Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Here’s a hot batch of reviews, heavy on the @$$, easy on the hole. Cormorant... take it away.
Howdy kids, Cormorant here with another superhero-centric batch of reviews sure to raise the hackles of indie-whores everywhere. In a pre-emptive response to their complaints, I offer a cheery, "We love you, but shove it." I mean, didn't ya catch our call for self-published comics last week? We got mad love for the indies and small press stuff, but some weeks you're just going to have to embrace the spandex along with us. It's not so bad, and look - it's shiny!
On the docket: ACTION COMICS, THE PUNISHER, COUSCOUS EXPRESS (het, that's an indie!), SUPERMAN/ALIENS II, AGENT X, WOLVERINE, BATMAN: FAMILY, SQUADRON SUPREME (TPB), THE RESISTANCE, and a crazy, forgotten Warren Ellis project that we like to call BAD WORLD.
Next week we'll try to work in more artsy-fartsy stuff for our readers who wear jaunty berets.
ACTION #796
Joe Kelly - Writer
Duncan Rouleau - Penciled
Mario Alquiza - Inker
Moose Bauman - Colorist
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
We begin this review, of course, with Michael Dukakis.
Back during the second presidential debates of 1988, Bernard Shaw asked Michael Dukakis the following question: "Governor, if Kitty Dukakis [Dukakis's wife] were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?"
"No, I don't, Bernard," answered Dukakis, "And I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life. I don't see any evidence that it's a deterrent..." He went on to give a fairly dry answer about policy, while the emotional component to the questions went completely unsatisfied.
This gaff has been Monday morning quarterbacked to death, as recently as last week's WEST WING, with the correct answer usually something along the lines of: "Bernard, I would want to kill the guy myself, and I'd want it cruel and unusual, which is probably why husbands of the victim don't have the responsibility for administering justice in these situations." It's a pithy reply, but also conjures to mind the image of Michael Dukakis going berserker on some guy, with the paternal intervention of the government being the only thing holding him back.
In essence, Superman is asked the same question in ACTION #796, only there is no one to hold him back. ACTION #796 is, at its core, a moral argument. It's the continuation of a debate between Superman and a character named Manchester Black that began in ACTION #775.
For those of you who haven't read or don't remember ACTION #775, it's a story about how Superman dealt with a new group of recklessly violent, but postmodern-chic super-heroes called The Elite (a group quite obviously modeled on The Authority). Throughout the story, Superman's play-by-the-rules, Boy Scout ethic is challenged by the effective, exciting, but horribly dangerous Elite. The leader of the Elite, Manchester Black, tries to explain to Superman that Superman's code of ethics is simply impractical and ineffective in the context of the brutal and morally ambiguous real world. But by the end of the story, Superman shows Black that his ethics are practical enough, triumphing over the Elite both physically and morally; defeating them in a climactic fight without sacrificing his values and without killing them. Moreover, Superman makes the point to Black that even if his principles rendered him ineffective, he would still adhere to them; they would still be worth fighting for:
"Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. I swear, until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice becomes the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting."
Black's retort to this remark is the two month, eight issue "Ending Battle" storyline. Black decides to put Superman's claim to the test, in effect, playing God to Superman's Job, orchestrating a violent attack on each significant person in Superman's life. The story concludes with ACTION #796, where Superman's principles have proven fairly useless in one very serious regard: Lois is lying dead on the floor. At the same time, Black relentlessly tries to provoke Superman, even going so far as to kick the body. This is Black's litmus for Superman, to see if he puts his money where his moral mouth is, and holds to his ideals.
In the face of such personally focused brutality, and in the face of such a violation of loved ones, for Superman not to kill him would require nearly super-human moral strength; a strength that Black is convinced that Superman doesn't really have; that no one could have.
So Superman fries Manchester Black into a burning skeleton with his heat vision. And you'll have to read the comic to find out if I'm serious.
Joe Kelly manages to answer Bernard Shaw's question both emotionally and in principle in what I found to be a very good comic. The presentation was not completely flawless: the recurring heartbeat that played visually beneath every panel didn't particularly add anything to the story; and a long running subplot was resolved suddenly, unexpectedly, and bizarrely. Moreover, we've seen this story before, in THE KILLING JOKE, where another villain goes to elaborate means to push someone over the edge in order to justify his existence. (Whereas that story's resolution seemed aborted, this one plays through to the end.) And finally, ACTION #796 was the final chapter in what turned out to be (surprise) a very uneven and disjointed inter-Superman title crossover. But Kelly manages to move the story forward to a satisfying climax, and bring things to a head with plenty of intensity. I bought it. We also get some unexpectedly faceted characterization from Black. And of course, there was the moral dimension, the message. The ordeal was a bit darker this time around than it was with ACTION #775, and a bit harder to shake off in the end. But it was well worth the trip.
Duncan Rouleau's art was part of the ride as well. Rouleau has his own style, one that's difficult to describe. My word today is "grotesque." Rouleau manages to combine cartoony-ness with a bold expressionism which often comes across as grossly distorted; it reminds me of something I might see in MAD MAGAZINE. I can't get the same emotional hook into the story that I can with art that's a little more conventional; however, this is not to say that the art is unaffecting. On the contrary, the oblique approach suited the issue, which was in many ways was a grotesque story anyway. There were a few strange character moments with the art, chief among them an inexplicable "come hither" look on a character's face as the character emerges from the rubble (p. 16). But on the whole, Rouleau's art, topped off with Moose Bauman's coloring, was not just appropriate, it may have given the story much of it's flavor. I wouldn't necessarily call it appealing, but it worked.
