CBR Review: Batman: The Dark Knight #5

I recently reviewed Batman: The Dark Knight #5 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The dissonance between concept and execution is one of the most frustrating things to witness. Fantastic ideas rife with possibilities explored in the most mundane and unoriginal fashions are more disappointing than tripe that never aspires to anything more. Batman: The Dark Knight #5 has some genuinely intriguing variations on the Scarecrow’s usual fear toxin and conceptions of fear, but does nothing with them. This is a comic more interested in reliving the same dull fight that we’ve seen far too many times before: Batman vs. Superman, round 713. If anything, this comic is one held back, seemingly, by two heroes fighting for the sake of it. And that’s a shame."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Thor: Heaven & Earth #1

I recently reviewed Thor: Heaven & Earth #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Too late for last year’s rash of Thor comics, Thor: Heaven & Earth #1 has an unnecessary feeling to it. Like so many Thor mini-series before it, it appears to deal with Ragnarok, because there is nothing else to explore in Thor’s character and world. Ragnarok comes and Thor looks to Loki as the cause, relying on prophesy that states that Loki will cause the fall of the gods. Their discussion is tedious, offering no new insights into Ragnarok or their relationship. In fact, this entire comic is tedious for much the same reasons. It’s a story you’ve read before and it was done better then."

You can read the rest HERE!

Sketch Reviews (June 30 2011)

In case anyone was wondering, I plan to get the '28' series back on track after missing last month's post. The same 'lack of desire' that struck my Comics Should be Good work hit there, too. I've been keeping the basics going, but definitely needed to step back. Not sure if the stepping back is entirely done just yet, but it's been nice.

Batman, Incorporated #7: Chris Burnham's art seemed more in sync with Morrison's writing in this issue. A pretty great done-in-one comic that I can't help but see as drawing some inspiration from Scalped. One of my favourite issues of this series so far, honestly. [****1/2]

Detective Comics #878: A good issue and good conclusion to this little story. Tiger Shark is an interesting villain and one I'd like to see more of. In a couple of places, Jock's art really confused me, but that's nothing new. Snyder's narration was rather strong and the voice Dick put on when talking to James was appropriate and... yet, surprising. In a good way. Between this and last week's Gates of Gotham, I'm feeling more confident about my decision to add Batman to my pull list come September. [***1/2]

Flashpoint: Project Superman #1: An interesting issue that didn't quite land. This seems like the sort of book I'd be all over: a man slowly losing his humanity to superhumanity, but... I never get the sense that Sinclair is the one who changes so much as it's everyone around him that changes how they relate to him. He simply gains powers and people react differently to him until he loses control. It's not so much that he loses his humanity as it's taken from him. It kind of reminds me of the X-Men and how I never quite bought into that 'different non-human species' line of thinking, but understood how, after so many people treating you as something other than human, you'd begin to think of yourself as something different. Sinclair never reaches that point, though. That doesn't make it bad, just less interesting than it could have been. Gene Ha's artwork is a little disappointing in its minimalism. When he pairs down his art, it comes off as sloppy and only partially rendered a lot of the time. The stuff with the X-Ray vision worked quite well, though. I'm intrigued enough to see this one through. [***1/4]

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #8: I really like Nick Dragotta's art, but that little blast from the past story at the end of the comic added nothing. It was five pages that Dynamo had already summed up in a few sentences. I still think that those '60s sequences would work better integrated and this issue definitely seemed to have that problem. At least the pace picked up from issue seven. Still a somewhat humdrum story so far... aside from the debate between Len and Bill, which was quite well done. [**1/2]

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #4: Professor X, Magneto... Cyclops, Wolverine.... seems like an obvious enough pattern. It occurs to me that the hints provided seem like they're pointing to the Celestials. I thought Earth had 50 years until the gold one in San Francisco woke up, but, hey, why wait? This series suckered me in with a pretty good first issue and then did nothing by let me down the rest of the time... but, hey, I imagine some people are happy to see Jenkins revisit Logan's past... maybe? [**1/4]

The New Avengers 100 Project: I bought this off of the Hero Initiative's eBay page and it finally arrived with the mail lockout ended. Nice little collection of art. It's fun to see the same ideas pop up again and again or callbacks to an artist's previous tenure on the book like Steve Epting drawing that '90s team featuring the Black Knight and shaven Hercules... except he left out the leather jackets! I only flipped through it so far, but definitely worth it, especially since it supports a good cause.

