A smaller week than the last, which my wallet appreciates since next week will be much heavier. There's nothing bad; I've tried to eliminate the regular titles I get that are bad on average, but there are books better than others, and some "meh" stuff. As always, rants and spoilers ahead.
Dread's Bought/Thought for 8/11/10 - Part 1:
BOOSTER GOLD #35: I could probably paste most of last month's review of this issue and it wouldn't be far off. I still enjoy, yet don't know what to make of this run quite yet. It seems more like a running schtick than a title with any focus. Part of me imagines this is intended to be read as "the funny book" alongside JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST, which Keith Giffen also writes, Booster is a part of, and is "the serious book". I mean, the fact that the title of this issue is literally a quote of a line from Mel Brooks' "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN" says it all. It could be because of the collaboration with J.M. DeMatteis that inspires the extra focus on the funny stuff. Chris Batista continues to be the regular artist, but he once again needs help to finish the book by deadline. This time Pat Oliffe draws the last four pages, which spares Giffen himself from having to draw it (as he did with the last issue). The colors by Hi-Fi help tie it all together.
I think the problem is that this is a book that, under Johns, Katz, Dixon, and Jurgens had a sense of urgency to it, and this run is more about providing funny adventures. The two writers are so quick to dish out the laughs in dialogue that sometimes it seems as if the panel art can't keep up, as at times a character will say quite a few things, and their drawn facial reaction doesn't match up completely. The time-travel adventure continues as Booster's attempt to go back in time to the 1980's JLI era has led to him tagging along with one of Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)'s zany adventure schemes to return a magical Maguffin book from a standard alternate planet/dimension. They're joined by Mr. Miracle and Big Barda, who act as the straight man and the surly warrior woman to the duo. The villain of the arc is more of a walking SNL skit, and not really a villain. While the heroes manage to reclaim the book, the villain escapes, a doomsday weapon he's magically stolen is about to destroy the whole alien world, and the owners of said weapon arrive at the worst possible time.
It's a very funny book, but unlike a Greg Pak/Fred Van Lente collaboration, there doesn't seem to be enough heart or urgency to make the story feel like more than a comedy. It's good comedy, but I do miss some of the urgency. It's a book that entertains me when I buy it, but I don't anticipate it as much as I used to. I enjoy comedy, but for a superhero title I do need a bit more to tie it all together than this run seems to wish to do. In a way it feels like a reunion tour, delivering on good times and nostalgia for good old times, but not really delivering anything urgently new.
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #24: I believe the series finale for this title was once stated to be wrapping up by summer; I once quipped that it may be Halloween by the time it wraps up, and I may be proven right. At any rate, this is now the penultimate issue of the entire series, and as that it's effective. Robert Kirkman these days is very busy not just with writing some 5 comics a month, but working on that TV series for that little zombie book he has for AMC. At any rate, this issue continues on the route of Kirkman trying to have both major subplots with Gary Hampton come to a head at once. Just as the Elder Werewolf decides that it's time to test Gary in a rite of succession, which is basically a fight to the death. Ultimately, Gary's master plan to break Zechariah the vampire out of prison so he can kill him has backfired terribly; Zechariah escaped, gained a new cybernetic claw-weapon, and has just kidnapped Gary's daughter Chloe. So while Gary wants to chase Zech down, the Elder Wolf appears out of nowhere wanting to do the whole DRAGON BALL Z challenge bit.
There's a two page splash of he Elder giving a bit of blunt but brief dialogue and a part of me did wonder if it really was worth two pages. Wouldn't have one sufficed?
Meanwhile, a minor subplot about what is left of Gorgg the Stonehenge monster at the bottom of New York harbor is addressed. It's mainly an excuse to have characters that Kirkman made but can't support their own series, such as Damien Darkblood, Demon Detective, and Capes, Inc. I liked CAPES so I don't mind, but part of it does feel like a loose end tying exercise.
The art by Jason Howard (and company) is quite good. Just as violent and action packed as one would expect. It lines up all the ducks in a row for what should be a very bloody finale. It's effectively paced and I'm curious how everything will end. Given that the series itself is ending, the idea of the lead character dying is actually in play, which adds some suspense that might otherwise not be there. This is a title I've always liked, but it's schedule has been erratic for most of it's run so it has always been a rare book. In theory it is being replaced on Kirkman's schedule by HAUNT, but the schedule on that has also gotten erratic (and it isn't as good). This still has been the best werewolf comic in years in a world where zombies and vampires rule the racks.
