I Bought Comics: Fifth Week of October 2008

[Quick thoughts and musing concerning new comics. Not really reviews. Sorry.]

The Boys #24

Two years in and still a damn good comic. It would be easy to see the frat stuff here as making fun of superheroes when really it's making fun of young guys. They're idiots. Some nice little moments here, especially the Hughie/Annie one that teases the eventual revelation of who each really is. We also get a little bit more insight into Butcher and that he is much darker inside than we'd like to think. The frat humour kind of drags the issue down a little, but the other stuff makes up for it.

Holy War #6

So... Synnar is a demiurge (god's architect), but also a Lucifer figure. Starlin provding the art in the middle of this issue really picks it up, although some of it looks rushed. That double-page spread, though... wonderful. Thankfully, the plot isn't dealt with much here, most of the issue devoted to Synnar's past. Feels like more familiar territory for Starlin and is much more interesting than this series.

No Hero #2

A sparsh issue, mostly talking with little advancement, but lots of suggestion. Hints here and there at past events and conflicts. The main idea here is vigilanteism, and, notably, power in the hands of a few dedicated citizens instead of the government. The government here is to be disdained for its ineptitude and corruption, while the private citizen is somehow better... despite there being something not quite right about the whole thing. Hard to say exactly where this is going yet, but it will be interesting to see how it compares to Black Summer. Also, the end seems to be an effect of the psychedelic origins of FX7.

Secret Invasion: Thor #3

A strong ending, but I had a hard time getting over the tense problems in Fraction's prose. For the first few pages, it keeps shifting between past and present tense, finally settling into past tense for the remainder of the issue. It doesn't read that sloppy, but once you notice it, it's all you see. The big fight feels epic, which is a testament to Fraction's skill. This issue also benefits from not having that bland "child born the midst of conflict" story to deal with.

Thor #11

Loki's game is very good... mostly because all she's doing is telling the truth. The Steve Rogers stuff is very well done and recalls Thor's confrontation with Iron Man back in issue three a little... The commentary on TV pundits is always nice despite not being all that original. Really, though, the main thing here is the lead-up to the big conflict, which seems to be Baldur and Thor fighting for rule over Asgard--although, I don't think it will be that simple.

That does it for this week. Almost certainly not book of the week since none of these really stand out in that way. Maybe I'll look back to Aetheric Mechanics from last week.