The Incal: Classic Collection: This finally shipped this week after a while of waiting. The next best thing to that deluxe, oversized hardcover Humanoids put out last year and, if you didn't get that one, FUCKING HEAD OUT AND FIND A COPY OF THIS ONE! The original colouring is back and I already found one panel that's made two hundred times better for it. It's a shot of Animah with purple skin and blue hair because of the lighting and it stands out so well. Just a perfect little panel. My only hope is that Humanoids keep these coming. A hardcover like this with the original colouring of Avant L'Incal would be a fantastic companion piece -- and, then, maybe Apres L'Incal and Final Incal? Please?

Later

Sketch Reviews (June 16 2011)

I actually bought comics yesterday. This week, I got to go into work an hour early, which meant leaving an hour early, which meant leaving in time to get comics. Read them late last night after the girlfriend went to bed. And, then, I finished reading Noah's Turn by Ken Finkleman before watching the first few episodes of his latest TV show Good Dog. The book came out in the fall and was a gift from my buddy Adam. I just got it on Monday because he's horrible at mailing things. It was a pretty decent read. Nothing too surprising if you're familiar with Finkleman's work on TV. A Crime and Punishment-influenced book that reminded me a little of Woody Allen. Lots of concerns over class and money, of proper behaviour and the superficialities we erect in a society. Funny without making you laugh sort of comedy. Kind of like Good Dog, which many would say is like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but in genre only. Whereas Larry David is an engaging and sympathetic character much of the time, George Findlay rarely is. He's petty and selfish and cowardly. Though, his interaction with a little person pedestrian in the fourth episode is hilarious. He goes places David would never. I can't wait for the DVD. And, if you want to see Finkleman make an interview horribly uncomfortable and funny, check this out.

Deadpool MAX #9: The 'Non Kyle Baker' issue. Shawn Crystal isn't bad by any means. I like his manic, stiff, over-the-top cartooning here. Well, sometimes. Sometimes, his faces get this weird quality that looks awful. But, many times, I stopped and thought "I should like this more than I am" and that's because he's following Kyle fucking Baker and going for an entirely different tone. Look at the cover and then what's inside and it's two entirely different beasts. Lapham's writing needs that Baker approach to balance off the goofier and dumber elements of his script... otherwise, it's just a cartoony comic that isn't nearly as funny or interesting. [**]

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3: That first issue was a fluke, wasn't it? The writing and the art continues to slide, continues to do the opposite of the first issue... Then again, Cyclops talking to his dead mommy just doesn't do much for me. [*1/4]

Later

Sketch Reviews (May 19 2011)

[Last Thursday, Blogger decided to crash, so I couldn't do my usual Sketch Reviews. I just folded them into this week's batch, because I'm lazy like that.]

Avengers #13: And the Oral History shows up in the present. I like how it merged into what Bendis is doing and is a clever way to discuss the events of Fear Itself. My only complaint is that it's coming too soon -- we haven't hit the present yet in that telling. Now, if it flowed right out of prose pieces into a story, that would have been much better. Still, a strong character issue. That first panel at the Asgardian banquet was great. And Chris Bachalo on art... hey, he makes it work. A strong issue. [****1/4]

Batman: Gates of Gotham #1: A decent story and inconsistent art. The colours really fluctuate here with some panels just looking like awful backgrounds for an animated series. I'm intrigued. [***]

Batman, Incorporated #6: I've said a lot about this comic between the podcast and Random Thoughts. So, yeah, I dug it, wonder about the tone of the art... [****]

Deadpool MAX #8: Bob's past isn't quite as fucked up/funny as Deadpool's, but still good. Nothing here is that surprising, but I do love how we keep getting a remixed version of the Marvel universe. And this version of Cable is awesome. The way that Baker draws this issue is looser and darker. I love the texture of the art by the end. [****1/4]

Journey into Mystery #623: Pencil crayons! [****]

