The Immortal Thorsday Thoughts 20

When Thor kills Toranos, it’s not the first predecessor that he’s killed. I don’t believe, in the many times that Odin has died, Thor killed him. Nor am I talking about his uncle, Cul the Serpent, when they killed one another at the end of Fear Itself. What I’m referring to happened in Thor #600, during the J. Michael Straczynski/Olivier Coipel/Marko Djurdjevic run, where Loki used his magic to bring Bor, father of Odin, to the present day and cloud his mind so that he saw everything as demonic threats to kill. Despite his efforts to subdue his grandfather peacefully, Thor wound up killing him and, as a result, was banished from Asgard. In a sense, that’s what happens in The Immortal Thor #20.

The central scene of this issue is the return of Toranos, which, at the end of the previous issue, was implied to be a threat of similar scale and magnitude as Toranos’s attack on New York City in the first two issues of the series. Instead, it’s not an attack, but a warning in the form of Toranos nailed to his wheel. “The wheel turns,” as it were. There are two pieces of note in this scene (maybe more once I start working my way through them), so I’ll start with the obvious one that continues my often repeated arguments about the larger story: Thor kills Toranos.

Toranos is the retconned Elder God of Utgard that preceded Thor as a sky god. The original god of thunder and storms. The way that Toranos is presented, in a sense, is as the platonic ideal of the idea of Thor as a god. Thor is meant to be the bastardized watered down version of Toranos. In reality, you could argue that he’s the refined, evolved version of this particular archetype as evidenced by the way that his modern perspective ‘infects’ Toranos and, ultimately, makes Toranos more like Thor. The idea of Thor is a stronger one than the idea of Toranos. But, the idea of Toranos is still the root of the idea of Thor, so, when Thor kills Toranos, he’s killing off a piece of his own identity. Another part of Thor manifested in physical form so, when it is destroyed, a part of Thor is destroyed, all in service of Loki’s efforts to free Thor from being Thor, idea by idea, piece by piece.

However, I’ve also argued that the Utgard-Gods (and Elder Gods at large) are not only a retcon by Al Ewing to build out this older pantheon and link it to Thor for the purposes of this story, it’s actually a retcon made by Loki in their telling of the story. A false sense of the old and the base ideas of the gods to fight against, to overcome, to transcend. Part of what enslaves the likes of Thor and the other Asgardians (and enslaved Loki) are these ideas of what it means to be a god. By forcing Thor to confront the basest idea of himself, one that’s a bit more akin to the Thor of mythology than the current Marvel Comics character, Thor isn’t simply destroying a part of himself, he’s freeing himself from himself. He’s choosing to be something else. When Thor declares that his true power isn’t in the storm, it’s in the power to hold the storm back, he’s stepping out of a cage of what it means to be the Thunder God.

And, of course, the real twist is that Thor kills Toranos not out of malice or anger or hatred. It’s not an effort to kill that part of himself that he wishes to be gone. In essence, when he gave Toranos a sense of him compassion, he did that. Instead, when he kills Toranos, it’s out of the very compassion that set Toranos apart from his peers. Toranos dies at the hands of compassion more than once. I don’t know, that idea makes me chuckle a little. Thor’s compassion for Earth causes him to make Toranos feel compassion, which causes Toranos to argue on behalf of Thor and Earth, which causes the Utgard-Gods to nail him to wheel, which causes Thor to kill him out of compassion. The gods destroy no matter their motives, I suppose...

The betrayal of Toranos also sets the Utgard-Gods in undisputable opposition to Thor. It’s a sign that his fated confrontation with them is unavoidable, as is his death. His victory against Toranos is turned into a defeat. But, it also sets up Utgard-Loki as a more deadly and heartless enemy than previously thought. Until this point, it was set up as the Utgard-Gods against the Asa-Gods, in a sense. The old against the new. And, here, the new had managed to win over a member of the old and, instead of taking that as a sign that an accord could be reached, the old reacted by killing their fallen brother.

Utgard-Loki killing Toranos to further his purposes is also the warning, the message sent to Thor, if he were clever enough to notice. He’s not, unfortunately. As the Skald, Loki is unable to insert foreshadowing that teases Thor’s eventual death via puncture wound at the hands of Loki. If Thor were more observant, he would see his sibling’s all-too-clever warning. “Go to Utgard and your Loki will betray you and run you through until you die.”

*

The epigraph for this issue is a bit of a mystery to me. Said to come from “The First Lay of Sigurd Fafnicide” in The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson, I’ve never been confident that I’ve found it in my copy of The Poetic Edda as compiled and translated by Carolyne Larrington. The epigraph in this issue reads:

                        Now part we, now farewell!

                        Fate may not be withstood.

While it’s not unusual for Al Ewing to reference a different name of a poem, there’s nothing in my copy that quite matches that title. There are numerous poems of Sigurd and Gudrun, but none specifically called the first lay of Sigurd in any way. The closest I’ve come to finding this epigraph is from the last stanza of “A Short Poem about Sigurd” and it’s not as close a match as I’d normally like:

‘Much I have said, I would say more,

if fate granted me more time for speech;

but my voice fails, my wounds are throbbing,

I told only truth and now I must depart.’

