The Sunday Open (ON WEDNESDAY!): Second Week of July 2008

[Oooh! Reviews! Yummy! But, they're kind of retarded and random. Remember that, faithful readers.]

"But, Chad, it's not Sunday! It's Wednesday! You do your weekly reviews on Sunday! What the fuck, man? What the fuck?"

I have decided that, because I am a bit of a jackass, whenever comics come out here before they do in the US, I am going to do my reviews then. Why? Because it's fun. Also, that way if I pick up something good, you Americans can see that I said it was good and maybe get it, too. As such, I'll try not to spoil much. Maybe. I dunno. We'll see what happens when the time comes, eh?

Astonishing X-Men #25

It just looks like my shop didn't get any copies last week, because they sure had a shitload this week. So, I picked it up and it was decent. Ellis's writing is Ellis's writing is Ellis's writing. If Joss Whedon's run was a response to Grant Morrison's, this is a response to Whedon's. Whedon's run was big and superheroic, and this is not. This is more hard SF with some gritty detective shit thrown in. How well it will work, ultimately, depends on what comes next. Really did not enjoy Simone Bianchi's art here, mostly because of the colouring. Too dark, too muddied and just didn't work for me. Bianchi's layouts are interesting, but detract from telling the story. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the art to ruin this book for me at all, but it kind of did. I actually wanted to put the comic down halfway through because the art was bugging me that much. I loved Bianchi's work on Shining Knight, but this doesn't do it for me.

Captain Britain and MI:13 #3

Okay, this book had me excited while reading it. You get how hard that is to pull off? I was excited. I was ready to stand up and cheer. How the fuck did Paul Cornell pull that off? I'm asking seriously. If you haven't been buying this book, grab this issue plus the first three. You will thank me, I promise.

Invincible Iron Man #3

Things pick up right where they left off and Iron Man finds out that running SHIELD means squat in China. Stane proves that he's on Stark's level and gears up for a showdown. A really interesting bit with Pepper that's cute in a depressing way.

Joker's Asylum: Penguin #1

I grabbed this because Jason Aaron wrote it and, yeah, it's good. Seems in stupid events like these, there's always one or two solid books, and this is, no doubt, the book of this "event." Aaron makes the Penguin a scary character. He makes the Penguin someone to be feared. There's a page in this issue that made me say, "Holy shit!" aloud because it's that messed up. It's worth your three bucks.

The Last Defenders #5

Casey's deconstruction of the Defenders continues as things are revealed, including the Last Defenders. There's a great scene between She-Hulk and Tony Stark. Jim Muniz's art continues to wow. I dug this issue and will probably discuss it in more depth sometime in the future. But, let's be honest, if you haven't been buying this series so far, you won't be now, eh? Shame.

Secret Invasion #4

Nick Fury and his new Howlin' Commandos (or, should I say, Secret Warriors...) kick some ass. And by "some ass," I mean a whole lot of fucking ass. What's funny is that the cover I have for this issue has Nick Fury with three of the Young Avengers, but those little fucks got their asses handed to them last issue. No, here, we have the Howlin' Commandos taking out the Skrulls without breaking a sweat just as you'd expect to save those little fucks' asses. It's a small victory in an otherwise bleak issue. Not much is revealed, but it's a solid issue.

Young Liars #5

David Lapham's Vertigo book continues to shock. Sadie is strangely sweet in this issue, Danny is still an asshole, and HOLY FUCK DID THAT MIDGET JUST DO WHAT I THINK HE DID????? JESUS CHRIST!

The Sunday Open: First Week of July 2008

[Not proper reviews! Chad rambling for fun! HOO-HA!]

After last week's giant Marvelathon, this week is small and DC-centric, mostly. Granted, I didn't get Astonishing X-Men #25, but the shop was sold out. I think. I didn't see any copies, but I also wasn't looking for any. I had totally forgot about it until I got home. So maybe they had copies. Ah well, there's always next week. And the eventual collection. Gotta love comics.

Batman #678

Okay, that isn't at all what I expected. But, hey, that's a good thing, no?

Morrison continues to integrate every Batman story ever told and, in the process, pushes Batman's sanity to the brink. The issue begins with a Black Casebook entry, read by Robin, where he explains just how damaging his superhero career has been to his psyche. This isn't the Batman we're used to seeing. The journal entry is strangely open and earnest... sadly, it reads more like the sort of thing I write in my private journal thing--I say "sadly," because it shows a certain humanity and weakness in the character--not a shot at the writing, but a feeling of sympathy for Batman--does that make sense? And Robin shows off how good he is by taking on a couple of members of the Club of Villains... while Nightwing can't hold his own. It's looking very much like the new Batman and Robin will be Tim and Damian.

Hurt wears Thomas Wayne's Batman costume...

Bruce Wayne has been drugged up and is now the Batman of Zur En Arrh...

Next issue, the Joker shows up...

I forget where I read it, but someone recently said that Morrison is done a disservice over on Final Crisis by the art being so good. Doesn't that seem almost a pattern? Morrison's best work is often done with subpar artists--maybe because they don't distract from the writing? Not to say Tony Daniel is that bad, he's just not that great. He falls in line with the long line of "so-so" Morrison artists. Of course, Morrison has worked with his share of fantastic artists (and his stuff with Frank Quitely is among his best work--and we all know how much I love Marvel Boy with JG Jones), but... I don't know where I'm going with this, actually. Shit.

Good comic.

The Boys #20

The history of superheroes continues ending on September 11, 2001.

Ennis does a good job explaining how superheroes came about here and providing a good overview of the sociopolitical impact of their existence. I imagine next issue will be quite the story since we already know that the Seven's attempt to stop the hijackers from crashing the planes into the World Trade Center will result in at least one of the planes taking out the Brooklyn Bridge.

The other stuff in the issue is alright. The continuing meeting between Butcher and Homelander doesn't really go anywhere. The Annie/A-Train stuff is good, but gives me that uneasy feeling since I like Annie and I really like Hughie... but I know Ennis can be a downright bastard to characters, especially the ones suckers like me get attached to, so I fear the worst.

After this arc is over, I plan to reread the series. Looking forward to that.

Cable #5

This comic is a weird mix of decompressed storytelling in the macro and ultracompressed storytelling in the micro. The larger story is slow and plodding, but the actual pacing (particularly in this issue) is quick to the point of seeming fragmented and almost like a montage. I assume this altered pacing is Swierczynski still getting used to writing comics and maybe even responding to criticisms of writing too slow and decompressed. I don't hate the writing, but it is problematic. I find myself strangely liking this comic because it isn't working. I like watching Swierczynski try new things and discover what works and what doesn't. I also think this book would probably work better with a different artist--maybe someone who's been spending some time over on Ennis's Punisher book. This is Blade Runner SF, which is done a disservice by Olivetti's CGI-esque art. It needs more darkness and grit. The transformation of Sophie from waitress to Punisher is really fucking weird. Where the hell did that come from?

Holy War #3

The weakest issue so far. There is a nice moment when the Weird tries to get the band together officially and everyone's response is to ignore he exists. This story is still all over the place, but it seems to be coming together, slowly. It's still all about various religions preparing for war, but, sadly, the anti-god ray has been sidelined. The heroes fail to see that maybe getting rid of Lady Syx's hold over Rann would help them out. Not as much insanity as the previous two issues. I am a little bothered that this eight-issue series requires at least two one-shots to accompany it, though. Not that I'm complaining about getting some more Starlin stuff, mind you.

Infinity, Inc. #11

I'm thinking that I may do something comparing this work to Milligan's The Programme. Probably not, but once I reread both, I'll see if there's something there. Both twelve issues, both out at the same time, both about superheroes (kind of)... who knows.

This series ends with a two-part story tying into Final Crisis via the Dark Side Club... and Desaad. Yeah, it hasn't been said, but Desaad is Fogel. He says, at one point, "I AM A CHILD OF APOKOLIPS. / I AM PARTNER TO THE MIGHTY DARKSEIF. HIS INQUISITOR SUPREME." So, yeah, Fogel is Desaad.

The art is serviceable. Pete Woods is gone because the book is cancelled. Javier Aranda is alright, but I would have preferred they brought back Max Fiumara or Matt Camp since, well, both are better, in my opinion.

The cover to this issue is strange as it doesn't seem to have anything to do with what's inside. Unless that's supposed to be Fogel... but that doesn't explain the actual body show or the face that seems to have a mask. What's going on exactly?

Oh, and the writing is decent. I'm disappointed that this book is ending as it seems like Milligan had some longterm plans for these characters as they deal with their emotional and psychological problems.

Until next week.

The Sunday Open: Fourth Week of June 2008

[As always, these reviews are brief impressions, gut reactions if you will, to the books I got this week rather than proper fully-rounded reviews. Read them as such. If, at any point, you don't understand what I mean by something... well, that happens.]

A big week, mostly because Marvel decided to ship everything it publishes in an effort to crush Final Crisis. Not the smartest of strategies (and if it wasn't a strategy, it still wasn't smart) as it almost had me passing up a few of their books. But, whatever, let's get to it...

Captain America #39

Frank D'Armata's colours keep the art looking like that of Steve Epting's enough for my taste. I didn't notice that it wasn't Epting, Mike Perkins or Butch Guice on art for a couple of pages--and was surprised when I realised it wasn't one of those three. I guess it was bound to happen since Perkins and Guice are very talented and working as Epting's fill-in boys probably doesn't pay the bills. Still, it kind of sucks. But, I read that Luke Ross is coming on board and I like his art, so we'll all live. Oh, and the writing continues apace.