Punishermax #13: Damn good comics right here. [****1/2]

Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #4: The guy at my shop accidentally put this week's issue of Ultimate Spider-Man in my stack, because they look the goddamn same. I only noticed when he was ringing me up. Designs are cool and all, but if you can't tell what the fucking comic is... Still enjoying this mini, more than any of the previous ones. The Spider-Man stuff just kind of shows up and is dropped, which is odd. Gregory being the man behind it all was obvious and I'm glad Millar didn't even try to drag that out. Where the book goes from here is a bit of a question mark. [***3/4]

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #2: I'm getting Schism and enjoyed the first issue of this lead-in series enough that I figured I'd just stick with it. Oddly, this issue takes place within the first issue, but mostly before it. It would be weird if it actually moves backwards, ending with the reveal of the threat. Otherwise, this was a step down. The Magneto story was more heavy-handed and inorganic than the Xavier one last issue. The art wasn't as good. I'm curious to see what the broad shape of this series will be, though. Whatever, it's half over and the world is ending on Saturday anyway. You can't stop that, Cyclops. You can't stop God. [**3/4]

Later

CBR Review: X-Men: Prelude to Schism #1

I recnetly reviewed X-Men: Prelude to Schism #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Lead-in mini-series to events are always dicey, especially when they’re not done by the creative team handling the event book. There’s no telling how much the prologue book actually relates to the main book, how many details will actually connect, and if there’s really any point in picking it up until the event begins. It was with that mindset that I approached the first issue of X-Men: Prelude to Schism, where Paul Jenkins begins a four-issue mini that will, presumably, set-up the Jason Aaron-written X-Men event. And Jenkins has a good approach in this first issue, focusing on the emotional impact of what’s coming and the connections between characters instead of the plot itself."

You can read the rest HERE!

Blogathon 15: Hellblazer #85-89

[Discussed in this post: "Warped Notions" Hellblazer #85-88, and "Dreamtime" (#89).]

After Ennis left the book, there were five issues between regular writers. #84 was a Jamie Delano issue discussed several hours ago, while issues #85-88 was a four-issue arc written by Eddie Campbell. Now, I could write about those issues again or I could simply direct you to my reread review of the arc over at Comics Should be Good. I don't have anything new to add really and I'm not going to do any better under the half hour time contraint.

Since I own the issue, I'll also briefly touch on the first issue of Paul Jenkins's run on the book. First off, it's a shame that this run hasn't been collected. I hope Vertigo gets around to it soon since Hellblazer needs to have a complete library, don't you think? That would be absolutely wonderful I must say. I've heard some mixed things about the run, but, come on... it's Hellblazer.

Jenkins picks up where Campbell's story left off, with John on a boat near Australia. He gets off the boat, goes with an aborigonal Australian because they need his help: because of white folks encroaching on more of the land in Australia, the rainbow serpent is making all of the animals kill themselves. They need John to help stop what's going to happen, so he enters the dreamtime to sing to the serpent. It's a bit out of John's element and has him acting somewhat naive/not as in the know as he usually is. It's a fine first issue and Sean Phillips on art is a thing to behold.

Since I have a little bit of free time thanks to being lazy about these two stories, I want to talk a little about John Constantine...

Who is he?

I'll tell you right now that I don't know. I have a big stack of his comics on my table and I couldn't really tell you because each writer handles him differently. I didn't read enough Delano to really tell how he does him, but Ennis treats him as a flawed guy. He means well, but he can't help but be self-centred and selfish. He doesn't think things through always, sometimes acting rashly. But, going beyond that idea, who is John Constantine? What are the essential qualities that make him him?

He's a schemer. He's an addict. He uses people. He hates authority figures. He's selfish. He thinks himself the best at what he does. He has little use for other magicians unless he actually needs something. He will do almost anything for a friend when asked. He forgets that his actions have consequences for people who aren't him. He loves cigarettes. What else?

I just wonder how much about John Constantine is set in stone and how much is maleable. I guess we'll see as we move past Ennis into Ellis, Azzarello, and Carey. But, first, we've got a bit of Ennis left as almost everyone who ever writes the book for an extended run returns somehow.