There are commonalities between the two and, maybe, Ewing cut down the four lines of the version he’s quoting into two for effect. If you take the second and fourth lines of the version I have and reverse them, it’s a rough approximation of the epigraph of the issue. Looking through the other Sigurd/Gudrun poems, there isn’t any passage that comes close to the epigraph. Proceeding as if what I’ve quoted is the passage Ewing selected, the full stanza is more revealing and fitting for the issue than the epigraph, in a ‘spot on’ sort of way. It very much fits with Toranos’s message for Thor. Probably a bit too much. It seems to narrow in on Toranos specifically and, at best, alludes to the future fate of Thor, though that hasn’t arrived yet.

The epigraph, by contrast, is more vague and general. Thor has three departures in this issue and the epigraph could apply to all three, particularly with the idea that fate can’t be stopped. Thor is fated to die, so, if he didn’t leave Freya or Toranos or Sif when he does, he would eventually. There is no avoiding the fate that lays ahead of Thor.

As this is meant to be the beginning of the end of the series, it’s also a fitting epigraph to begin the final six-issue story. I don’t know if Ewing manipulated the stanza as it appears, but, if he did, it was to great effect.

Next week, I’ll discuss The Immortal Thor #21 and the sacrifice that Skurge hopes to maintain.

CBR Review: Wonder Woman #603

I recently reviewed Wonder Woman #603 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "If there’s a point to the story told in Wonder Woman #603, it escapes me. Maybe J. Michael Straczynski is taking the long road and a seemingly tangential and purposeless issue will become essential and mindblowing thanks to what comes next. And, if that happens, I’ll be the first to admit it and make an apology, but, right now, this issue is just a time-waster. It's a boring filler that seemingly acts as nothing more than a delaying tactic for the final few pages where a promise of things happening next issue is made. That’s all well and good for next issue, but what about the one that people have paid $2.99 for? How about something happening in it?"

You can read the rest HERE!

Quickie Reviews (August 25 2010)

Things are busy busy busy here with reviews to be written, blog posts to be written, plus super-secret things to be written. So why am I using my precious time for this? Because I love these super-short 'reviews.' I need to work at them a little more, so they can become these small, hardened, diamond-like things. Need to get better... always... onto reviews...

Gravel #20: After two storyarcs of Gravel working his way through magicians, killing them all as if they were nothing, the same thing is happening to him with his home and safe places all destroyed, and the new Minor Seven killed with even less effort than it took for him to do the originals. Granted, the originals were much more accomplished, but still. Crazy nutter that Gravel should have just killed is responsible. I have no idea if this series is continuing after next issue or if it will end after three seven-issue storyarcs. Either way, I'm sure I'll be okay. [****]

Thor #613: The longer this storyarc lasts, the less I care. I'm not sure why exactly. It's a logical outgrowth of what Gillen did during Siege, but... it's just not clicking with me. Maybe it's the overwrought narration by Mephisto's demon pal (that even Mephisto makes fun of!). Maybe it's a group of villains that I find boring. [**1/2]

Wonder Woman #602: And, because the only way to describe my reaction to this issue is to quote some of J. Michael Straczynski's dialogue from an episode of Babylon 5 from the third season, I'm sticking that under a cut in case you don't want to get spoiled.

Quickie Reviews (August 11 2010)

Man, today's comics didn't excite me a lot ahead of time, but I enjoyed them. Nice when that happens.

Avengers: The Origin #5: Finally got a copy of this. "Finally" meaning... a week later. Oh how I suffered! I had to wait a week for a conclusion to a story that I... already know. Why my, lord? WHY ME? Anyway, this was... not entirely good. I love Casey's interpretations of the characters, but, by giving them more depth, he also makes the whole 'forming the Avengers' thing seem forced and contrived. When they got to that part, it seemed like he'd written a story where these characters should go off on their own, vowing to never see one another again, because this fiasco was such a pain in the ass -- instead, they decide to form a club. It's meant to be big and awe-inspiring, especially with the flashforwards to big Avengers moments, but it's so disjointed from what came before that it's like they spliced together two different stories. Maybe it will read better as a whole (something I don't plan on finding out until next year's blogathon). Phil Noto draws pretty pictures, but his figures can be very stilted. I think that adds to the disjointed conclusion in a way I can't quite articulate yet. Maybe come July/August 2010. [**1/2]

Daytripper #9: Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? Love the bulkier/more cartoony style used for young Bras by Moon. I think I understand. Maybe? I do love stories like this. The sort that makes you reflect upon yourself... yeah. I don't know what to say. [****1/2]

Superman #702: Of course, the problem is that there aren't any aliens or Supermen to create new jobs in Detroit... That's the problem with using the real world in your stories of hope, isn't it? They simply wind up reminding you that there isn't any really. There's just a kind of shitty comic that does the exact opposite of its goal. [*]

The Unwritten #16: I don't know about you, but Wilson Taylor's gambit got me jazzed up. You thought it was going one way and BAM! There is a new Tommy Taylor book and it's meant to make his son into Jesus. That's pretty fucked up right there. Interested to see where this series goes from here. Glad I stuck with it. [****]

Later.