ACTION #796 was a morally challenging read that asked you to examine your own moral convictions and ideals. It was almost political. In the end, we all tend to be a bit like Manchester Black: we rationalize our own moral concessions by reasoning that the highest ideals CANNOT be fulfilled by anyone. To the degree that a fictional character can, Superman shows that that's not necessarily true; that in spite of everything, if we reach for it, we can grasp it. Inspiring indeed. This was a good one.
Title: PUNISHER #17
"Writer": Garth Ennis
Art: Darick Robertson
Publisher: MARVEL
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
The following is correspondence swiped from the desk of a high-ranking MARVEL executive.
deAr mARvEl:
iF YoU wAnT TO sEE yoUr bELoVeD wRITer, gArTH EnNiS aGaIN, LEaVe OnE mILLiOn iN uNmaRKeD sHEKelS iN a duFFLe BaG AT tHE aFORemEntIOneD LOCatioN at tHe sTrokE oF mIDniGhT. ThIS wRiTEr hAS a LEGioN oF fAnS whO fIrsT dIScoVereD HiS tAleNT wITh THe wriTTEn WOrD in PreAcHeR aND HiTmaN aND wOuLd bE sORelY miSseD IF yoU Do noT pAY uP.
Dear Kidnappers:
Ever since the infamous Liefeld Self-Abduction-for-Cash-Conspiracy, our policy is to not negotiate with kidnappers. Please return Mr. Ennis immediately and the authorities will not be contacted.
deAr mARvEl:
wE MeAn bUSineSS. WE kNoW eNnIS iS GOinG tO Be wRITinG tHE pUnISher sERies. wE kNow His mATUre taKe oN soPHisTicatEd mALe cHArACteRs iN pReACheR aNd hITmaN wILL FiT nICelY WiTh fRanK CAstLe'S wOrLd. hE's bOUnd To tAKe tHe cHARaCTer iNto boLd, nEW DirEctIOns aNd teLL a tHOugHt pROvOkiNg talE aBouT thE dEAtH-dEaLIng viGilanTE. SeND tHE cASh aND eNNiS Will nOt bE hARmeD. We ArE WilliNg tO Go doWn tO 500,000 fOr hiM.
Dear Kidnappers:
As we said before, we do not deal with kidnappers. At the moment, Marvel does not have the funding to meet your demands due to extraneous costs involving Ron Zimmerman's Writing Classes for Dummies and Bill Jemas' laser back hair removal treatments. Recently, we also needed to widen the doors to accommodate Kevin Smith's head, so you see, it is just not in our budget to pay for Ennis' return.
deAr mARvEl:
dO yOU WAnt ONe oF cOMicDOm'S MOst prOFitABle wrITerS tO bE HArMed? EnNIs hAs shoWn a gIFT foR CReaTInG cuTtiNG eDge DiAloG aND oFFbeAt sitUAtionS. giVE Us thE cASh noW Or yoU'lL bE soRRy. hOw dOEs 5,000 sOuNd?
Dear Kidnappers:
We are fully prepared to replace Mr. Ennis with a mongoloid monkey with syphilis. The monkey has turned in a few scripts and they aren't bad. We will simply put Ennis' name on the cover and reap the profits of those who will buy the book on Ennis' past glories alone.
deAr mARvEl:
We hAVe reAD thE SCriPts oF YoUr mONkEy aNd ArE nOT amUSeD. ThE sICkLy cHiMp muST hAVe a sERioUs proBLem WIth suPEr hErOeS anD thE cHARacTer's fANs. HiS hATreD foR maRVeL cHAracTErS iS pALpaBLE. FoR soMe reASon, gRoSs ouT hUMor haS taKEn preCEdenCe ovEr plOt. I caN't bELieVe MaRveL iS pUBlisHinG tHIs craP. enNiS Is hERe aNd wAITiNg tO Be rANsoMed. 500, LAsT OfFer.
Dear Kidnappers:
We at Marvel feel that our characters can be shat upon by creators since we have no real respect for said characters and the loyal fans who have followed their adventures for years. The monkey may have a problem with superheroes, but people are still buying PUNISHER for the mindless violence. You are correct that the monkey likes his gross-out humor, but that must be expected from a primate that likes to play with his own feces.
deAr mARvEl:
PleASe pAY uS So wE cAn eND aLL Of tHIs. tHe laTeSt pUNiShER aRc feATurIng WolVERinE waS tHe wORst So FAr. ThE PuNisHer'S griM qUesT haS deGENerateD inTO a mISh-MasH oF oNe goRy sCenE cLumsiLy stiTchED tOgeTHer wiTh anOTher. EVerY chARactEr iS paINfuLLy cArtOOnisH. AnYthINg thAT eVeN rEMotElY reSEmbLEs a PLoT iS oVERshaDOweD wiTh sPanDeX bAShiNg anD uTteR disREspeCt foR chARacteR. tHE moNGoloId moNKeY's dePIctiOn oF WoLveRIne waS uNForgIvaBle. nOt onLy doEs tHe mOnKey giVe WolvERinE suCh goD awfUL liNEs aS "Gonna buy ya a drink ya won't forget! Gonna buy ya th' whole snikt-pack!", bUT hE PutS thE chARActeR thROugh puNIShmEnt tHAt nO ChaRActer dESErveS. ThiS hAS GOne oN LOnG eNOuGh. IT is PuNishMenT fOR Us tO rEAd thIS toILeT pAPer rAG oF a cOmiC. PLus wE ARe ruNNinG oUt oF diFFereNt siZeD leTTerS To mAKe tHeSe raNSoM noTes. giVe uS a SiXer aND a pACk oF koOL's aND we'LL caLL It eVEn.