In 30 minutes, Son of Man aka 'Ennis's Revenge'...

[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.]

Quickie Reviews (May 12 2010)

If you've ever wondered what my desk set-up is like, wonder no more as I sent in some pics of my trades on shelves and my desk to Robot 6's Shelf Porn. As you can see, space is a little limited, but I dig it still. Also, a cluttered desk is a useful desk. Onto the reviews...

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1: Enjoyable, decent start. I'm less enthralled by the 'Bruce Wayne dresses up like Batman in different time periods' concept, but it worked fairly well here. Chris Sprouse and Karl Story is an art team I always have time for. [***1/2]

Daytripper #6: Man, the craft on this series is just so high. Minimalist writing, lush, gorgeous art... what more can you ask for? [****]

Greek Street #11: The second arc concludes and I'm really enjoying this book. Sticking with it has apparently helped. Eddie by the end is in a different place, same with Dedalus. Menon... well, sucks to be him. Not sure that this is as brilliant as you'd hope, but it's definitely interesting. Not sure where it's heading now. [***1/2]

The Sentry: Fallen Sun #1: I wasn't sure if I'd get this, but I have the rest of the Sentry stuff written by Paul Jenkins, so why not the issue with his funeral/memorial service? Except it's more some superheroes stand around and talk and... it doesn't work. It's the sort of awkward, not-at-all-meaningful talk you'd expect and that's brutal to read. Since the Sentry wasn't too connected to any of these characters recently, their words rang a little hollow. I was left wondering why the Sentry didn't go to Reed Richards instead of Norman Osborn during "Dark Reign." Why did he so easily turn his back on his friends? Tom Raney can do action, but he was ill-suited for this issue. His tortured, overly rendered faces just make the whole thing come off as even more comical and stupid than it is. [*]

Now, back to the longer reviews...

CBR Review: Son of Hulk #17

I recently reviewed Son of Hulk #17 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "When Skaar, Son of Hulk debuted, most wondered if it could really sustain itself in the current market and, when the title became simply Son of Hulk and shifted the focus from Skaar to Hiro-Kala -- the other son of the Hulk and Caiera, twin of Skaar -- the book’s future looked even bleaker; it’s no surprise that the title ends this week with issue 17. What may surprise some is how strongly it ends, particularly after a weak first half that leads into an effective conclusion."

You can read the rest HERE!

Blogathon 20: Civil War Wrap-Up, Initiative Kick-Off

[Discussed in this post: Civil War: The Return #1, Civil Wardrobe #1, What If? Civil War #1, Civil War: The Confession #1, and Civil War: The Initiative #1.]

A bunch of quickies, honestly:

* Civil War: The Return #1: Two stories, one about Captain Marvel returning that simply recaps his history with a lot of melodramatic captions and doesn't really go anywhere. The other about the Sentry as he fights the Absorbing Man before registering (how does that fit with New Avengers #24?). The Sentry story isn't that bad, but the Captain Marvel one is a stinker.

* Civil Wardrobe #1: I include this because I own it and it relates to the subject matter. A fun little comic that has Tony Stark reinvent Marvel's superheroes for the 21st century through a series of splash pages. Some jokes land, others don't. Some great art for the splashes -- some awful Rich Johnston art for the framing sequences. The jokes I like best: Spider-Mart; Captain Beckham (Captain Britain); the Mighty Thor of the Church of Scientology; Nick Fury, Bad Transvestite of SHIELD; and the Jailbait Avengers.

* What If? Civil War #1: There are two stories here with some framing stuff written by Ed Brubaker that's... alright. It's framing sequences -- what do you want from the man? The first story, by Kevin Grevioux is pretty weak. Somehow, a senator uses the authority of the president to single-handedly pass the SHRA (a way to move a scene forward, I know, but still...). That story basically has Iron Man die from the Extremis and Captain America be the man they have debate the SHRA in congress instead of Stark. It all goes wrong and people die and it's not that great. The second story, by Christos Gage, is the story that shows how Civil War would have gone if written by a sane person: instead of fighting, Captain America and Iron Man talk, compromise, and work it all out so that the SHRA goes into effect, but under the Avengers' control with Captain America being the only one to know the true identities of everyone. It ends with everyone happy and a brand new status quo of unity. Brilliant.

