The Sunday Open: First Week of April 2008

Very brief week. Partly because of what shipped; partly because I really shouldn't send too much time writing reviews of comics when there's work to be done.

Anna Mercury #1

Ah, I love how Warren Ellis seems to have a very sink-or-swim attitude going on in this book. He hints at a lot of stuff, but never really explains anything, figuring that any reader picking up this book should be smart enough to put the pieces together. And, he's right--the basic concept seems pretty simple enough, same with the actual plot. Anna Mercury is trying to make sure one city/nation does not wipe out another using a big fucking ray gun that's on a moon colony. She is powered by some central source that can't give her a lot of power. She's kind of like a superhero. The last page reveal helps put a few more pieces into place. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ellis has planned here--and any fan of Morrison may want to check this book out as it's covering some similar territory.

The Boys #17

Okay, I finished this issue and looked at the cover again and laughed at how right it is. That has got to be one of the most perfect covers for a comic I've ever seen. You can see it here. Why is that cover so appropriate? Well, Hughie and Annie finally hook up and... well, it's a certain time of the month and... okay, so Garth Ennis isn't always the most "witty" of writers, but he does handle the scene well--particularly Butcher's reaction when he picks Hughie up the next morning and Hughie has no idea what's on his face. The final page of the issue is also really fucking funny in many wrong ways--namely a reanimated Blarney Cock invading Hughie's apartment because "AH WANNND MAH HAMMZDAH BAGGGKK...!" Clearly, Ennis is a very bad man... but, this is a very good comic.

Cable #2

This, on the other hand, is not a very good comic. It's not very bad, either, though. If this and the first issue had been combined, it would have made for a much stronger beginning to the series as this feels like the second-half of a double-sized debut issue. Cable and Bishop have a showdown until some locals show up and decide to... kill them both? What? The final couple of pages were ruined by Ariel Olivetti's horrible 3-D rendition of a semi truck that doesn't even attempt to fit in with the rest of the art. The issue, like last, ends on a pretty solid cliffhanger. I'm on board for now.

Infinity, Inc. #8

Okay, so my fears that Pete Woods and costumes would mess with the weird fun Peter Milligan has been cooking up with this comic were laid to rest here. Woods has altered his style to fit in with the tone already set and the costumes are almost treated like a superficial element without any real effect. All they do is set up the group as officially having the goal of dealing with the fall-out of Lex Luthor's Everyman Project and the fact that those who were part of it seem to gain new powers and go insane. There's also a subplot about Gerome's multiple copies wanting to kill him, kind of--and his refusal to wear a costume fits with the rest of the commentary on superhero teams. I do hope this title manages to stick around, but I don't see it lasting beyond issue twelve.

Omega the Unknown #7

Huh, this issue has no credits. But, it continues apace, being all awesome and intriguing. We get a few more hints about the overall picture with three issues left to go.

I also bought Secret Invasion #1, but disucssed that with Tim and don't have much to add. I picked up a trio of Stormwatch trades to complete my collection, but don't have much to say about them right now. I'll probably discuss them at a later date.

See... brief.