Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I've got a special treat that the @$$holes arranged for you that should land online tomorrow sometime, but for now, here's plenty of goodies to keep you busy... a whole column stuffed full of new reviews. Dig in!
Cormorant here with a short but sweet column. It's superhero-heavy, as we get sometimes, but those looking for a break from the norm should be sure to read the reviews of the breakout horror comic, GYO, and the hallucinatory EVENFALL. Free your mind, suckas.
In the meantime, though, let's open with an appreciation of the latest FANTASTIC FOUR, 'cause it turns out the costumed mooks still have some stories to tell too…
FANTASTIC FOUR #503
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Howard Porter
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
With all the hullabaloo over Mark Waid getting fired from this book, I was ready to drop it - even midway during his generally strong run - just to give the higher-ups at Marvel the finger. Conveniently, Waid's recent issues have started grating on my nerves as he's pushed the limits of what I'll accept in a comic that should always – no exceptions - be all-ages approachable. The FF being tortured? Reed Richards having half his face mystically scarred? Franklin Richards bustin' out with thinly veiled swears that wouldn't even make it on THE SHIELD? As I've found with so many recent superhero runs, what started out as a good thing was collapsing under the weight of – yes, it sounds strange to say it – too much freedom on the writer's part. Lord knows writers deserve some freedom given how many superhero books have been editorially dominated in the past, but I'm starting to miss the creativity that arose under the sharp editorial guidelines of say, Jim Shooter's Marvel of the 80's.
Which might lead you to think I'm about to say some negative stuff about FANTASTIC FOUR #503, but that ain't the case. In fact, the issue's one of the best jumping-on issues I've seen in quite some time, so gather round and I'll tell you how Waid won me back…
Issue 503 starts with a much-needed moment of light-heartedness on the first-floor gift shop of the Baxter Building (think "Disney Store by way of the FF"). Though customers are wondering where the FF have been since their big showdown with Dr. Doom, they're still in full-on consumer mode and Waid has a few pages of fun with 'em. Not only do we get to see some hokey-cool FF merchandise, a kid getting busted saying, "It's shopliftin' time!", and a sense that the FF are truly beloved celebrity heroes, but the store has a holographic projector running an overview of the FF's origin. That last bit struck me as a particularly artful and concise means of breaking in new readers while reminding longtime fans why these heroes are icons. Nothin' like a good "role call" scene, baby.
Cut to Latveria. With Doom missing and presumed dead in the wake of the "Unthinkable" storyline, the tiny Eastern European nation that used to scare its neighbors shitless suddenly finds its border under siege by Hungarian troops. In the quasi-realistic tradition that's been dominating superhero books since 9/11, the FF intervene, putting them in a morally precarious and political sensitive position. Normally I chafe a bit at such "let's change the world!" realism. It strains my suspension of disbelief to throw larger-than-life heroes into scenarios that are too realistic and it opens up a can of worms that can't easily be closed without the heroes reshaping their entire world. Worse yet, these scenarios tend to be handled with a morose seriousness that undermines the great fantasy elements of the genre. Not so with this story! Over the course of several pages, the FF are revealed as decisive, walking-tall badasses who shut the Hungarians way the hell down in such a way that even non-FF fans will be forced to say, "Daaaayaaaamn!" When the Invisible Women wonders aloud, "Since when are we speaking for the United Nations," I could've kissed Mr. Fantastic's rubbery mug for his commanding-yet-blasé response:
"I'm sure the U.N. will sort out what to do here sooner than later, but I'm not going to watch blood be spilled while they debate."
See, now that's superhero politics. Decisive. Melodramatic. Slightly cheesy. More concerned with propelling a story forward than in developing heavy-handed allegories (take heed, Joe Kelly!). What the FF do once they've got Latveria safeguarded is something I'll leave for readers to discover. I was very taken with the mixture of seriousness and lightheartedness, though, reminding me that the FF would be one of the more entertaining teams to hang out with in a visit to the Marvel U. There's even a few instances of philosophizing, but they're like a spice to the story, not the main ingredient. Of course, upcoming issues might change this. It's looking like the FF will be continuing to maintain their presence in Latveria, so I have to wonder if Waid can maintain such an impressive balance between adventure and international politics. Dunno. He's off to a damn good start though, and I'm enthused for what's to come.
Issue 503 also sees a new artist in the form of Howard Porter. Once upon a time I knew him as the weakest link among Grant Morrison's JLA creative team, but his much-improved art, while still something of a letdown after Wieringo's run, might make your forget those dark days. Guy definitely got better, and the battle scenes in particular are energetic and noteworthy.