Dear Kidnappers:
We like the monkey. In fact we are thinking of getting a few more to fall back on in the off chance that Grant Morrison gets sick.
deAr mARvEl:
YoU wIn. wE'll LeT EnNiS Go. yoUR moNKeY iS suLLyiNg eNNis' oNcE gREat naMe. yoUr PUnIsHEr cOmiC iSn'T eVEn reADabLe aNYmoRe. ThAT dAMn moNKeY iS THrowINg hIs oWN sHiT iN THe fACeS oF cOMicS fANs anD MAkiNg aN uNfuNNy jOKe oUT of A oNCe fASciNAtiNg cHARaCteR. dAMn yOU, mArVel. daMN YoU aNd tHaT dIRtY, mONgOloId mONkEy wITh sYPhiLis tHAt iS wRItiNg tHe PuNiSHer.
COUSCOUS EXPRESS
Brian Wood, Brett Weldele
AiT/PLANETLAR
reviewed by Lizzybeth
I would like to say that Brian Wood exploded onto the comic scene, but really, it's more like he snuck in through the back entrance. After all, CHANNEL ZERO, his strikingly original debut project for AiT/Planetlar, did not make the waves that one would expect from a work of its caliber and ambition. Its vision of media-controlled totalitarianism and the importance of personal expression hit a mark that countless more experienced artists have been shooting wide. Over time it has continued to win followers (including me, as some of you may remember from my ravings of a year and a half ago), and Wood is now acquiring a real reputation with mainstream readers, through a few superhero-stints and marquee projects like FIGHT FOR TOMORROW (DC/Vertigo) and POUNDED (Oni Press). In between such jaunts to larger properties, Brian Wood returned to AiT/Planetlar around this time last year to put out a graphic novel that both echoes and expands on his earlier work, and may be his finest comics project to date.
COUSCOUS EXPRESS is not a fist-pounding mission statement like CHANNEL ZERO, there is no kung-fu related madness like FFT, and it certainly includes no merry mutants. At its core, CE is a simple story about a girl and her parents. The domestic drama does play out with the complications of Brooklyn scooter gangs, the Turkish Mafia, a gun-running boyfriend and one killer hummus recipe, but mostly we're here to watch a girl named Olive Yassin get a major wake-up call. Olive, like many sixteen-year-olds, doesn't know how good she's got it. She pouts and struts her way through the city, making deliveries for her family's award-winning restaurant on her vintage vespa scooter and resenting every minute of it. We all remember this. Being a kid and thinking your parents were born to make you crazy. That old neighborhood that looks like paradise, now, that looked like a prison then. The big hurry you were in to become a grown-up, and shake off the protections and boundaries of youth. These things we take for granted, until they are gone, and a memory. Olive takes them for granted, until someone threatens to take it all away. She has to come to the stunning realization that her parents are actual people, who did in fact exist before her birth and have some problems of their own. Such as her mother's former lover, who's come back for his share of her success and is willing to kill the entire Yassin family to get it.
Brian Wood has never been lacking in style and vision, but here in COUSCOUS EXPRESS he adds something else to the mix: strong characterization. Olive, her thoughtful thug boyfriend Moustafa, and his proud partner Special are all distinctive personalities, much more so than Jennie 2.5, or the similarly-aged characters of Generation X. These personalities keep the story grounded when the characters start carrying M-80s and the action gets slightly fuzzy. Even though I can't exactly identify with the street wars and sharp-shooting, the characters tell the story, and they make it feel real. So many action-oriented comics lose my attention for lack of this kind of characterization.
And then there's the artwork from Bret Weldele, otherwise known for providing gritty backdrop for SHOTCALLERZ, as well as the Sci-fi adventure WANDERLUST. Weldele's work here is in the same vein, but much rougher in this black & white effort than on his regular books. It gives CE a second-glance immediacy that a more polished look would have invalidated. His energetic, angular drawings seem to fly by as the action builds, which almost disguises the care given to each image, the idiosyncratic expressions, like pixilated photographs from a dusky back-alley. The multiculturalism of the cast is never overemphasized; the characters look like themselves, not like middle-eastern caricatures, which keeps Wood's themes (family, community, tradition) firmly in the hand of realism (and perhaps sentimentalism) rather than political correctness. My one complaint would be that the book starts out very nicely shaded, and finishes that way, but doesn't maintain this look throughout. The less-clean style works for the action-oriented sequences, but I would rather the smooth shading be left out than used on a few bookend pages, however good it may look. I still think this is the best work I've seen from Brett Weldele, and it has encouraged me to watch for more.
