I always buy something these days.
Mercifully small week, but alas also a week without a lot of the books I really enjoy and look foward to, and instead are some also-rans from Marvel. However, even some of the duds from a month or two ago are showing some promise this week, at least by their own standards.
DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 12/13/06:
52 WEEK #32: In which Ralph Dibney travels to the Orient to talk to the entity that revived Boston Brand as Deadman and meets one of (what I presume) is Grant Morrison's "Creations with a Name so Long that you Hate Him Already". In this case it is Yao Fei, or ACCOMPLISHED PERFECT PHYSICIAN. Apparently, the big idea of there being Asian superheroes is stifled by the idea that they couldn't come up with shorter names. There's no slang in Chinese? Or ancronyms? It almost seems like a joke, like Borat's movie title. How about an Oriental Martial Arts hero named CHOPPING BLOCK HURTS WITH FISTS GLOWING LOTS? Or has Grant beat me to it? Usually, Oriental characters get stereotypes that you just wouldn't be allowed to do with a lot of other non-white ethnicities, but I just think it's a wrong approach. Which is a shame because he's the first one we've seemed to meet in 52 who isn't a total *****e. He saves Ralph from a "snowman" type fanatic, but employs him to aid in his capture when Rama Kushna refuses to meet with him; despite being powerless (A.P.P. basically has whistles for a variety of effects) manages to defeat him and earns his audience with Kushna; once again he gets more questions than answers. This issue at least kept some focus on other plots; the Lost in Space Trio getting firm about remaing where they are and hoping to take on Lady Styx's armada, vs. trying to flee home to warn every hero they can. And the Teen Titans are taking a flood of "Everymen" applicants under the behest of Steel, when Capt. Marvel Jr. (who has since been ruined) talks with Osiris and Leatherhead-Lite (did we really need a replacement for the Talking Tiger? It's not gggrrrrrrrrrEEEATT!). Poor Osiris is genuine, but can't avoid the stigma that Black Adam has with the rest. And I still find it hilarious that no one at DC even thought of putting Raven and Beast Boy together until the cartoon got hit and "shippers" clogged the Internet with fan-fics about it. Oh well. Didn't care for the origin bit, but only because since I read Blue Beetle, I already know it. Another solid week, and that is what 52 does. It's not always terrific, but it always is enjoyable and I never regret the $2.50, even in issues that by comparison are poor. This isn't one of them. Next week is the Christmas issue that suggests that Nightwing may continue to try flirting with Batwoman, who is "gasp, a lesbian". True, he doesn't know better, but cripes, he hits on EVERYTHING in spandex with boobs, doesn't he? Granted, considering how attractive most DC heroines are I guess I can't blame him. And at least unlike Batman, he can't blame impotence on "saving energy for the war". ZING (I mean, Grayson's already had how many lovers in half the time it's taken Wayne to cop out on Selina Kyle?).
HUNTER/KILLER #10: Almost forgot about this, and luckily my store had one copy left. Silvestri, the artist who launched it and whose delays likely helped fuel it's former 10 month gap between issues, at least is gracious enough to still do covers. The title at least has kept it's word on being on time since #6, finishing out 2006 on a good note. On the downside, the story keeps hinting at the "apocalypse" to come on 12/31/06, but issue #11 won't ship until 2007, which may ruin the effect a bit. On the upside, Rocafort's art is crisp and keeps in tune with the style set forth by the previous two artists (H/K has had 2 artists within the last 4 issues to remain timely; unlike Marvel Top Cow may not be able to afford to have dramatically late books). From the last issue, Wolf told Ellis to "find his own answers" rather than believe everything Morningstar said (or "offered info") and that is what he does; he copies a networking ally's powers to search the internet and starts to hunt down leads to Cassandra, Morningstar's future-travelling mistress. He happens to run into Echo, a gal whose parents were also rogues like Ellis' and who seems to be a counterpart to his power; "They'll make great radio together," he quips. I naturally wonder if she is as genuine as she seems, although with Morningstar invading Iran he is obviously being set up as the villian again (no comic book writer would ever write anything that even HINTS that attacking a nation in the Middle East would be in anyone's best interests, at least so long as Bush is in office), but we naturally saw this coming. H/K has a bit of a slow burn storyline getting all of it's twists and ducks in a row, and after 10 issues despite a bit of a break with some one-shot stories from issues 4-6, it is waring a little thin. Still, I like the characters, the art and the writing overall, so it's still a decent book that I am glad is back on a timely schedule.