Wouldja believe this might be my favorite issue of Waid's entire run? Serious. If, like me, you've been thinking of bailing on the book, especially as a result of Jemas's antics and Wieringo leaving…hold on for a bit. We're five issues away from Waid's run wrapping up, and I think he might just go out on a real high note. In fact, I'm suddenly remembering how writer Gail Simone posted similar sentiments in response to Newsarama's announcement of Waid's firing – suggesting folks stick around because his last arc was among the best things he'd ever written. I kinda thought it was just a friendly show of support at the time. Now? Thinkin' the lady might be right.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #47
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art by John Romita Jr. & Scott Hanna
Published by Marvel
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
Okay, can Straczynski just write all the Marvel books? If he did, Marvel Comics would apparently get all glowing reviews, at least from what I've seen.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #57 is my second JMS comic ever, the first being SUPREME POWER #1, which I gave a rave. I don't normally read monthly titles because I like to write about new, different books and buying monthly titles takes away from my alcohol/tobacco/firearms budget. Trades are good, but often trades of even the best monthly titles start to highlight a creative team's weaknesses, which is a good argument against all this trades-only talk I'm bored by lately. But I will be picking up all the trades collecting JMS' AMAZING SPIDER-MAN run to date. I picked up this issue because fellow @$$hole Vroom Socko had a hunch I'd like it.
The summary: first there's some Peter Parker stuff that is cool because it's Peter like the real schlub he was meant to be in real schlub situations that have interesting ramifications for Spider-Man. I'm not used to Aunt May talking so much or being so wise. I kind of like my Aunt May as the type of old lady who can't work the remote on the T.V. and makes Peter change the channels, but that's just me.
Then Times Square is overrun by the Mindless Ones, and I don't mean all the California Gubernatorial Candidates. They're these awesome, powerful drone thangs that serve Dr. Strange's Elder God foe, the Dread Dormammu. Okay, so it's not the Vulture or the Shocker. It's the Marvel Universe and the M.U. heroes turn out in force to stop them. Spider-Man joins the pack that includes some Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four members. Kind of reminded me of when Walt Simonson had the Dark Elf's hordes overrun Earth in THOR.
It's hard to think of John Romita Jr. as a veteran, but I have to say: the guy was always good, but he's become great. I'm not enough of an artist to be able to tell you anything except his art looks great and it tells the story with fine detail.
I'm really glad that Kevin Smith got too busy directing GIGLI GIRL to take the writing chores of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. If he does take over someday, I hope he's read his JMS and learned a few things.
THOR: VIKINGS #2
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Glenn Fabry
Published by Marvel Comics
A Jon Quixote Pillage
Though I had intended to, I wound up not reviewing THOR: VIKINGS #1 for two non-hangover related reasons. The first was the standard New-Marvel First Issue structure, where they take 22 pages to expose what they used to be able to do in two, rarely with less depth and often with more spark. I was disappointed to see a writer of Ennis’s stature slack in that manner, but I’m getting about as tired of writing about it as I am seeing it in my ever-dwindling pull-list. The second was the fact that the crux of whether or not THOR: VIKINGS will be a success is whether or not Ennis is using the extreme to question our conventional notions of comic book violence, or if he’s just reveling in it with the exuberance of a baby giggling away as the playroom walls are graffitied with diaper shit. I felt it was too early to tell, and waffling reviews just aren’t that interesting to read.
THOR: VIKINGS #2 contains a scene where a police car finds a street barricaded with the severed heads of unfortunate Manhattanites. I used to be pretty good at the Guess How Many Jelly Beans In The Jar game, so when I say that, based on the pile, we’re talking at least a hundred thousand decapitations, it’s a pretty solid guess.
Waffle, no more.
Between the bloody massacre of a school bus full of children, the implied rape of an aerobics class, and the gory deaths of dozens of New York Police Officers, I have to wonder who on Earth told Garth that this was a good idea? Whatever Ennis’s intent is, he’s lost it - lost among the nauseating vileness that fills these pages. Maybe I should have bought a copy of 411 after all?
There’s no spin that can take us away from the notion that this is just violence for violence’s sake – no creative choice that justifies something like this. THOR: VIKINGS isn’t exactly SCHINDLER’S LIST, so any higher purpose for the gore and the genocide is going to be overrun by the degree to which Ennis takes it. And while it may very well be that Ennis is merely trying to confront our perceptions of the violence that usually goes on in these funnybooks, this goal was accomplished long ago…and then quickly forgotten by the reader who finds himself assailed by decapitation upon decapitation.