Even with the strength of the artwork, the real personality in the project is in the writing. Comic book fans should thank their lucky stars for guys like Brian Wood. You know the old myth about the world riding on the backs of a few dozen certain special people, without which it could not survive? Well, the comics world has far fewer than that, and it doesn't recognize the ones they've got. In an industry that values lucrative properties over talent and originality, somehow these creative and unique voices continue to join up, volunteering to be kicked around by power suits and distribution rackets and myopia-goggled fans who insist: "if they were so talented, they would be writing for DC comics." Well, Brian Wood does it. He writes for DC, he writes for small press, and through it all he maintains a singular vision - perhaps best defined by loyalty to community and personal integrity in the face of outside control - and like most creators who haven't vaulted off a superhero project to superstar status, he gets not nearly enough respect. Here's a writer who makes groundbreaking independent work that will probably be imitated by the majors down the road, making his share of contributions to the majors himself, and to most comics fans it seems he'll be just a footnote. Support these creators while they're still around, people. They're keeping the industry alive.
The Couscous Express section on Brian Wood's homepage is strangely broken, so check out the preview from Artbomb.net (you'll need Adobe Acrobat).
Title: SUPERMAN/ALIENS II: GOD WAR #3
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Jon Bogdanove
Inks: Kevin Nowlan
Publisher: DC/DARK HORSE
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
I believe I bought SUPERMAN/ALIENS II: GOD WAR #1 around the middle of May and dug the hell out of it. Having enjoyed the previous SUPERMAN/ALIENS mini-series, I looked forward to another meeting between the Man of Steel and the deadliest species in the galaxy. I'm not a regular Superman reader and, although I've seen all of the ALIENS films, I wouldn't categorize myself as an ALIENS fan either, but the combination of the two properties appealed to me. There's something about the mixture of genres that, when done right, can bring out the greatest aspects of both.
I would compare the first meeting of Superman and the Aliens to Ridley Scott's first ALIEN film, which was a tense and claustrophobic battle between man and monster. The film, while epic in execution, was on a small scale: One alien, trapped on a space ship, mauling it's way through the ship's inhabitants. Like ALIEN, the first SUPERMAN/ALIENS series took place on a deserted ship filled with Aliens and told us the tale of a young girl named Kara, who may or may not be a survivor of Krypton and may or may not by the same person who showed up in the most recent issue of SUPERGIRL. Superman came to the rescue and defeated the insectoid monsters, but lost the girl in the end. This new mini-series pits the Man of Steel against the Alien horde once again. And as James Cameron did with his action-packed sequel, Chuck Dixon has upped the ante for this epic encounter and built upon the best aspects of the original.
Since this series is horribly off schedule, my recollection of the exact details of the first two issues is fuzzy. I believe a ship filled with Aliens crashes onto Apokolips. Darkseid commandeers the ship and discovers its deadly inhabitants. A light bulb goes off in that gravelly head of his and before you can say Armaghetto, Darkseid's Parademons are implanted with Alien eggs and unleashed onto New Genesis to destroy the New Gods once and for all. Superman is taking a much needed break from Earth and coincidentally visits New Genesis right before the Parademon invasion. At the end of issue two, New Genesis is infested and Orion, Darkseid's son and New Genesis' fiercest warrior, is implanted with an Alien egg -- which, as fans of the films will know, will burst from his chest when the embryo fully develops and kills the noble warrior.
That leads us to issue three and after the balls-to-the-wall thrill ride that was the first two issues, I am disappointed to say that not a whole hell of a lot happens in these pages. We see Orion getting pissed that he's got an Alien inside him. We see Superman cryptically say that he's faced this menace before. Everything is on autopilot in this issue. I guess it can be looked at as a much needed break after the intense action of the first two issues, but I'd rather read an action-packed three issue series than a story stretched out to make an even four. And that's what it seems like Dixon is doing. The throwaway fight between Big Barda's squad and the Aliens is nothing more than filler, lengthening the anticipation for the fight between Orion, Superman, Darkseid, and the Alien Queen.
This series should be called NEW GODS/ALIENS (with a little bit of Superman). Supes has very little to do in this series. He's used as a source of discourse, a faucet of information that is turned on when the reader needs to know just how much of a threat these Aliens are to the inhabitants of New Genesis. I understand the marketing that would go behind this series. A Superman comic appeals to a much wider audience than the New Gods, but the creators behind all of this should still give Big Blue something to do if his name is in the title.
One thing in this issue stood out as especially cool. I don't know if this character is new or if I just haven't seen him in comics before, but Jigundus is cooler than cool. He looks to be Big Barda's second in command and wears a uniform similar to hers. Jigundus is one of those minor player characters that happens to appeal to me. He's a big lug with a battle-ax. That's all. But his bonehead bravado against the Aliens was easily the highlight of this issue for me. Maybe it's just his name. Jigundus is just too good of a name to have the character fade into obscurity after this series. I'd pay good money to see this character pop up again.
The art team of Jon Bogandove and Kevin Nowlan are doing a superb job on this series. Bogdanove's pencils looks a lot like Kirby's. The "out-there" costumes and technology make up a huge part of New Genesis and Apokolips and Bogandove nails it. Nowlan's inks provide enough mood and gloom to let the reader know that this is very much a fantasy/horror/sci-fi comic. The atmospheric darks give the Aliens more menace and the New Gods more stature. This is a truly superb art team, one perfectly fitted for a NEW GODS comic.
Despite my complaints, I really am enjoying this series. Dixon has orchestrated the comic book equivalent of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster where an entire world is threatened by the Aliens and they're even deadlier with Darkseid herding them. Some of the lines that Dixon writes for Orion and the crew make me wish the guy would give us a regular NEW GODS series to enjoy. The cosmic soap opera of the NEW GODS has never been as good as those old Kirby days, but Dixon seems have a good handle on the different personalities that made Kirby's tales interesting in the first place. Although I had to wait a long time for this much delayed book, I am liking this series a lot and I plan on picking up the final issue when it is released...sometime in 2005.