CBR Review: Wonder Woman #601

I recently reviewed Wonder Woman #601 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "While all of your questions about the new Wonder Woman status quo aren’t answered in the first full issue of J. Michael Straczynski and Don Kramer’s run on the book, a number of them are, including what exactly happened to Paradise Island. In fact, that question is answered in so much detail that this issue isn’t much more than a big pile of exposition that had me wondering where the other half of the issue, the part with the actual story, was. The exposition actually only takes up the first half of the issue, but the second half that follows doesn’t feel fully developed or anything but more exposition, only presented indirectly rather than told straight to us."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Superman #701

I recently reviewed Superman #701 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "After the short prologue in last month’s Superman #700, the J. Michael Straczynski-penned 'Grounded' begins this week with Superman beginning his walk across America by stopping in Philadelphia. The idea of 'Grounded' has divided a lot of fans between those that want Superman to have big, exciting adventures and those that prefer the quieter, more introspective stories. While I fall in the latter camp, it’s hard not to find parts of Superman #701 laughable in its cheesiness, right down to a premise that brings to mind Forrest Gump, complete with Superman’s lack of explanation, stating that he’s walking 'that way' and not much else."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Thor Giant-Size Finale #1

I recently reviewed Thor Giant-Size Finale #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Thor Giant-Size Finale #1 should be read as just any other issue of Thor in J. Michael Straczynski’s run, because that’s what it is. Ignore the ‘giant-size’ label since the main story is one page longer (hardly giant-making) and the rest is filled out with a preview of next week’s Thor #604 and a recolored reprint of Journey into Mystery #83. If you expect Straczynski to end his run on a giant ‘this changes everything’ moment, forget that, too, as the plot is advanced here as much as it is in any other issue of his run. If you ignore all of the hype and stick to the comic itself, it’s a good Thor comic with an interesting story that looks like it may just get more interesting in the future."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: The Brave and the Bold #29

I recently reviewed The Brave and the Bold #29 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "When this issue was solicited, the idea of Batman and Brother Power the Geek teaming up had a certain wacky appeal that suggested a channeling of Silver Age team-up books where two characters you’d never expect to appear together pair up and solve a crime. And, technically, that happens, but if you expected any of the fun suggested by such an odd pairing, you won’t find it here. Instead, a moralizing and nostalgia for the ‘60s is mixed with a Batman characterization that rings false."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Thor #603

I recently reviewed Thor #603 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Anyone who picked up Dark Reign — The List: The Avengers no doubt saw Marko Djurdjevic’s art in a new light as he delivered cleaner, clearer work than his past interiors on Thor, apparently in only nine days. Thankfully, he continues his new, cleaner, stronger work in Thor #603, his strongest issue as interior artist on the series yet. While past issues were mired in over-detailed art reminiscent of ‘90s Image work, those scratchy lines are kept to a minimum with blockier, more direct line work here."

You can read the rest HERE!

Blogathon 14: The Road to Civil War

[Issues discussed in this post: New Avengers: Illuminati, Fantastic Four #536-537, and Amazing Spider-Man #529-531.]

This is an odd trade collection that I picked up one day as I wanted the New Avengers: Illuminati one-shot. It's the first of four Bendis/Maleev New Avengers one-shots/issues and introduces to us the Illuminati, who we saw in New Avengers: The Sentry. Shortly after the Kree-Skrull War, Iron Man calls together Namor, Professor X, Reed Richards, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, and the Black Panther and they meet in Wakanda to hear his idea of putting together a large group, to effectively unify the world's superhumans as a cohesive whole. This idea is quickly shot down, but the idea for a smaller group to work behind the scenes, made up of the seven of them comes up. Except the Black Panther doesn't join. No worries, six members is still good.

We then get the group dealing with the Hulk problem, seemingly for good, by sending Banner to space, which sets up Planet Hulk and World War Hulk. During this time, Maria Hill mentions the idea that superheroes are responsible for the actions of supervillains are a while. Like, it's Spider-Man's fault for what the Green Goblin does because he could just kill him -- never mentioning that the system that simply locks him up again even though he escaped every time before may want to reconsider simply locking him up. I do love the irony of people blaming superheroes for not simply killing villains in a story that leads up another where people don't want superheroes doing anything without the government's approval -- a government that would try and charge superheroes with murder if they killed their villains. Oh ho ho, people sure are complex! The story also sets up the Superhuman Registration Act and Civil War.

Not much actually happens in New Avengers: Illuminati. It's all set up and weird fighting. I can't stand these characters when they question 'Who put you in charge' or 'Who says you can just do that?' when that's all they ever do. All of these characters simply decided that they're qualified to do as they like and have been doing as such for years. To pretend otherwise is wrong.

I like the idea of the Illuminati group. It makes sense. I don't think Bendis ever uses it in a way that works, but the idea is sound.

Alex Maleev is a goddamn good artist.