* Civil War: The Confession #1: The third Bendis/Maleev collaboration we'll be looking at. There are two speeches/discussions here. The first, has Iron Man discuss the war and his regrets to Captain America's dead body, admitting that it wasn't worth it. The second has Cap, under arrest, just screaming at Iron Man, laying into him, demanding to know if it was worth it -- and Iron Man responding, "Well... you're a sore loser, Captain America." What a fucking douchebag. This is actually a strong comic, Bendis working in monologues, which is different from his usual rhythm of speech. Maleev continues to just be impressive as hell.

* Civil War: The Initiative #1: Three teasers for future books! Omega Flight! Thunderbolts! Mighty Avengers! With art by Marc Silvestri! Goddamn, I wasted my money!

In 30 minutes, New Avengers: Revolution.

[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.]

Blogathon 09: The Sentry: Reborn: #1-8

[Discussed in this post: The Sentry: Reborn #1-8.]

This series is an absolute trainwreck failure on every level except for the art, which is done by John Romita, Jr. -- and his talents are put to waste.

The entire series leads up to a revelation about the true nature of the Sentry and here it is: the formula that Bob Reynolds took trying to get high would have worked on anyone. It wasn't a unique, one-in-six-billion accident where it somehow combined with his cellular structure to produce the Sentry. Wow. Big frickin' deal.

Beyond that, the General is made to look a joke and quickly killed, eliminating the one good thing about Bendis's story reintroducing the Sentry. Nice job there, Jenkins.

Um... the Sentry and the Void are possibly separated, but not really, and the Sentry throws the Void into the sun, but that doesn't last since we've seen the Void at least three times since.

This series has no purpose. It really doesn't. Sorry for the short blog post, but I can't muster up anything else to say.

In 30 minutes: New Avengers: Secrets & Lies.

[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.]

Blogathon 07: The Sentry

[Discussed in this post: The Sentry #1-5, The Sentry/Fantastic Four, The Sentry/Spider-Man, The Sentry/X-Men, The Sentry/Hulk, and The Sentry VS. the Void.]

The Sentry was originally presented not just as a mystery to his fellow heroes but to the readers as well. A lost Stan Lee creation meant to debut before the Fantastic Four. The real beginning of the Marvel Age. But... then why doesn't anyone remember him, not even Lee? All of this was presented in Wizard (by the way, them going along with this fake story was the exact moment that the magazine lost its last shred of credibility) and it was a good way to market the series.

The story itself is very simple: Robert Reynolds begins to remember his life as a superhero named the Sentry. He remember adventures with other heroes, but they don't remember him. No one does. Why? The series slowly unravels the mystery of the Sentry as he returns to confront his arch-enemy, the Void, who has also returned (but no one seems to remember either...).

Ultimately, the big revelation is that the Sentry is the Void. Something about Reynolds's powers and mental state cause the Void to come into existence whenever the Sentry is active. If Reynolds is the Sentry, he creates the Void, so he and Reed Richards made the Sentry disappear to save the world. They ruined his heroic image and used the source of the Sentry's powers, a formula, to power a device that makes everyone forget him.

As an idea, it's wonderful. I love The Sentry for its ingenuity. The greatest hero the world has ever known is also its biggest threat and must disappear or else doom everyone. Fantastic stuff. Why doesn't the Marvel Universe have its own Superman? Because he would destroy the Marvel Universe. If Marvel heroes have problems to keep them grounded, a Superman-level Marvel hero would have Superman-level problems. Genius.

Jenkins finds a lot of ways to fit the Sentry into the Marvel universe. Making him and Reed Richards best friends is a great touch. I'm not sure why the Sentry was never on the Avengers... when he went away, the Avengers were still relatively new, I guess. That is one area where the series falls down: the Sentry disappear WAY too early in Marvel history. Hank Pym is still Giant-Man... yet we see comics featuring the Sentry from later points. It doesn't add up.