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #29: A pop quiz; which is slower?
a). A snail.
b). A corpse of a cow.
c). An issue of Invincible Iron Man.
This is always an odd book. It's not a bad one; Matt Fraction knows how to write characters, and Sal Larroca's artwork is solid; I prefer it to some other photorealistic styles. The problem is that Fraction is writing for trade and seems to be convinced that Iron Man should be written like an hour long TV drama in which it is heavy on talking and very light on action. Compare this to, say, Fred Van Lente's IRON MAN LEGACY, who in five issues had Iron Man fight robot clones of himself, Dreadknight, Radioactive Man, Crimson Dynamo, Titanium man, Iron Doombots, and a Dr. Doom Doombot. The difference in pace is amazing, and couldn't be starker. Pun intended.
Stuff happens. Pepper Potts gets a new Rescue costume, which is redesigned to look more like a female version of Stark's current suit, with a less pointy chin. James Rhodes avoids being court martialed by a general who is in league with the Hammer women. They get a bunch of tech nerds to remote control drones for them to blast stuff with iPhone apps - I think only Spike Lee is as skilled as blindly obvious metaphors. Stark holds a coming out party for his new business, only to seemly pooch it in order to wine and dine the younger Hammer, to get data out of him. The recap page reminds us that she may have been in league with Zeke Stane, the villain of the first arc on the title...almost two full years ago. Stuff always technically happens in an issue of IIM. It's not as insipid or snarky as a Bendis story. Often the dialogue is funny, and Fraction knows how to write the characters well; even if I am thinking he's misread something when he thinks that people want to see Stark as less than an assertive all around genius.
I'll be blunt. I've given this book a good, long try. It's not a bad book, but at least a bad book could spark some fire in me, get me feeling an emotional response to an issue. I usually forget when this book comes out. This arc may be my last on it. Naturally, I'll end up dropping this only to replace it with another Marvel title that will be $3.99 instead of $2.99, but such is life. This is probably the slowest paced title I have read of Fraction's, and he's capable of faster for one shots or annuals.
SHADOWLAND: BLOOD ON THE STREETS #1: For a "non-event", SHADOWLAND sure seems to be launching quite a few obligatory mini-series and one shots which bare the event's title. I was willing to pick up some of them because they were featuring characters I was already invested in by previous work (Moon Knight) or I liked the creative team (Powerman). While I quite like the artist for this, as Wellington Alves drew stuff like NOVA or WAR OF KINGS: ASCENSION and I think he's quite good, and Frank Martin's a good colorist, I'd never read anything Antony Johnston's written before. I am here for some of the obscure characters featured on the cover; the Shroud in particular.
In that, the debut delivers. While DD is on the cover due to contractual obligation, he has nothing to do with this issue. It takes place perfectly between issues one and two of SHADOWLAND. Johnston is able to have all four of the cover characters appear and eventually have three of their paths intersect within. The gist of this is that while in theory Daredevil's ninja are supposed to be protecting Hell's Kitchen in particular, their range appears to be spreading into other areas within New York City. When a minor mobster is killed by what seems to be the Hand, the Shroud investigates while the mobster's brother attempts to hire Misty Knight to work the case (a bad move). Paladin is apparently also keeping an eye on that murder, and at the end for the cliffhanger, he confronts Shroud.
The only character of the four whose path seems to be separate is Silver Sable. She's on her own quest to once again arrest some international criminal/terrorist and drag him back to Poland for trial. While Sable manages to wade through the underworld to find him, the Hand have apparently already killed him off (which cost her some pay, because she was supposed to bring the crook back alive). While Sable & her Wild Pack used to be considered diplomats of Symkaria, now that country is in chaos, so Sable is mostly working for herself (and is technically an illegal immigrant in the U.S., but that doesn't stop any of the rest, especially in New York, a sanctuary city).
Shroud and Misty probably get the most focus, and Paladin the least. Johnston uses Knight's past and connections to very good effect. She's in contact with her baby daddy, Iron Fist, as well as utilizes her past police contacts for leads. Lt. Scarfe is naturally a part of this as well. It all flows quite well so even though she's a cyborg, and there are other metahumans in the story, it captures some of the police procedural flair. This is a set up issue, but the story's only four issues so I can expect it not to drag on like, oh, an arc of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN.
