, there's too much going on. It's all building toward Blackest Night, but I find myself forgetting large portions each month and trying to regrasp what's going on each issue. However, besides that it's a good issue. Everything's starting to explode. We have a Red Lantern taking on the Yellow Lanterns in the Science Cells with the Green Lanterns on their way to stop the captured Yellow Rings from reaching them, as well as trying to stop the Red Lantern. We see the Yellow Lantern's that are being led by Mongul doing stuff with a focus on Arkillo, who now wears his own tongue like a necklace as a 'reminder'. It's pretty cool to see the tension there. War is brewing with the Daxamites. And then Sinestro shows up on Korugar and confronts Soranik.

Like I said, it's all building and I'm getting excited. Hopefully the storyline will pay off for all this build up. Sadly, stories seldom do. Here's hoping though.

 

[THANOSRULES]

I can't believe Cap 49 is already out..i just got 48 from Marvel subscriptions yesterday!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Beta Ray Bill: The Green of Eden was solid. Not great, not terrible, just decent. First off, I hate to say it but Dan Brereton needs to stick to painting. His penciling is awkward and often unclear. There were several panels where I just stared at the page wondering what was happening before I figured it out or some bit of text cleared it up for me. Aside from the art, though, the story is pretty good. It's very low-key--or, possibly, it feels that way because Brereton's art doesn't convey action too well--but the core premise is actually quite intriguing. It was nice to see Bill, a character so enmeshed in the world of gods and the divine, battle with his own loss of faith. It's certainly justified; Bill's seen enough pain and heartache to last ten lifetimes. That he's still committed to doing good rather than using that pain and lack of faith as an excuse to twist himself into something darker is a testament to his character and a pretty obvious example of why he's worthy to lift Mjolnir. The resolution to the central conflict with the "brothers" is handled well--I always love seeing a truly great hero inspire others toward redemption--and it leaves me looking forward to what's next for Bill now that he's apparently returning to Earth (though I suspect Godhunter, his mini that follows this, will still be set in space, since Galactus' big purple noggin is on the first issue's cover).

I had one question, though: Didn't Skuttlebutt get blown the f*** up at some point? How's it back in this one-shot? I certainly don't mind it, since sentient ships = awesome, but I could've sworn Skuttlebutt died at some point.

 

[iloveclones]

^ And he's back to the horse-face. Sorry Corpy!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Eh, I like 'em both. I just prefer the lips so his face can be more expressive. I don't even mind that he's gone back to his Thor knock-off costume. I'm just glad he's getting his own comics again. He's a great character.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Catching up:

Cap 49- my shop didn't have it. Mother ****ing son of a *****!

GL- The orange lantern is pretty ****ing cool. His whole greed speech and actions really made the issue. Hal *****es about hope like an infant but I assume this is setting him up to be less of a dick in the future so that's cool by me. Next issue promises a pretty good fight. The art while nice seemed a bit clustered at times. When lazerwhatever, took out the controllers it took me a bit of staring and inspection to see exactley wtf happened, which was a bit distracting.

Secret Six 8- is this the best title DC is putting out? It just might be in terms of fun. The double date was awesome and deadshot is quickly becoming my favorite part of the series. I'm less interested in vandal than anyone else in the cast. She only really shines when she has someone more interesting to play off of, but that's generally the problem with most leaders. Ragdoll's dream was cute but not as funny to me as most people seemed to think.

ASM 591 (obviously not purchased)- First off a quick apology to Dan Slott. From the preview of this issue I said JJJ was totally out of character and acting like a little *****, but seeing that wasn't the whole picture and JJJ wasn't crawling back to Marla at all, it was a good save.
The good: The FF were pretty great, especially ben and sue. JJJ's ending and parts were pretty great as well. I like what this has set up. Johnny calling pete out for ****ing with his mind was a good "finally" type of moment.
The bad: The art just was all over the place. The time error was odd. A lot of the character moments, while building the extra characters themselves, worked well to alienate pete from them. So the character's advance as individuals but away from the title character. This might not be the best thing for the supporting cast. The aliens just weren't interesting at all.
The ugly (there's just so much of this): First off this issue proves johnny is far smarter and more curious than reed (wtf?). Pete's general attitude of getting pissed at johnny for being annoyed that he screwed with his mind seemed even more dickish than pete's current ultra dickish status quo. When the title character is the issue's biggest draw back, you might have a problem. The mindwipe explaination was fair but the main problem being it does nothing to explain the records. All anyone would have to do is look at any footage of pete unmasking and the devil magic would wear off. So while the memory thing makes sense, there's too much hard data for it to work.