AGENT X # 4
written by Gail Simone
art by UDON Studios
published by Marvel
reviewed by Buzz Maverik
Agent X-Pletives c/o Marvel Comics 2323 Yancy Street, NY, NY 90210
attn: Andrew Liss, Editor & The Brains Behind AGENT X
Dear Mr. Liss (I Do Not Even Dare Dream Of Calling You "Andrew", Sir!),
Once again I was completely blown away by your brilliant editing work, this time on AGENT X # 4. Sure there are some who will say that it is the writing or the art that draws fans to comics, but we know better. It is the editing! My one complaint was the cover, which I'm sure is not your fault. To the left of sexy, manga-style cowgirl Outlaw (Crazy Inez, a great name I'm sure you thought up!), are the names "Simone", "Lee" and "Udon" whomever they are (actually, I think Udon was the production company that produced FAMILY TIES starring Alex P. Keaton. You know, "Sit, Udon, sit."). Where is the name "Liss"? It should have been in giant red letters in place of "AGENT X" and not obstructed by the gun in Deadpool's hand.
I have to say, you know comedy! Alex Hayden's journal, the Latverian restaurant, Agent X vs. the pop-up ad guy! That is vintage Liss! That's the kind of stuff we came to expect from you in your YOU'LL ALL BE SORRY column at Comic Book Resources...oh, wait, that wasn't y--...never mind. My bad, my bad.
Anyway, Mr. Liss, I know this is a rough time for you right now. You're taking a lot of flack on the internet and while it is meaningless that a nobody comic fan like myself is behind you, it must be nice to know you have the complete support of Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Ron Zimmerman. Just remember, you're in good company. Many of the greats in the field of comics went down this road you're traveling. Just to name a few: the guys who wouldn't listen to Jack Kirby in the late '60s; the guys who wouldn't listen to Neal Adams in the early '70s; the guys who wouldn't listen to Chris Claremont and John Byrne in the mid-70s; the guys who wouldn't listen to Frank Miller in the early '80s; the guys who wouldn't listen to Alan Moore in the mid-80s; the guys who wouldn't listen to Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen and Jim Lee in the late 80s. The list is endless.
The important thing is to stand your ground and remember that Marvel always does the smart thing. Case in point: they knew that editor Bob Harras was much more important to the X-MEN comics than Chris Claremont, who thought his shit didn't stink just because he'd written the book for 17 years. Marvel was wise to keep Harras and let Claremont go. We all know that editor-driven books are the best! That's what fans really want.
Sycophantically yours,
Buzz Maverick
Andrew Lis Fan Club Member 2355523
WOLVERINE #182
Writer: Frank Tieri
Pencils: Sean Chen
Inks: Tom Palmer
Reviewed by superninja
Whatever happened to the good old days when family and honor meant something? What happened to respect? Life in the modern Mafia is tough, I tell ya.
The Pazzo Family is run by Freddo, the son of the dead Boss and one of the new generation. Freddo likes being in charge, but he doesn't understand or respect old-fashioned Family values. Maybe it's because he takes notes from The Godfather like it's the Mafia bible? Pity Freddo, friends - 'cause he's got it coming.
Enter Wolverine.
I haven't read Wolverine's solo title in a while. I viewed the preview of #181 and then glanced through the issue at my shop. It was nice to look at, but seemed to provide the typical Wolverine's-such-a-bad-ass fluff, I mean stuff, and I had no interest in coming back to what I've already seen a million times over. I decided to check back in on everyone's favorite little pointy-haired Canadian after he'd come up in TalkBacks in a recent discussion about his grooming habits.
And I'm glad I did. Every once in awhile, a nice little Wolverine story comes along that reminds you what a cool customer he is.
Take this issue, for instance.
Logan is on a mission to settle a friend's Mafia debt once and for all. His friend's daughter was kidnapped by the Pazzos and Wolverine shows up to send them a message. He wants his friend left alone and the debt settled, offering in exchange to step in and eliminate the Pazzo's opposition in their ongoing gang war.
Little action happens in the issue. Mostly, it's about setting up the conflict within the Pazzo organization. When Freddo's father died, he made Johnny (who was favored to become Boss) remain in the position of underboss, binding him with one of those Mafia deathbed promises. All the old boys want Freddo out of the picture, but they're bound by honor to support him. Poor Johnny is left to mentor the kid and suffer his Godfather-induced ideas of how they should run things.
As typical as all of these proceedings sound, I'll admit I'm curious to see how the theme of honor plays out in this story arc. Logan knows how to play by their rules, and he certainly understands honor. And yeah, he's still a bad-ass, but I had a lot of fun reading this issue. There's one moment in particular that's pretty clever, which I think any self-respecting Wolverine fan should at least check out in their local shop.
In terms of the writing, in retrospect, the previous issue was probably worth reading as a setup to this current storyline. Wolverine will no doubt continue to be the "best at what he does" but the story wrapping the character is intriguing.
The art, put simply, is wonderful. The art team on this book never misses a step in telling the story. The penciller, Sean Chen, is really a stand out.
What else can I say? I liked it. Not in a shove-this-in-front-of-your-friends-right-now! Kinda way, but good storytelling and interesting themes developing.