The other issues included in this trade are written by J. Michael Straczynski and the Fantastic Four ones are red herrings, supposedly building up the return of Thor in Civil War, but that's Clor... so their inclusion here is somewhat insulting. They're not very good either.

The Amazing Spider-Man issues work better as they cement the Peter/Tony friendship more and also deal with the creation of the SHRA in a larger way. They also reveal Stark as a corrupt jackass... and that US senators are assholes. This also isn't that great.

If this is The Road to Civil War, Civil War better be good. We'll see in 60 minutes, because I want to stop and talk about Bendis's New Avengers until this point in 30.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

CBR Review: Thor #602

I recently reviewed Thor #602 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "J. Michael Straczynski has been fearless in his Thor run, unafraid to take the characters in new directions and alter the status quo, which he continues in this issue as Thor solves one problem while creating another with a little help from Dr. Strange. Which raises another consistent element to Straczynski’s run: not knowing where it fits in with the rest of the Marvel universe."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Rising Stars Compendium

I recently reviewed Rising Stars Compendium for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "However, the first act-and-a-half read as merely set-up for Straczynski’s real interest: examining the conflict between humanity advancing and the darker aspects of human nature. The real story here is about a group of people trying to make the world better, to make humanity better, and those who are too small-minded or fearful to allow it to happen. It’s not that the first dozen or so issues are bad, it’s just that you get the impression that Straczynski sees them as only necessary to get to the real meat of the story —- and he’d be right, because that’s when the series really gets going."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Thor #601

I recently reviewed Thor #601 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Straczynski weaves through all of these plots in issue 601, giving a wide view of reactions and consequences, all while having a lot of fun. Balder dining with Loki and Dr. Doom is wonderful, as the new lord of Asgard toys with the notion of emigrating to Latveria rather than staying in an Asgard floating in the middle of Oklahoma. It’s hard to get a read on him as he both seems to distrust and listen to Loki."

You can read the rest HERE!

I Bought Comics: Beginning of February 2009

[Wherein I discuss comics that I got in the past two weeks that I didn't review for CBR. Not really reviews or anything. Just random thoughts, impressions... like, you know, whatever!]

Boys #27

The worst issue in a long time... relaxed to the point of who cares... Ennis riffing on St. Patrick's Day and America in ways we've all seen before... not bad, just feels like filler...

Secret Warriors #1

I wish this book was actually called "Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing." That title appears on the cover between the two words of the actual title of this comics and it is waaaaaaaaaaaaay better. "Secret Warriors" is a vague, kind of blah title for a comic, but "Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing"? Fucking sign me up! I don't care who's writing it, who's drawing it, if it costs $1.00 per issue or five bucks, whatever, put that book on my pull list now, because it will rock my fucking socks off. And this issue kind of did that. The art was better than I expected, honestly. Not quite what I'd look for in a comic book, but passable. Hickman's writing is a lot better at what it does than I expected, too. He's never shown a lot of character depth in his work to date, preferring to meditate on ideas than characters. And that's worked really well, so to see him handle characters with deft and ease like this is pretty astonishing. The final page "surprise" isn't THAT big a revelation when you actually read the back-up material, but it's still cool.

Gravel #9

Throughout the first eight issues of this title, characters have called William Gravel dumb, compared him to a dog--and this seemed to annoy him, piss him off, and he killed them. But, here, he does the same thing and I love that Ellis and Wolfer would do that. Those arrogant pricks weren't wrong in calling him thick, in comparing him to a dog, but, fuck, why would you do it out loud and to the face of your attack dog? Lots of emphasis on Gravel's character here, which works well. Nice to see them use this ongoing series to actually put some meat on his bones.

Incognito #2

I liked this a lot better than the first issue. Even the lettering doesn't bother me as much. Don't know what else to say. I am amused that this issue ends on the same plot point as Scalped #25.

Scalped #25

Year three begins and, wow, Jason Aaron does the unexpected by introducing a new character from off the rez. Very fucking good.

Thor #600

Oh hellsssssssssss yessssssssssss... although, I already get the impression that Thor and Balder are playing Loki. Loki hasn't overtly done anything wrong yet, so they're just going with the flow and waiting for a slip-up to nail her balls to the wall. I do find it interesting that the Dark Avengers show up sans Ares and Sentry, the two characters that could really give Thor a run for his money--though I did notice that Noh-Varr is not used at all--no one knows how to deal with him. This book had a slow start, but Straczynski is really building a compelling story here. The bonus stuff is great, too. Stan Lee and David Aja's story is a little... cutesy, but nice. The "Mini Marvels" story is pretty damn funny and recaps the 13-issue run to date well. Plus, bonus Lee/Kirby stories and the requisite "Every cover of the title you're reading to date" thing that Marvel does in every anniversary issue like this it seems.

Also, not "I Bought Comics" related really, but I am rather excited at the news that Joe Casey will be handling Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance, which will centre on the Super Young Team. I still say that Marvel should have tapped Casey to handle Noh-Varr if they weren't going to get Morrison to come back. Here's hoping Casey brings it.