All and all, a pretty fun issue, but the status quo and constant dickishness by pete (why would anyone want to be a friend with this guy currently is beyond me) makes this a pale shadow of the previous FF/Spider-Man series. Pete isn't fun in this, and each time he opens his mouth to johnny you just want to see johnny clock him. This is a good example of how you don't treat your friends. "how dare you get upset for me messing with your memory without your consent. if you question this further you can **** off." Nice pete, really good to know how easily you'll get pissed at someone confronting your rampant dickishness.

Picked up a couple exile trades cause the week was slow. Winick was just so great in all his stuff. Really dug the world of lizards.

 

[iloveclones]

ASM 591 (obviously not purchased)- First off a quick apology to Dan Slott. From the preview of this issue I said JJJ was totally out of character and acting like a little *****, but seeing that wasn't the whole picture and JJJ wasn't crawling back to Marla at all, it was a good save.
The good: The FF were pretty great, especially ben and sue. JJJ's ending and parts were pretty great as well. I like what this has set up. Johnny calling pete out for ****ing with his mind was a good "finally" type of moment.
The bad: The art just was all over the place. The time error was odd. A lot of the character moments, while building the extra characters themselves, worked well to alienate pete from them. So the character's advance as individuals but away from the title character. This might not be the best thing for the supporting cast. The aliens just weren't interesting at all.
The ugly (there's just so much of this): First off this issue proves johnny is far smarter and more curious than reed (wtf?). Pete's general attitude of getting pissed at johnny for being annoyed that he screwed with his mind seemed even more dickish than pete's current ultra dickish status quo. When the title character is the issue's biggest draw back, you might have a problem. The mindwipe explaination was fair but the main problem being it does nothing to explain the records. All anyone would have to do is look at any footage of pete unmasking and the devil magic would wear off. So while the memory thing makes sense, there's too much hard data for it to work.

All and all, a pretty fun issue, but the status quo and constant dickishness by pete (why would anyone want to be a friend with this guy currently is beyond me) makes this a pale shadow of the previous FF/Spider-Man series. Pete isn't fun in this, and each time he opens his mouth to johnny you just want to see johnny clock him. This is a good example of how you don't treat your friends. "how dare you get upset for me messing with your memory without your consent. if you question this further you can **** off." Nice pete, really good to know how easily you'll get pissed at someone confronting your rampant dickishness.

Picked up a couple exile trades cause the week was slow. Winick was just so great in all his stuff. Really dug the world of lizards.

Totally agree about the art, and it makes me wonder whether they're starting to have problems with the schedule.

Dan the Man talked about the time error over in another thread. Basically said he scripted it wrong, and the modified version would have explained the whole thing. There's a link in that thread to a post of his on Bendis' site with the modified dialogue. Three whole lines of dialogue that made a world of difference...

Winnick was awesome on Exiles. Good call. I hear people ***** about him so much over at DC, it makes me a little sad. (From what I understand, he's never met a character that he didn't want to make gay.)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He gave Speedy HIV, but she's still straight.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Totally agree about the art, and it makes me wonder whether they're starting to have problems with the schedule.

Dan the Man talked about the time error over in another thread. Basically said he scripted it wrong, and the modified version would have explained the whole thing. There's a link in that thread to a post of his on Bendis' site with the modified dialogue. Three whole lines of dialogue that made a world of difference...

Winnick was awesome on Exiles. Good call. I hear people ***** about him so much over at DC, it makes me a little sad. (From what I understand, he's never met a character that he didn't want to make gay.)