Final Crisis #2

I liked this book. While doing this week's column with Tim, I came to the conclusion that we may as well just be totally honest and rename the thing "Tim and Chad Read Comics Better Than You Do" because that seems to be the point half of the time... and we're arrogant fuckers. Strangely enough, I think I'm worse than Tim is despite his having more cause to be than I do. *shrugs*

Oh, my only complaint about the book: the colourist didn't colour Turpin's hair when he was buying his bus ticket. Sloppy.

The Immortal Iron Fist #16

For some reason, I thought Brubaker was co-writing this issue. I was wrong. Great art by David Aja. The first of our various Matt Fraction books for the week. A decent read, but that varied from scene to scene. The charity stuff was alright and a lovely thematic follow-up to Wildcats Version 3.0, but didn't really grab me. The stuff with Danny was fantastic and makes me miss Fraction already. I'm not sure about the new creative team, but I'll give it a shot.

The Mighty Avengers #15 & The New Avengers #42

Hey, yeah, isn't it great when two books by the same writer ship in one week and fuck up the timeline in a story where when someone was replaced by the Skrulls is actually important? In Mighty, we have Henry Pym replaced in England after the "new" Avengers form; in New, we have Pym already replaced when that happens and at Columbia University. Well done, sirs and ma'ams.

I did like the way New Avengers ended, though.

No Hero #0

I'd have rather gotten Black Summer #7 first, especially since No Hero #1 doesn't come out until August (the extra month there, I assume, to allow for people to pick up this issue and then place an order for the first issue). But, you know, let's ignore that.

An alright teaser that is all concept, no character. Which is fine since I like the concept. I'm almost disappointed that the main story won't take place back in the '60s. There will probably be all sorts of flashbacks, though. I do wonder how much of the info given in the backmatter will actually appear in the comics.

I'm on board, but did anyone really think I wouldn't be?

Thor: Reign of Blood

Much like the first Fraction one-shot, I really enjoyed the narrative voice employed here. Thor continues to play a small role until the second story, making the first half of the total story (since there will be a third one-shot, making six stories in total) very light on Thor--an interesting way to go about things. I'm looking forward to the third one-shot.

Thunderbolts #121

And so Warren Ellis ends his tenure on this book... It was really fucking good. Normally, when Ellis leaves a book, I shrug and move on, because that's what he does, but I'll miss him here. He wrote a mature book involving villains better than anyone else I've seen and really hammered home how stupid the entire idea was. He also managed to make Penance work and his Norman Osborn is fantastic. I won't be buying this book any further.

Young Avengers Presents #6

Almost didn't buy this because it was a big week, but Tim made me. It was rather good and made me care about a character I had barely encountered before. It also has great Alan Davis art, which is always a plus. Fraction's Clint Barton is pretty damn good, too. Although, I will say that that last page made the whole issue work and without it, I may have been a little annoyed. But, then again, Eli's rant while leaving the park at the beginning is one I've delivered inside my head many times, just never having the balls to say it aloud, so...

I hate the f-word. I really do.

The Sunday Open: Third Week of June 2008

[Yeah, this is a post of reviews of the comics I got in the past week. It is random (well, in alphabetical order, actually, but I meant random in what I have to say, not the order in which I discuss the books) and not any real attempt to review in any traditional sense of the word. Really, it's me looking through the stack and talking about what occurs to me. Not to be taken seriously by anyone.]

Anna Mercury #2

Not quite what I figured it would be after the first issue. Was expecting something along the lines of Grant Morrison jumping into a fictional world and shit like that. Not that this is worse, just not what I was expecting. It's an alright comic, but I strangely prefer the stuff in the real world to Anna Mercury's adventures on the moon or whatever. Backroom politics, secret government programmes... in this world, all of the G8 countries have stations like this, so I want to see them. I want to see the Canadian one, I really do. What?

ClanDestine #4-5

Rather enjoyed this series. It told a complete tale, but also didn't satisfy really. Mostly, I want to learn all about Vincent, I do. The end of issue five suggests future stories and I hope low sales don't kill that chance. Of course, I didn't get these last two issues until this week because the shops in Windsor are fucking sold out of the things. That happens with a lot of books I enjoy: can't find them here and can barely find them in London. Um, maybe some books are a little underordered maybe? (And yeah, I know I used the word "maybe" twice there.) Weird guessing game, I know, but when I'm not getting certain new books on Wednesday or Thursday... well, something isn't right. And, funny enough, big seller books tend to sit on the shelves, overordered. Not that I blame retailers, because who knows what people want really. But, yeah, good comics. When the trade if out, pick up the mini. Well worth your time, effort and money.

Doktor Sleepless #7

Things move to a head... hahahahahahaha... oh, I love horrible puns. Okay, I don't, but I didn't even catch that one until I wrote it. Ah well. Decent issue, we'll see what issue eight brings.

Ghost Rider #24

Motherfucker broke into prison and starts a riot indirectly. I love the brutality of the character here. Jason Aaron makes no attempt to give Blaze any redeeming characteristics, really. All we've got is a guy who got fucked over and wants revenge--and is brutal in getting it. Lovely comic.

Gødland #23

Alternate reality! Squeeeeeeeeeeeee! I love those alternate realities and about damn time one has shown up here. I am a little bothered that Adam can sense things are amiss since that's the oldest trick in the book, but he also has special cosmic superpowers, so... I love how goddamn selfish Neela is. Seriously, ever since issue one, she's just been focused on herself at the price of everyone else--and now she's rebuilt reality just so she's the hero and her brother isn't. That's messed up.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2

Gave this a second issue to win me over and it kind of has. Almost. Maybe. I dunno. It reads alright on the surface, just isn't getting me in my special areas is all. DnA aren't touching my special areas and that's a bad thing.

The Programme #11

The Russians are fucked. Fucking right. USA! USA! USA!

...er...Milligan will surprise us all I'm sure. A weird comic.

Punisher War Journal #20

Frank purposefully fighting unlike himself is a great touch. The rest of the issue was all kinds of meh.

Rasl #2

I strangely like this book. But, it does involve alternate realities, so... Alternate realities where Bob Dylan went by Robert Zimmerman and still somehow recorded Blonde on Blonde. What are the fucking odds? No, really, that is freaky. Since he wasn't called Bob Dylan, his life should be very different--probably still a musician, but even the time displacement of Zimmerman instead of Dylan should be enough to ensure that Blonde on Blonde never got made. Weird. But, yeah, good comic.

Scalped #18

Again, Tim, thank you.

Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust?

I got this for the Noh-Varr story and it wasn't the horrible piece of shit I expected. It wasn't any good either, but it didn't piss me off. Nothing here pissed me off because it all so stupidly unnecessary and bland. Really, was there a point here? Any point at all? Because I sure as hell can't see one.

Gotta love the title's throwback to Civil War, eh? While I'm thinking about that, why is that new mini-series by Christos Gage called Civil War: House of M when it should be the other way around? That makes it sound like it takes place during Civil War when really it's a civil war during House of M. It's fucking backwards, you morons.

Oh, and Marvel is releasing Marvel Boy in hardcover come September, which is... oh, around eight months late. They should have had that fucker out before Secret Invasion and Final Crisis to capitalise on both. Yes, use DC to move books, fellas. I'm probably going to buy a copy because I love that series and, well, I said I would in a Splash Page. But, still, Marvel's release schedule of trades is fucked. They really botched the whole Eternals thing as far as I'm concerned. For one thing, the Gaimain mini's trade should have came out BEFORE the new series began, not the week after. That's dumb. And don't tell me a printing issue moved things around, because it should have been out several weeks before--or, ready to be out weeks before, but purposefully shipped one week before. But, you know, whatever, not my company.

Tiny Titans #1

Finally found an issue of this series after reading Tim's praise for a while. It's a cute little comic that had a few moments that made me laugh. Especially Robin asking Speedy if he can run fast. That name makes no fucking sense. Good little book. If I come across more issues, I'll buy them.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #4

I do hope everyone notices that most of this book is people talking. The fights are short, brutal and utterly without glamour. This book lives between battles. It's a bit more subdued than most Ennis stuff I've read. But, it's good.

Young Liars #4

...Sadie was a virgin? Jesus. Freddie is a bit of a douche. I'm enjoying this book more with each issue.

And, yeah, I got some trades somewhere in there, I think, I dunno. I know I got a cheap copy of Pride & Joy and it was good. I reread Mike Carey and Denise Mina's runs on Hellblazer and enjoyed them for different reasons. They're both still the weakest writers on the book that I've encountered--but, well, maybe my love of Constantine blinds me and makes me unable to dislike the books. Although, the weird one-off issue in the middle of Mina's run is fucked up.

This upcoming week is big just as money is getting tight. Fucking hell.

The Sunday Open: Second Week of June 2008

[Note: the reviews below are not full reviews. Nor are they objective. They are often intuitive responses to what I read and lack fully formed ideas. Why? Because I spend the rest of the week trying to be smart and sometimes I just want to talk about comics without worrying about that stuff. Sometimes, I just want to have some fun with comics.]

I spent a lot of money this week. Well, not that much, but more than I usually like to. Blame the bunch of Adventures of Superman back issues I picked up in an effort to complete my collection of Joe Casey's run (only need five more). Damn you, Joe Casey. Well, let's get to it...

