The start of June and this week brings us more scaly Marvel events and other assorted happenings. As always, full spoilers ahead.
Dread's Bought/Thought for 6/4/08:
DETECTIVE COMICS #845: It is books like this that will bare the brunt of whatever tired crossovers that DC is doing via DESPERATELY TRYING TO RIP OFF BRUABKER'S SUCCESS ONCE HE FLED DC, otherwise known as BATMAN R.I.P., or even FINAL CRISIS. Just small books trying to do their thing every month, and they do it well without needing to rely on a half dozen other titles or stilted arcs. Every issue has a solo story but read as a whole there are carried over subplots. This is how to do a serial series. The cover alludes to the return of Catwoman although that really is a somewhat aimless cameo rather than a major point in the story.
Batman is helping Gordon and the GCPD with yet another series of murders in Gotham. The victims seem to be random people with items taken and used deliberately to fool attempts at finding patterns. The Riddler shows up to offer his P.I. services and naturally complicates the plot. A larger detail than Catwoman is that Batman apparently trolls around an ametuer's detective chatroom with Riddler (via another screen-name) and, of all people, Detective Chimp from SHADOWPACT (which has been canceled, hasn't it?). Some people find talking apes instantly funny, I usually don't; it depends on the ape, and Det. Chimp seems to be no Ken Hale. Riddler gets a lead, but ends up falling into the killer's trap and Batman swings to the rescue. It turns out the killer was a bystander for one of Riddler's old robbery sprees who wants revenge. It had that "guy out of nowhere" cop out appeal, but the mystery works well enough and helps cement the fact that Riddler has some skeletons in his closet, even if he is legit (which has become a great subplot). Riddler seems far more interesting as a sort-of ally than he ever did as a standard criminal, much like Penguin running a lounge as a front is better than cliche mobster schemes.
Oh, as for Catwoman, she basically shows up in the Batmobile, announces she escaped from SALVATION RUN without any footnotes if you weren't aware, complains that Batman is softening up to other women (namely Zatanna) and leaps off. It seemed a bit forced, as if to remind us that Batman and Catwoman have that "moonlighting" thing going. But haven't they for the past decade? Wasn't HUSH the only storyline that tried to make something of it, for about as long as it lasted? Batman's the king of being unable to seal the deal. Catwoman really has only herself to blame for waiting on Bruce. He can't get serious with anyone. I almost don't know why writers continue to shove romantic subplots at Batman when they never pay off. Crap or get off the pot. If Dini wants to make Zatanna his Mary Sue, go all the ****ing way. I am getting tired of the tension baloney. In a way, that was what I used to like about Nightwing. He used a lot of what Bruce taught him, but he remembered to be human, and that included forming intimate relationships. Granted, that all went to hell a while ago.
So, another solid mystery, even if sometimes interupted by some romantic tension that is boring only because it ends the same way for Batman, all the time.
As usual on the title, the art from Nguyen is good. And Dini writes a great Detective, niggles notwithstanding. He, at the least, is a TV writer who manages to turn in a timely comic or allow fill-in teams when he cannot. Who'd have thunk?
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #2 That Larroca cover is unintentionally funny. It looks like Iron Man is either throwing marbles or levitating some gum-balls to select for himself. Not terribly manly.
Iron Man takes on A.I.G. and the third copy of MODOK, MODOG (the G is for Genocide), and basically beats them all and throws MODOG into the dustbin of history alongside MODAM (or space, for you technical people). But despite this, Iron Man is no closer to Zeke Stane or his plan. This title basically merges comic book Iron Man concerns with real world themes such as terrorism and making easily built, low cost explosive soldiers to wage an unpredictable war on the West. In a cool twist to international heroes, a team of superheroes from the Philippines are honored for aiding with the tsunami disaster before they themselves are bombed. Iron Man investigates with War Machina and is still at a loss. The issue ends with Potts being annoyed at Stark seeing her as a gopher while he continues his hedonism, and Stane's explosive plot hits too close to home.