Best of 2008: Not Quite Top Ten

In this post, I want to briefly discuss/praise some books that didn't make my top ten, but still made this year very enjoyable. Here, the actual quality isn't necessarily as important as just making an impact on me in one way or another. Hell, three of the books represented here fall in that 30-20 range in my rankings.

Thor by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdjevic; Thor: Ages of Thunder specials by Matt Fraction, Patrick Zircher and many other artists; and Secret Invasion: Thor by Matt Fraction and Doug Braithwaite. Thor is one of the few characters who I will admit I'm a bit of a "fanboy" about. While I don't blindly follow the character, I always give whatever book he has coming out a shot. In this case, that means J. Michael Straczysnki's run, which began slow and had me convinced I would be dropping the title after issue six--my cut-off point for the book. However, Straczynski's slow-build has really paid off, especially with revelations like Balder's true father and the most recent issue where Loki showed himself to be a true mastermind. In January, issue 600 hits the stands and I can't wait.

But, if that wasn't enough, Matt Fraction delivered four specials and a three-issue series starring Thor that I rather enjoyed. Okay, it took until the final issue of Secret Invasion: Thor for me to really enjoy it, but that final issue was pretty damn good. The specials, though, showed a new side to Fraction's writing as he used little dialogue and relied mostly on a narrative voice that leant a certain mythic weight to the stories told, each engrossing and based in real myths. While I'm enjoying Straczynski's run on the main title, Fraction proved this year that when JMS steps down, there's a natural successor already in place (hopefully).

The Programme by Peter Milligan and CP Smith. I love abitious failures and this certainly was one. The story of old Cold War Russian superpeople being awoken and the chain of events that sets off always seemed one step away from brilliance and one step away from utter disaster. In the end, it was neither, managing to fall somewhere in between. Milligan's writing is sharp, but very busy as he seems to cram too much in at times. CP Smith's art began muddled and unclear, similar to that of Ashley Wood, but cleared up enough to work quite well by the end. While this book barely made my top thirty, it was one of my favourite books to read this year, because it was so ambitious and really tried to do something different--but ultimately didn't do much. The end of the series is an odd one, both cynical and optimistic... Really, this book wasn't that good, but it was very interesting.

Gravel by Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer, Raulo Caceres and Oscar Jiminez. Really, I should throw in the various Strange Killings minis that came before since I got all four of them this year, too (I already had Strange Kiss and Stranger Kisses). I rather enjoy stories about William Gravel, combat magician. They're not terribly complex, but they have Warren Ellis's trademark English wit and bile. As well, Mike Wolfer does a fantastic job of turning Ellis's script treatments into full issues--to the point where Wolfer's involvement is invisible. The ongoing series has Gravel tearing through the Minor Seven, a group of magicians he belongs to--or did until someone said he was dead and they brought in a new member. Gravel's gimmick is that he pretty much fucks up everyone he comes across and it's got a very "mindless entertainment" vibe to it--and that works well. Oscar Jiminez came on board the book after a few issues and put it back in a decent schedule, although his depiction of Gravel is quite different from Wolfer's and took some getting used to.

Doktor Sleeples by Warren Ellis and Ivan Rodriguez. I've actually been amazed at how little discussion this books gets online considering its position as the thematc sequel to Transmetropolitan. Now, it would be easy to dismiss this book as Ellis doing the same thing again, but this series is quite different from its forerunner. While still ostensibly about "the future" and a man returning to the city and stirring shit up, Doktor Sleepless is not about the truth, not about making the world better--it's about a broken, bitter monster of a man who is determined to tear everything down... and those who seem opposed aren't actually much better. It's funny and told in eight-issue stories. The first was about setting up the main idea of the book, while the second seems more about exploring the world that is Heavenside--and the impact that the good Doktor has had upon it. While I'm the first one to say that this book isn't as good as Transmet, it's still very worthy of notice.

Pax Romana by Jonathan Hickman. I almost included this book in yesterday's post since it's Hickman's written/drawn/lettered/everything book for 2008 in the same way that The Nightly News was his 2007 book. This four-issue series tells the story of a group of time travellers who make it their business to make sure humanity evolves quicker, both in political and social terms. It's a book of ideas as Hickman explores politics and sociology, as well as religion. His art is very design-oriented and doesn't tell the story in a typical manner. Hell, each issue had two pages of text transcribing a conversation! It's very unique and Hickman has said that this is just the first book set in this world.

Captain Britain and MI:13 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. This is the book that got bumped out of the top ten between my first list, which I gave CBR and my final list, which I did on January 1. I actually feel bad that this book got bumped, because it's a damn good superhero book. I know the phrase "gets better with each issue" is thrown around a lot, but this book does. Paul Cornell's comic writing ability grows by leaps and bounds in these issues and I have no doubt that the book will continue to get better in 2009. It's a very low key sort of book that does contain a lot of out there concepts and isn't afraid to do anything. Every issue ends with a cliffhanger that is legitimately shocking and leaves me wanting more--an art in and of itself. Also, Leonard Kirk's art is a great fit with Cornell's writing, because he is a very solid, very capable artist who, at first, helped make Cornell look better and, now, expertly depicts the crazy shit Cornell throws out there. If you're a fan of superhero comics and aren't reading this book, you are making a big mistake.