Captain Britain and MI13 #2

Greg Burgas pointed this out, but right before that fucking awful Uncanny X-Men #500 ad by Greg Land that has polluted every Marvel comic this month by popping up right in the middle of each issue since it's a double-page ad, we get a two-page spred by Leonard Kirk that shows Land for the lesser talent that he is. Land's picture is bland, flavourless, uninteresting, and kind of creepy (I know, I know, the porn referencing has been beaten into the ground, but I'm disturbed that the newest teenage mutant, Pixie, is obviously waiting for someone to cum on her face... I don't want images like that put in my head, but it's so damn obvious...). Kirk's pic is dynamic, packed full of action and warrants some study to see how everything is laid out (as opposed to... holy shit, how can Storm's legs bend like that? What the fuck?). The writing on this comic is pretty good, too. The way Captain Britain dies is interesting, and the sense of doom is palpable. I really do think all of these characters are fucked and the Skrulls are going to win. Why wouldn't I? THEY HAVE THE GODDAMN MAGIC! I'm not worried about the rest of the Marvel universe, but Britain seems completely fucked and probably won't be around after "Secret Invasion." Shit, then who will star in this comic? Now, I'm really worried (and also know that this book won't survive past a year most likely, which is a shame because it's good).

Charlatan Ball #1

A new Joe Casey creator-owned title? And with an obvious Kirby influence? Oh my god, Gødland is entertaining it's final year? And Codeflesh is returning? What do you want me to say, really? It's a solid Joe Casey comics with some decent art. It's an interesting premise and contains that typical Casey protagonist of the down-on-his-luck-but-really-decent-underneath dude with some trippy shit. In particular, that trippy splash page where Weird Mind-Altering Shit Happens. This book gets bought every month. Hells yes.

Eternals #1

I discussed this a bit with Tim, but that was more a discussion about Jack Kirby, his work, his legacy, the molestation of his memory... this comic was more a means to that end. This was not a good comic. It was tedious, it was dull, it told me nothing, and contained cliche characters. Daniel Acuna's art is great (really, that Thanos panel... wow). I'm convinced Sue Storm didn't originally have a bathing suit or bra or whatever that is. Is that Lightray on the cover between Ikaris's left arm and thigh? Little explanation was given of the Horde. Where were the Big Questions, the Big Ideas, the Majesty? Where's the love?

The Last Defenders #4

I knew the problem was Nighthawk. Or, more importantly, Kyle Richmond. I believe Joaquin will become Nighthawk by the end of the series (hence the full mask on issue six's cover). Kyle Richmond can't be a superhero anymore and who better than the SHIELD agent whose father was a supervillain? But, yeah, the problem with each of these Defenders teams (and there have been three in the book so far) has been Kyle Richmond. He is a failure of a superhero. He is the problem ingredient, clearly. In the end, he must be excised from the group in order for it to survive.

I really enjoyed the scene between Richmond, Tony Stark and Henry Gyrich. A really great indictment of the Superhuman Registration Act and its corruption of heroic ideals. I'm really enjoying this book.

Narcopolis #3

Something about this issue didn't click for me. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for the language of the book. You need to be in the mood to read something like this and I don't think I was in it. Shit. I have not done Jamie Delano a service by reading this issue when I did. I should have just put it away and maybe waited for issue four and read the whole damn thing in one sitting. Waited until I was ready to embrace this world and its language. Because I do love the langauge of this book. It's a fun read in many ways. It's about a society that is both wonderful and shitty it's about love; it's about taking drugs, both illegal and legal. It is a reflection of our world, but only in the complexity of it. A lot of writers tend to ignore that societies are never all evil or all good. Things don't work that way. Yeah, a tyrannical dictatorship sucks for a lot of people, but it fucking rocks for others. Narcopolis is an agent of evil in many ways, but it's also a great place to live if you fit in and abide by the societal rules. And is there something all that wrong with wanting to do that? Gray Neighbour doesn't seem entirely sure--he's questioning the society, trying to see both the good and evil, maybe focusing a bit on the evil because everyone around him tells him the good. But, he is questioning and that is the key to this comic (maybe). No society is one thing entirely, but what matters is the questioning, the examination of what makes a society function, of the good and bad parts. Not simply believing one side of the story without question. Okay, maybe I wasn't in the wrong mood for this comic. Who knows.

newuniversal: Shockfront #2

A very effective issue. Ellis moves forward a few plots, including Phil Voight killing a superhuman in a rather clever way. He's talked about how he killed superhumans back in 1959 and now we see that he's still got it (and next month's one-shot will provide more background). The best part of the issue is the two-page explanation by Charlotte Beck (a new character) of the history of this world since 1960, allowing us to see exactly where it differs from our world. I love alternate histories, so two pages of a character just spilling details makes me happy. Things are pushing to a head it seems. Good stuff.

Red Mass for Mars #1

The third Jonathan Hickman-penned mini-series currently ongoing at Image and this one is just as interesting and unique as Pax Romana and Transhuman. I love how this issue begins with a few stock sci-fi doomsday plots and then discounts them. Basically, aliens are coming and they are really tough, so all of the superhumans need to pull together. In many ways, it's a typical superhero book; in many ways, it's not. The whole Lightbender monologue was rather funny as he exercises his racist, xenophobia by demanding English become the primary language of Earth again... and to prove he's serious, he defiled the Queen of England... three times... er...

The art by Ryan Bodenheim is decent. Like most Hickman books, this is pretty text-heavy, but the visuals work. Hickman is quickly becoming one of the few creators whose work I buy without question. Hell, he's already there, honestly.

I bought a couple of other things, but nothing I want to discuss yet. Or, stuff I haven't fully read. Either or. I dunno.

The Sunday Open: First Week of June 2008

I am buying far too many comics. Far, far too many. It's never a slow week anymore. But, whatever, because I got some good comics. Let's get to discussing them.

The Boys #19

It took 19 issues, but Garth Ennis has finally brought war stories to The Boys. Let us all take a moment to reflect on that. Okay. Someday, someone with more brains than I possess will do an excellent overview of Ennis's career, looking at his pet themes that crop up so obviously in everything he writes. And there's nothing wrong with that. Most great writers constantly explore the same ideas over and over again from different points of view in an effort to better understand it. I really enjoy watching Ennis do that, because he writes some damn entertaining comics. This issue is divided between Hughie getting a history lesson from the Legend, and the Seven meeting with the Boys (plus a bit on Lamplighter covered in his own shit). I did enjoy the moment where the Seven's "Aquaman," the Deep comes out of the water and the Frenchman sees this and begins laughing at how fucking stupid he looks. Because he looks really, really stupid. Yeah, this book is full of cheap shots against the superhero genre, but it does have an underpinning of ideas like friendship, loyalty, power, and the general goal of making life decent for most people. Frankly, stuff like that reads better with cheap shots and crude jokes--at least, in my opinion.

Cable #4

Oh, so that guy at the end of last issue was Cannonball. Totally didn't get that. Probably should have, what with the giant "C" on his chest. My favourite bit of this issue were the three panels depicting his aging as the "C" changes shapes and sizes. Costume evolution, people. There's also a fuck-up in this issue where Cannonball calls Bishop "Nathan"--or, it was a Freudian slip. I would love to see Swierczynski see the mistake and then make it a Freudian slip, because that's much more interesting. Kind of a meh issue that would have been better had Cable not just reversed his entire position on the last page for no real reason. This book still lives on the edge of "Not buying another goddamn issue." The last book that lived there and didn't make it back was Midnighter, which was cancelled soon thereafter. Coincidence?

Criminal #3

Speaking of coincidence, the essay for this issue discusses a Sydney Pollack film a couple of weeks after he died. Weird.

This comic is depressing and sad, but real fucking good. It gives us the story of Danica and doesn't even cover the heist that winds up killing her. A little curveball from Brubaker as we all expected at least some of that story since it's the connecting event of the first three issues--but, no, we get none of that. Why? Because this gives us all we need. We get the background and Danica's role in the heist is pretty easy to figure out. It was explained in the first two issues a bit, but Brubaker also relies on the reader to fill in anything else. An easy job considering the fantastic work here.

Duostar Racers #1

...what the fuck? No, seriously, what the fuck? Normally, I defend Ashley Wood's work, but this... what the fucking fuck is this shit? I didn't understand a goddamn thing in this comic and I'm sure that's my fault somehow, or Wood's art has become so obtuse and flat-out impossible to understand that it actually makes no sense. I miss Lore. That was a fucking good comic. Maybe I'm missing stuff, but is Wood just jumping from half-finished project to half-finished project these days mostly? If I see issue two on the shelves (which, knowing Wood, who knows), I'll probably pass.

Holy War #2

Again, I refuse to recognise the full title as the rest of the fucking title is retarded. I'm sorry, but "Holy War" is a million times better than "Rann-Thanagar Holy War." It's true, Dan Didio. It's true.

This is one fucked up comic as our beloved heroes continue to try and build an anti-religion ray--seriously, they're letting Jim Starlin do a comic like this? His last book had him killing gods and now, the main thrust of this book is about how religion fucks everything up for everyone. I love this man. Oh, and then a dinosaur shows up. EVERYONE FIGHT THE DINOSAUR! WHOO!

Ron Lim's art continues to underwhelm me. It's still decent, just not as good as I've seen elsewhere. But, it's also a 30-page comic, which is nice. At first, I thought it was just Starlin's style of storytelling that seemed to take longer (okay, it still does), but then I counted: 30 pages. Awesome.