Fraction does a good job of maintaining the character as refreshed by the movie while keeping things grounded in the current MU so that he can possibly keep new readers to the franchise, like me. His Iron Man is a quicky duck; not perfect (he attends a funeral and can barely maintain token mourning because he is obsessing over getting Thor to work with him again) but a lot more rootable than the storm-trooper of other comics, past and present. Larroca's art is rather good and Fraction manages to write a decent Thor (even if, naturally, this is from Iron Man's perspective so he sees Thor as being rigid). I can buy Iron Man being a bit impersonal at the hero funerals considering he didn't know them personally. I mean, does anyone really honestly believe that when politicians give token appearances for cop/soldier funerals, they are truly 100% emotionally involved and aren't thinking about other things, like business or how it will go down politically and with the media? Iron Man is an international symbol as head of SHIELD so he has to make these showings. On the upside, the issue revealed that Stark accepts no salary for his position; for better or worse, he is Iron Man because he believes it will get America and the world to a better place. I am curious if Fraction will seriously update the "thruster boots" technology.
The cliffhanger is naturally nixed once you recall that Stark is the Extremis and thus the armor comes automatically from his body, but it still was paced effectively. Stane is shown as increasingly unstable. A shame that Potts seems to have forgotten about Henry Hellrung so quickly, but she's been making doe eyes for Iron Man for ages now. I like the idea this book offers and the manner in which they merge the superhero stuff with SHIELD without going overboard on either. For capitalizing on the movie (or trying to), this is the best title to do so without alienating the hardcore audience. Fraction's establishing himself as a straight-up, go-to Marvel writer who is very reliable and imaginative, and if this can be his first A-List title, so be it.
KICK-ASS #3: Taken at a glance, this issue almost looks like an arc of USM; a lean, costumed hero takes on bad guys, lips off, can't back himself up, gets pummeled, and then has to be rescued by a girl, who beats said bad guys with zero effort. Really, hasn't this been every USM arc since SABLE? Or every other arc?
Millar & Romita Jr.'s quicky franchise from ICON, which is selling well for an ICON book, chugs along. After saving a man's life from a gang of Puetro Ricans (Millar makes sure to mention their ethnic background every time he can, in case you forgot), Dave's stunt becomes a YouTube phenom with over 10,000. "Kick-Ass", as the video and by extension he is called, gets media coverage and a degree of "street cred" from it. Now, this naturally feels contemporary (Millar compares it to "The Star Wars Kid" and other such Internet phenoms), but the bit where it goes too far is having Leno and Letterman condone it. It was RIDICULOUSLY violent; there is no way late night comedians would endorse it; hell, I could imagine it being on the news just so police could lambaste it. That isn't saying youth wouldn't embrace it, I just think it went too far. Millar is trying to ground this in reality, a "what if a costumed vigilante popped into the real world", so little things like this count. Of course, every issue it seems Dave takes 1,000 times the beating that Rocky Balboa ever got and he continues to survive, so realism is bent a bit here.
Dave gains new confidence in school, only to learn that while "Kick-Ass" is an indie star, at school they think he's a gay prostitute and the "hottest girl" Katie only sees him as her "gay male friend". I know it is a cliche, but I am always bemused by women who won't open up or interact like a human being to a guy unless he is gay and thus in no way is interested in her sexually. Dave goes along and we are treated to another "pathetic male loser" character not unlike the guy in WANTED, only with fewer moves. Kick-Ass starts his own MySpace page and takes on cases for "clients", and picks on trying to scare off an obsessive ex-boyfriend for a chick. Of course, he turns out to be a ghetto gang-banger with a bunch of thugs, and they proceed to stomp Dave to the ground before he is saved by a 10 year old girl with a katanna that is larger than her. At least this time, Millar has his ghetto thugs talk like them. Meanwhile, Dave has to fend off his overly concerned father and in the background, the mob has taken notice of Kick-Ass and they seem familiar with it.
Naturally, this is a flashback story as Kick-Ass is tied to a chair, getting his nards zapped off by the mob from #1, so this is part of leading up to that moment. Obviously, Kick-Ass is saying something about current "youth movements", as Dave is half Daredevil, half JACK-ASS -esque guy. This comic will probably seem horribly dated in a decade, but that isn't the concern here. And as always, Romita Jr. does great art, from the high school scenes to Kick-Ass' Kirby-esque suit to the action, it all flows well. Millar's written this sort of story before, but it isn't as vile or bleak as WANTED, at least not yet. Millar still has a habit of over-the-top lines that feel like he is trying to make every one a blurb on a t-shirt rather than characters talk like characters, but frankly that's been one of his flaws since he launched Ultimate X-Men, so I am used to it. Some people are calling this THE RAPTURE and that's hardly not true, but so far it's entertaining me enough to continue.