GHOST RIDER #6: Marvel has successfully relaunched a few of their past B-Listers this year rather well; MOON KNIGHT, IRON FIST, even a new ANT-MAN and a good second stab at PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL. But compared to all that, GHOST RIDER is the red headed stepchild; not terrible but nowhere near as successful. Corben comes in to do art for the next 2 issues, and he is rather cruddy and I won't miss him come #8. Way starts in on explaining how Johnny Blaze go to hell for Ennis' mini, a story that Ennis kept vague, but as it stood, made sense (Blaze had cheated the demons by using his powers against demons and for good for so long, eventually they caught up to him for overdo torment in Hell). However, Ennis never retconned Mephisto's implications there, he simply omitted mentioning him because as a Vertigo writer, he prefers actual theology than Marvel's alternate demon model (formed during an era where they couldn't get away with saying things like Lucifer and all that). And that is part of why GHOST RIDER is worse; the previous relaunches didn't seek to simply omit and cancel out the stuff in the backstory they didn't like; in fact they both embrace that backstory; Huston acknowledges MK's past and Brubaker is even embellishing elements that were kept vague for 30 years. Way by contrast has decided he'd rather Blaze have been dealt by THE Lucifer and not Mephisto, and 20 years worth of comics can be damned. And that is tragic because everything else is fine. How he writes Blaze, the action, the plot and all that. If only he wasn't dead set on this blaring retcon, GR would be better than it is. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Marvel wants his franchise kicking for his movie early next year, his 616 backstory is clogged with continuity fumbles because they've always seemed overeager to revive GR that they haven't gotten things 100% straight. Wikipedia lists these fumbles:
Wikipedia.com said:
Continuity conundrums
The current Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider fusion has not clarified whether or not this version of the Spirit of Vengeance is Noble Kale. Several continuity problems point to this being an entirely new Ghost Rider.
Noble Kale, in the final issue of the 1990s Ghost Rider series, killed Blackheart and apparently claimed the throne of one of Marvel's many realms of Hell. However, with the return of Mephisto, who was responsible in part for Kale becoming the Ghost Rider, Kale may have been deposed from that realm. Since Kale and Danny Ketch merged again in a Spider-Man comic directly before the release of the 2001 miniseries (an odd retcon, which has still yet to be explained), there is no clear answer as to where Kale actually is or to whom, if anyone, he is bonded. In that same Spider-Man comic, the Ghost Rider, before re-bonding with Ketch, dropped hints that the Noble Kale origin may be false or at least misunderstood. Additionally, in the 2001 miniseries, the Ghost Rider killed humans, an action Kale specifically refused to commit. In addition, Zarathos has resurfaced in modern day continuity during the Daniel Ketch Ghost Rider series. With a red skull and blue/white flames about his face and hands. He was also referred to as an 'evangelist of hate', and drew upon negative energy from his acolytes to bolster his own massive elemental powers and strength.
It has never been explained how Centurious and Zarathos have escaped their confinement from the Soul Crystal (which happened in the final issues of the first Ghost Rider series).