And it’s too bad because, somewhere underneath all the blood, there’s a good comic book here. The Marvel version of Thor: God of Thunder is a pretty lukewarm, family friendly Viking, and I was quite looking forward to seeing that image contrasted, or even revamped, with what we know to be actual Viking behavior and practices. It’s not without its fair share of cleverness – I’m sure the crack by guest-star Doctor Strange at the end of the issue would have made me laugh if I wasn’t desperately trying to keep my bile down at the time. And there’s a good mystery here – what is it about these Zombie Vikings that has rendered Thor so helpless?
But, at $6 an issue (Editor's note: Jon's from Canada-Land and so gets hosed on prices), I don’t think I’m gonna stick around to find out. If I wanted to spend $12 to watch a sick mind indulge his perverse fantasies, I would have gone to see JEEPERS CREEPERS 2.
It’s too bad, because I like Ennis, I really do. Even when he’s violent. Most often when he’s violent. In his hands, it can be a tool that he can use for great poignancy (WAR STORY), or dark humor (PREACHER). But here, it’s merely gratuitous. Gratuitous, pointless, and disturbing in a bad way – especially considering the setting. As one New Yorker asks (just before getting…you guessed it…decapitated!), “hasn’t this city suffered enough?”
Tasteless. And unpleasant. I tend to snatch up anything I see with Ennis’s name on it. But, after this, don’t be surprised if you see me hesitate when staring at his next project.
SUPERMAN: RED SON #3
Writer – Mark Millar
Penciller – Kilian Plunkett
Inker – Walden Wong
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
And the award for Smartest Boy in Class this week goes to...Mark Millar!
Yes, Millar is back at it again, and so am I, with another review from his RED SON series, ostensibly the last in this excursion to world of the Soviet Superman.
If you recall my review of his first issue, I tried to dissect what I thought was a varyingly subtle political agenda, one that tried to release Superman from his American moorings and show that he was still okay. The next issue went on to show that he was not okay - not entirely at least - creating a Communist/Authoritarian social structure with some nasty coercive-persuasion tendencies. I found this to be an unexpected change in direction into the ambiguous, and although it didn’t erase the values emphasized in the first issue, it put them in a different perspective (and I said as much in my review). Now comes #3, the final installment, and I’m beginning to realize that (at least in the coda), Millar’s themes aren’t so much political as they are philosophical. At least I think they’re philosophical. I’m not too sure, but we’ll get into that in a minute.
“Moscow tick-tocked with the same Swiss watch precision as every other town and city in our Soviet Union. Every adult had a job, every child had a hobby, and the entire human population enjoyed the full eight hours sleep which their bodies required. Crime didn’t exist, accidents never happened. It didn’t even rain unless Brainiac was absolutely certain that everyone was carrying an umbrella. Almost six billion citizens, and hardly anyone complained. Even in private.”
Of course, Luthor and the U.S. hold out against the “Global Soviet Union,” with the now-President Luthor employing his own fascist, centralized control of America and its economy; control that seems to yield results. He also creates a plan to confront Superman in a hot war, complete with little green rings and angry Amazons. A few confrontations, a double-cross or two, and a big fat climax later, Superman achieves a grand epiphany that ushers in a new age for Earth – one that still seems a bit short on democracy, and much closer to Luthorism, at least in the beginning.
Mark Millar wins his Smartest Boy in Class Award for not only integrating element after element of the DC Universe into the series, something he’s done throughout, but for constructing a very clever Mobius strip ending to the story. You have to admire all this cleverness; there’s just no way around it. Furthermore, I’ve never seen the arrogant genius Luthor so perfectly realized at the character level as he has been in RED SON. And even further, Millar also managed to convey a sense of time and scope more effectively than he has in past issues, and frankly, as well as any comic that comes to mind that’s tried to pull the same trick.
But of course, we have to come back to the meatier issues. What is the theme? What is Millar trying to say? Maybe I’m overly determined to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but all along with RED SON I’ve been looking for The Message. So let’s get heavy. (Okay, medium-heavy. I can only handle so much.)
In the end of RED SON #3, Superman realizes that all his benevolent efforts to create a utopia, no matter how successful, have amounted to an unhealthy patronage of humanity. ”I’m just another alien bullying a less developed species and it’s morally unjustifiable,” he says. Could the story simply be about realizing the Star Trekian Prime Directive?