The storytelling of this series is very, very, very slow and would have worked better monthly where each issue would draw you deeper into the mystery. Reading it as a whole, it is just too slow -- and seems needlessly so. But, it also works with the idea of people slowly remembering the Sentry. Details unfold slowly and it's compelling.

The four teamm-up one-shots shed some more light on the Sentry's past with his fellow heroes. They acted as sort of a fifth-week event. We get to see the Sentry and Fantastic Four team-up since Bob and Reed are best friends. Or, how the Sentry provided Spider-Man with a picture opportunity that won Peter Parker a Pulitzer and made him famous. Or, the influence that the Sentry had on a young Angel. The best of these one-shots is the Hulk one as the Sentry acts as a calming influence on the Hulk, supposedly to help him evolve into something better.

Throughout the series, we get pages and covers of old comics -- the Sentry appeared in a book called "Startling Stories." And Jae Lee alters his style accordingly. In the Hulk one-shot Jenkins takes it a step further by having the adventures of the Hulk and Sentry begin with The Incredible Hulk #7 -- so that's why it stopped at issue six for us! A little joke that I love.

Jae Lee's art is phenomenal. The right amount of edge and oddness to suit the material. He can draw damn near anything and it looks spooky as hell, matching the spookiness of the story... it is spooky to suddenly realise that you don't remember a guy like the Sentry, that you're not supposed to -- to suddenly see a shelf in your home with a unicorn statue on it. The Sentry is a spooky story and Lee's art is perfect for it.

An element of the story that Jenkins originally wanted to use but didn't work in all that well is the idea of addiction, that the Sentry was addicted to the formula that gave him powers. They use this idea as the reason why the Sentry is really a bad guy to get the world to turn against him so the brainwashing will work, but not much elsewhere. Kind of a shame, because his idea of Hourman as a superpower junkie is a great one.

The story ends with the world forgetting the Sentry again -- but with a hint that Bob has a vague memory of it all. It ends in a way that if the Sentry never came back again, we know why. The Sentry never actually happened and that's for the best. I actually think it may have been better if he never came back, because there isn't a lot to the character beyond 'mentally ill Superman,' which works for this story, but not as much beyond it. So, if he were to come back, it would be bad for everyone. Thus, Bendis brings him back... and needlessly alters elements of his story as Bendis is wont to do.

Which we'll see in 30 minutes in New Avengers: The Sentry.

[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.]

Random reading: Random books!

Another trip to the shop here and another pile of books chosen at random. Well, let's dive in!

Blade #5

Actually bought earlier this week at the bookstore because I thought "What the hell, I'll give the book another shot!" based entirely on the badass cover of Wolverine's claws running through Blade's head--and Blade smiling because he fucking loves it.

Yeah, the comic sucked compared to that cover. Too much space wasted on a cliched flashback subplot and not enough space devoted to a badass fight where Wolverine runs Blade through and then Blade is all "Motherfucker, that's the way I like it!" and then it's REALLY fucking on.

Teen Titans #43

"Hey, let's do a story where it's like an evil Teen Titans!"

"You mean like an Injustice League, but with the Titans?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

So, yeah, the real Titans get their asses handed to them by the evil Titans and I'm sure this matters to people who read this title and care about these characters.

Green Lantern #16

Green Lantern is an idiot.

That sums up this issue.

Apparently, to keep things separate, Hal Jordan, while flying in the air force, is dumb enough to NOT WEAR HIS MAGICAL RING THAT WILL MAKE SURE HE DOESN'T DIE! And the he got caught by terrorists and put the woman he loves in danger and caused an international incident and is being pursued by alien bounty hunters because the kid of that alien who died and made him Green Lantern now wants his daddy's ring. And if this idiot had just worn his ring to begin with, this would have all been solved rather quickly, but he's an idiot and we're supposed to feel sorry for him, except he's such an idiot we don't.

The Creeper #6

Yeah, I didn't see that this was issue six of six until I got to the end and it was the end.

I bet if I had read the previous five issues, I might have enjoyed this issue more. Except there's fun bits of dialogue like:

"BACKSTAB ME, WILL YA?"

Said by the Creeper after punching Batman in the face.

Yeesh.