This comic isn't that great, but I enjoy it as a fan of Starlin. Some may find other reasons to like it, but Starlin doing a comic about building an anti-god ray is enough for me.

Infinity, Inc. #10

This book ends with issue twelve, sadly. This comic is one of the weirder ones on the shelves and never really found that right balance. Personally, I've really liked Millgan's off-kilter approach that pays the most superficial of tributes to the genre conventions while throwing as much fucked up shit as possible at the reader. But, come on, did anyone think a comic from DC about how superpowers fuck you up would sell well? Really? Even Pete Woods couldn't save this title from the axe.

In this issue, the team fights against small town cops and hicks--who are working with an evil doctor that hurts people with a pen. And people are surprised this isn't selling to the hardcore fanboy crowd? Really?

Damn, I really like this book. On the plus side, I'm accumulating a nice collection of books that lasted a year or less that I can devote some nice long posts to. Guess Infinity, Inc. goes in that pile now.

The Invincible Iron Man #2

Matt Fraction is totally in love with Thor. At first, he didn't like Thor, but, now, he has a huge man-crush on Thor--and who can blame him? Take a look at that blonde hunk of man-meat and tell me you could resist his charms? Oh, sure, first it was just a "one-shot" and then Fraction planned to never see him again, but that "one-shot" soon became a couple more and then a three-issue mini-series tying into "Secret Invasion." Now, Thor is showing up in Fraction's brand-new Iron Man title and totally rocking our collective worlds. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up at the end of the current Punisher War Journal arc, taking down Jigsaw--and then, when Casanova returns, a suitable substitute is introduced there. Maybe an appearance at Danny's birthday part in the next Iron Fist? Or a quick trip to SF to team-up with the X-Men in Uncanny? Fraction has got the Thor love disease and there's no cure. Nor would anyone want one.

Omega the Unknown #9

The Mink fights his giant hand to the death. This comic just blew my mind.

Secret Invasion #3

Okay, can the Young Avengers actually do shit in a fight? I've seen these young losers exactly twice: now and during Civil War where they got their asses handed to them by Noh-Varr. Or, are they just utterly helpless against aliens? Really, shouldn't someone have stopped these kids from pretending to be superheroes until they were properly trained in not getting their asses handed to them all of the time? These guys are shit. I'm glad they're dead, because at least they served the goal of filling up a big chunk of this issue and making Nick Fury seem even more hardcore. See, that's him on the last page with another bunch of young superpowered people who he actually trained to kick ass, not just die in the middle of Manhattan like a bunch of losers. The lesson: the world needs Nick Fury to train superpeople. Or, is it? We haven't actually seen the new Howlin' Commandos in action, but guess what? They have a little Greek god that's going to make the entire Young Avengers squad want to vomit at the thought of costuming up again, because if a seven-year-old can fuck Skrulls up better than the entire team put together... christ, those Young Avengers suck. Hell, the Initiative sucks, too. They show up and the Skrulls kind of shrug and then begin executing heroes in the street while saying "He loves you" in their weird Skrull language.

Oh, and Tony Stark may be a Skrull. At least, that's what the Skrull queen says. And we should trust her. She hasn't been lying about stuff since forever, right? Right?

It may not be apparent, but I enjoyed this comic. Even notice how these posts degrade over time--with initial reviews having a point and maybe some logic... and then later ones has you wondering what the fuck have I been drinking/snorting/popping/injecting to come up with these insanely retarded "reviews"? The answer, dear reader, is nothing. Nothing.

Trinity #1

I'm not buying another issue. This wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. I couldn't even read the back-up story all of the way through, because of the inane dialogue. Oh, and the "Trinity" discuss their dreams over waffles or pancakes, whatever's easier. Great. Really, I'll admit, I went into this issue thinking the whole "these three heroes are somehow linked and important" idea is kind of stupid--I left it thinking the whole "these three heroes are somehow linked and important" idea is really stupid, because what's linking them together? SCARY DREAM THAT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE ANY ORDINARY SCARY DREAM! Nothing here that makes me want to learn more. I just don't care.

"But, Chad! Chad, you can't just judge this comic based on one issue! That's not the way things are done these days!"

No. I'll give books the benefit of the doubt when there's something that has me--this book had nothing. Good for you if you liked it, I'm happy for you, really I am, but I'm out. I don't need to buy a book I don't like four times more a month than normal. That's just stupid.

Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell

Garth Ennis ends a run like no one else. I've read a lot of his stuff, but only two major runs completely: this and Preacher. In both, he somehow brings it all together in ways you don't expect but seem completely obvious at the same time. He does have a habit of getting into "greatest hits" storytelling in many ways, but he makes it work. The conclusion to his run on Hellblazer is nearly perfect in the way he ties the entire thing together, dovetails John's story with another, somehow has John come out on top, but not without paying a heavy price and feeling like a complete ass as a result. Ennis knows how to play with a reader's connection to these characters better than any other writer in comics. No other writer has even made me laugh so hard or feel so shitty. While I'm enjoying The Boys quite a bit, I know a part of me is reading the book just for that final arc, because Ennis will fucking bring it. He always seems to. This is a very, very good trade and should only be gotten if you have the rest of his run on the book. I'm sure it would read alright without knowing what came before, but why chance it?

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: Third Week of May 2008

Captain America #38

This story continues apace and the quality remains typically high. We learn who Steve Rogers really is, have Falcon and the new Captain America teaming up, and get more politics. Because politics is fun.

Ghost Rider #23

Jason Aaron's initial story concludes and, yeah, Danny Ketch is back. I'm pleased that he's on the other side. Team-ups are fun, but opposing one another is always better. I've never been a fan of Ghost Rider (Blaze or Ketch), but am strangely excited about the prospect of the two going head-to-head.

Aaron also writes a mean fucking bastard of a Ghost Rider. He totally fucks up that cop for no reason other than the cop trying to arrest a dangerous criminal and Ghost Rider thinking he deserves a harsher punishment. That scene actually had me taken aback a little since it was so cruel.

Also, Roland Boschi's art on this title is making me a fan quickly.

The Mighty Avengers #14

"...no more Nick Fury?" My initial thought upon beginning this issue and then Bendis won me over by the end. Some wrote the Sentry off as Marvel's Superman... which he is, but that's a good thing since this is a very human "Superman" whose powers are pretty meaningless since his head is so messed up. The Skrulls know this (or Jarvis-Skrull does) and exploit it. Sure, it gives some obvious detail to a scene from Secret Invasion #2, but also adds a fantastic ending that I can't wait to see followed up on.

Khoi Pham's art is decent, but a little inconsistent. In some panels, he's aping Steve McNiven; in others, John Romita, Jr.; in others, Oliver Copiel... basically, Marvel's big names all seem to show up. It's not as jarring as it sounds, but every few pages, a panel would stop me cold because it was so unlike other panels with its style differences. But, I'd rather see a young artist experiment with styles like that in an effort to find his voice than to struggle with trying to be original before the ability is there.

Scalped #17

Lots of small things happen and that pushes the book forward far more than any one big thing could. This is a subtle, slow, methodical book quite unlike anything I've seen in comics before. Jason Aaron seems content to take his time and really focus on the moments and the characters. It's a heartbreaking read most of the time. I am so glad that I started reading this book.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #3

This comic makes me laugh. The second page is fantastic. The whole comic is pretty good as Ennis continues his slow turn around of Kauffmann from eager fuck-up to skilled fighter pilot. I'm also growing more fond of Howard Chaykin's art.

Hellblazer: Tainted Love and Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame

I was only planning to get one of these this week, but fuck it. I also ordered a copy of Rake at the Gates of Hell online to complete my collection (except for two Ennis-penned issues that remain uncollected--it would be three, but one is in Rare Cuts), and, holy shit, was it difficult to find a reasonably priced copy of that trade. Apparently, it is out of print or something, because I see people selling copies for over a hundred bucks. That is insane. I can't stand it when I see any book being sold for such a huge price--and I don't blame the people doing the selling, I blame anyone who pays that much for it. Seriously, if you're paying more than, like, maybe forty bucks for a trade originally priced at less than twenty bucks, you probably have too much money and too few brains. The worst case I've seen of this is for Haruki Murakami's Pinball 1973, which is available in English only in an edition published in Japan as part of a book series designed to help Japanese people learn English. You see, that was Murakami's second novel and he doesn't like his first two novels really, and won't allow them to be translated into English outside of Japan. I got a copy of his first book, Hear the Wind Sing as part of the same series and for, like, ten bucks, as copies are plentiful. Pinball 1973, on the other hand, seems to start at two hundred dollars or so, which I refuse to pay. Firstly, I'm not paying two hundred dollars for a little paperback book no matter what. Secondly, Murakami doesn't consider it good enough for me to read, so why would I pay more for that book than any other book I've ever bought? Better options for reading it: wait for Murakami to change his mind or, eventually, die and maybe it will get published in English then (morbid, I know, but true); or, maybe, spend some time to learn Japanese and get a copy that's in its original language for ten bucks. Both seem like far more intelligent ways of going about it than spending a huge amount of money needlessly.

The point: have some common sense about buying books out of print. The irony, in the case of Rake at the Gates of Hell is that when it first came out, it was around the time that bookstores were beginning to stock comic collections in large numbers and I saw it everywhere--but didn't buy it, because it collected the end of Ennis's run and I didn't have what came before it. Typical. On a good note, since I just bought a copy (at a decent price that was doubled because of shipping--so, $30 total, which isn't that bad), Vertigo will probably do a new printing--especially since they're going into overdrive to collect Hellblazer now by finishing up Jamie Delano's run (which I start in on next) and, then, I hope, Paul Jenkins's... I may have said that before, but I stand by it.