BATMAN: FAMILY-PART ONE OF EIGHT
Writer: John Francis Moore
Artists: Rick Hoberg and Stefano Gaudiano
Published by DC Comics
Review by Sleazy G
If you've been reading comics for any length of time, you know what a risk it is to get pulled into miniseries and crossovers. I've been burned more times than I can count, and every time I think I've learned my lesson and gotten out I get pulled back in by something. Most of the time, the Bat-family of books is the only one I'll cave on. I've always found the supporting cast of the series good enough and their development over the last twenty years interesting enough to make it worth putting up with the bad or mediocre series. Even the bad series usually have some decent moments, some quality scenes to carry them.
As you can imagine, then, it was with a certain degree of trepidation that I picked up the first issue of BATMAN: FAMILY. It's yet another Bats-related event book, and after the just-ended "Bruce Wayne: Murderer" arc, we could all use a break. Thing is, the seeds for this story have been planted for the last few months in the back-up story in DETECTIVE. Moore introduced a new vigilante character there-yet another costumed freak, darting in and out of the shadows and shutting down one criminal activity after another. The mystery was enough to get me interested, so I thought I'd give BATMAN: FAMILY a shot.
I was impressed. The length of the issue-40 pages-gives the story a lot of room to gear up, but it doesn't need it. The story moves very quickly, and covers as much ground in one issue as some monthly books would in three of four issues. Don't get me wrong, I like it when a book has a chance to stretch out and breathe. Sometimes, though, you want a book that pops, a book that races along. This first issue read a bit like watching an episode of ALIAS. There are several plot threads running at the same time, and there are a lot of twists that rush at you one after another.
In fact, there are so many twists that it's hard for me to discuss the plot of the book without giving something away. The character Moore had introduced in DETECTIVE, now called Tracker, plays a major part in this issue, and while the storyline told in that backup feature adds a little depth, Moore does a good job of getting you up to speed on who he is and what he's about very quickly here. I can honestly say, though, that I was not at all expecting his character to be put to the use that he was. This character and his role were just one of several surprises that ran all the way through to the last page.
You continuity nuts should know that while this story isn't occurring inside the regular weekly books it refers directly to all the events of the last few years. References are made to the No Man's Land arc, as well as being built directly around the "Murderer" story. Wayne is being asked to resign his position on his own company's board because of the negative impact his continued membership could have. Lucius Fox is still recovering from his illness. Moore is rooting this very strongly in current continuity. There are two possibilities at this point: either it'll be one of those stories where you'll feel stupid if you miss out on the story because of the long-term ramifications, or it'll be one of those stories where everything reverts to the status quo and people who skipped it won't really have missed anything. Since it's only one issue in, it's impossible for me to tell which it'll be. Still, based on the pacing, the twists and the story elements thus far, I think this one is well worth picking up if you're a Bat-fan.
SQUADRON SUPREME (TPB)
written by Mark Gruenwald
art by Bob Hall, Paul Ryan, Paul Neary, John Buscema, Jackson Guice, Sam De La Rosa, John Beatty, Keith Williams, Dennis Janke
published by Marvel
reviewed by Spunky the Substitute @$$hole
Hey, Comic Fans! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Spunky the Substitute @$$hole. Some of you long time TalkBackers might remember such posts of mine as "First" and "Have You Noticed That Jennifer Connelly's Boobs Are Getting Smaller? I Know I Have." Something about these posts spoke to the Talkback League of @$$holes and they offered me a chance to substitute for one of their members. Like all of you, I've shared the dream of one day being an @$$hole, so naturally I jumped at the chance.
Nobody tells me anything around here. I think that something happened to Jon Quixote. From the little bits I've been able to pick up, I gather that the @$$holes were playing some sort of comic book related drinking game. I think they had a bunch of old Rob Liefeld back issues out, and they had to take a drink for every pouch they spotted on a superhero costume. Or maybe it was the one where you have to do a shot every time there's a sick joke for shock value in a Garth Ennis story. At any rate, I think Quixote won the game and ended up with a near fatal case of alcohol poisoning. The good news is that he can now count to seven again (although not in sequence) and has quit singing old Rush songs. But he's not up to snuff yet, so all the better for me.
Before they'd let me review any comics, the @$$holes had to "jump me in" the group. This is something they do in gangs, and it involves all of the members beating the crap out of a new recruit. I thought that Superninja and Lizzybeth would take it easy on me because they're women, but no! they hit harder than any of the guys. Then Buzz Maverik stepped up to me and said, "You know, hazing is illegal. Has any hazing been going on here, maggot?"
I said, "No, sir. May I have another, sir?"
Vroom Socko said, "You've got a lot of heart, kid. Lemme take a look at it." He pulled out one of those big ass knives he collects and I passed out. Evidently, when I was unconscious, they tied me up and threw me into the clubhouse swimming pool, which is what somebody told them the Navy SEALS do in training. I remember being pulled out and a bunch of them arguing over who was going to give me mouth to mouth and the Village Idiot kept saying they needed The Jaws of Life. Finally, Sleazy G. ran outside, grabbed a hooker off the street and after he was done, had her give me the Kiss O' Life. Thanks, Sleazy! I was okay, but then one of them yelled "Clear!" and came at me with those electric paddles they use to revive dead people. I never have figured out what any of this has to do with reviewing comic books.
Finally, I was able to sit down and review the trade paperback SQUADRON SUPREME. At first it was hard to read since I keep blacking out and I have to urinate every six minutes, but I was able to enjoy this wonderful book, despite the fact that I can't stop twitching now.