Still, the title would be more accurate if it was, ASS-KICKED. Because that is what happens to Dave every issue.
NOVA #14: Ah, a great book to read after KICK-ASS, where you get a hero who can actually stand up for himself against threats, whether they are alien serial killers or heralds of Galactus. DnA and Alves continue their story in which Nova tries to save the people of Orbucen.
Nova, as per last month's cover, grapples against Silver Surfer for a bit, and manages to fight the Surfer without embarassing himself too much in terms of power levels, and convinces him to ask Galactus to delay his feast long enough for the Orbucenians to flee. Nova aids in this evacuation until he finds out that Hollow has escaped and is settling on slaughtering as many escapees as he can. Ignoring Worldmind's pleas, Nova fights Hollow and manages to defeat him, only is seemingly stuck on a dying world and about to end up in Galactus' belly.
Yes, it still sucks that ANNIHILATION returned Surfer to his 60's status quo in a 180 that is, well, worthy of DC at this point, but obviously it seems here to stay for a while. As always, the banter between Nova and Worldmind is excellent and worthy of carrying an issue even without the great art and action. Hollow is a bit, well, Hollow since DnA basically did this sort of villain on Knowhere, which wasn't a long time ago. Really, all this story needed was a potent enough alien threat and that could have been anything. Still, it gets the point across that Nova is not the sort of man who believes the few should be sacrificed to save the many, instead trying to save EVERYONE whenever he can, which of course has it's strengths and limitations. Considering how many Marvel heroes have seemed to compromise their morals over the last few years (Spider-Man can now watch Wolverine and Punisher kill people without batting an eye), I like seeing that Nova doesn't with his, even in the face of Galactus. In less than 2 years NOVA has become one of my favorite Marvel heroes and is a pleasure to read every month, and DnA are a major reason of why. **** being repetitive; had Nova saved the day and tore Ultron apart in AC, it would have been a gazillion times better than Phyla-channeling-Sailor Moon.
Naturally, Nova will escape the planet in time, but it is the ride to that point that will be worth reading. Maybe Silver Surfer comes through again after all. The only major challenge that DnA have to overcome are some better threats for Nova to face down in terms of villains. But even barring that, Nova's a thrill to read. The space hero for those who usually dislike space heroes.
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL: The JIGSAW story reaches it's midway point. Chaykin is the new official artist, but it doesn't seem too bad here; the only problem is he draws a limited range of faces so you have to use dialogue and other quirks to tell people apart sometimes.
The obviously insane Jigsaw has hired the ninja Hand to kill Frank Castle after framing him for some murders and getting the anti-terrorism task force on him. Bridge and his SHIELD allies Sable, Domini, and Valentina (who is a Skrull, right?) quickly determine that Punisher is being set up, even if they have to hunt him down regardless. Bridge's comment about Castle and poetry was friggin' hilarous. Castle and his allies are soon beset by the ninja and after a bloody fight, Punisher faces off against three superpowered vixens out for blood.
Between Zeke Stane and Jigsaw, Fraction obviously seems to be in his element when writing bad guys who are completely insane, which isn't a bad thing. Considering this is the first "serious" Punisher story since the Hate-Monger one, this one is coming together a lot better and stronger than that one did. Fraction has also assembled a supporting cast for Punisher, which I didn't know was possible. And so far he has resisted having some cameos from other heroes trying to capture Castle, staying focused on his niche. The action scenes were pretty good, gritty and explaining why Castle isn't Daredevil, who does those kind of scenes a lot. And I like that Stuart Clarke has become a far more useful partner than Microchip ever was. Besides, "Rampage" is a better codename anyway.