As for Tainted Love and Damnation's Flame... Ennis really put John through the goddamn ringer, didn't he? Those first few stories in Tainted Love are pretty messed up with John living on the street. I did love how easily he turned it around with one page of magic. The Chas issue was really great, too. Actually, my favourite stuff is when Ennis just had John or others sitting around, having a pint and talking. I know I'm not alone in that regard, but still needs to be said. Reading new stuff (for me) by him and Steve Dillon along those lines just has me begging that they'll get to City Lights soon. But, Ennis is pretty busy and Dillon is over at Marvel doing *shudder*... Wolverine: Origins (a book that makes me weep because Dillon is so much better than it).

I'd read much of Damnation's Flame (namely the eponymous story) thanks to Steve who send me a bunch of Ennis-penned Hellblazer issues a few years ago since he didn't need them anymore and knew I was into Ennis and good ol' John Constantine. But, it was nice to read the story again. Messed up, really.

I'm very much looking forward to my copy of Rake at the Gates of Hell to arrive. This summer will also be great with another Delano collection (I need to get the first two, though) and another Diggle one... and Jason Aaron does two issues that I'll pick up in singles, because, odds are, they won't be collected (unless Vertigo does a collection featuring those one-off issues and small arcs including stuff like Darko Macan's two issues between Ellis and Azzarello, or Eddie Campbell's four issues, and Mike Carey's one-off between Denise Mina and Diggle's runs--just title it "More Rare Cuts"). I am happy that Vertigo is cluing in that having the entire series collected is a smart move since it is the backbone of the entire imprint.

Punisher Presents: Barracuda

I really had not planned on getting this. My buddy Jason and I hit my regular Windsor shop and then the other one since he was looking for a copy of the first Preacher trade (he has all of the others--he got hooked after Adam lent him the series) and they had a copy of this collection, which I'd been looking for. I'm always impressed at Ennis's ability to continually come up with new stories involving the same sort of characters, but he does. This one is a lot of fun and not to be taken seriously. It's just Ennis taking the piss of everything possible.

With all of the Ennis I've gotten recently, I'm tempted to look through my collection of singles and trades to see whose work I have the most of: Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison or Joe Casey. I have no idea, but it could be a close race. Not that it matters, I'm just curious. Ah well.

Until next week.

The Sunday Open: Second Week of May 2008 Part 2

And so I continue my review of this week's books... but, with a post scheduled ahead. Again. When, oh when, could I be writing this? Wouldn't it just blow your mind if I were writing it before the other post? No? Well, damn. Not that it matters, because it's Saturday right now. I'm PastChad and I'm talking comics. I'm also kinda retarded sometimes.

Mighty Avengers #13

I am really enjoying these Mighty Avengers "Secret Invasion" tie-in issues. Nick Fury gathering his forces against the Skrulls is some good stuff. This issue is a little slower with Fury re-recruiting Daisy Johnson and then Johnson recruits a bunch of other people. I'm actually glad Bendis gave us this slower issue and let us meet each of the new Howlin' Commandos like this. I am curious what the timeline for this is as, when Ares's son is recruited, he's a member of the (Mighty) Avengers. How long will this group have had to train, really?

Oh, and I dig Alex Maleev's art. It's beginning to have a real Tim Bradstreet feel to it.

newuniversal: Shockfront #1

Ah, the return of the book that everyone forgot happened. I liked Ellis's initial newuniversal series and have been looking forward to this quite a bit. It continues pretty much from the previous one, but ups the ante by introducing at least two new superhumans. Best discussed as a whole.

The art by Steve Kurth is not a big jump from Salvador Larocca... a little more "comic booky," but still within that realistic vein. Frankly, I think it works for the book better here... as we are moving into a more "comic booky" world. The world here began as real like ours and is slowly becoming something else. A shift in art makes an alarming amount of sense.

Omega the Unknown #8

And we continue towards the conclusion as the two sides have a more direct confrontation. Kind of. What a strange, wonderful book.

Secret Invasion #2

WHOO! Fight! Yeah! So far, the only Skrulls we've seen in the Savage Land have come from the ship, so is Clint making a mistake trusting this Mockingbird??? Who knows! It's a solid issue that doesn't advance much, but is still fun. Hey, who would have thought an issue of a big event crossover thing would be fun?

Thunderbolts #120

Wow, that opening soliloquy by Norman... it's a shame that Ellis will be leaving this book because he's obviously having a lot of fun with it. And he's also doing a fantastic job with these creepy-as-fuck characters. When was the last time the Green Goblin was scary? Or not just a joke? Okay, so he's a joke here, but a different kind of joke. My favourite line: "NORMAN WILL MAKE THE GIRL PREGNANT AND THEN SNAP HER NECK IN PUBLIC. NORMAN WON'T MIND. NORMAN WILL DO WHAT IT TAKES." Ho ho, bub. One more issue of absolute crazy. Damn shame. Normally, I don't lament Ellis doing a stint on a book and then taking off, because that's what he does... but his work here has been truly great in that twisted way no other comic really is. I'm not sure anyone else can really explore this concept with the same perversion as Ellis... and that's the only way to do this concept as far as I'm concerned. Ah, whatever.

Transhuman #2

Not as impressive as the first issue, but the We3 panel was a nice touch. As were the different superpowers given to the test subjects. Hopefully, this will work well as a whole.

Wolverine #65

Jason Aaron ends his short run on the book with a solid issue. Lots of fighting and blood and hurt feelings. I like the revelation of Logan's betrayal in the past. Not quite as good or meaningful as it could have been, but solid.

Young Liars #3

I'm digging this book, but that second issue was such a drag on the momentum. Unless, as I said last month, Lapham plans to go back-and-forth... but still, I already forgot who half of the people in the present were. The fact that Danny shot Sadie is a big thing and goes a long way to making us dislike him. And how can you not? Although, he's the protagonist, so we kind of do. Odd. I'll be sticking with this book for a while to see what it becomes.

Hellblazer: Fear and Loathing

I continue my trip through Garth Ennis's Hellblazer with the beginning of his work with Steve Dillon on the title (who, I think, did a fill-in issue or two previous). Ennis knows what he's doing with these stories and plants a few seeds for who Gemma would become. The stuff with Kit is heartbreaking. Maybe I'll say more when I have the entire run... perhaps begin looking at Hellblazer in its whole someday. Maybe.

The Sunday Open: Second Week of May 2008 Part 1

As this was a big week, I'll be doing my usual Sunday reviews over two posts today. Most likely both done ahead of time and scheduled to be posted sometime Sunday, because Blogger lets me do that now. So, it's actually 2:37 pm on Friday right now, but this won't be posted until... oh, let's say 8:08 am Sunday. Fun.

Batman #676

That's not Tim Drake as Robin on the first page. Or, if it is, Tony Daniel is a shit artist. Since he's actually been pretty decent lately, I'll go with the former. If you want more proof, look at that Robin's face and then look at Tim's on the fifth panel of page 11. Look at those jawlines... I guess Damian gets to be Robin. A solicit for one of the "Batman RIP" tie-in issues of Robin says Tim takes up the mantle. Is that Tim as Batman? Dick? So long as it isn't Jason...

As for the actual issue, Tim has poisoned my mind and I couldn't help but read the entire Tim/Alfred scene without examining it all as if Alfred is the Black Glove. What we get here doesn't really add anything to that theory, that I can see.

Really, this is just a good set-up issue with next issue apparently ramping things up. Why must it be a month away?

The Boys #18

The conclusion of "Good for the Soul" is part advancement of character, part teaser for future plots, I think. We have Hughie killing Blarney Cock again... and doing it with his usual fuck-up style. We learn that the Boys have surveillance of the Seven's HQ, which suggests that Hughie will learn just what Annie had to do to get on the team... after he learns that, holy shit, Annie is one of the Seven! I really like Hughie and everything Ennis has done with him so far tells me that he'll be able to see past that shit. He's a good guy.

I do find it interesting that Hughie is the only member we really get any time with. We get brief bits of everyone else, mainly Butcher, but it's the Hughie show. Not that I mind, because Hughie is a great POV character, but still. This book isn't as well-rounded as other Ennis stuff. But, maybe it's not meant to be.

Captain Britain and MI13 #1

After reading many kind words regarding Paul Cornell's Wisdom (which I haven't found a copy of yet), I figured I'd check out the new ongoing by him involving Brit heroes. Strangely enough, its ties to "Secret Invasion" made me less likely to pick it up--but, I'm trying to keep it very streamlined, sticking to the Bendis-written books when possible. But, whatever, this is a good comic. It introduces the concept well and sets up the group. There are some great bits of humour and Cornell really has a handle on these characters. I'm on board, for now.

Casaova #13-14

Finally got issue 13 thanks to the Windsor shop ordering me a copy. These were the first two comics I read this week. Partly because Tim and I discussed issue 14 in the Splash Page. Partly because it's goddamn Casanova, bitches! Normally, I leave issues of Casanova until last, because I like to end with something very strong.