Fantastic Four #542

I rather liked this comic. It reminded me of that episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where Dr. Bashir and the group of genetically-enhanced people figure out using math that the Federation WILL lose the war with the Dominion no matter what. No hope. No chance. So why not surrender now and save billions of lives?

I always agreed with that choice and I find myself agreeing with Reed here. He's figured out the way to save the planet is to do shit like the Registration Act and he's going to make damn sure it happens no matter the cost.

I only hope that Marvel has the balls to see the story through where Reed is right. THAT would be impressive, I think.

But, they'll probably puss out in favour of the whole "siding with good will beat the odds" bullshit eventually.

Civil War: The Return

Oh, shut up, it wasn't that bad.

First off, it doesn't negate the death of Captain Marvel. He doesn't even come back from the dead really.

Second off, the Sentry story was kind of interesting--at least if you're a fan of the Sentry. It did more to explain his joining up with Iron Man more than Bendis' spotlight issue did.

Third off, it wasn't that great either, but I read worse comics THIS WEEK let alone in the past few years.

Fourth off, I do think that the Mar-Vell story could have worked better as a full-issue story. It was a little too compressed, especially when he returns, for my taste. Everyone seems to accept what's happened a little too quickly--they don't even ask WHERE he came from, they just go "Oh, you're here, run the prison!" Seems kind of stupid.

X-Factor #15

I'd heard good things and this issue was good. I've never been a big fan of Peter David's comic stuff--his prose has always done it for me--but this was good. Interesting characters, snappy dialogue and the funniest way of taking down terrorists I've ever seen--while being disturbing at the same time. I'm tempted to hunt down all the previous stuff for this series. (And I just checked with Amazon.ca and I could get the Madrox trade and two X-Factor collections for a decent price, so maybe I will sometime soon.)

The Spirit #2

So, the Spirit gets his ass kicked and then later kicks the asses of those who kicked his ass plus a few more people without much effort? I can't stand it when shit like that happens. It's something that happens in shit like this and it takes me right out of the story. It's one thing if the hero comes up with a sneaky way of overcoming the difficulty, but when there is literally no difference in the two situations I just don't get it. (You COULD argue he does it so he can find out later what the real plan is, but I don't see why he couldn't have, I don't know, kicked a little ass since doing that and then leaving wouldn't have affected anything except how much pain he'd be in.)

But, this book is steeped heavily in such conventions and it adheres to them well. Not my thing.

Captain America: Winter Soldier Vols. 1&2 and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills

Well-drawn, well-written, well-conceived. They brought Bucky back and did it in a way that adds to the character. Never thought I'd see that coming. I do think had I read this without that knowledge, it would have been better. So sorry, I just spoiled it for you, but I figure everyone knows it by now. I don't know what to say. As is obvious, I'm not great at praising stuff, I'm much more of a "tear shit down" guy.

I did think the Jack Monroe interlude issue killed the pacing of the story a bit without adding a whole lot.

The Winter Soldier special had some touching moments, especially at the end. Am confused about how the trio of Young Avengers say they won't kill anyone, but then they knock out all the Hydra members before burning the warehouse down--did they carry them all out?

Come to think of it, Hydra has been popping up a lot lately in the MU. In that Spider-Woman issue of New Avengers, in Iron Fist, in X-Factor, in Fantastic Four, here. And in nearly every case (Iron Fist is the odd one out), they are getting their asses handed to them and losing large numbers of people and equipment. Kind of makes Iron Fist look like a little pussy, doesn't it? I'm going to have to think about that.

Random Reading: Post Holidays Fun

I come home and hit the shop, pick up many, many comics. Wait two weeks and nearly every book I buy ships another issue. Pretty cool, I have to admit.

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #11

Fuck you, Warren Ellis, I will not buy six copies of this issue. Not that the six double-page splashes of the team fighting its way through the weirdest fucking enemies I've ever seen (I remember sex-midgets in Iron Man helmets and Elvis-headed MODOKs and Wolverine apes and other ungodly horrors). Basically, Nextwave makes a final assault on the headquarters of the Beyond Corporation, State 51 and fight their way through strange enemy after strange enemy in a series of side-scrolling splash pages until there's no one left. Oh, and we see Dirk Anger as a zombie. Can't wait until next issue.

newuniversal #2

More pieces of the puzzle. We kind of find out exactly what's going on and how it relates to Idea Space. Three people from last issue discover more about their abilities--and three just happens to be the magic number of superhumans to reactivate a government agency that builds robot suits to kill superhumans. Or something like that. Things are moving along nicely, basically.