SECRET INVASION #3: I am curious as to why Marvel feels every issue has to be $3.99. The first had a whopping extra page than normal comics, but the last two haven't. Are we paying for the cardstock covers? Because if so, they aren't worth it. What I "love" about modern comic pricing, especially Marvel, is that there is no middle ground between $2.99 and $3.99. A comic cannot be $3.25 or $3.50 or even $3.75. No, it has to be the whole extra buck. Great way to reward fans who continue to buy in the six figure range amid a sagging economy and gas woes. Granted, Joe Q's era has been one of shrewd honesty. Past EIC's have tried to act like the fan's friend, maintaining that cosy bullpen illusion and whatnot, keep that human touch. Joe Q isn't about that. He thinks in cold, hard dollars and only sees fans as the bringers of wallets, and rarely claims otherwise (in his blog, he basically went with the "I'm a businessman, not a politician" to explain why he doesn't give a damn about controversy). If the numbers were there, he'd charge $20 a page if he could get away with it, and smug all the way to the bank. Still, for an 8 issue arc, charging an extra buck for no reason seems to be daring people to trade-wait.
As for the story itself, with Bendis' other titles MIGHTY & NEW AVENGERS handling a lot of the details, the core event book gets to be more broad and cover many areas at once. It isn't terribly fantastic, but it's far better than HOUSE OF M was at this stage. True, we've not moved much in terms of the plot from this issue to the last (Stark is still rebuilding his armor, Midtown is still under attack, Capt. Marvel is still fighting the Thunderbolts), but it doesn't feel as slow as some of Bendis' past event issues. Once again, HOM spent the first 3-4 issues window dressing.
A few bodies hit the ground here; the biggest reveal was naturally that Spider-Woman was the Skrull Empress all along, which I can't imagine was always planned, otherwise why the **** did Marvel publish those origin comics all those years ago if Drew has been a bloody Skrull since the team founded? She seemingly kills Echo by snapping her neck, and somewhere I think Bendis things someone is supposed to care about this character. Over in Midtown, Vision 2.0 gets blasted, but as a robot he is perennially rebuildable. 616 Geldoff, however, isn't. The Initiative get involved and while Yu's art is strong on the most part, he's not exactly Caselli at drawing some of the newer recruits. Maria Hill gets in some complaints as "Drew" tries to convince Stark that he's a Skrull, which I don't buy because it would explain the "stormtrooper" phase too well and Marvel seems to like making him into another Magneto.
I still don't get the Capt. Marvel sequence and only see it as a complete waste of Reed's mini. That was all about Marvel being his own man despite the Skrulls, and now he is doing their bidding by taking out some more of Earth's defenses.
And, as predicted by every man, woman, and child that has ever read a comic book, Nick Fury emerges from no where with the walking Dues Ex Machina's to save the day, or at least try to. Seriously, Bendis needs to stop insisting on being so damned predictable if he wants to be an A-Lister. His last relavant plot twist was about 5-6 years ago. If he wanted to surprise me, it'd have been Thor who came into the story or something. Unfortunately, all the potent heroes like Thor and Nova will be stuck doing inconsequential things in mini's and tie-in's that will provide absolutely nothing to the core SI series. I'll still probably read 'em, but knowing beforehand that nothing they do will save the day or really matter to the event as a whole. That would require Bendis to acknowledge that someone besides himself writes comics, and that's something he is physically incapable of doing. I am amazed he bothered to get all the post-issue #12 Initiative recruits right. Besides, main things happen in the mini. Flash didn't weaken Anti-Moniter in a side mini, he did it in the core mini. Stuff like that.
For all the talk about how crafty the Skrulls are, they mostly are winning because they have created a new breed of super-Skrull and have mass produced it. Not that this is bad; for Bendis it is surprisingly action packed so far. But just saying. And if Yellowjacket at Camp Hammond is still a Skrull, then the heroes are really in deep. I wonder if Pym from MA will be a Skrull while Yellowjacket from Hammond could be real? Or both are Skrulls? Guess that will come soon in MA. The big question is what has happened to the characters the Skrulls are impersonating. Are they dead? In that space-ship in the Savage Land, mixed with moles? Captive somewhere? Because Drew, Black Bolt, Pym, and others are notable characters here.
Honestly, this is better than I thought it would be. It isn't incredible, but it's been solid action fodder (even if that scene with Stark mumbling, "No" every panel like a sissy would have been better served with him silent). I just keep waiting for the shoe to drop, the finale to suck wind. If that doesn't happen, bravo. But I'm not about to get my hopes up, especially with Bendis being utterly predictable with a major twist like Nick Fury.
And at least we got CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 out of this.
Jeanty's art was good, but I'd be lying if I said I weren't really looking forward to Moline's art next month. Bring on some Fray lovin'. 