As for these issues... well, I said all I wanted to about #14 with Tim, really. #13 warrants some comments: it's fantastic. The flashback stuff is touching, as is everything about Kaito. I'm also very amused that Kaito is Kefong from The Intimates. Kinda. It's a shame that that book wasn't creator-owned, because just up and plunking down Kefong into Casanova would have made this Casey fan very happy. Maybe I'll do a little post comparing the two--or, at least, telling you all who Kefong was, because I think me and Joe Casey were the only two people reading The Intimates.

Oh yeah... Casanova is very, very good. And the best in a week of very, very good books.

Final Crisis Sketchbook

Yes, I bought this. Before Marvel Boy came out all those years ago, I got a preview sketchbook thing from Marvel free with an issue of Punisher and, yeah, it made me buy that book. I was already kind of going to maybe almost buy that book, but the sketchbook did the job and thank bejeezus it did, because that book changed my comic reading life (and changed my comic criticism life, too). So, we once again have Grant Morrison and JG Jones together and there's a sketchbook preview... why wouldn't I buy it?

Some interesting ideas here and I love getting insight into the creative process. Those Japanese hero names make me laugh, but that's because they're purposely absurd. They also mock superheroes themselves, not just Japan... why is Well-Spoken Sonic Lightning Flash any more absurd and stupid than, oh, the Guardians of the Galaxy or Wonder Woman? Seriously, all superhero names are insanely stupid when you think about it... and maybe that kid is well-spoken. If the X-Men get to be uncanny, why can't this kid be well-spoken?

Heheheheheheheh.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1

I like cosmic heroes. I wanted to see what DnA were doing with these characters. It's alright. I may pick up the second issue. I may not. Nothing here blew my mind. The writing is decent. The art is decent. I miss Jim Starlin. Other people handling Adam Warlock seems wrong. I miss Thanos. We'll see.

Infinty, Inc. #9

Okay, I was wrong to doubt Pete Woods. He can stay.

And this book continues to be weird. I read this while reading Morrison's Doom Patrol and it strikes me that, at the core, the two books are very similar, just handled much differently. This is more traditional in its approach, but also more expansive as it explores directly the psychological effects of superpowers on people. I am digging this book and hope it gets a chance to continue.

The Last Defenders #3

The evolution of the team continues from Initiative-backed group to two-man covert group to privately-funded ego-boost. Each issue has been a different type of superhero team as it tries to find the right mix of people and purpose, all with Nighthawk at the centre. A meditation on the nature of superhero teams, a commentary on the genre... what else would one expect from Joe Casey? And, damn, I missed out on my chance to ask Casey about that over at Newsarama... the place where they open up a thread for questions for, like, twenty minutes. What's up with that?

The Sunday Open: First Week of May 2008

I'm in London and since I now have pull lists in two cities, nearly every week is only half-complete. Actually, my list is heavily favoured towards Windsor, so most weeks are fine--I miss a couple of Ellis Avatar books, Punisher War Journal and Gødland. Ah well. On to this week's short-as-hell "reviews," which are lacking many, many books...

Black Summer #6

"In which shit gets even more fucked up..."

The Seven Guns take on similarly enhanced soldiers and people die. John Horus discusses things with a commanding officer of some rank. More enhanced soldiers are sent at him. Things go boom. See you next issue for the conclusion.

Cable #3

Still on the fence over this comic. It's alright; some good ideas; some pretty shitty art at times. I give it to issue six.

Gødland #22

Love Nickelhead's opening. Great stuff. This book is great stuff. That ending makes me want the next issue now. Gotta love Joe Casey.

Holy War #1

Fuck you, I'm not calling it by its full title as that title is pretty stupid. Why not just call it "Holy War" and act a little mature, DC?

I have no idea what this comic is about. Okay, I do, as it will obviously be about two races going to war over religion (despite having a longstanding conflict that has nothing to do with religion--perhaps espousing the idea that religion is merely a tool or excuse for violence). What I do love is that it has DC superheroes attempting to destroy an entire culture's religion. Adam Strange, Hawkman, Animal Man and Starfire want to build an anti-god ray.

This issue is all over the place and Ron Lim's art is worse than I've ever seen it--but, I do love it when Starlin gets to be a crazy-as-fuck guy. Particularly enjoy the new Comet who briefs the JLA on the fact that most alien races think humanity will wipe itself out within a couple of decades and, therefore, have no plans on invading Earth when they can simply wait around.

The Invincible Iron Man #1

Fraction mentions the alcoholism! Right there, he won me over with his take on Tony Stark. Good first issue.

Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #1

Favreau writes a horrible comic. Bad first issue.

Punisher War Journal #19

This would have been a much stronger issue if combined with last issue. Otherwise, pretty decent. About damn time, too.

Scalped #12-16

I said I would get caught up, didn't I? Actually, I also bought #11 because I am a moron who forgot that Casino Boogie collected #6-11...

This comic is as good as everyone says it is. The characters are complex and unique--often contradicting themselves. Aaron's writing is compelling and difficult to predict. R. M. Guera's art is dark and expressive. But, most of all:

I bought the first two trades and have now caught myself up via some singles and will be buying this comic every month. I don't do that very often. Normally, I will buy a book like this when a new trade comes out like I do with DMZ (which I really enjoy). But, this book is so good that I can't wait the six to nine months for a new trade. I want a monthly fix. Fuck me, you should be buying this comic.

Global Frequency: Detonation Radio

The final six issues of this series. All good stories, all good art. I particularly enjoy the Lee Bermejo-drawn issue. Creepy as fuck is what it is. This is another book that shows us all that Warren Ellis's dominant theme is one of hope and people doing their best to make the world better. If you don't get that, you're missing the point.

Hellblazer #85-88

Since I'm on a bit of a John Constantine kick, I wrote down the issues that aren't collected (and probably won't be), and picked up these four--a small story Eddie Campbell wrote with Sean Phillips on art. It's an odd one as John is suckered in by a ghost to help stop reality from unravelling and winds up travelling the world. It's a solid enough arc--not fantastic, but very entertaining at the same time. If you like the character or Eddie Campbell or Sean Phillips and see these issues cheap, get them.

Aztek The Ultimate Man

Ah, finally, Grant Morrison and Mark Millar's cult superhero title is collected. Is it worth it?

Sure, why not.

This is a pretty decent read, although I can see why it failed. Morrison and Millar are very guilty of not laying out the premise of the book at the beginning--we need to get it doled out in chunks. I think it's not until issue six or seven that we even learn what Uno's mission is. Which, you know, fine, it doesn't actually matter that much, but all of the intelligent commentary on superhero books isn't going to save you if the average reader doesn't know what the book is about. Morrison and Millar trust the reader, but I wonder if they trust him/her too much.

The stories are good, though. M&M play around with superhero conventions like secret identities and modern superhero ethics, and shit like that. Morrison continues his depiction of the super-sane Joker here as we get "cosmic trickster" Joker. Some nice team-ups with Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Batman and, even, Superman. The JLA issue is quite good, too. I am a little baffled why the last issue contains set-ups for subplot that never get explained, because the writers knew the book was being cancelled. Probably ties into the commentary side of the book. Hell, maybe Uno's half-brother will show up in Final Crisis and we'll get a new Aztek.

This book is worth picking up. I do have to ask, though: what happened to N. Steven Harris? His work here is decent and shows a lot of promise. Where'd he wind up?

And that does it (aside from the Garth Ennis Hellblazer trade I bought and don't feel like discussing--even briefly--and the final four Doom Patrol trades I got today as I haven't read them--I want to reread the first two before jumping in and those books are in Windsor).

The Sunday Open: Third Week of April 2008

I bought comics in two cities, none of which was New York. New York can kiss my ass for I have lovely Windsoria and London to go home to. As I'm tired and lazy, here are quick reviews (quicker than usual):

Captain America #34, 37

Finally got a copy of #34 and it wasn't anything that special--beyond being a typically high-quality issue of Captain America. For the record, I officially hate everyone who bought it just because Bucky shows up as the new Captain America and didn't continue buying the book after. I hate you all so much--if only because my not being able to find a copy until now would be offset by more people realising how great this comic is, but if you didn't buy an issue before or after, fuck you. Although, I suppose not liking the book would be a good reason, but then I'd have to question your taste in comics and the aesthetic criteria you use to judge which books you buy and which you don't and so on and so forth. So, basically, I don't like anyone who bought issue 34 and nothing else for a variety of reasons. Issue 37 is good, too.

Doktor Sleepless #6

I like this comic. It's crazy with big ideas and hidden character motivations and seems important. Also, it's weirdly entertaining as Warren Ellis comics are wont to be. Ivan Rodriguez draws pretty pictures, but played horribly against the Blue Jays today--I don't think he got a hit, but I could be wrong. His ability to draw well while playing professional baseball is astounding. The Jays/Tigers game, by the way, was pretty great. I had seats seven rows from the field (back and to the left from the visitors' dugout) and, damn, it was a good game. The Jays won 5-3. I got sunburnt on my arms. And I'm fairly certain this is a different Ivan Rodriguez, but I only just made the connection tonight and figured I'd use it to discuss the game quickly.

Ghost Rider #22

Ghost Rider versus a haunted highway. Fuck yes. And it looks like Danny Ketch may be back and working on the other side. Shit, I hope so. Jason Aaron is very good. So good that I bought the first two Scalped trades in London. I read the first one last night and it was good. Haven't gotten around the second one yet.

The Order #9

I hope Matt Fraction kills them all. Kill the whole fucking team. Why? Because, that's why. End the series with the death of them all and a victory for Stane that leads into Fraction's Iron Man book. And because people may not like that at all. Yeah.