Punisher War Journal #2

Am I wrong in kind of wishing the series was called War Stories featuring Captain American and the Punisher just so we could ensure the back-and-forth between these two continues for a long, long time? Fraction plays with the two personalities so well here as we have boy scout WWII soldier trying to work with fucking animal Nam veteran. Friction abound throughout the issue as they work together to try and win the war. But--oops, Punisher just killed some guys, the shit's gonna hit the fan, I suppose.

(One thing that semi-bothered me was seeing Photon in the group after reading Nextwave. It just doesn't seem right to have her in a comic mocking an event and then in a comic that ties into the same event. Damn you, Marvel. Damn you, Mark Millar.)

The Immortal Iron Fist #2

It sucks to be Danny Rand. Gets his ass whooped by Hydra and then it looks like they're trying to take over his company, too. But, he's got his old friend Luke Cage helping him out, so things can't be that bad. Oh no, his so-called iron fist just turned into a pile of mush. Damn, Danny Rand, you suck.

The Midnighter #3

How do you fight time cops? Why, you throw a time-frozen Adolf Hitler at them! Go, Midnighter, go!

A fun issue in a fun series.

All-Star Superman #6

"But, Chad, you said you haven't been digging this series and you don't keep buying books you don't dig and aren't you just the biggest liar in the world, Chad? Aren't you?"

It's Morrison and Quitely, so, yeah, I'm gonna keep on buying it and hope it wins me over by the end.

As of this issue, still mostly cold. I don't know why. But I am. Odd.

New Avengers: Senty and Sentry: Reborn

The local shop had these two trades and I said, "Hell yes, little voice inside my head, I will buy them." The first is passable and provides an okay intro for the second. We get the basics on what's up with Sentry, basically he's crazy. We also have the New Avengers fighting the Wrecker. Oh, and Paul Jenkins faints. Because he's a wimp.

Sentry: Reborn is an amazing read. I really liked the first Sentry mini and this one tops it. Easily. We learn all about Sentry and his life and the fact that he is batshit insane. Really, really, really fucking insane. And he's the most powerful human alive. And he's insane!

Okay, it reads better than that, but Jenkins has created a really interesting and complex character here. It's one of the better pieces of superhero fiction I've yet to read, giving a really adult take on a character without it coming off as superficially "dark." Makes me wish Jenkins was helming an ongoing series featuring the character.

Punisher Vol. 3 hardcover

Stopped at another shop and they were having a sale on trades, so I got this and Batman: Broken City--and basically got the trade for free thanks to the sale.

This hardcover collects nine issues from the Marvel Knights series penned by Ennis with art by Steven Dillon and Tom Mandrake. The five stories here are all decent. Only the three-part "Brotherhood" about crooked cops actually comes close to the work Ennis is doing on the MAX series currently.

The first story is about Joan the Mouse from the first Ennis/Dillon Punisher mini. It's a cute story. The third story is about a mobster looking for giant squids and is also kind of cute. The fourth is a three-part story about a crazy guy, homeless people and subway tunnels and isn't that good. The final one is another cute story involving Elektra.

As I said, the second story, "Brotherhood" actually has interesting characters and a solid story. The rest, though, was just too cute for me. I've said cute a bit too much, haven't I?

Thankfully, Dillon's art on the first three stories makes them worth reading, while Mandrake's art is solid sometimes, horrid others.

Batman: Broken City

Two things stand out after reading this:

1. So, the Joker knows he's Bruce Wayne?

2. Wow, Azzarello really added a whole mindfuck element to the character.

The basic story is a pretty standard sort of Batman story: dead people, kicking ass, crazy villains, blah blah blah. All very well done, just blah blah blah still. The final issue collected, though, is very, very good. Adds a rather cruel dimension to the character--one that works well, though.

And that's this past week.