SQUADRON SUPREME was a 12-issue limited series published in the mid-1980's. It is considered a classic and has been highly influential on such books as KINGDOM COME, THE AUTHORITY, and THE ULTIMATES. It was written by the late Mark Gruenwald, an incredibly talented writer who should be the subject of a CAPTAIN AMERICA VISIONARIES book. I've heard some of the @$$holes speculating about how comics would have benefited if Mark Gruenwald were still alive and were editor-in-chief at Marvel. I concur. Gruenwald was able to deconstruct the superhero myth while still showing all points of view and keeping the characters decent, human and interesting. His stories were brilliantly plotted with no loose ends and no gaps in logic.
A new SQUADRON SUPREME series will be launched by writer J. Michael Straczynski next year. JMS will have a lot to live up to. The Squadron is a superhero team from an alternate Earth in the Marvel Universe. They closely resemble the Justice League of America, lead by god-like alien Hyperion and the regal Power Princess, with a speedster known as The Whizzer, a former astronaut called Dr. Spectrum who can make solid objects out of light, a British bow-and-arrow buff called the Golden Archer, his sonic powered girlfriend Lady Lark ... you get the idea. Buzz Maverik said that when his 3-year-old son, Buzz Jr., saw the cover, he looked at Hyperion and said, "Superman."
In the past, the Squadron have been used as foes for the Avengers. They come from a troubled world and always fall under the control of one super-menace or another. When this volume opens, their society is in chaos. The Squadron takes control of the U.S. government, institutes total gun control, starts brainwashing criminals ala Doc Savage, basically creating a benign dictatorship in which superheroes take care of everyone while denying them civil liberties. And what makes Mark Gruenwald so great is that he does not portray the Squadron as bad people. They are doing what they believe in, what they think is right. Of course with Hyperion/Superman leading them, it falls to the Batman character, Nighthawk, to gather a band of rebel super beings to oppose them. But this isn't KINGDOM COME. People will make comparisons, but each work is unique. And while some of the characters do bad things, it's not THE WATCHMEN either.
I want to give away nothing. I recommend that you go out and buy this book if you haven't read these stories. There are great testimonies from fan-fave comic pros such as Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, Ralph Macchio, Tom De Falco and Mike Carlin about the importance and the brilliance of Gruenwald's work.
I don't want to short the artists here. The artwork is great. But it is Mark Gruenwald's show and this book is a fitting monument to the talented man who created it.
Now, could somebody please tell the cops I'm here? Or at least bring me something to eat? And I need to change my bandages.
THE RESISTANCE #1 & 2
Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Artist: Juan Santacruz
Publisher: Wildstorm Productions
Reviewed by Cormorant
This was a slow week in comics for me, so I decided to get a little risky and sample one'a them there books from the recent Wildstorm push that seems to be tanking. I feel bad for the Wildstorm guys, because some of their books that I've sampled (21 DOWN and STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, for instance), while ultimately not to my taste, were pretty solid titles. If comics readers weren't so damn conservative in their tastes, these books might actually be cracking the Diamond Top 100. I think the problem is that Wildstorm revamped and launched far too many titles at once, overwhelming fans with sheer numbers as opposed to slowly rebuilding their audience with a few must-have titles at a time. It takes me back to the gaudy 90's, when every greedy company on the block was pitching a "superhero universe" package, hoping that readers would buy into half a dozen or more titles instantly. And it just doesn't work - or it doesn't work for long, anyway. Ask Jim Shooter - he creates more superhero universes by 9 A.M. than most comic companies create in a generation. And they all go under.
Which isn't to suggest there aren't a few diamonds in the rough emerging from Wildstorm's funnybook inundation. THE RESISTANCE is such a gem. It's not perfect - it's got some flaws and isn't quite shiny enough to propose to your main squeeze with - but it'd make a nice ring for your steady. The premise is a mixture of popular sci-fi stories, from BLADE RUNNER to THE MATRIX to William Gibson's cyberpunk novels, but in the comics biz, where the sci-fi genre gets about as much respect as superheroes get from non-comics-readers, the mix feels surprisingly fresh. Seriously, when was the last time you read (or even saw) a straight-up sci-fi comic without any spandex types flying around in it? I can't think of many recent ones. NEXUS. A DISTANT SOIL. NAUSICAA. AKIRA. NEXT MEN. Umm...ALIEN LEGION? Not many options.
Anyway, back to THE RESISTANCE. It's the 23rd century, and life is apparently pretty sucky. BLADE RUNNER-level sucky. Military biological weapons killed off three quarters of the world's plant life in the 21st century, leading to catastrophic ecological imbalances, worldwide starvation and animal extinctions, and the need to construct mile-long reactors to manufacture enough oxygen to keep everyone from going kaput. 200 years later and a grim stability has been reached, with a totalitarian world government overseeing all. Food is still very scarce, laws restrict childbirth to keep the population manageable, and android police units maintain the peace in the fun-loving tradition of the Gestapo.
Grim? Check.
Gritty? Check.