I was expecting to find this as alright, but found myself enjoying it more than I expected. All of the characters are treated well, and seriously. I still think that Shroud's previous angle as an "undercover" villain, pretending to be a masked gangster to undo crime from within, was a better angle than him simply being a straight up vigilante, is a good and underutilized one. That said, he's running from the police here for a murder he didn't commit, which after CIVIL WAR would at least build "street cred" for doing such a thing again. "No, I'm a criminal, really! I'm on the run for murder. I was arrested by Wonder Man during Civil War and had to lay low in Canada for months." Considering how obscure he is, it is actually amazing that Misty knew who he was. While I've never read the Daughters Of the Dragon before, I thought Misty came off pretty well. Even Silver Sable, a character I never cared for back in the day, I thought was effective here. I'm genuinely curious what Paladin's angle is, but that means the cliffhanger was effective, doesn't it? The art is great, except for one bit where the mobster's brother is obviously supposed to look a bit like Tony Soprano, which was distracting. Not as distracting as, say, Hitch or Larroca being "photorealistic", but still took me out for a second. Thankfully, he wasn't on panel long. Considering the $4 price tag and me only going in for, at best, half the cast, I was pleasantly surprised by this, and am satisfied I took a risk on it. Fans of C-list street heroes should give it a shot, too.
STEVE ROGERS: SUPER SOLDIER #2: An interesting note that I hadn't realized was that CAPTAIN AMERICA technically did not ship in July. This seemed to take it's place, at least in terms of sales; while hard numbers are unknown, it sold in the Top 25 of Diamond's Top 100 list for July 2010 (albeit at #25). That is how some issues of CAPTAIN AMERICA have charted recently, which isn't bad. Marvel have played their Cap hand so well that they can sell Steve Rogers as a solo hero, and Barnes as Capt. America, and they still will BOTH sell at decent if not solidly good sales. I mean, even with natural sales decline, the CAPTAIN AMERICA franchise as a whole is doing better than, say, FANTASTIC FOUR or even WOLVERINE these days. It's a tremendous accomplishment, and a lot of that goes with trusting the right writer, Ed Brubaker. While this mini so far isn't offering anything dramatically new about Rogers, it is managing to execute what might otherwise be a standard espionage adventure story with him very well, with top class art by Dale Eaglesham (and colors by Andy Troy).
Perhaps my only quibble is that Brubaker still relies very heavily on influences from Rogers' past to infuse dramatic weight to his stories. Not only do you have the grandson of the professor who made him Cap in the first place, but you have what appears to be Steve's first flame popping up, even though she was murdered during the war. This is atop, of course, relying on Bucky Barnes, and doing Rogers' origin story about twice a year. To some this could be a sign of being repetitive. To Brubaker's credit, he uses that to his advantage for a very effective twist at the end. Although in retrospect, the false name that the big bad comes up with is about as obvious as the alias of "P.N. Guin" was in the 1960's BATMAN film. For the record, it's "Myron Smith".
Even a sequence as simple as Rogers jumping out of a tower and finding a way to survive the fall has been seen a gazillion times, but Brubaker's pacing combined with Eaglesham's art makes it look great. It isn't a fluke; every artist that works with Brubaker seems to capture a similar sense of kinetic flow to action that they might lack with other writers (such as when, say Bryan Hitch works with Brian Bendis). At any rate, the twist at the end works and reveals a villain who has dealt with Rogers plenty of times, and would have a perfect reason to seek him out. The cliffhanger is also quite good; it captures a real sense of making the reader gasp, "How will he get out of THIS one?" for the next issue. Plus, the last time I recall seeing the villain, it was in the last NEW WARRIORS series, which wasn't exactly his finest hour. This mini is the total package, and acts as a secondary Cap book for fans. In an age when Marvel has launched spin-offs of franchises that can't support them (and haven't for years), could Captain America actually be able to support one now? Time will tell. At any rate, a year back I doubted that Marvel would ever attempt to have Rogers and Barnes in their own books without Rogers being behind the mask again, and that if they did, it wouldn't sell. This is one case where, so far, it's good to be wrong. In fact, this would have been my Examiner Book Of the Week if not for one particular space book that was out this week. Brubaker is one of few A-List writers who seems to deliver on the hype more often than not. I mean, yeah, SECRET AVENGERS is a tad slow, but it's nowhere near the league of a Bendis joint or an arc of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, now is it? Even CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN, as massively flawed as it was, was better than some other Marvel events. I expected to like this series, and I am. While it might be nice to see Brubaker, one day, do a major arc with Steve Rogers without bringing up a ghost from the 1940's, at least he executes his stories well, which is the main thing.
t:
Looking forward to next issue.