In issues of the MC2 continuity which is the home of Spider-Girl and Avengers Next, among others, Zarathos looks reminiscent of his days as the Ghost Rider, in which he appears inside the mind/soul of Darkdevil, which may be a hint as to the identiy of the Hammer Lane Ghost Rider, whom Blaze spoke to and claimed that his time in that bonding was 'the coolest thing that ever happened in my life'. In addition to this, unlike Zarathos and Kale, who were very vocal during their tenure as the Ghost Rider, this strange third incarnation of the flame-skulled biker only ever spoke a single time, at the very end of the series. His singular line in the series was 'Forgive yourself.' This was in response to Blaze literally begging the Rider to forgive him for putting a contract out on the Ghost Rider's life.
Early in the 1970's Ghost Rider series, Johnny Blaze is helped by Daimon Hellstrom, The Son of Satan. Hellstrom and Ghost Rider battle Satan, and Satan is infuriated with his son. Hellstrom's father is later revealed to be Marduk, while the 'Satan' in early Ghost Rider is revealed to be Mephisto. Mephisto and Marduk are not the same demonic presence, clearly, so this leads to a large contradiction. In addition to this, Satan himself does exist as a demonic presence in Marvel, as Mephisto himself makes mention of him in issue 77 of the 1970s-80s Ghost Rider, when the origins of Zarathos (which made no mention of the Fallen- a group of renegade members of the Blood) were revealed. In addition, Satan himself is revealed to be the primary antagonist of the current ongoing Ghost Rider series, which once more features Johnny Blaze as the Ghost Rider, with powers that appear to be virtually idenitcal to Kale's, such as the Penance Stare along with an appearance that directly mirror's Kale. In issue four of the current series, Blaze actually makes reference to Daniel Ketch's time being bonded to Noble.
The recent six issue mini-series further complicates matters. Zarathos has appeared to be a non-factor. Blaze is in complete control of his actions as the Ghost Rider (as he was when he first became Ghost Rider), and in an interesting twist, is said to have made his deal with the 'devil' thirty years ago, placing his deal in 1975-6 (the first issue of the mini came out in 2005, and the series concluded in early 2006). This does leave room for the events of the Daniel Ketch version of Ghost Rider to have appeared in the canon Marvel universe, along with the events which Blaze was involved in however. There seems to be no clear cut answer about whether or not this recent Ghost Rider mini-series takes place within the original continuity established by the three previous Ghost Riders, the latter two of whom are part of the normal Marvel Universe. (Phantom Rider actually encountered the Johnny Blaze/Zarathos Ghost Rider in the first series featuring the flaming skull-faced Biker.)
Also, the 'devil' is named to be Lucifer in this series, when the later issues of the first Ghost Rider series explicitly name Mephisto to be the entity with whom Blaze made a deal with.
This sort of thing always leads people to believe that Ghost Rider is little more than a cool design and the rest hasn't been hashed out well. I disagree, but continuity holes don't help. Would it really have been so hard to tell Way, "do your story, just make it Mephisto?" Jesus.