One slip up isn't too big a deal, it was a week late, I would expect this to happen from time to time so it's not too big a deal. But it was worth mentioning.

Yeah I saw that, and it wasn't a huge deal, but it didn't make sense at the time and took you out of the story a bit.

Yeah, he's pretty big on the gay, but that said the man can write a ****ing what if tale that's fantastic. Morph was so badass back then.

 

[iloveclones]

It's a shame he didn't get the same artist who did SM/HT with him (Ty Templeton). That would given a nice resonance, and make readers feel the connection to that series.

 

[moraldeficiency]

That would have been pretty cool. And if they would have solved the alien problem with hostess fruit pies I think I would have actually broke down and bought the issue. Unfortunately they had too little page space for fun cause they needed pete to consistantly be a dick to johnny as much as possible.

 

[JewishHobbit]

You know, I skimmed the issue because I do miss Spidey a bit and saw the last page. I was so tempted to buy it and even went and picked up a few previous issues to skim through but realizing that I'd have to spend, what, $12 a month on Spidey just to get the story stopped that real quick. Plus, I also saw that an aftermath of one of their stories and some extra stuff was in a oneshot at $4 a pop so I figured it's not worth it. Not to mention I kept seeing a girl or two in the comic and I was sick that neither of them was MJ. If I see Pete actually on a date with someone else my mind instantly goes to ****, man****e, and cheater.

So yeah, I'm still nowhere NEAR ready to forgive Marvel for OMD and the 2 times I've considered it, the schedual warded me off. It's just not worth it.

 

[iloveclones]

That would have been pretty cool. And if they would have solved the alien problem with hostess fruit pies I think I would have actually broke down and bought the issue. Unfortunately they had too little page space for fun cause they needed pete to consistantly be a dick to johnny as much as possible.

Are you listening, Dan?

 

[Harlekin]

Bought Daredevil #117 yesterday. Damn, that was awesome.

 

[Keyser Soze]

You know, I skimmed the issue because I do miss Spidey a bit and saw the last page. I was so tempted to buy it and even went and picked up a few previous issues to skim through but realizing that I'd have to spend, what, $12 a month on Spidey just to get the story stopped that real quick. Plus, I also saw that an aftermath of one of their stories and some extra stuff was in a oneshot at $4 a pop so I figured it's not worth it. Not to mention I kept seeing a girl or two in the comic and I was sick that neither of them was MJ. If I see Pete actually on a date with someone else my mind instantly goes to ****, man****e, and cheater.

So yeah, I'm still nowhere NEAR ready to forgive Marvel for OMD and the 2 times I've considered it, the schedual warded me off. It's just not worth it.

No, you must be lying, because Joey Q said that nobody liked Peter and MJ as a couple, and getting them apart was simply a given, and the only problem anyone could possibly have with OMD/BND was HOW they were broken up.

 

[BrianWilly]

Quick thought for my favorite comic on the stands right now:

Green Lantern Corps #35
Awesome. Pretty much just awesome. Well, it suffers just a tiny bit from having to juggle three storylines and 99583635789 characters, but I'm hooked on all of them so I don't mind too much. I just mind that the next issue isn't coming as soon as I'd like! Gleason is phenomenal, but you can see a bit of the rush he might be under for this issue, and no wonder; there's 99583635789 characters, after all.

That prison break scene was brilliant. And one of the things I loved best about it was how all the senior GLs worked together; Guy, Kyle, Kilowog, and Salaak. They're efficient, they handle the threat seriously but rationally, and yet none of them are tripping over the other's feet or anything even while every single one of them gives orders and pulls their weight.

So Soranik is Sinestro's daughter, which has been telegraphed all to hell, but I've felt a lot better about the fact after having discovered that Tomasi would be taking the reins on this story. Already he's put a Sodamfull of pathos into the storyline, picking up on Gibbons' plot points about Soranik being regarded as a savior by her people during that amazing Soranik vs Sinestro issue way back whenever. The presence of Iolande here helps too, after having been absent for a bit; her character and her position serves as a great buffer to the political unrest on Korugar.