The Programme #9-10

CP Smith's art is more clear in these two issues. The rush must be on a bit for him to finish. Consequently, these two issues are the best-looking of the series as he maintains his slightly-obscure style, but in a more coherent and easy to understand way. And Peter Milligan seems right on track. I'm liking the book, but two more issues are left, and they'll determine a lot.

Punisher War Journal #18

Wow, that was not worth an entire issue. I'm sorry, but it wasn't. That was a third of an issue at most. Much of this issue was unnecessary and a waste of time. I have decided that this storyline with Jigsaw determines if I keep buying this book and, so far, it's not looking good.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #2

I should probably reread this issue as I read it last on Thursday just before drifting off to sleep in the afternoon for a brief nap. See, I had only slept, like, an hour-and-a-half the night before and was very tired. Most of this issue was read with me forcing my eyes to stay open and I probably didn't understand a lot of it as a result. But, I trust it was decent since Garth Ennis wrote it.

Batman: Dark Victory

Wow, this didn't make The Long Halloween seem better at all. Nor was this all that good. Better character work a lot of the time, but also some forced explanations for the behaviour of characters that was already established elsewhere (Catwoman). An almost interesting intellectual exercise about the replacement of the gangsters by the freaks, but not really--the fact that Two-Face got rid of the gangsters was a good touch, though. And for all the talk of Robin, he was barely in the fucking thing and didn't contribute much. The mystery also did nothing for me. Again.

That does it for now. Maybe more posts this week, but probably not.

The Sunday Open: Second Week of April 2008

Welcome to another edition of me writing very short, unhelpful reviews! This week, I took a major step and created a pull list here in Windsor. This was the result of the shop sometimes being sold out of books I wanted (maybe one a week at most, often not) and me being sick of having to wait until I got back to London for some books. I still have the pull list in London, too. But, it wasn't a huge week (and next week looks even more slight), so let's get to it...

ClanDestine #3

I love that Alan Davis is revisiting his Excalibur run, even though I haven't read it. Great concept. As was Newton's sexual roleplaying. The rest of the issue is kind of iffy, but the suspense keeps growing as we're left wondering "What the fuck is going on?" Also, I'm a little annoyed that we only get two more issues as this is a very, very good comic.

Fantastic Four #556

While this is not. I'm sticking with this title through next issue, because I want to see how Millar and Hitch handle a complete story arc... and so far, it's horrible. What is the plot? No, seriously, what is goddamn plot? Okay, this issue kind of has one with the giant robot Captain killing people, because "Smart people create robot that then goes crazy and begins killing people" is ever so original. But, beyond that, what's the plot? What does any of this matter? Gee, "Mrs. Fantastic" was smart enough to make sure the robot wouldn't kill her, but not smart enough to actually have control over the fucking thing? I am loving how Millar is trying to present these people as being smart enough to build an exact replica of the planet Earth, but too stupid to build a robot that won't go crazy and kill people without at least one hundred different means of shutting it down instantly. And, I'm sorry, but this is the worst artwork by Bryan Hitch I've seen since before he came on board Stormwatch. I don't know if it's the colouring or the inking or just Hitch, but it looks half-finished and muddied and not at all up to his normal standards. Unless the next issue is quite literally THE BEST COMIC EVER WRITTEN, I won't read another issue short of someone handing me them all for free with the promise of a memory wipe at the end if I so choose. (Oh, and do you think my assessment is a little overboard, a little hyperbolic? Well, that's the only way to discuss a Mark Millar comic as he himself will tell you.)

Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #6

A decent ending to a decent story. Iron Man and the Mandarin fight. Iron Man wins. The Mandarin will be back. Who didn't see that coming? But, Casey does a solid job and Eric Canete's art is fantastic. I really like this sketchier, more fluid style he used on this book.

The Last Defenders #2

Ah, Douchebag Iron Man is back as he disbands the Defenders after they cause a lot of property damage in Jersey fighting a giant fucking lizard. Of course, this is obviously meant to show Stark as a hypocrite and tool, considering the amount of property damage he alone has been responsible for is staggering. It's also an interesting attempt by Casey and Giffen to show that things have changed. Now that superheroes are all registered, the old shit isn't acceptable: if they're going to be professionals, then they're going to act like professionals. Nighthawk isn't that good a superhero, though, as demontrated here. He is a decent one, I suppose, but not in the same league as the big boys and probably shouldn't be running a team. The running commentary on the fight is solid, as is the rest of the issue. This is turning out to be a really good series that combines old and new styles to comment on the state of the current Marvel universe a little bit.

Wolverine #64

Didn't I see Logan's trick from this issue in Preacher? Heh. Doesn't change the fact that this is a pretty decent but brainless story. Logan does what it takes to try and kill Mystique, while she does what it takes to escape. Pretty simple and Jason Aaron is doing a great job. I'm even digging on Ron Garney's art here, which is odd since I'm usually not a big fan. Next issue is my last for this book (it's actually a fluk that I've been buying it almost for a year, really) since Millar and McNiven take over for that story about old man Logan or somesuchshit.

Young Liars #2

Oooooooooooooh-kay. This isn't a bad issue, but is hurt by our not knowing these characters better. We get one issue in the present and then a flashback issue right away? It seems a litle... off, unless it's going to be a back-and-forth story structure. Maybe this will look better in the context of a few more issues. As it is, it falls a little flat. But, I did enjoy parts of it--just not as much as I feel I should have. I am liking how the cover is the first panel of the issue--a technique that I'm surprised more people don't use. This series looks like it will either be very good or very bad. I'm looking forward to seeing which.

Army@Love: The Hot Zone Club

I picked up the first issue of this when it first came out and wasn't that impressed. I wish I could say that the trade changed my mind. Rick Veitch has some interesting ideas, but that's about it: they're interesting ideas... so what? I find the execution lacking here. There's not much substance despite the fact that these are dense comics. Maybe I'm not the target audience as it is very much a soap opera with the intricate plots of who is sleeping with whom (and did I actually get the who/whom thing correct there? You'd think as a writer and English grad student, I would know such things, but I don't...) and I really don't care. All of the characters are vapid, superficial and not really worth my time. The only sequence that really impressed me was when the mom of a mentally challenged soldier shows up during a firefight to ensure that he's being treated equally. It was a cheap book, though, only ten bucks. I do dig the art as Veitch and Gary Erskine make a great team. Anyone else paying attention to this book? Thoughts?

Batman: The Long Halloween

Finally picked this up as I've heard many good things... and it was okay. It was competent and did the job, but didn't really go above and beyond. I'm sure that this was one book that read better monthly in singles where the whole "Who is Holiday?" mystery could keep up the interest. In trade-form, though, it all goes by so fast that it isn't nearly as engrossing as it should be. As well, the story is so sprawling as far as a cast goes, you never really get a chance to latch onto anyone. We're supposed to feel for the Dents and I did--but just not as much as I feel I was supposed to. I've always thought that mystery stories work best when the narrative perspective is focused on one character--and Batman narrates the story, but we also get scenes that he didn't witness. Imagine if, during one of Raymond Chandler's novels, we suddenly got some scenes thrown in that Marlowe wasn't present for. It would fuck up the story. Now, Loeb does do it consistently enough that it doesn't become too much of a problem, but it took me out of the story at times. Tim Sale's art is great and I loved the pages where Harvey Dent is knocked out and Sale's layout on those pages.

Getting this also gave me a chance to read Steve's essay on the identity of Holiday, and he makes a really strong case--one I'd have to agree with--but, as I've said before, I'm not the type to care about the solution to a mystery, which could be another reason why this book didn't wow me. Where other mystery writers can engross you without making the solution of the mystery the only reason to keep reading, I'm not sure Loeb did that. He tried, but didn't succeed for me.

That said, I may pick up Dark Victory this week, because it was an enjoyable enough read. It just doesn't live up to the hype, for me.

And that does it for this week.

The Sunday Open: First Week of April 2008

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

Anna Mercury #1

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

The Boys #17

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

Cable #2

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

Infinity, Inc. #8

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

Omega the Unknown #7

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

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

See... brief.

The Sunday Open: Last Week of March

Do you know what today is? Yes, that's right, it's Wrestlemania. That has nothing to do with comics, really, but it's still awesome.

All-Star Superman #10

Things begin to wrap up here as Superman prepares for his death and Morrison revisits old ideas. Now, writers often revisit the same ideas over and over again, but they do it in different ways, which I don't see from Morrison here. The metafictional aspects of the issue are not much different from anything he's done before, which is rather boring. An enjoyable issue that didn't really wow me, which is pretty standard for this book (aside from that second Bizarro issue that everyone else--except Jog--seemed to hate). One of the problems is that this is the book that Morrison has been gearing up for his entire career... resulting in a lot of the same ideas and concepts being used here in much the same ways. You could call his book "Grant Morrison's Greatest Hits" and not be too far off the mark. Which is fine, I guess.

Gravel #2

This may be my favourite comic of the week. It's nothing that special or that different from what we've gotten with the character before--but I do enjoy seeing the different types of magic Ellis and Wolfer give us. As well, the weird politics of the major seven and minor seven is very interesting, as Gravel is looked down upon/feared for things the other members are more than willing to do. There are suggestions that because he's working class that he doesn't belong--that he's just a thug--but he also continually out-thinks his fellow magicians because of his thug-like qualities. The fight being fought isn't one of skill or power, it's of the ability to kill other people and William Gravel does that for a living, making him much better at it. I really enjoyed how he turned the horses against the woman here. Not a brilliant book, but very solid with no major flaws.