Later today, I'll discuss Joe Casey's 2008 comics.

CBR Review: Thor #12

I recently advance reviewed Thor #12 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following spoiler-free sentences: "J. Michael Straczynski enjoys making you see events you think you know in a new way, to make his viewer or reader realize that things didn’t happen as they seemed, that things are far more complex than that. He added the Spider-totem elements in his Amazing Spider-Man run, played around with time travel in Babylon 5 and, now, reveals the true origin of Loki."

You can read the rest HERE!

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.

I Bought Comics: First Week of August 2008

[I don't really "review" comics so much as babble about whatever occurs to me. My goal here is to just let you know what I thought of these books, not to really critique or even influence your buying habits. Except when I tell you to buy stuff. Then do that.]

Okay, so I didn't buy comics last week. It was a small week (three or four books at most--if the shop had a copy of Narcopolis #4... which it didn't) and not really worth two bus tickets (a bit over four bucks) to make the trip. So, that's what happened last week. This week was a big week, though, and very much worth two bus tickets. Let's get to it...

The Boys #21

This issue was very good, but I can easily see some having a problem with it. The Seven try to stop a plane from crashing on September 11, 2001 after it had been hijacked. The key here is that the Seven have no fucking clue how to stop a plane that's been hijacked. They fuck up in every possible way and the result is the death of a team member or two, and the plane crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, what makes this worse is that the air force could have shot it down over the ocean. But, this was a chance to show off the Seven... despite not training them in any way to handle a problem like this. Some moments of absurd humour, but mostly just pure fucking horror at how incompetent these guys are--and that a lot more people died because a corporation wanted to show off its superheroes. Hell, one moment of that "absurd humour" is a kid being sucked out the plane's door when Homelander opens it. It's supposed to be funny, but it's actually not, because that kid was so happy to see the superheroes--and he was their first victim. I know the whole "superheroes in the real world" thing doesn't impress many these days, but this issue manages to do that well. Really, how the hell would your average superhero know how to bring down a plane safely?

Cable #6

This was a good issue. Of course, most of it didn't actually involve Cable, rather focused on Cyclops and his dealing with sending Cable and the baby into the future. Michael Lacombe's art is very, very good. Swierczynski packs more content into this issue than the previous five combined. But, I'm done with the book. It's decent, but not worth buying every month anymore. Knowing my luck, things will turn around now, but I can't stick by it. Yes, the Cyclops stuff was good, but the little bits involving Cable were enough to remind me how little that's been working for me. The pacing has been slow and the story not nearly as interesting as it could be. Also, I can't fucking stand Ariel Olivetti's art anymore, which is a shame, because I used to be a big fan. But it's so over-the-top and fake looking in its faux-3d-CGI way that I can't be bothered. Six issues and the only one worthwhile didn't actually advance the story at all or really involve the main character.

Criminal #4

Well, we all know how well I pay attention. I didn't even connect the main character of this issue, Jacob to the counterfitter from previous stories until it was thrown right in my face. I read comics very well. Great stuff as always.

Crossed #0

Just a teaser or "prologue" for the main series. It's decent and has elements of the horrific. Since this deals with a small bit of what happened way back when it began, it's not nearly as fucked up as I imagine the rest of the story will be. Although, the genuine glee with which these people attack and kill people is a bit unnerving. I'm on board if only because it's Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows.

Final Crisis #3 and Final Crisis: Director's Cut #1

Well, evil has won. Shit. I continue to enjoy the hell out of this crossover. Tim and I will discuss it in more detail in this week's Splash page.

Because I'm sucker, I bought the "director's cut" (ugh) of the first issue. It's only worth it if you're insanely neurotic and obsessive like me. The commentary isn't that spectacular, providing only a few choice bits of information. I haven't looked at the script yet. I do enjoy seeing the uncoloured art, though.

Glamourpuss #2

I got this two weeks ago and really could have wrote about it last week, but I don't have enough to say to devote an entire post to it. I'm continuing to enjoy it, although I'm not sure what to make about the anti-depressant stuff. Is it mocking the over-medication of people, or those who don't like medication? From what little I know of Sim, I'm guessing it's the former. The inclusion of different ads here is quite interesting. Not as much discussion about photorealistic art this time around, but what's there is good stuff. I'll continue to buy this book if only because there's nothing else like it out there and I want to see where it goes.

Hawkman Special #1

Apparently, Jim Starlin may head up a relaunch of a Hawkman title and this is a good start. It's rather metafictional, particularly in its references to the first Crisis and Infinite Crisis (the second by name no less). Part of streamlining the character has Starlin simply take the ancient Egyptian stuff and erase it--it was false memories implanted by someone for some purpose. Very mechanical, but still... why the hell not? A fairly decent story, although there isn't much there beyond the obvious intent of refocusing Hawkman for Starlin's purposes. But, there's also Starlin art... how I love it. Various tropes are here, including that "stone pathway in the middle of some weird dimension" that keeps popping up. You can turn to any page and know that Jim Starlin drew it. It's great.