We could go looking for symbolism. Someone suggested at the DC message boards that perhaps Superman is a metaphor for “superpowers,” but I think that misses the mark. Superman’s dilemma comes from the fact that he identifies himself as a non-organic presence in the world and for better or worse, the superpowers of the Cold War were of the world. So perhaps, again, it’s all just a more abstract philosophical statement about power.
But then of course, there’s the irony. As I mentioned before, after Superman makes his withdrawal, Luthor takes over, controlling the world economy throughout the “Global United States.” So after the grand gesture of relinquishing totalitarian control, the people of Earth make a very lateral move to fall under the totalitarian control of Luthor. So much for the prime directive.
On the other hand, Luthor eventually creates a “one world government” of “artists, writers philosophers, and scientists.” Sounds almost Plutonic, but the details are a little fuzzy. Eventually, humans become “the most advanced species in the known universe.” In many respects, this feels like a happy ending, and that would undercut the irony.
So what is The Message? I’m not sure. Maybe he was aiming for just this kind of ambiguity. If anybody read RED SON and has some ideas on the matter, please feel free to offer them in the Talkback. And I hate to sound Philistine about it, but if your name is Mark Millar, by all means Mark, let’s here what you’ve got to say about things. You were obviously trying to do something beyond entertain us, but I’m not sure what that something is.
Meanwhile, Kilian Pluckett (whom I keep associating with baseball legend Kirby Puckett) finished out the drawing chores begun by Dave Johnson ably enough. The transition in the last issue was virtually seamless, with the only difference that I could detect coming from the finer pen of inker Andrew Robinson’s replacement, Walden Wong. My reaction to the art throughout the series has been consistently mild, with exceptions in regard to a panel here and there. This time around, the work with Brainiac’s ship at the climax comes to mind as being handled particularly well.
I hear that DC plans to release a TPB of RED SON before the end of the year. Since word on the street is that the demand for this series has been high, I imagine this TPB will do well. I’ve been considering the idea that it may read better as a piece than in installment form, but given the fact that the transitions between the issues seem so firm and deliberate, I don't think there would be much to be gained. And I have a feeling that my thematic confusion would still be intact. Alas.
Still though, Millar wins the Smartest Boy In Class Award this week; a distinction, through RED SON #3, well earned.
GYO Volume 1
Writer/Artist: Junji Ito
Publisher: Viz
Reviewed by Cormorant
You want a comic that'll have your jaw layin' on the floor next to your dirty sneakers?
I got one for ya: GYO.
That's the name. It's Japanese. Don't know how it translates, but if I had to warrant a guess, it'd be something like "crazy bugfuck monsters that rise up from sea." It's the work of genius writer/artist Junju Ito who I've become convinced is some sort of divine presence descended from on high to this mortal plane…just to teach us how to do horror comics right! Most horror comics that aren't by Alan Moore are just terrible, terrible things, relying almost solely on shock value and gore. But Ito, in works like his previous three-part graphic novel, UZUMAKI, has adapted techniques for building up atmosphere and tension from the much stronger tradition of horror cinema. He draws the creepy moments out, he gets the reader so involved in moving from one panel to the next that when you hit a shocker scene, it's truly unnerving (in an exhilarating way), and when he does break out the gore…David Cronenberg, watch your ass.
This imaginative little tale begins, like many stories from one of Ito's influences, H.P. Lovecraft, near the sea. We're on the island of Okinawa, where a collage-age couple is catching some leisure time at the seaside home of an out-of-town uncle. The first sign that something's up comes when the girl, Kaori, starts to feel sick over the smell coming off of the sea. It's as if she's acutely sensitive to the fishy odor, and she gets in a fight with boyfriend Tadashi when she demands that he shower more often and brush his teeth anytime he's thinking about kissing her.
Kiiiiiiinda weird, but it's when she storms out of the house at night that the story really gets going. Tadashi follows her through a barely-visible field in the dark, noting that the seaside smell is getting worse all along. Nearing the ocean, he finds her sitting perfectly still in an area of tall grass. She sees something just beyond them, shuffling through the grass. Whatever it is, it's dog or cat-sized, it smells like a corpse, and it whizzes past them in the dark, too swift to be seen…
…and gets into the house.