TunnelCrash and Arisia's adventures on Daxam are cool as well, and getting cooler. Though, well...I of course give credit to Tomasi for not being afraid to tackle the crazy and weird, but I think the whole "Let's all jump to death" thing may have been a bit much. Too crazy, too weird. Anywho, based on previews, it seems like LoveFromBehind is going to give all the Daxamites superpowers by turning their red sun yellow. And it seems like he's going to do it by making the "ultimate sacrifice." Giving up Ion? Make it so, DC...oh, wait, I forget that Johns has literally decreed that SpreadCheeks is going to be Ion forevar.

(8.9 out of 10)

Winick was just so great in all his stuff.

What the **** kind of cockdickery are you talking abou...oh, oh, you mean Winick in 2002. Carry on.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You didn't like the mass suicide idea? I think it's pretty evident that the Daxamites are a crazy bunch of xenophobic crazies, so the idea that they'd kill themselves rather than allow themselves to be taken by filthy aliens made sense to me. Aliens are their absolute worst enemies, and we've all seen the "you'll never take me alive!" mentality play out in many other scenarios that are functionally the same, albeit with the roles occupied by different players.

I also loved the fact that Yat's daddy was too cowardly to even lead his people in the mass suicide that he suggested. I'm fairly certain Tomasi intends for us to utterly despise the elder Yat, and he's doing a bloody phenomenal job making me hate his guts.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Essential Dazzler Vol. 2 came out this week, and it's ultra-thick! Not only does it include the final 21 issues of her series, but also has Secret Wars II #4, Beauty and the Beast 1-4, and best of all, the Dazzler The Movie Graphic Novel. (You can get Dazzler and Beauty and the Beast pretty cheap on ebay; but, the graphic novel is a bit harder to find...and, more expensive, too.)

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I picked up Walking Dead, Green Lantern Corps and Punisher and suffice to say they were all awesome.

My tastes rock.

 

[BrianWilly]

You didn't like the mass suicide idea? I think it's pretty evident that the Daxamites are a crazy bunch of xenophobic crazies, so the idea that they'd kill themselves rather than allow themselves to be taken by filthy aliens made sense to me. Aliens are their absolute worst enemies, and we've all seen the "you'll never take me alive!" mentality play out in many other scenarios that are functionally the same, albeit with the roles occupied by different players.

It certainly made a bit of sense and was more nuanced than I think most writers these days are capable of producing, but sometimes I wonder if Tomasi is really aware of the things that he's putting down on the page. In this issue alone, we have faces and limbs getting ripped off almost as an afterthought, we have someone getting torn in two by the midsection, we have someone wearing their ripped-out-tongue as a necklace around their neck, and then we got the suicides. It's all infinitely cracktastic and I wouldn't have it any other way, I just wonder if Tomasi should really be relying on gross-out shock as much as he does.


Anypoop...

Action Comics #876
Hmm, guys, I think it's only considered tactile telekinsis if, um, it's actually tactile. Like you're touching the thing. Otherwise it's just, y'know, telekinesis.

Solid issue. Great big fight. How does DC get away with putting that much blood in a book? I think there were a couple panels which had more blood in them than people. Barrows is doing very good work, but the major complaint I've had with him going back way into the disaster of Teen Titans -- that he makes everybody look so ****ing 'ROID ANGRY all the time -- is still here in spades. Though I suppose it actually makes sense in this context instead of most of those TT moments.

And through the span of that great big fight that takes up pretty much the entire issue, Rucka pulls his thing and imbues Thara, Ursa, and Chris with buttloads of characterization. In something like an issue and a half, I feel like I have a deep grasp of all three, and certainly not in such a shallow way as having text boxes blab for panels on end about them...no, all this comes through in moments, in actions and reactions, what these characters do and say to each other. Rucka: master of showing not telling.

Ursa's crazywoman internal monologue here reminds me a bit of what Rucka did with the Cheetah, which is not necessarily a great thing. And I don't generally like insanity as motivation, even one that's as well-written as this one...but then, there's definitely a sense of the Mommy Dearest vibe going on, which makes it a bit more fresh and interesting.

Up next, Chris and Thara meet Lois. Oughta be fun.