Infinity, Inc. #12

What a shitty ending. "To be continued in October... in the pages of Terror Titans!" Fuck you, DC. Bad enough a genuinely interesting book has been cancelled, it can't end on its own terms? Can't let Peter Milligan give us a little bit of closure? Bullshit.

The Invincible Iron Man #4

Salvador Larocca's Reed Richards looks more like Johnny Storm. A breather issue. Some lovely character moments. And a supposed cliffhanger that would be much better had it not been explained to the reader earlier in the issue.

newuniversal: 1959

I'm not entirely sure that this comic was necessary. Its events were implied in the first mini-series and actually seeing them happen is... underwhelming. Kieron Gillen does a decent job, but... I just can't get too enthused about this book. Maybe if something new was given to make it worthwhile, but everything here was implied, basically. Still, I can't blame the ceators as they did as good as job as you'd expect on a completely unnecessary book. I really enjyed Greg Scott's art--it's done in a way that makes it all seem like a flashback. Slightly skewed, slightly off... like a memory. Just a little bit. Very nice. Really, this is a good comic, I just don't see the point. Unless you want to see Tony Stark get shot in the head.

Thor #10

I'm glad I stuck with this book. The first five or six issues weren't that great, but, since then, it's been an intriguing and captivating read. What exactly is Loki up to? Hell, the amount of silent panels Straczynski uses is wonderful--he doesn't need to give us the specific details of the ceremony, because it doesn't matter. An image is enough to do the job. It's obviously looking like things are pointing towards Thor and Baldur fighting over control of Asgard, but I suspect that since it's so obvious things will change. Note how surprised Loki looked when Thor said that crowning Baldur as a price of Asgard was to proceed...

And that's it for this week.

The Sunday Open: Fourth Week of May, 2008

This is totally "Grant Morrison Week" with three books out by the man. So, let's get to it...

All-Star Superman #11

My non-love affair with this book resumes here. It's an alright read, but nothing that blows my mind three times. There's something about the Superman and Luthor in this title that just doesn't gel with me. Maybe I suffer from being a member of the "Death of Superman" generation. Maybe it's my utter disappointment whenever Lex Luthor is written as a typical supervillain. I don't know. This is by no means a bad comic, it just doesn't click for me.

Batman #677

Now, this is more like it. An issue of theories as to the identity of the Black Glove: Alfred, Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne... and, like Geoff Klock, it strangely makes me think maybe Tim is right about it being Thomas Wayne, Jr.--who I can't help but think is perhaps Dr. Hurt? He looks similar to Bruce, he claims to know Bruce better than anyone... it's a weird stab in the dark on my part.

What also caught my eye was the Batman costume in a case on page 13, and the teaser for next issue, which mentions the return of the first Batman--immediately, I thought of The Untold Legend of the Batman where Thomas Wayne was the first Batman for a Halloween party. The costume looked different from the one in the case, but the one in the case sure looks like the sort of costume one would wear to a costume party, doesn't it? That just makes me think it will be Bruce Wayne all over again.

I have no idea who the Black Glove is (although, Alfred seems unlikely with that final page), but I am digging this story.

Final Crisis #1

I discussed most of this with Tim on this week's Splash Page, but I just wanted to again say how much I enjoyed it. And, on page 10, JG Jones really nailed the view of Detroit's skyline from Windsor. I was out last night and had that exact view. Kind of odd to see it show up in a comic.

Also, the Green Lanterns acting like actual cops? Genius. Has Geoff Johns been doing that or is this another example of Morrison making a concept work in the obvious way?

Really looking forward to the next issue.

The Immortal Iron Fist #15

Another "tales of the Iron Fist" and it's alright. Much like issue seven, it didn't do much for me. Fraction tells a decent enough story, but it's very simple and lacks that special something. Next issue ends the Fraction/Brubaker/Aja era. Dammit.

The New Avengers #41

This issue fills in some blanks about the Savage Land and the SHIELD agents from the first New Avengers story, but, yeah, so what? Nothing really impressive or interesting happens. These "fill in the blanks" issues are very hit or miss, I'm finding--and, so far, the two New Avengers ones have been big ol' misses.

Thor #9

And, suddenly, this book becomes very good. This is the best issue of the series, easily. We have Loki doing her best to manipulate Balder, exploiting his underlying resentment of Thor--and succeeding. We have a few great scenes with a human calling on an Asgardian with flowers and then trying to introduce basketball to Asgard. I even liked the bit where Balder and Loki kill a Frost Giant, saving a family, only to be arrested and having the dad pissed off because they killed it right in front of his son. I'm also digging Oliver Copiel's depiction of Loki--she is one creepy-as-fuck woman here. I've never been the biggest fan of his work, but it's getting rather good here. I'm glad I stuck with this book.