A search follows, and while there's so much crazy shit to come after this scene, it's still among my favorites in the 198-page trade, for the sheer genius of the pacing. Some big, shadowy, crab-like thing is in their house, it reeks, and like the facehuggers of aliens, it's a fast li'l bastard. The extended scene of Tadashi tracking it down is a freaky delight, and really, sets the stage for the larger-scale weirdness yet to come. In fact, I don't even want to tell you what he finds, even though it's the first of many discoveries, because good horror needs to be experienced, not summarized. What you should do is this: pick up the GYO trade next time you visit your comic book store and just read the first chapter (it runs 36 pages). By the time you get to the page where Tadashi discovers just what's he's up against, you'll know whether this book's for you or not, but you must read every page! Don't jump ahead like the asshole who fast-forwards to Linda Blair spraying the priest with green vomit in THE EXORCIST, 'cause horror is all about the build-up! I don't give a hoot if the store owner gives you dirty looks for reading a little ways into the story to get a feel for it – just tell 'im it's an @$$hole-approved technique and he'll pipe down.
Now let's talk for a sec about the art. It's highly detailed and realistic, the polar opposite of the big, cartoony manga house style that turns off many American readers. Ito draws the seaside settings with a confidence that places the reader right there. When Tadashi's walking ankle-deep along the beach at night, you will feel the waves lapping at your own feet even as you strain, alongside Tadashi, to make out those three shadowy forms lurking just a little further out in the water…slowly drifting closer to shore. Ito also has a fairly high per-age panel count – unusual for manga – and his realism avoids manga clichés like giant, googily eyes and miniaturized noses. In other words, Yanks should dig his stuff. Hey, there's a reason Ito's previous venture earned two Eisner nominations, There's a reason Warren Ellis wrote of it: "Tell me the last time any book disturbed you. When you give up, buy UZUMAKI."
Few things are perfect, of course - even a breakout horror comic like GYO gets a few criticisms. Two minor complaints: First, that the eventual explanation for the strange happenings in Okinawa – while unpredictably freakish – was not quite as eerie as the Lovecraftian reveal I was hoping for. Second, I found that the later scale of the sea-born phenomena slightly weakened the early, personal impact of the piece, just as INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (50's or 70's version) lost some of the genius, slow-build paranoia of its first act during its chase-sequence finale. And yet I love some of the later scenes in the book. They're still amazing and unlike anything you or I have ever seen in a comic, comparable in originality to Ridley Scott's re-invention of the genre with 1979's ALIEN.
And I can't reveal anymore without giving cool shit away, so just give that first chapter a try like I was suggesting. If you have any appreciation for horror, you'll leave your comic shop with a GYO in your hands. God, I'd love to actually read this thing while vacationing on the coast, the stench of brine and fish carcasses in the air. How often can you say that of a comic?
TALES FROM THE CREVICE: BOOKS THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACK
By Vroom Socko
One of the joys of any entertainment medium is finding a story that surprises you. I can count on one hand the number of times this has happened to me in a comic, but this week’s Tale is the most recent, and the most welcome. I first found Evenfall while I was wandering around the Slave Labor Graphics booth at San Diego, and at the behest of the Smith Brothers I picked up the first three issues. Now, when I think of SLG, I think of Dork, Oddjob, and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. So even before I opened the cover on issue #1, I had this series pegged as another goofy humor book.
Imagine my joy when instead I found myself reading some sort of strange hybrid of Strangers in Paradise and The Maxx.
The story revolves around Phoebe, a twenty-something college dropout turned landlord. The properties she runs used to belong to her mother, who died nine months ago from stomach cancer. This most definitely isn’t the sort of life Phoebe had envisioned for herself, and it’s starting to beat her down. She’s begun to have dreams about her mother that cause her to break into despair upon waking, and she’s begun hitting the bottle heavily. Then one day, while attempting to fix a clogged basement drain, she is pulled down through the floor by a set of strange reptilian arms. At first she appears to have been transported into the past, but then the guy with the head of a pig shows up.
Honestly, I haven’t a clue where creator Pete Stathis is going with this one, but I’m along for the ride. He has a very real and compelling protagonist in Phoebe, whose character is better realized in three issues than some Marvel figures have been in three years. Much of that has to do with his art as well as his writing. While Stathis might not be the best or most dynamic artist out there, he does know how to use his images to compliment and enhance his dialogue. In other words, he shows about as much as he tells. Add to that the fanciful look of the “other world,” the wonderfully expressive nature of his faces, and some rather well done backgrounds, and Pete Stathis becomes a name to look out for in the future.
In the meantime, issue #4 of Evenfall is coming out this month. If I were you, I’d try and get my hands on the first three beforehand. This is one of those books you’re going to be hearing whispers about, so get on board now so you can say “I was a fan before all these posers started reading it.” Trust me, you’ll like this one.
Question for Discussion
What recent comic book turned out to be something you didn’t expect?