Star Trek: New Frontier #1

I have never understood why Paramount hasn't given Peter David a lot of money and had him head up a TV series with these characters. I've been reading this series for years (although missed a few books during the past few since I read library copies--I really should go back and buy the ones I don't have) and it's always impressed me and seemed like the next logical step for the franchise to take. Enterprise was a stupid idea, because who wants a series about the future's past? You can do that for an episode every once in a while, but as a series? Who gives a fuck? New Frontier is a mix of new characters and minor characters like Robin Lefler, Elizabeth Shelby or that female Vulcan doctor that would occasionally show up on Next Generation. The basic concept was that the Thallon empire has collapsed and the Federation is sending a ship in to make sure things don't get too out of hand. The captain is Mackenzie Calhoun, probably the best captain of any series--the guy is fucking crazy at times. For example, in the first story, the ship comes across a broken ship and takes on the passengers with the intention of dropping them at a Starbase or something later. They come across a planet that offers to take on these refugees and Calhoun has a bad feeling, tells them not to go. They refuse and go to the planet, at which point the government tells Calhoun that if he doesn't turn over some lovely Starfleet weaponry, they will kill the refugees. He tells them to go fuck themselves because he told the refugees not to go down, they didn't listen, so fuck them, too. In fact, fuck everyone, fire quantum torpedos at the planet--the government official says go ahead, because the rulers are deep underground and Calhoun will only be killing civillians. A few hundred feet before impact, he blows up the torpedos, seemingly giving in to the government... but then broadcasts the entire exchange, causing the civillian population to rise up and overthrow the government. He always seemed like the sort of captain Warren Ellis would write.

A dozen books later, we arrive here at the second comic series (well, Wildstorm did a graphic novel) featuring the characters. The issue begins with Admiral Jellico stealing a new experimental time-ship and the Excalibur being tasked with having to find it. Not much happens beyond that, but it's a good set-up issue and catches everyone up to speed on where the characters are. It's weird to see some of these characters drawn, though, since I'm so used to just reading about them. Damn, I really need to complete my collection of New Frontier books and go on a reading-spree. Even if you're not familiar with the series, maybe check it out as it's the best Star Trek stuff I've ever encountered... seriously, New Frontier is better than anything Trek-related I've seen.

Oh, and the art is by a guy named Stephen Thompson, who does good work. His style is kind of sketchy at times, but in a really good way. I'm particularly impressed with how he handles characters that were played by actors as they resemble those actors enough, but aren't photorealistic. Robin Lefler, for example, was played by Ashley Judd and there's only one panel that really looks like Ashley Judd, the rest just look like someone similar to Judd--which I prefer. I look forward to seeing how he does on future issues.

Transhuman #1

Jonathan Hickman's third series features him on art only. Like the other books, it's more about ideas than characters. There is a lovely two pages mocking the X-Men a little here. The form is mockumentary. The art is alright. I will continue to read.

Ultimate Human #3

An engaging issue that tells the story of Ultimate Pete Wisdom, secret agent man. I am a staunch opposer of all things military, but I felt for Ultimate Wisdom here. Wonder how the series will end next month.

Global Frequency: Planet Ablaze

Read this when it came out via my dad. Six self-contained stories in this issue tied together by the Global Frequency, 1001 people dedicated to making the world a better place by stopping bad thingsfrom happening. All good done-in-one stories that explore pet themes of Ellis with great art by the likes of Garry Leach, Steve Dillon, Jon J Muth and David Lloyd. I need to get the second trade.

JLA: Kid Amazo

Holy shit, Peter Milligan has produced an amazing Justice League story here on the nature of man and machine while deconstructing the League. Now, it wouldn't be out of line to say that some of the characters seem out of character, but that's not the point. Milligan is operating with a set group of characters that he uses to explore themes and ideas, while critiquing the concept of the group. Kid Amazo thought he was a normal college student until he learned that, no, he's a weird combination of human and... Amazo. The JLA observes him in the hopes that he will not become villainous, but the interference of the group is what turns him "evil." As the group has no real leadership and no hierarchy, each member acts alone on their instincts, which is how things get bad for the group. I mean, the only way to defeat Kid Amazo (who has the added power of being able to put himself into the mindset of each League member, down to every part of each's pscyhe) is to fight amongst themselves and, basically, beat up a schizophrenic man. The JLA are bad, bad people. This book is an answer to Morrison's run on JLA that explores why the team can't work and why superpeople have adverse effects on the world. Very, very good. Except for the art, which is done by Carlos D'anda... I am not a fan.

Sorry for being so brief in places.

The Sunday Open: Third Week of March

Did you know that if you compared the number of comics I bought in January 2002 from Marvel and DC to the number I bought in January 2008, there is a 1400% increase? For Tim Callahan, looking just at DC, the increase is 433.33%. It's official: comics are somewhere from 433.33% to 1400% better now than six years ago. Truly a Golden Age we live in now. But let's get to some of these awesome, awesome comics now...

The Death of the New Gods #7

Okay, so it wasn't Himon that was killing everyone, it was the Infinity Man. Because Himon's already on the Second Wall, meaning he was already killed... and, yes, my valued reader, I checked previous issues and there were no Himon sightings, although Takion did see Himon on the Wall, but was then killed back in issue three. Not that any of that is really that important, because the best part of this issue is when Scott Free confronts the newly whole Source and realises that the god he's worshipped all of his life didn't care at all--and that the tenets of the religion were false. He realises his god killed his wife to manipulate him into using the Anti-Life Equation just as the Source wanted. It's some heavy shit and fits perfectly into Starlin's overall body of work where so-called "gods" are always revealed to be petty and corrupt like "mere mortals," only interested in their own goals. Free requests death, as does Metron--who also feels betrayed, particularly at the nature of the universe.

The issue ends with the Source going after Darkseid, who swallows some potion that makes him fiery and, most likely, tough as fuck. Should be a good final issue, leading into Final Crisis. I wonder how much of what Starlin's done here was dictated by what Morrison is going to do with the characters. Although, if these forms are just avatars, what does it matter?

Detective Comics #842

Read a review of this issue a couple of weeks back and it mentioned that Peter Milligan did a decent job here, so what the hell let's buy us a Batman comics right. It's a decent issue that acts as a bit of a follow-up to the recent "Resurrection of R'as al Ghul" storyline, focusing on the armour Batman got from Talia in it. Turns out the armour is cursed and Batman tries to find out what's the story--and even when he learns it, he still wears it to prove that he is more powerful than any cursed armour. A weird little story with some great art by Dustin Nguyen, whose work I've long enjoyed.

Ghost Rider #21

Well, two issues in and Jason Aaron has quickly made this a "must read" book with his combination of gothic, grindhouse and, well, let's go with Milton. Ghost Rider learns more about the impending war in Heaven and his role in it--he also takes on some pyscho nurses and gets ready to fuck up a ghost highway.

I have only two little complaints:

1. The war in Heaven shit always bothers me, only because not enough is ever defined about the "God" character in shit like this. If this God is omnipotent and omniscient, what's the big deal?

2. The deputy's little moment in the morgue... it's very mechanical and a little too out there.

Otherwise, a great comic.

The Immortal Iron Fist #13

Another solid issue--the dialogue gets a little cute with the references to Danny having a plan and the (lack of) confidence that inspires... and the "Your revolution has arrived" getting the response is does. Also, David Aja only provides three pages of art, which is a shame, but Tonci Zonjic's fill-in art is pretty good and matches the tone/style of Aja well enough. I'm really looking forward to how this storyline is going to end--it's becoming clearer as the various threads come together. And that last page is one of those fantastic last pages.

Thor #7

Another good issue from Straczynski who is really hitting his stride on this book, focusing on the recreation of Asgard rather than typical superheroics. The meetings of Thor and Odin here is really well done and examines the father/son dynamic in an interesting fashion. The Don Blake stuff is only marginally interesting right now, but we know very little about it, so who knows where it will go. Marko Djurdjevic's art is decent.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1

Quite a mouthful, that title is.

I've somehow managed to miss all of Garth Ennis's previous war comics, excluding Punisher: Born (and any flashbacks in Punisher or Preacher). I really need to pick up some trades, don't I? But, I'm not missing out on this series, which looks promising and impresses me just for the fact that it takes place during the first World War when air fights were new and very different from what we're used to. Ennis uses that to his advantage in one scene where Kaufman (the eponymous Phantom Eagle) kills a German pilot by blowing his head off... and can see it quite clearly in all its graphic detail because the pilots flew out in the open air. Howard Chaykin's art still doesn't wow me, but some pages are amazingly beautiful, I'll admit.

Skrull Kill Krew

Ah, the nearly forgotten "classic" from Grant Morrison and Mark Millar... finally, she is mine and I have read her and... yeah, it's not that good. No, really, this is very, very mediocre with a few moments of brilliance. The concept is that after the Kree-Skrull War, the US military turned three Skrulls back into cows (like Reed Richards had done) and instead of letting them graze, they slaughtered them and they became hamburgers. Their DNA carries a virus for humans that some are immune to, some die from right away, and some gain the ability to see Skrulls in their natural form and shapeshift. They band together, call themselves the Skrull Kill Krew and, well, kills Skrulls. Not much else to it than that. The characters are broadly drawn, the plots are superficial and it's easy to see why this book only lasted five issues. If Grant Morrison and Mark Millar weren't who they are, I doubt this book would have been collected by Marvel.