Supreme: The Story of the Year

Okay, when Alan Moore was writing Supreme, I read a lot of praise for his work and have finally gotten around to the first trade. It's an okay read, but has me wondering why I should care. Yes, it's interesting to see Moore play around with Supreme as a Superman analogy, and discuss the concept of revamps and changes to a character over decades, but what's the point? Does Alan Moore have a thesis or is he just doing it to do it? He seems to have a fondness for those Silver Age stories, but his flashback comics also come off as mocking that type of comic. He seems critical of the '90s sort of hero, but also recognises that older types don't work either. He seems to be struggling to find a balance, to pay tribute to the wonder and fun of old comics, but also fit them into a contemporary context. And, I would say that he fails. These are not good comics. They are boring, antiquated and don't have the emotional impact that Moore clearly hopes for. The only issue that impressed me at all was the Chris Sprouse-drawn one where Diane and Nate discuss Omniman in a manner that mirrors their situation (even if she doesn't know it). It was at least cute. The rest is a failure as Moore can't find the right balance between old and new to make it work. At least, not for me. That said, I plan on picking up The Return because I want to see what Moore does next with the character--maybe he'll succeed after twelve issues of failure. One can only hope.

And that does it for this week. Later.

The Sunday Open: Fourth Week of April 2008

I didn't know that the shop I go to here in Windsor doesn't open until noon... until this past Thursday when I arrived via bus shortly after eleven. Shits. Thankfully, there's a lovely little cafe nearby, so I was able to kill an hour by finishing South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (my second time reading it--and if you haven't read anything by Murakami, you should). That has little to do with this week's comics, but I think an anecdote is a nice way to begin.

The Death of the New Gods #8

Since I haven't been reading Countdown at all, I have no idea how this relates to it. I've been reading this series because it's Jim Starlin and the New Gods will play a big role in Final Crisis. What I love about this issue is that the cover has Superman kneeling, looking like he's been trying to take a shit for three days, the New Gods in the background, and shouting "NO! / IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!"... a feeling shared by many, no doubt.

Myself included, because this series provides little closure. Apparently Darkseid died in Countdown, killed by Orion (or was it Orion's soul as it appears in this issue?), which you'd think would happen in a book called The Death of the New Gods. Ah well. New Genesis and Apokolips collide to form a new planet that's half of each. Superman is powerless to do anything. Darkseid escapes after nearly beating down the Source.

I enjoyed this mini-series, because I like Starlin's work, but it works only on that level. Reading this book for any other reason than to appreciate Starlin would be worthless, I think.

That said, bring on Holy War. Starlin. Lim. Hells yes.

Mighty Avengers #12

See, this is the type of tie-in issue I can get behind despite the fact that the Skrull take on Avengers #4's cover has nothing to do with the comic itself. We get a glimpse at what Nick Fury has been doing since Secret War and how he's made it his mission to stop the Skrull invasion. It's a solid issue that fills in some blanks and raises more questions than answers--particularly those final two pages. I know Bendis must have giggled himself silly with those pages. What do the red and blue circles mean exactly? Is that who is a Skrull, or just how Fury thinks is a Skrull? Wolverine and Spider-Man are circled in different colours... Alex Maleev's art is its typical loveliness.

Star Trek: New Frontier #2

Goddamn, I love Peter David's Trek stuff. Seriously, he is probably one of the top five writers to ever touch the property. Here, he kicks off the second issue with a few laughs, which is always nice. However, I'm not sure the pacing for this series is completely down. Since I'm used to the novels, this is moving much slower than I want--it seems like where we are at the end of issue two would be only 30 or 40 pages into a 200-plus-page novel. That said, I'm enjoying the crap out of this series and find myself wanting the next issue immediately.

Thor #8

A decent issue with some nice moments between Thor and Odin--as well as shedding new light on why Odin adopted Loki. We're eight issues in and now the main story can begin, it seems. Finally. This book has been a little too decompressed for my tastes. Djurdjevic's art continues to impress--hopefully, he'll get more interior work soon.

Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits

And, so, I finally get into Ennis's Hellblazer run. It took me long enough. I've gotten into the habit of buying a trade each week with my comics and keep looking at Ennis's Hellblazer stuff and it hit me: why am I not buying these? So, here we go.

At this point, you could argue that John Constantine is the one character that I will follow with any real devotion. Thankfully, I've yet to read anything too horrible involving him--mostly because Vertigo seems to do its best to protect the character.

Ennis's run kicks off with its most famous story about John dying of lung cancer. The Ennis here is one we don't see too often now, but we get glimpses of. His focus is so specific, so narrow on one character that it's almost surprising as Ennis tends to focus on ensembles now--even Punisher is more about the criminals than Frank a lot of the time. Not here: it's just Constantine. And it's a leisurely stroll through the Valley of Death that ends in a typical Constantine way: him pulling it all together to save himself and then realising that he nearly killed us all and feeling like a piece of shit.

I'm looking forward to the next trade.

Scalped: Indian Country and Scalped: Casino Boogie

I mentioned last week that I picked up these two trades while in London--well, finally finished the second one this week. And, yeah, it's a good book. I forgot while in the shop on Thursday, but, if I remember this week, I'll try to track down the singles that have come out since the end of the second book, and then begin buying this monthly. Will that make people happy? Good.

Regular posting will not resume this week, because I'm taking the next few days easy in preparation for my thesis defence on Thursday.