(8.3 out of 10)

 

[Dread]

Good review Dread, i completely agree with keeping Cap dead at least for a little while and let Bucky do his thing. He's a great character and he's the reason the book is selling so well.

Btw, i know you dont read ASM Dread, but i'd love to hear your thoughts on this week's issue, it was.... interesting to say the least. lol

Agreed. Brubaker & CAPTAIN AMERICA are really onto something special. In a way Joe Q knows that because aside for CIVIL WAR, they have allowed that book to more or less operate on it's own. Yes, Brubaker acknowledges things like the Skrull Invasion, and New Cap on the New Avengers, but that is just being a good writer. By and large it is almost like Marvel Space; Joe Q may know to trust in the right hands and not meddle.

That said, there is a movie coming, so some meddling may be inevitable. The thing here is that to me this is akin to DC's former handling of Wally West as Flash in a way. It was a shift in power from one mask to another in a suit and it totally works. It has the wind at it's back. There are a minority of dissenters, but I think they are outnumbered by readers like us begging Marvel to "not go wobbly" on this shift by about 4 to 1. New Cap allows Brubaker or anyone really to tell classic Captain America stories without them being rehashes because this is a new Cap, who also has the benefits of not being a new character. You can do the "Man out of Time" element, which is harder to do for a Steve Rogers who had been interacting in modern times for "about 13 years". You can do a "Avenging Past War Story" thing which Steve must have done about 400 times since the 60's, only in new ways because James Barnes wasn't as squeaky clean. Unlike with Steve, though, this Captain America has themes of redemption, and genuine guilt (Steve would mourn a lost friend or a missed opportunity, but was never a Commie brainwashed hitman). Aside for a cybernetic arm, Bucky is also more human in a fight, so there is some more drama (Steve, as a super-soldier, could snap manacles if he was angry enough, never tired, and could even "see faster").

Comics at some point, even in this industry, have to move on, to move forward. There is so much apathy, so much contempt, from fans as well as indie/manga readers because of that perception that, "oh, the superhero comics never change". This is a change that has seen really no downsides. Sales have been up for over two years; even in the wake of a recession, CA is selling better in March 2009 than it sold in March 2004. There's critical praise. No outcry. They managed to take that one sacred cow story, Stan Lee's "death of Bucky" retcon, and undo it in a way that worked. That is so bloody rare on all levels that a failure to appreciate that as a professional with any experience in the industry would be a shame.

Some successes happen by happy accident. Marvel had not intended to keep Thor on a shelf for four years, but it worked out that way and built so much demand that, paired with an A-List writer, THOR is now a mega-franchise. CA though was a deliberate risk, but one that has paid major dividends. You can have a Steve Rogers in a CAPTAIN AMERICA/AVENGERS film franchise, especially one with heavy lifting from Ultimate, and have Barnes in the 616 comics. You can do that. Barry Allen was the Flash (albeit with many of Wally's quicks) in the 1991 TV series on CBS and no one was in a rush to burn their Wally Flash comics in confusion. Comic book companies need to stop overthinking their audience. If we are expected to figure out how to do our taxes every year, to weed through complicated instructions for electronics or cooking, or all of the things that we go through in life, in romance, or at work, then having one Cap on a screen and another in a comic is not very complicated. The average person isn't surprised that a movie showing the beginning of a hero is not 100% the same as a comic set after some 40 years of stories later.

Maybe I am rambling here, but I'm passionate about this.

ASM is a great point; there was so much ill will about the whole marriage thing, that I doubt it has helped long term, as the book barely sells 60k a week and often is below that. In FLASH: REBIRTH #1, Bart Allen in a way says, "I'm young, and I don't give two ****'s about Barry Allen coming back", and in a way, that is precisely what many in the audience think (which DC fails to realize). Yes, the 60's-70's when many of the writers were kids must have been fun, but trading college aged readers for older ones is a mistake, and one that I hope Marvel does not repeat with CA. Let it be, man. Let it change. Let it grow. Listen to the house ads and accept change. Competing with DC doesn't and shouldn't mean repeating their mistakes.