X-MEN: PHOENIX: WARSONG #4: I've complained about this X-title for months now. It's yet another endless rehash of the Phoenix Force. It hashes over the origins of the Stepford Cuckoos, and makes it more convelutted and hammy than even Grant Morrison could have imagined (they're simply 5 out of thousands of Emma Frost clones created by Sublime and his Weapon Plus program). I always love it how Marvel learned first-hand that clone storylines tend to really suck, but they keep trucking it out, both here and in Ultimate Spider-Man. Kind of like a guy who tries to jump over a gorge, falls, nearly dies, but just heals up and keeps jumping again...and again...and again...with the same result. Insanity much? If Marvel's editorial policies were a real person, they'd be the type featured at WACKED OUT SPORTS.COM running into a wall repeatedly sometimes. And finally, the story and the art evoke a bit of a historical recreation of the types of stories the X-Men did in the mid to late 90's. However, that all said, this issue wasn't too shabby. Why? Already knowing the hokey plot and the conveluted crap origins, we can simply get to the action parts, and they're what you would expect. Kirkham's art delivers and I wish I'd see him on something decent. And at least this work proves to Pak fans drooling over PLANET HULK that their hero is far from perfect. The X-Men try to fight Celeste, SHIELD agent Jake (who is almost a dead ringer for Ellis in HUNTER/KILLER with dyed hair, FYI) helps out, Colossus exists only to throw people like in X3, and Weapon XVI is revealed as basically "endless clones of Frost harnessing psychic energy to instantly kill all mutants". The fragment of the Phoenix revived in Celeste to seemingly save the mutant race by killing all the clones off, including her sisters. Frost, who has lost quite a lot of kids between the Cuckoos and the Hellions, and hooks herself up to the machines to try to save some of 'em. They beat Celeste, but Sublime's AI is able to DL the Phoenix and set up an explosive finale. Yes, this is all 90's cheese, and I can see Warsong as almost a releck of what 90's X-Men was like when they weren't fighting aliens for the Upteenth time, almost as if trying to forgive Decimation. "Sure, you turned back the clock to the 70's while effecting few major characters, but the 90's were even cheesier". All Warsong needs is Cable and it would be a perfect flashback to 1997. Still, the art is pretty, Cyclops kicked some arse and got all "leadery", and once you know the big fish to swallow is coming, it's not as terrible. It's now shifting into "brainless action movie mode", and that is at least enjoyable to some extent. I still don't think there was any sort of demand or purpose for all this, though. The Cuckoo's hadn't been major characters in a while, and Marvel's been doing a 180 from most of Morrison's plot points.
ULTIMATE X-MEN #77: Kirkman's worst title continues to improve gradually, and much like WARSONG, has shifted to the action segments and once you know the sort of conveluted stuff you're expected to swallow, you can deal with it, like smothering Brussel's Sprouts with Ketchup and holding your nose. We're back to the era of UXM where an artist can't stick for an entire story and Paquette is here midway through the 4 part CABLE arc; however, he's infinately superior to Oliver so it's an improvement, especially with the action in this issue. And there are no major revelations to sneer at. You already know that Kirkman is choosing to complicate the relatively down-to-earth Ultimate XM with time travel, which overwhelmed the X-verse in the 90's. You already know that his big "twist" is that Ultimate Cable is "Wolverine of the Future" and is not related to Scott Summers at all. Frankly Vaughan would probably have delivered a much more innovative twist for him, as he did for Mr. Sinister, Deathstrike, and Longshot (true, Mr. Sinister didn't quite work, but at least he tried; interesting failures tend to be more enjoyable than a safer bet that doesn't click, like attaching Cable to the already overexposed Wolverine here). But if you compare this to the Magician issues, it's a vast improvement. Plus, this issue gets down to business; the X-Men vs. the Wildpack. And the fight starts off on a brutal path when Domino literally blows Rogue's arm off! Grizzly basically has the same power as 616 Ursa Major here (transforms into a large bear) and Ultimate Bishop is about as stiff and gruff as you would expect. Cyclops gets a lot of focus here, and to give credit, Kirkman is probably the only writer since Millar to actually focus on him for more than an issue. In fact he may be setting Scott up for an explosive finale. Unfortunately, March solicts already spoil the conclusion of the storyline; Marvel got the hint to be quiet about CW stuff, but still can't with their other books. However, Kirkman at least is able to drop a non-spoiled bombshell; that Xavier is in love with the teenage Jean Grey, a bit of twisted allusion that popped up and went nowhere during the Onslaught era, but a darker, alternate universe like Ultimate could possibly explore fully. I started out not liking CABLE but it may end up having a strong finish. There are some effective small moments like Cable telling Jean to "hang in there" with her powers and Bishop giving Logan a bit of an evil eye; Logan has kept Cable's identity to himself but Bishop knows better. I think shoving Time Travel into the UXM is a rehash of a past mistake but aside for that it's turning into an enjoyable actioner. And unlike UFF, at least the dialogue doesn't need a translater. And unlike USM, no clones or MJ Sasquatches.