But THE RESISTANCE is a lot more fun than the setting might suggest, as the lead characters are members of a youthful resistance movement that believes the government, backed by big businesses, is conspiring to suppress technology that could in time return the world to a semblance of normality. Like any good fantasy resistance fighters, these guys look like anything but war-weary freedom fighters! Y'see, they're young 'n' good-looking hackers and ass-kickers in the MATRIX tradition, and honestly, it makes for an appealing approach. Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray shoot for some honest-to-goodness social criticism with THE RESISTANCE, but it's delivered by means of an unapologetically action/adventure package. Hardcore sci-fi fans might turn up their noses at the mix (must action/adventure always be the sugar that helps the sci-fi medicine go down for the mainstream?), but there's no denying that the writers handle it skillfully.
At the very least, anyone even remotely interested in sci-fi should give this book a flip-through to check out the gorgeous art of Juan Santacruz. The artists over at CrossGen have created some pretty sci-fi/fantasy comics, but their visions have a very "STAR TREK", very whitebread feel to them, whereas Santacruz's vision is grungy, multicultural, and actually resembles a world that might come to pass. Oh, he draws some slick hoverships and police androids, but it's the dense cityscapes and urban sprawl that truly dazzles, showcasing crumbling facades with high-tech, neon makeovers. Santacruz reminds me quite a bit of former Marvel superstar, Michael Golden, who had a similar knack for drawing supercool technology rooted in the real world, and characters that perfectly blended detailed realism with a healthy dose of exaggeration. The coloring on the book is nothing short of gorgeous, mixing the gloomy browns, grays, and blues you'd expect of a bleak future with splashes of vibrant, neon color that keep things jumpin'. You can check out a few sample pages right here, and trust me when I say the stuff looks a good turn better on the printed page.
The downside to the first two issues of THE RESISTANCE is that so far, while I generally like most of the characters, no one person leaps out as a favorite or as a major draw. Everyone's just a little too hip and smart-assed for my tastes (again, shades of THE MATRIX), and the slacker protagonist ends up losing a good deal of the sympathy I had for him when he seemingly forgets by issue #2 the death of his beloved grandfather in the first issue. Granted, our young slacker is expected to be off-balance from being drawn into the roller coaster world of freedom fighters, hovership chases, and shoot-outs with police forces, but when his main concern mere hours after Gramps gets croaked is trying to put the moves on a leather-clad babe in the resistance movement...well, it just doesn't fit the profile of the guy who mere hours earlier was begging a hospital to save ol' Gramps. The book's action sequences and cyberpunk hooks are a blast, but if I could offer any advice to Palmiotti and Gray, it'd be to flesh out these hipster kids a bit.
Final judgment: Give this baby a try. If it were a movie, I suspect it would've had a monster opening weekend and solid box office receipts in the weeks to follow, but in the funnybook world, it runs the risk of cancellation unless some of you conservative readers get off your asses and give it a chance. The sci-fi social analysis will stimulate your mind, the electrifying art will stimulate your eyes, and the leather-clad resistance babe will stimulate...err...other stuff. My suggestion: take a pass this week on one of those superhero or 80's nostalgia comics that you buy but don't really dig all that much, and try THE RESISTANCE instead. Worked for me.
TALES FROM THE CREVICE: BOOKS THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACK
By Vroom Socko
Warren Ellis is insane. That's the only explanation for the sort of stories he writes. It's the only possible reason why some of what he writes is cataclysmically brilliant (Transmetropolitan, Planetary,) and why some of it just flat out sucks (JLA/Planetary, The Authority.) He has to be crazy. That's probably why BAD WORLD is so damn good; it's Crazy Warren writing about people who're even nuttier than him.
Featuring illustrations by Jacen Burrows, each page of BAD WORLD tells the true story of someone whose sense of reality is skewed. A lot of what's in these three issues reads like something from the humor section of your local newspaper, only with a whole lotta cursing. And yes, much of the book is funny as all hell. Just consider this section from part 2:
And then put yourself in the head of this guy. Lumberjack returns from the wilds of American logging country with rabies. During his treatment, he is naturally questioned about his recent circumstances in order to ascertain the source of infection. Lumberjack happily confesses to having fucked a raccoon.
Once he recovers, steps are taken to prosecute him for animal abuse. Which he denies as vehemently as he first confessed to his fuzzy love. No sir, that was not animal abuse.
The raccoon was already dead when he fucked it.
Now, if you don't find that even the slightest bit funny, stop reading this column right now. If you do find it funny, wait 'till you see the image that goes with it. Picture a bearded woodsman standing in a Las Vegas chapel, lovingly embracing roadkill. And that's just one story out of dozens.
However, Ellis is trying to make a point, not just show these people and laugh at them. What he's warning us is that people like the aforementioned logger, the guy who thinks math is a conspiracy to turn people against God, the person who wants to nuke abortion clinics; these people not only consider themselves normal, but they're free to walk the streets alongside the rest of us.
Consider, for example, my brother Race, a man who's currently unemployed, unfocused, and out of his nut. The first time he saw the movie Spider-Man, he turned to me during the Green Goblin/Mirror scene and said, "I remember the first time that happened to me." Honest to God, Race thinks that The Matrix is a documentary and that I'm a figment of his imagination. Every time I tell him that his behavior is insane, he stands nose to nose with me and starts singing Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies. I did not make a word of that up.
Now, Race is only the tip of the iceberg. These three issues contain thirty-five different stories dealing with people who see the world in their own twisted way. Sure, there's humor to be had, but the subjects of our amusement don't get the joke. To them, this is reality. Or, as Race says, "I'm not crazy! You're the one who's crazy! All I wanted was a Pepsi! Just one Pepsi!" Go ahead and laugh, just as long as you think too.
